Charlestown fabric store brings together crafters from across the county.
: ANTIQUES SHOP OWNER DISCUSSES UPGRADING
Mick Maguire bought the Antiques Collaborative at Waterman Hill last year, envisioning a revamped store.
ABOVE: Antiques fill a corner of the three-floor B.F. Southgate and Company antiques, vintage and fine art center in Quechee, Vt., on March 21.
4 STAYING IN BUSINE SS
Pas sion, perseverance and office pets can help keep the mind motivated
8
WORKING AS A TEAM
Trio discusses partnership that brought Protectwor th Brewing to Kellyville
18
WORKING ON WAS TE Municipalities, nonprofits make effort to reduce what ends up in landfills
COVER PHOTOGRAPH: Kim Parndart, of
examines what she has found at Frank's Bargain Center in
on March 25.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JENNIFER HAUCK
Charlestown, N.H.,
Charlestown, N.H.,
Solutions
Growth
C OLUMN
What does it take to be in business?
Passion, perseverance and office pets
By TRACY HUTCHINS For the Valley News
In my role at the Upper Valley Business Alliance (UVBA), a regional chamber of commerce, I have worked with many new business owners. We often have people interested in starting a business contact the UVBA for information on how to start their business or advice on navigating issues as a new business owner. I find helping new businesses to launch to be one of the most rewarding aspects of my job. I love to help someone to realize their dream of creating independence and a successful business.
While the activities and trials of big business often make the news, much of the U.S. economy is driven by small business. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), 44% of U.S. economic activity is generated by small business. However —more importantly —it is small businesses that often shape a community. Small businesses are often those who donate to area nonprofit organization, support the local sports teams and school fundraisers, and give kids their first jobs.
Deciding to become a business owner is a leap of faith. I have often said that independent businessowners are just that —independent. They are in business because they want to lead, not follow.
Jordan Boissonneault, who owns the new business J&J Commercial and Residential Services, agreed. Along with her husband and business partner, Jake, Boissonneault started her business out of a desire for independence to make her own decisions and implement her own vision.
“The prospect of being able to shape a company that reflected our values — one that prioritizes innovation, sustainability and ethical practices —was incredibly exciting,”Boissonneault said.
For his part, Ken Flanders, owner of Plainfield-based Flanders Steam Clean, began the business out of a desire to be valued for doing a job better.
“I didn’t want to be just another cleaning service,”Flanders said. “I wanted my work to stand out, not because ‘the trash was taken out or a toilet was cleaned,’but because people knew who I was and the quality of work I provided.”
Mother-and-daughter duo, Shari Therriault and Hailley Sher-
COURTESY
Tracy Hutchins
man, worked for another company together prior to buying Budget Print in Lebanon, which has been open about eight months. They felt that they could provide better customer service.
“We loved the work we did and helping customers find solutions for marketing their business and events as well as adding personal touches to more individual projects,”Sherman said. “Over time, we didn’t like the direction the company was moving. The opportunity to purchase this business came about a year ago and we jumped on it.”
The realities of owning the business are sometimes different than the dream before starting the business. Many people believe that because they love the type of work, that owning the business is a logical next step. But doing the work of the business can be very different from running the business. Behind the work are the legalities, the financial maintenance, the marketing and so much more.
“We did a lot of research before taking over and some of the legal aspects have been tricky to manage,”Sher man said. “The biggest thing we wish we knew was to consult an accountant about how to manage our money and not just take the word of our lawyer.”
Flanders, of Flanders Steam Clean, agreed.
“You have to be tough and thick skin is a must,”he said.
Owning a business is a bit like having young children —it can be all consuming and personal life can take a backseat. Creating a work/life balance is a necessity, Boissoneault, of J&J Com-
mercial and Residential Services, said.
“We knew how crucial it was to set boundaries between work and personal life —but when you love what you do, it’s easy to let it consume all your time,” she said. “Finding that balance has been key to sustaining both our business and our well-being.”
Businesses often grow and change over time, and the business owner grows as well. The ability to adapt and expand is a must.
“Our vision has shifted from simply running a business to building something sustainable, community-driven, and full of potential,”Boissoneault said.
Having family support and partnership has been key for Sherman. She and Therriault spent hours discussing how they would run their business and what it would look like before taking the plunge.
“We are a family business, and we support each other and balance out each other ’s strengths and weaknesses,”she said.
Flanders’advice to a new business owner is to not give up.
“It’s going to be one of the most challenging things you’ll do in life but the outcome can be worth all the struggles,” he said.
Boissoneault would tell a prospective business owner to go in with a plan.
“Be prepared to work hard, stay adaptable, and embrace the unexpected,”she said. “Success doesn’t happen overnight, but if you’re passionate, persistent, and willing to learn, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.”
Asking for help is key as well.
“Whether it’s seeking advice from other business owners, leaning on your community, or outsourcing tasks that aren’t your strength, building a strong support system is crucial,”Boissoneault said. “And most importantly, take care of yourself.”
The Budget Print owners agreed. While running a business is a lot of work, the independence and other benefits are worth it, Sherman said.
“We love seeing people’s reactions to the work we do, it never gets old,”she said.
Sherman also has a recommendation for handling the stress of owning a business: Office pets. They have a dog named Jax and a cat named Colby.
“They are great for stress and have been a hit with the customers,”she said.
When it’s your business, you get to make the rules.
Tracy Hutchins is executive director of the Upper Valley Business Alliance.
‘Looking for that shopping experience’
Antiques dealerFrank Lawrence, ofWindsor, Vt., hangs apainting after pricingit and fillingout an information cardat
Company antiques, vintage and fine art center in Quechee, Vt., on March 21. “The antiques business is completely different than it used to be,”said Lawrence, who began selling antiques when he was a teenager, over 30 years ago.
