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STAYING IN BUSINESS Passion, perseverance and office pets can help keep the mind motivated

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WORKING AS A TEAM Trio discusses partnership that brought Protectwor th Brewing to Kellyville

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Enterprise 2

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Municipalities, nonprofits make effort to reduce what ends up in landfills

: 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.

VALLEY NEWS / REPORT FOR AMERICA — ALEX DRIEHAUS

COVER PHOTOGRAPH: Kim Parndart, of Charlestown, N.H., examines what she has found at Frank's Bargain Center in Charlestown, N.H., on March 25.

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What does it take to be in business?

Passion, perseverance and office pets

By TRACY HUTCHINS For the Valley News

Enterprise 4

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I

n 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-

Tracy Hutchins

COURTESY

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,” Sherman 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.

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‘Looking for that shopping experience’

VALLEY NEWS — ALEX DRIEHAUS

Antiques dealer Frank Lawrence, of Windsor, Vt., hangs a painting after pricing it and filling out an information card at B.F. Southgate and 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

Enterprise 6

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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 SEE ANTIQUES S7

VALLEY NEWS PHOTOGRAPHS — ALEX DRIEHAUS

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.

Owner Mick Maguire looks at art pieces that need to be priced set aside behind a cloth at B.F. Southgate and Company antiques, vintage and fine art center in Quechee, Vt. Maguire said the store has an enormous collection of art, and he hopes to create a gallery in the building.

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ANTIQUES FROM S6

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Owner Mick Maguire, left, and dealer Andrew Katz, of Norwich, Vt., talk about pricing for an antique chest at B.F. Southgate and Company antiques, 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.

‘We work as a team’

Trio discusses partnership that brought Protectworth Brewing to Kellyville

By PATRICK O’GR ADY

Valley News Correspondent

Enterprise 8

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K

ELLEYVILLE — 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.

ALEX DRIEHAUS

SEE BRE WERY S10

Co-owner Tony Grasso monitors a black lager as it brews at Protectworth Brewing in Newport, N.H., on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (Valley News - Alex Driehaus)

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Enterprise 9

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Trio talks partnership that brought brewing to Kellyville

VALLEY NEWS PHOTOGRAPHS — ALEX DRIEHAUS

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 Newport location in 2024.

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BRE WERY FROM S8 “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.

SEE BRE WERY S11

Cans of Whaleback Mountain Ale, a New England Style IPA brewed in collaboration with the Enfield, N.H., ski area, at Protectworth Brewing.

BRE WERY FROM S10

A long way from Kelleyville

Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.

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.

TONY GRASSO, co-owner of Protectworth Brewing

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“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.”

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.

Enterprise 11

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.”

‘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 changes 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.

VALLEY NEWS — JENNIFER HAUCK

Shelly Bonomo, of Unity, N.H,. shops for material at Frank's Bargain Center in Charlestown, N.H., on March 25.

, Saturday, April 12, 2025

SEE FR ANK’S S16

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Enterprise 14

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Colorful yarn is abundant at Frank's Bargain Center in Charlestown, N.H., on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Valley News-Jennifer Hauck)

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

VALLEY NEWS — JENNIFER HAUCK

Employees Alisia Peach, left, Lindsey Dauphin and owner Meagan Hurley talk at the front counter of Frank's Bargain Center in Charlestown, N.H., on March 25. Hurley and her husband, Jarrod Filion, purchased the yarn and fabric store from its longtime owner last June.

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Enterprise 15

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Frank’s Bargain Center owner discusses revamping

VALLEY NEWS — JENNIFER HAUCK

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” for the shop, creating finished pieces to be displayed in the store. “It brings me a lot of peace,” Boardman said of crafting, who spends hours in her craft room with her dog.

Enterprise 16

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FR ANK’S FROM S12 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

learned as we went. Sometimes customers helped us out if we didn’t know something.”

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 SEE FR ANK’S S17

‘We jumped in and learned as we went’ FR ANK’S FROM S16 carries.

“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. “Every 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.

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FOR RENT

VALLEY NEWS — JAMES M. PATTERSON

Solid Waste Manager Erica Douglas, center, distributes shovels to, from foreground left, Justin Rathke, president of Vergent, Assistant Mayor Clifton Below, City Councilor Devin Wilkie, and City Councilor Doug Whittlesey, before a ground breaking for the City of Lebanon's gas to energy project at the Lebanon 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

Enterprise 18

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For the Valley News

I

n 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 SEE WASTE S19

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 communications manager at Vital Communities, a White River Junction-based nonprofit organization.

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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.

Enterprise 19

WASTE FROM S18

BUSINESS NOTES

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COURTESY BAR HARBOR BANK & TRUST

COURTESY PHOTOGRAPH

COURTESY PHOTOGRAPH

Rachael Garvey is the new branch relationship manager at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust in Enfield.

Luke Cady has been named chief operating officer and chief information officer of Norwich Technologies.

