BRATTLEBORO — The Brattleboro Development Credit Corp. (BDCC) and Strolling of the Heifers awarded more than $67,000 to 20 finalists on June 1 in the 2011 Business Plan Competition.
The competition came to a grand finale at the Marlboro College Technology Center, where awards were presented by Chuck Ross, Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food, and Markets, and by Pat Moulton-Powden, Vermont Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Community Development.
Thanks to the new collaboration this year between BDCC and Strolling of the Heifers, four categories were featured in the 2011 competition: General Business Existing Business, General Business New Business, Food/Farm Existing Business, and Food/Farm New Business.
For the “General Business Existing Business” category, the top prize of $12,000 was awarded to Laura Zindel Design, owned by Laura Zindel and Thorsten Lauterbach of Guilford. Zindel is a nationally known, award-winning ceramic artist who is expanding her product offerings and capacity to meet a rapidly growing demand. Plus, she will be offering a mini-incubator to train potters.
Also for the “General Business Existing Business” category, the second-place prize of $6,000 was awarded to Saxtons River Distillery, LLC, owned by Christian Stromberg of Saxtons River. Stromberg's distillery makes and distributes an award-winning maple liqueur called Sapling. He is moving his operations to Brattleboro, where he will have a retail location and will develop a new Piste Vodka to add to the company's Vermont-made line.
Three runners-up in the “General Business Existing Business” category received $2,000 each: Dreamcatcher Entertainment owned by Bill Forchion of Brattleboro; Kaye Audio, Inc., owned by George Kaye of Brattleboro; and Spirit Hill Farm Back Roads Granola owned by Virginia and Peter Vogel of Brattleboro.
For the “General Business New Business” category, the top prize of $6,000 was awarded to Pinewood TMS, LLC, owned by Julie Plummer of Newfane. TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) is an FDA-approved form of neuro-modulation used as an alternative for the treatment of depression. Plummer will offer this form of treatment in the local area.
Also for the “General Business New Business” category, the second-place prize of $3,000 was awarded to Student Cultural Exchange, LLC, owned by Peter and Jesse Friedman of Brattleboro. The Friedmans' business will arrange historic tours and in-depth community service programs for a growing population of international high school boarding students, who have no place to go during short school breaks. The program will expose the students to U.S life while relieving the schools of responsibility.
Three runners-up in the “General Business New Business” category received $1,500 each: Muse Tec owned by Daniel Kasnitz of Brattleboro; Next Step Sustainable Business Consultancy owned by Ben Griffin and Bonnie Sigwalt of Brattleboro; and Rock River Studio owned by Christine Triebert of Newfane.
For the “Food/Farm Existing Business” category, the top prize of $10,000 was awarded to Side Hill Farm owned by Kelt and Kristina Naylor of Brattleboro. The Naylors are expanding their product offerings to include a line of jams, jellies, and cheese paste based on underutilized fruit from local farms. These new products will join their current award-winning product lines and be sold to farmstands region wide.
Also for the “Food/Farm Existing Business” category, the second-place prize of $5,000 was awarded to High Meadows Farm's “Good Roots” owned by Howard Prussack of Putney. High Meadows is a successful all-organic farm that will offer a new service for fall storage crops, such as carrots, beets, and Chinese cabbage. This will require an appropriate storage facility to prevent freezing and will serve existing local customers.
Three runners-up in the “Food/Farm Existing Business” category received $1,500 each: Downstreet Cafe owned by Adreana Porteur of Bellows Falls; New Leaf CSA owned by Elizabeth Wood of Dummerston; and Putney Mountain Winery owned by Kate and Charles Dodge of Putney.
For the “Food/Farm New Business” category, the top prize of $5,000 was awarded to Big Picture Farm owned by Louisa Conrad and Lucas Farrell of Townshend. Their business is a start-up farm featuring delicious farmstead caramel using fresh goat's milk. They operate a “farm within a farm” based on an agreement with the base farm owners, Ann and Bob Works of Peaked Mountain Farm. Conrad and Farrell distribute their wrapped caramels through farmers markets, selected regional gourmet stores and cheese shops, and online.
Also for the “Food/Farm New Business” category, the second-place prize of $2,500 was awarded to Whetstone Cider Works, LLC, owned by Jason and Lauren MacArthur of Marlboro. The MacArthurs produce craft hard ciders combining respect for the long history of cider production with regional fruit yielding cider that could not be created anywhere else.
Three runners-up in the “Food/Farm New Business” category received $1,000 each: Entera Artisanal Catering owned by Tristan Toleno of Brattleboro; Just Pies owned by Andrea Waisman of Brattleboro; and The Fox Stop owned by Cindy Logan of the Red Fox Inn in Bondville.
The four first-place winners, four second-place winners, and 12 runners-up were among 39 original candidates who entered the competition by submitting an executive summary by April 11. Judges evaluated each submission based on such criteria as: likelihood of success, potential for job creation, impact on the local economy, leadership quality, and financial clarity. The premise behind the Business Plan Competition is to help raise awareness in the community about small business and entrepreneurship, and to encourage new business development by helping interested community members develop viable business plans, gain public attention, and earn financial rewards.
The judging panel consisted of these community members: Roger Allbee (former Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Foods and Markets), William Ames (Strolling of the Heifers Board), Laura Batcha (Organic Trade Association), Cheryl Bedard (Vermont Circuits), Debbie Boyle (People's United), Nancy Cain (Against the Grain), Bill Daley (Vermont Country Deli), Dart Everett (Everett Real Estate Services), Arne Hammarlund (People's United), Benjamin Johnson (Commonwealth Dairy), Pat Mangan (Merchants Bank), Thomas Moffitt (Commonwealth Dairy), Greg Moschetti (Strolling of the Heifers' Slow Living Steering Committee), Jon “Max” Muise (Vermont USDA Rural Development), Dan Normandeau (The Windham Foundation), Tom Nunziata (Brattleboro Food Co-op Board), Drew Richards (The Richards Group), Tammy Richards (Pieciak & Co., P.C.), Phil Steckler (Country Business, Inc.), Ross Thurber (Lilac Ridge Farm), Dwight Williams (Key Bank), Dan Yates (Brattleboro Savings and Loan), and Jill Zachery (ROV Technologies).
More information about the Business Plan Competition can be found online at www.brattleborodevelopment.com or by calling BDCC at 802-257-7731.