New Quechee antiques shop owner discusses upgrading business
By PATRICK O’GR ADY Valley News Correspondent
QUECHEE —When Mick Maguire bought the Antiques Collaborative at Waterman Hill last year he envisioned revamping the store.
His goals were to reorient the Quechee business to adjust to the changing marketplace and customer demographics of the antiques business.
Dealers were once the majority of the customers for antique stores, but the market today sees a more casual, retail clientele, Maguire said.
“The business has changed enormously with the internet,”Maguire said during an interview at his store, which he renamed B.F. Southgate. “There used to be an antiques store on just about every corner in Vermont. Now, most people who are
looking for antiques will start online at places like Facebook Marketplace or eBay.”
B.F. Southgate is the namesake of the 19th century industrialist who designed the Bridgewater Mill, Maguire said. And while the B.F. stands for Benjamin Franklin, Maguire said he likes to say it means, “Best Finds.”
Having two antique stores a short distance from each other —Vermont Antiques Mall is located less than 2 miles east of Maguire’s store —is a rarity, he said. “They are pretty scarce today.”
Thirty years ago, the market was 80% dealers coming in and looking for items to put in their dealer space, but no longer, Maguire said.
“Now it is 80% general retail people, wandering in, maybe on vacation in the area, skiing or just driving
through and are looking for neat things,”Maguire, 59, said. “We still get hardcore collectors coming in, but most are looking for that shopping experience.”
The three-story building at the corner of Route 4 and Waterman Hill Road was an old farmhouse converted to a mall in the 1980s. When the mall failed after about five years the owners turned it into an antiques store and later sold it to Bill and Isabelle Bradley who owned it for 30 years before selling it to Maguire.
Maguire, a longtime Tunbridge resident, had a career in IT management and consulting before joining glass and pottery maker Simon Pearce in 2019. It was around that time he developed an interest in antiques and became a dealer, renting space in Antiques Collaborative.
Looking to pursue that interest further, Maguire said he thought about opening his own location but instead began discussing a partnership with the Bradleys.
“After about six months of discussions back and forth, they agreed to sell to me,”Maguire said. The closing was early last summer.
“We have completely made over the place. Largely the public area,” Maguire said, referring to the area of the store not rented to dealers. “We have also encouraged dealers to move around, to expand, to merchandise slightly differently.”
Maguire said antiques are generally classified at 100 years old or more with vintage items between 50 and 75 years old. One room in the front on the first floor offers items
VALLEY NEWS —ALEX DRIEHAUS
B.F. Southgateand
OwnerMick Maguire,left,and dealerAndrewKatz,of Norwich,Vt.,talk about pricingfor anantiquechestat B.F.Southgateand Companyantiques, vintage and fine art center in Quechee, Vt., on Friday, March 21, 2025. “It started out as a hobby,”Maguire said of antiques dealing, and it quickly evolved into buying the business from the previous owner.
from the modern period, which is 30 to 50 years old. B.F. Southgate has about 28 dealers who occupy the second floor and some space on the other two floors.
The number of items in the 10,000-square-foot space likely exceeds 100,000. They include, but certainly are not limited to, tools, carpets, paintings, glassware, pottery, furniture, toys, books, ceramics and some unique one-of-kind pieces including an antique, and completely refurbished, sausage stuffer and fruit press made by a Philadelphia company. There is also a functioning 1930s time clock used by Maguire’s four part-time employees to punch in and out from their work day. For those with a nautical interest, a model of the HMS Victory, a 104-gun ship launched by the Royal Navy in 1765, is displayed in a glass case, Everything is laid out neatly with tags that give a description and price. Paintings might include a lengthy explanation of the artist and his or her life. With many cus-
tomers seeking that “shopping experience,”Maguire said he wanted an appearance that welcomed the more casual patron.
“The market is shifting more toward vintage and more toward interior design so I thought, let’s embrace that,”Maguire said. “That is part of how I designed it, so it is less of an antiques warehouse and more like ‘there is cool stuff here I might want in my home.’So it is more of an interior design space now.”
After nearly a year in business, Maguire is pleased with the results.
“Every single month (of sales) has exceeded the same month from 2021,”Maguire said. “We sold as much in dollar terms the last six months of last year then all of 2021.” (He chose that year for comparison because it had the highest sales in the three years coming out of the worst of the COVID pandemic).
“We have been selling stuff that sat for 15 years. So to me, it has been successful.”
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
OwnerMickMaguirelooks atartpiecesthatneedto bepricedsetaside behind a cloth at B.F. Southgate and Company antiques, vintage and fine art centerin Quechee, Vt. Maguiresaid the store hasan enormous collection of art, and he hopes to create a gallery in the building.
VALLEY NEWS PHOTOGRAPHS —ALEX DRIEHAUS
ANTIQUE S FROM S6
‘We work as a team’
Trio discusses partnership that brought Protectworth Brewing to Kellyville
By PATRICK O’GR ADY Valley News Correspondent
KELLEYVILLE —When Tim Fraser, Tony Grasso and Adam Bray opened Protectworth Brewing last May, they had a goal beyond producing craft beer.
They wanted to build a community.
From live music on Thursdays and trivia on Mondays, to a paint-and-sip and other events coordinated through area chambers of commerce, Protectworth is fulfilling the owners’mission.
Last fall, Protectworth teamed up with the Sugar River Region initiative for a Sugar River Rail Trail Rendezvous that drew walkers, bicyclists and ATV riders along the 10-mile trail connecting Claremont and Newport with a post-ride celebration at the brewery, pub and restaurant, which sits a stone’s throw from the trail.
“Community events are what do the best job of introducing people to us,” Grasso said during an interview at Protectworth with Fraser. “It is a place where people have built friendships. Our expectations are in line with what we are doing.”
The seed for a beer brewing business was planted about eight years ago when Bray, 44, and Fraser, 52, met by chance at a Lebanon restaurant.
“I overheard a guy talking about growing hops,”Fraser recalled. “I sidled up to him and told him, ‘You should grow hops.’I was growing hops at the time. We kind of hit it off.”
Not long after, Fraser shared some Jalapeno Porter that he made in his Springfield, N.H., garage. The two sampled the brew while they watched a Patriots game at Bray’s house, a half-mile away.
TonyGrasso
Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (Valley News - Alex
ALEX DRIEHAUS Co-owner
monitors ablack lageras it brews at Protectworth Brewingin Newport,N.H., on
Driehaus)
Hodgepodge Yarns & Fibers
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Trio talks partnership that brought brewing to Kellyville
Co-owners Tim Fraser, left, and Tony Grasso add hops to a black lager as it is brewed at Protectworth Brewing in Newport, N.H., on March 18, 2025. Fraser started the brewery out of his Springfield, N.H., garage with the business’third co-owner, Adam Bray, and expanded to the
“Adam said, ‘Wow, you should sell that’and I said, ‘Yeah, I’m thinking of it.’A couple of weeks later we were brewing our first batch together,”said Fraser, who was struck by the idea of a business partnership with Bray and thought he could use his expertise as a beer distributor.
“He knew the ins and outs of selling,”Fraser said. “I thought this could make a good partnership.”
They next looked into forming an LLC and getting the required licenses. They obtained some personal loans and bought equipment. By late 2019 Protectworth, the original name of Springfield before the American Revolution, was in business but on a small scale.
“Then COVID hit,”Fraser said, a common refrain from many whose business plans were either put on hold or ended completely during the pandemic.
Proctorworth survived. A few
years later, a couple of business owners approached them about building a brewery, Fraser said. After that fell through, a Realtor contacted Bray about leasing the former Crazy Ed’s on John Stark Highway. Around this time, Fraser reached out to Grasso, who lives in Ascutney, because of his years of experience in brewing.
“He is knowledgeable, a hard worker, he is my cousin and the building is halfway between us,” Fraser recalled. “It sounded perfect so we formed an alliance and kind of went for it.”
They were handed the keys on Feb. 15, 2024, and went to work on a “whole tear down,”Fraser said, noting that the ceiling was falling in when they began working.
The renovated interior includes a “cold room”in the back that was bought from a business in Lebanon and reassembled at Protectworth with a reconditioned condenser. The beer is kept in kegs at a temperature
in the high 30s and the keg lines are connected to 17 taps on the other side of the wall, just steps from the bar. All the beer is brewed on the premises with two, 120 gallon batches each week.
“We have 17 beers on tap and about 30 to 40 (beer) recipes,” Grasso said. “Every season we do different styles and we are always adding more.”
For the non-beer drinker, Protectworth brews four different hard seltzers. The brewer also sells its beer at Jake’s Markets, and at some area bars and restaurants.
In the parking lot is the Pizza Hero, a converted solar-powered bus, offering wood-fired pizza, wings, pretzels and more. In warm weather, people can walk over and pick up their food but when it is cold, owner and chef Christopher Beaucher will deliver to the table.
VALLEY NEWS PHOTOGRAPHS —ALEX DRIEHAUS
Newport location in 2024.
BRE WERY FROM S8
BRE WERY S11
Cans of Whaleback Mountain Ale, a New England StyleIPA brewed in collaboration with the Enfield, N.H., ski area, at Protectworth Brewing.
A long way from Kelleyville
Fraser began teaching himself the brewing process around 2011 while living in San Francisco.
“I just continued to learn and experiment,”said Fraser, who met his wife, a Meriden native, on the West Coast and then moved back east, where he is from, in 2013.
Grasso’s story is similar with some variations. He also started brewing on the West Coast and apprenticed at breweries on the weekend.
“That is how I learned,”Grasso said.
He continued working at breweries and building infrastructure for local farms while attending graduate school in Austin, Texas, where he lived for 15 years. Grasso moved to Ascutney in search of land seven years ago and now farms at the base of Mount Ascutney. Some of what he grows, including berries, will be used in the brewing process.
“It all converged into brewing and farming in Vermont,”Grasso said.
Grasso recited a formula familiar to most small businesses owners when asked about the success.
“There is a lot of sacrifice and hard work to make this place happen and also spending time here to build community and doing it for the people that come in here,”Grasso said.
Equally important, said Fraser, who still works some in IT, is they work well together.
“We work as a team and each of us can do all the different things,”he said. “These guys make a living from it and I am close to that. And the other thing is the people have embraced us in the community. People are meeting each other here and making friends and making relationships.”
On a recent warm mid-March weekend afternoon with families and a young couple on the front deck and others inside enjoying a beer at the bar, that sense of community was on full display.
“We just love coming here with our dog,”said Corrie Holtz, who was with her partner, Henry Chrislip, on the deck finishing up their pizza and beer. “The owners are great, super casual. It is just a nice environment with friendly people.”
Thinking back to his start in brewing, Fraser said he had a different idea at the time of where it would lead.
“I thought when I retired I would make some extra pocket change. I did not think it would get to this point so quickly.”
Patrick O’Gradycan bereached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
“There is a lot of sacrifice and hard work to make this place happen and also spending time here to build community and doing it for the people that come in here.”
TONY GRASSO, co-owner of Protectworth Brewing
VALLEY NEWS PHOTOGRAPHS —ALEX DRIEHAUS Co-owner Tony Grasso empties a bag of spent grain into a barrel that will go to a local pig farmer at Protectworth Brewing in Newport, N.H., on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. The brewery’s owners try to keep things local, and make an effort to buy as many of their ingredients from nearby farms as possible.
Lines run from kegs out to the brewery’s taps at Protectworth Brewing in Newport, N.H., on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. The brewery has 17 beers on tap, which rotate in and out when they brew new beers.
‘We jumped in and learned as we went’
Frank’s Bargain Center owner discusses revamping Charlestown fabric, yarn shop
By PATRICK O’GR ADY Valley News Correspondent
HARLESTOWN —When a business
Cchanges hands, the new owner usually has experience or a strong knowledge of the product line or service.
They also may have worked there for several years —or at the very least could rely on a knowledgeable staff to help with the transition.
Meagan Hurley checked none of those boxes when she and her husband, Jarrod Filion, bought Frank’s Bargain Center in Charlestown last June. The yarn and fabric store is a half mile from their asphalt contracting business, North American Infrared, on Route 12.
Hurley said Frank’s owner, Phil Methot, who ran the store for 53 years, had asked the couple if they were interested in owning a fabric store.
“ ‘I don’t think so. I don’t know anything about fabric,’”Hurley said she told Methot. “But he made a great offer and I thought we could get our money back by liquidating it.”
Hurley, 41, said their initial plan was to sell the inventory of fabrics, yarns and related items, then repurpose the single story, 9,000-square-foot building. The couple considered converting it to apartments, but the property is not served by public water and the cost of fire suppression was prohibitive. When she announced the planned liquidation on social media, howls of protest followed from the store’s loyal customer base.
“I was worried they would get me with knitting needles in the parking lot,”Hurley recalled with a laugh. “I didn’t realize —I’m not a knitter, a crafter and I don’t sew —how beloved this store was. We got such an overwhelming response from the community, I thought, ‘How can we keep Frank’s and give it a more modern look?’”
After the sale was finalized, Hurley said they cleaned the store for two days before reopening.
SEE FR ANK’S S16
VALLEY NEWS —JENNIFER HAUCK
Shelly Bonomo, of Unity, N.H,. shops for material at Frank's BargainCenter inCharlestown, N.H.,on March 25.
The 19-acre property Frank’s sits on includes a separate 8,500-squarefoot building that [Meagan] Hurley wants to turn into an events space for parties, weddings and sewing and quilting classes. In the adjacent field they plan to open a farmer’s market in May. Other events scheduled include an egg hunt in April, a summer solstice artisan’s market in June and Christmas in July on July 19.
JENNIFER HAUCK
Colorful yarn is abundant at Frank's Bargain Center in Charlestown, N.H., on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Valley News-Jennifer Hauck)
VALLEY NEWS —JENNIFER HAUCK EmployeesAlisiaPeach, left,LindseyDauphinand ownerMeaganHurley talk at the front counter of Frank's Bargain Center in Charlestown, N.H., on March25.Hurleyandherhusband, JarrodFilion,purchasedtheyarnand fabric store from its longtime owner last June.
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Frank’s Bargain Center owner discusses revamping
Meagan Hurley, left, owner of Frank’s Bargain Center in Charlestown, N.H., shows Mary Boardman, of Newport, N.H., new lines of fabric at the store on March 25.Boardman is a“maker”forthe shop, creatingfinished pieces tobe displayedin the store.“It brings mea lotof peace,”Boardmansaid of crafting, who spends hours in her craft room with her dog.
learned as we went. Sometimes customers helped us out if we didn’t know something.”
Though his employees retired when Methot sold the store, he helped Hurley get started, offering advice as she learned about the business.
“Phil was there to help after the fact with our questions and he would stop in,” Hurley said. “I didn’t know what a fat quarter (a pre-cut piece of fabric cut wider than a standard quarter yard) was and couldn’t tell you how to cut fabric.”
Hurley persevered through those early, hectic few months and started remodeling in August 2024.
“We were finding our footing at the start because we had no idea what we were doing,”Hurley said, laughing frequently at the experience of getting the store looking the way she wanted. “We jumped in and
With the help of family and friends, Hurley said they had the store running and meeting customer needs while slowly beginning to change over the inventory.
“The first couple of months we mostly ran with what Phil already had, just replenishing things as they sold out, so that we could get our footing as to what fabric and notions (accessories) were what,”Hurley said. “There was a lot of stuff in here and we trimmed it down to what people were asking for and still have some unique things they can’t find anywhere else.”
The announcement in February that Joann Fabrics will be closing brought an “uptick”in customer traffic and Hurley said they want to stock products that Joann’s
VALLEY NEWS —JENNIFER HAUCK
car ries.
“So we are really upping our yarn game,”she said. “We have brought cotton, acrylic and wool and we have really good quilting cotton.”
The store also carries a complete line of “notions”which are accessories such as needles, zippers and batting and thousands of patterns for making clothes.
“People will come in and show us their projects,”she said. “The talent is amazing.”
Hurley said she had a vision of what the store should look like and visited other stores to gather ideas for remodeling the interior to achieve a more modern, less cluttered and brighter appearance.
She also endeavored to learn about sewing as fast as she could. In January, she took a beginner quilting class at Golden Anchor Quilting in Claremont taught by owner Louisa Grindle.
“I didn’t even know what a bobbin was or how to thread it,”Hurley said.
The 19-acre property Frank’s
sits on includes a separate 8,500square-foot building that Hurley wants to turn into an events space for parties, weddings and sewing and quilting classes. In the adjacent field they plan to open a farmer ’s market in May. Other events scheduled include an egg hunt in April, a summer solstice artisan’s market in June and Christmas in July on July 19.
As Frank’s nears its one-year
anniversary under new ownership, Hurley said the results are more than she could have imagined. There are now three full-time employees and three part-time employees.
“We have gotten a really good response and the store has done really well the past three or four months,”Hurley said. “Ever y month has been better than the last month, which is good consid-
ering we are still in winter.”
Customers, who come from as far away as southern New Hampshire, Montpelier, Burlington and Maine, seem equally pleased.
“We hear stories all the time from people who have been coming here for 40 years and they can’t believe the change and they love it,”Hurley said.
Patrick O’Grady canbe reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
RyanBushey
Coralyn Kirchhof
Solid Waste Manager Erica Douglas, center, distributes shovels to, from foreground left, Justin Rathke, president of Vergent,
CityCouncilor DevinWilkie,andCity CouncilorDougWhittlesey, beforeaground breakingfortheCity ofLebanon'sgas toenergyprojectat theLebanon Landfill in West Lebanon, N.H., on May 28, 2024. They system will burn gas produced by the decomposition of waste in the landfill to produce electricity.
WORKING ON WASTE
By REBECCA BAILEY For the Valley News
In our society, getting stuff can be as easy as tapping your smartphone. Responsibly getting rid of stuff packaging, broken, used, or outmoded items, waste products, and all the other materials that make up our “solid waste”— is a lot harder.
We look to the mantra “Three Rs”— reduce, reuse, recycle to slow the flow to landfills. But 55 years after the first Earth Day, we still fall short.
In 2021, Vermonters diverted from landfills only 34% of the solid waste they generated, while Granite Staters, in 2022, diverted 27%, according to reports from the Vermont Solid Waste Program and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. Residents did so by recycling, reusing and composting. Meanwhile, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American now produces about twice as much
solid waste as they did in 1960 4.9 pounds per day versus 2.68.
Working with consultants and Vital Communities, the City of Lebanon hopes to decrease the amount of landfill waste flowing into it from the New Hampshire and Vermont municipalities that are contracted to bring waste to Lebanon. Along with extending the life of the landfill, better waste management will reduce the landfill’s greenhouse gas emissions and groundwater impact; produce fertilizer from compost; produce high-quality recyclable material that can be made into new products to conserve trees and other extracted raw materials; and even generate some income from selling recycling and compost as commodities. In addition, those measures will save the millions of dollars required to locate and build a new landfill. Following assessments of what’s going into the landfill, from which sources and how solid waste is handled in each municipality, city officials will consider recommendations from consultants for landfill policies and management practices.
Lebanon, with support from Vital Communities, will communicate and provide educational information to advance positive changes in practices by municipalities and the haulers with whom they contract. Vital Communities will also work with municipalities and Lebanon staff to coordinate efforts to educate households and businesses about ways to reduce waste.
“Education builds understanding and sparks curiosity about how things work and how to be a part of change that makes economic and environmental sense,” Vital Communities Special Projects Manager Gabrielle Smith said.
Differences among towns
One challenge is the diversity of ways solid waste is managed in each of the 22 member municipalities ranging from zero-sort recycling collection to towns that separate recyclables into more than a dozen different bins; to curbside collection of trash and recycling to weekly “fast
VALLEY NEWS JAMES M. PATTERSON
Assistant Mayor Clifton Below,
trash”collections by a licensed hauler; to extensive in-town facilities for recycling, compost and trash, to towns that rely on neighboring towns’facilities.
Big differences exist in how food waste is managed. Food waste makes up about a quarter of all municipal solid waste in U.S. landfills, according to the EPA, and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions by producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas, as organic matter decays in anaerobic conditions.
Since 2020, Vermont has required that food waste be kept out of landfill trash and some communities have centralized collection. In New Hampshire, people are still allowed to put food scraps into the trash but, as of Feb. 1, businesses and institutions generating a ton or more of food waste per week are required to divert it from landfills to alternative management facilities, such as composting, if a suitable facility is within 20 miles.
More composting education and problem-solving could help. Although Vermonters support the food waste ban, over a quarter are confused about the rules, and one-fifth of households that compost characterize it as “hard”or “very hard,”according to a 2023 University of Ver-
mont study. Businesses’support is also high, but restaurants report negative impacts on costs and revenues. Other challenges include access to composting facilities in apartments and condos and understanding how to compost in winter.
The plastics problem
Plastics are a rapidly growing segment of municipal solid waste — particularly plastic used in food and beverage containers and other forms of packaging. In 2018, plastics made up 19% of the tonnage of waste going into U.S. landfills —and an even higher percent of the volume, given the light weight of plastics.
Plastics are problematic not just because for the space they take up in landfills but the pollution they cause as they break down into tiny microplastics that easily migrate into the soil, waterways and oceans, the food chain, plants and creatures, including humans. A 2023 article in MIT Technology Review reported that the average person consumes 5 grams of plastic every week — mostly from water; and that about 95% of the tap water in the United States is contaminated.
The creation of plastic also causes pollution: More than 90% of global plastic production consists of primary plastics —which are newly manufactured, rather than recycled —are made from petroleum prod-
ucts. This reliance requires a huge amount of energy and produces greenhouse-gas emissions.
Sadly, most plastic items collected as recycling are not actually recycled, according to a study published in 2020 by Greenpeace. Plastics are difficult to recycle primarily because they must be separated into different types of plastic, which is difficult for the consumer. In addition, many products contain more than one type of plastic or contain dyes that render them unrecyclable.
Therefore, the best way to cut down on plastics in the landfill may be to avoid buying them in the first place by prioritizing reusable alternatives, reducing single-use items and choosing products with minimal or eco-friendly packaging, experts say.
From 30 percent to 90?
According to the “Zero Waste” concept, a community could potentially divert up to 90% of solid waste from landfills or incineration. Could this be a moment for the Lebanon landfill communities to set zero waste goals?
Zero waste is not just about “throwing away better but eliminating the need to constantly buy new things,”according to zerowaste.org, a nonprofit organization. For each pound of waste that a single person creates, there are 32 additional
pounds that come from extraction, shipping, refining and packaging — all before consumers purchase a product.
“Real solutions to the waste crisis focus on reducing consumption in the first place and using only resources we have already extracted,” according to the website.
The extraction, transportion, manufacturing, storage, use and disposal of things that end up in landfills are huge drivers of climate change, as well, amounting to 70% of global greenhouse emissions, according to zerowaste.org.
Zero waste involves five Rs in addition to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Refuse: Avoid unnecessary consumption and products.
Rot: Compost food scraps and yard waste to create nutrient-rich soil.
Rethink: Consider the impact of your choices on the environment.
Repair: Extend the lifespan of products by repairing them instead of replacing them.
Regif t: Pass on items you no longer use to others.
Which of these Rs are you already doing? Which could you do more of? Maybe zero waste is closer than we think.
Rebecca Bailey is the communicationsmanager atVitalCommunities, a WhiteRiver Junction-based nonprofit organization.
BUSINESS NOTES
Luke Cadyhas beennamed chief operating officer andchief information officer of Norwich Technologies.
Business and nonprofit expansions
Shaker Hill Automotive, located at 675 Route4AinEnfield, hspartneredwithUHaul to offer trucks,trailers, towing equipment and moving supplies.
The Center for the Arts, a nonprofit organization that serves the Lake Sunapee Region, now has its own space at 428 Main St.in downtownNew London, whichfeatures space for a gallery and a classroom.
The WorksCafé, locatedat 25S. Main St., in Hanover has expanded into the former Fat Face retail space at 27 S. Main St., in downtown Hanover.
Fidium, a nationalfiber internet company, has started construction and will offerbroadbandinternet servicestoresidentsin Hartford, HartlandandLebanon in New Hampshire this year.
Beacon Mobility, a national transportation company, has purchased Butler’s Bus Service, a Manchester, NH-based business thatprovides schooltransportation services to school districtsin New Hampshire and Vermont.
Business new hires and leadership changes
Claremont Savings Bank has created an executive vicepresident role and promoted the following employees to fill those positions: Carol Vivian, chief customer experience officer; Jim Lynch, chief lending officer; and Paul Yang, chief financial officer.
Rachael Garvey,of Lebanon,hasbeen promoted to branch relationship manager at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust in Enfield. She has been assistant branch manager at the Enfield location since 2024.
Luke Cady has been named chief operating officer andchief information officer of Norwich Technologies.
Nonprofit organization new hires and leadership changes
Andrew Reid is the new executive directorof the Randolph Area Community Development Corp. Hewas previously executive directorof MosaicCommunity LandTrust in Pottstown,Penn. Reid replaces Julie Iffland, whois retir-
COURTESY PHOTOGRAPH
Lizzie Coelhois thenew grants coordinator at Ottauquechee Health Foundation in Woodstock.
David Sleeper is thenew executivedirector of the Ottauquechee Health Foundation, a nonprofit organization that servesresidents inBarnard,Bridgewater, Hartland, Killington, Plymouth, Pomfret,Quechee, Reading andWoodstock.
Sleeperpreviouslyserved asexecutivedirectorofthe HubbardBrookResearch Foundation and ran a conservationconsulting business,replaces Mar y Young-Breuleux, who has served as interim director since September 2024.
Lizzie Coelho has beenhired asthe grants coordinator atthe Ottauquechee Health Foundation after holdingtheinterim role for four months.
Laurie Beyranevand has been hired as VermontLaw andGraduate School’s Pescosolido Professorshipof Food and Agricultural Law and Policy. The role, named and funded by alumna Pamela Pescosolido, is theSouth Royalton school’s firstnamed professor-
SEE NOTE S S21
COURTESY BAR HARBOR BANK & TRUST
Rachael Garvey isthe new branch relationship manager at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust in Enfield.
COURTESY PHOTOGRAPH
ship. Beyranevand, an alumna who is director of the school’s Center for Agricultureand Food Systems, will serve in the role for five years.
Maverick, a two-year-old black Labrador Retriever, has been hired asan in-residence facility dog at in the Child Life Program at Dartmouth Health Children’s in Lebanon. He will accompany hishandler Torie Mielein seeing and caring for pediatric patients.
The Vermont Instituteof Natural Science, a Quecheebased nonprofit organization, has added three birdsto its Raptor AmbassadorProgram. Baldeagles Wyoming and Minnesota, transferredto VINSfrom theVermont Museum ofNatural History in Marlboro, Vt. Addison, a northern harrier,is aformer patient atVINS’ Center forWild Bird Rehabilitationwho sustainedbrain damageandtrauma to their left eye after being hit by a vehicle.
Dr. JessicaWeeks and Dr. MacKenzie Sloas have been hired as childpsychiatry fellows at WestCentral Behavioral Health, whichhas locationsin Claremont, Lebanon and Newport. The pair willbeing their roles in Julyand replace Dr. Alex Buell and Dr. Josh Prickel. Dr. Michaela “Mia” HarrowMortelli, afourth-year Dartmouthpsychiatry resident,will join West Central Behavioral Health’s AssertiveCommunity Treatment (ACT) team in Lebanon for the next academic year.She willreplaced Dr. Diana Fox, thenonprofit organization’s current fourth-yearresident on the Lebanon ACT team.
Dr. AnnaNoel Miller is the new chair of the department of orthopaedics at Dartmouth Hitchcock MedicalCenter and the Geisel Schoolof Medicineat Dartmouth. She was previously a professorand vicechair oforthopaedic surgery at Washington University School ofMedicine in St. Louis, Mo.
Dr. Gabriela M. Andujar Vazquez is Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center ’s new hospitalepidemiologist. Shepreviouslyhelda fellowshipininfectious diseasesat Tufts Medical Center in Boston.
Dr. James B. Yu will lead the genitourinary radiation oncologyprogram inthe departmentof radiationoncologyand
COURTESY PHOTOGRAPH
Maverick, a two-year-old black Labrador Retriever, pictured with his handler, Torie Miele, has been hired to serve patients in the Child Life Program at Dartmouth Health Children’s in Lebanon.
Wyoming and Minnesota, and northern
NOTES FROM S21
appliedsciences at Dartmouth Cancer Center andthe GeiselSchool ofMedicine at Dartmouth. He was previously employed at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Conn. Tammy L. Tarsa isthe new interim CEO andpresidentof DartmouthHealth’s Visiting Nurse andHospice forVermont andNew Hampshire. She replaces Johanna Beliveau Dartmouth Health hired thefollowing providers in February:
Alice Peck DayMemorial Hospital: Peter L. Rippberger,family medicine;and Lases P. Thibodeau, orthopaedics.
Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital and DartmouthHitchcock MedicalCenter: Emily A.DesMeules, emergency medicine.
Dartmouth Cancer Center: Sabrina L. Searles, hematology/oncology; Nancy L. Thomas, hematology/oncology; Dr. Christianne Persenaire, gynecologic oncology. DartmouthHitchcock MedicalCenter: Harmony L.Tyner, infectiousdisease; KristyTaylor O’Brien, psychiatry; Dr. NataliaC. Berry, cardiology; Katrina J.DeShaney, neurology; HopeE. DiCesare, cardiology; Dr.Mark A.Garret, neurology; Nicole E. Gottschalk, audiology; ToddS. Karalius, rheumatology; Dr.Lindsey A. MacFarlane, rheumatology; Mary D.Moore, palliative medicine; Willow Moryan, obstetrics and gynecology; Susanne M. Nelson, audiol-
ogy; BessA. Trevino,internal medicine;and Dr.James L. West, neurology. HealthCare andRehabilitationServices, a nonprofit organization thatserves Windham and Windsor county residents, hired the following employeesin Decemberand February: Ashlee Kelley,office generalist,Hartford; Heather Mason, clinical intern, Hartford; Courtney (Stebbins)Emerson, CYF respiteprovider, Hartford; Jesse Baughman, billing specialist, Springfield, Vt.; Tamara Kinsman, CYF respiteprovider, Hartford; Taylor Johnson, respite provider, White River Junction; Patricia Hanchett, team lead, Hartford; Miranda Collins, crisis intervention specialist, Springfield, Vt.; BrandonSheridan, community outreachspecialist, Springfield, Vt.; Michael Hall, residential specialist, Woodstock; Eric Resseguie, Jr., children’s outpatient clinician, Springfield, Vt.; Sierra Cantara, direct support professional (community), Springfield, Vt.; and Scott Maple, school-basedbehavioral interventionist, Hartford.
Nonprofit organization board appointments
Tamara Warschinski, leadership and planned givingofficer atKimball Union Academy, hasbeenelected presidentof Junction Arts & Media’s board oftrustees.Shereplaced Tracy Hutchins, executivedirectorof
S S23
COURTESY DARTMOUTH HEALTH
Dr. James B.Yu willlead the genitourinary radiation oncology program in the department of radiation oncologyand applied sciences at DartmouthCancerCenter andtheGeisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
COURTESY VERMONT INSTITUTE OF NATURAL SCIENCE) Bald eagles
harrier Addison have joined the Vermont Institute of Natural Science's Raptor Ambassador Program.
NOTE S FROM S22
the Upper Valley Business Alliance, who has served on the board since December 2020.
Amber Hanna, principal research associate at Adimab; Jennie Chamberlain, Hanover Selectboard member and filmandmedia studiesprofessorat Dartmouth College;and Johanna Evans, senior programmanager andheadof filmand mediaatHopkinsCenter forArtsatDartmouth College, have been elected to the Junction Arts & Media’s board of trustees.
Mike Farber, co-founder of GreenStory, and Stuart Mathews, president of Metapoint Partners, have joined the Vermont Institute of Natural Science’s board of trustees.
Kathleen M. Fisher, who worked in investmentand assetmanagement onWall Street formore than40 years, hasbeen elected to Dartmouth Health’sboard of tr ustees.
Three new members have been elected to the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics board of tr ustees: Jason T. Garbarino, executive directorand co-founderofNursing isSTEM Coalition; LaurelJ. Richie, former president of theWNBA; and Dr. EmilyP. Zeitler, a cardiologist at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
Nonprofit grants and donations
The Cornish CommunityInitiative earned a $727,456 Northern BorderRegional Commission Catalyst Program granttoput towardrenovatingthetown’s formergeneral storeinto alibrary andcommunity center.
Families FlourishNortheast Inc. earneda $1million Northern Border Regional Commission Catalyst Program granttoputtoward buildinga12-unitresidential substance usedisorder treatment facility for women with children in Lebanon.
The Mill School in Woodstock was awarded $25,000through the FirstChildren’s Finance VT and Make Way for Kids (MWFK) Infant/ToddlerCapacity Building Grants program to expandthe existing child carecenterby14 infantsand30toddlers, which will lead toemploying 12 new staff member. The expansion is expected to be complete in June 2025.
Bambino University inPerkinsville was awarded $43,000 through the First Children’s Finance VT and Make Way for Kids (MWFK) Infant/Toddler Capacity Building Grants program to start a child care center that will serveeight infants,20toddlers and20 preschoolers andemploy 10staff, including the owner. The center is expected to open by July 2025.
The followingDartmouth Collegestudents andfaculty have earned$100,000 in grantfunding from theHopkins Centerfor the Arts (the Hop) andthe Vice Provost for
Research’s Arts IntegrationInitiative program: “Art, Business and Soft Power,” Chad Elias, associate professor, department of art history and Sunglim Kim, associate professor,Departmentof ArtHistory,Department of Asian Societies, Cultures and Languages; “Bronzed: A History ofMakeup, Hair, and Race in Hollywood,” Desiree Garcia, associateprofessor andchair, Departmentof LatinAmerican, Latino,& Caribbeanstudies; “Medical Misogynoir:GraphicMedicine as a Tool toRaise Awareness of Medical Misogynoir AcrossThree Centuriesin the US,” Shontay Delalue, senior vice presidentand seniordiversityofficer and Vinald Francis, biomedical illustratorand graphic medicine artist,Geisel Schoolof Medicine; “Quiltingfor Resilience:StitchingTogether Storiesof MutualAid fromVermont’s Floods,” Sarah Kelly, researchscientistin the EnergyJustice Clinicat theIrving Institute for Energy & Society and a lecturer in theGeography Department, Aletha Spang, GIS specialist, Department of Geography and Charis Boke, lecturer, Department of Anthropology; “Vicarious,” Luke Cargill, graduate student, master of science in computerscience withconcentration in digital arts; “Living Interpretations:ADigital Exploration ofAmbiguity in Art,” Clara Sava-Segal, graduate student, cognitive neuroscience, Emily Finn,assistant professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Neely McNulty, curator of education, Hood Museum of Art; “Under the Moving Skin: e-textile wearables for the Performing Arts,” Ivy Fu, graduate student, master of finearts in sonic practice; “CyberFolksongs forDigital Nomads:A Sound Ethnography,” Hermia Miaoxuan Huang, undergraduate student; “Visualizing VermontFlooding:Mapping theWhiteRiver withDrone Media,” Hayden Miller, undergraduate student;and “DROP,” Malik Terrab, undergraduate student, and Peyton Bond, intern, Department of Studio Art. Bar Harbor Bank & Trust employees donated more than $22,000 to10 nonprofit organizationsinMaine, NewHampshireand Vermont including New LondonHospital, UpperValley Habitatfor Humanity in WhiteRiver Junction, Norman Williams Public Library in Woodstockand Royalton Memorial Library. Central VermontHabitat forHumanity, whichservesresidents in townsinOrange and Washington counties,has earneda $20,000 two-year donation from the Community National Bank, based in Waterbury, Vt.
Nonprofit expanded programs
Claremont MakerSpace haslaunched a new workforce developmentprogram titled “Trade Up Claremont.” Cortney Nichols, the nonprofit organization’s newdirectorof education and workforce development, will oversee theprogram, whichinvolves work-
ing with area businesses and community organizationsto connectthem withworkers. Freetraining programswill focuson manufacturing, machining and facilities maintenance.
The Norwich PublicLibrary has purchased around 300 phonics-based decodable booksusinga $2,500 grantfromtheWinnie Belle Learned Fund.
PlymouthState University has introduced anew 96-creditthree-year applied bachelor ’s degree programin cybersecurity, which the school previouslyoffered as a minor. Itwill beavailable tostudents infall 2025.There areplans tolaunch afour-year cybersecurity degree program in fall 2026.
Awards and other honors
Upper Valley children from 36 schools and 40homeschool groupsparticipated inthe Upper Valley Trails Alliance’s (UVTA) PassporttoWinter FunProgramthiswinter. TheNorwich-based nonprofitorganization distributeda record-breaking6,100passport booklets this year.
Generations United has named Kendal at Hanover ’s EarlyLearning Center a ProgramofMerit forits “commitment to advancingmeaningful connectionsbetween young childrenand olderadults, enriching lives, and strengtheningcommunity bonds,” accordingtoanews releasefromthenonprofit organization..
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center ambulatory nursing director Jean M. Bolger led the volunteer leadership team behind the New Hampshire chapter of American Heart Association’s annual 2025 Go Red for Women Luncheon in February.
The LakeSunapee RegionChamber honoredthe followingbusinesses,organizations and residents during its annual awards ceremony inFebruary: The Bendat Sugar River,Sunapee, RookieBusiness ofthe Year; Mackenzie Blizzard, Proctor Academy sophomore, Young Professional of the Year; Bark andBray Farm Animal Sanctuar y,Wilmont, Nonprofitofthe Year; Donna Gazelle, Sunapee, Community Member of the Year; and The New London Inn & The Elms Restaurant, Business of the Year.
Events
Vital Communities is seeking applicants forits LeadershipUpperValley program,a 10-month programthat aimsto prepareparticipants for leadership roles in the community. Applications can be found at vitalcommunities.org/leadership-upper-valley/ and will be accepted through May 31.
Information forthis columnwas compiledusing newsreleasesemailed toValley News staff. To have business or nonprofit organizationnews includedinthe nexteditionof Enterprise,emailbiznotes@ vnews.com prior to June 20.
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