Lizzie Coelho is the new grants coordinator at Ottauquechee Health Foundation in Woodstock.

Business and nonprofit expansions

Business new hires and leadership changes

Shaker Hill Automotive, located at 675 Route 4A in Enfield, hs partnered with UHaul 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 downtown New London, which features space for a gallery and a classroom.

The Works Café, located at 25 S. Main St., in Hanover has expanded into the former Fat Face retail space at 27 S. Main St., in downtown Hanover.

Fidium, a national fiber internet company, has started construction and will offer broadband internet services to residents in Hartford, Hartland and Lebanon in New Hampshire this year.

Beacon Mobility, a national transportation company, has purchased Butler’s Bus Service, a Manchester, NH-based business that provides school transportation services to school districts in New Hampshire and Vermont.

Claremont Savings Bank has created an executive vice president 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, has been 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 and chief information officer of Norwich Technologies.

ing from the leadership role and will continue on with the organization as a parttime project manager.

David Sleeper is the new executive director of the Ottauquechee Health Foundation, a nonprofit organization that serves residents in Barnard, Bridgewater, Hartland, Killington, Plymouth, Pomfret, Quechee, Reading and Woodstock.

Sleeper previously served as executive director of the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation and ran a conservation consulting business, replaces Mar y Young-Breuleux, who has served as interim director since September 2024.

Lizzie Coelho has been hired as the grants coordinator at the Ottauquechee Health Foundation after holding the interim role for four months.

Laurie Beyranevand has been hired as Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Pescosolido Professorship of Food and Agricultural Law and Policy. The role, named and funded by alumna Pamela Pescosolido, is the South Royalton first named professorschool’s

Nonprofit organization new hires and leadership changes Andrew Reid is the new executive director of the Randolph Area Community Development Corp. He was previously executive director of Mosaic Community Land Trust in Pottstown, Penn.

Reid replaces Julie Iffland, who is retir-

SEE NOTES S21

SEE NOTES S22

Enterprise 21

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.

ship. Beyranevand, an alumna who is director of the school’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, will serve in the role for five years.

Maverick, a two-year-old black Labrador Retriever, has been hired as an in-residence facility dog at in the Child Life Program at Dartmouth Health Children’s in Lebanon. He will accompany his handler Torie Miele in seeing and caring for pediatric patients.

The Vermont Institute of Natural Science, a Quecheebased nonprofit organization, has added three birds to its Raptor Ambassador Program. Bald eagles Wyoming and Minnesota, transferred to VINS from the Vermont Museum of Natural History in Marlboro, Vt. Addison, a northern harrier, is a former patient at VINS’ Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation who sustained brain damage and trauma to their left eye after being hit by a vehicle.

Dr. Jessica Weeks and Dr. MacKenzie Sloas have been hired as child psychiatry fellows at West Central Behavioral Health, which has locations in Claremont, Lebanon and Newport. The pair will being their roles in July and replace Dr. Alex Buell and Dr. Josh Prickel.

Dr. Michaela “Mia” HarrowMortelli, a fourth-year Dartmouth psychiatry resident, will join West Central Behavioral Health’s Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team in Lebanon for the next academic year. She will replaced Dr. Diana Fox, the nonprofit organization’s current fourth-year resident on the Lebanon ACT team.

Dr. Anna Noel Miller is the new chair of the department of orthopaedics at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. She was previously a professor and vice chair of orthopaedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. Dr. Gabriela M. Andujar Vazquez is Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center’s new hospital epidemiologist. She previously held a fellowship in infectious diseases at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

Dr. James B. Yu will lead the genitourinary radiation oncology program in the department of radiation oncology and

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NOTES FROM S20

COURTESY VERMONT INSTITUTE OF NATURAL SCIENCE)

Bald eagles Wyoming and Minnesota, and northern harrier Addison have joined the Vermont Institute of Natural Science's Raptor Ambassador Program.

Enterprise 22

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NOTES FROM S21 applied sciences at Dartmouth Cancer Center and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. He was previously employed at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Conn.

Tammy L. Tarsa is the new interim CEO and president of Dartmouth Health’s Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire. She replaces Johanna Beliveau.

Dartmouth Health hired the following providers in February: Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital: Peter L. Rippberger, family medicine; and Lases P. Thibodeau, orthopaedics.

Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center: Emily A. DesMeules, emergency medicine.

Dartmouth Cancer Center: Sabrina L. L. Searles, hematology/oncology; Nancy Thomas, hematology/oncology; Dr. Christianne Persenaire, gynecologic oncology.

Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center: Harmony L. Tyner, infectious disease; Kristy Taylor O’Brien, psychiatry; Dr. Natalia C. Berry, cardiology; Katrina J. DeShaney, neurology; Hope E. DiCesare, cardiology; Dr. Mark A. Garret, neurology; Nicole E. Gottschalk, audiology; Todd S. Karalius, rheumatology; Dr. Lindsey A. MacFarlane, rheumatology; Mary D. Moore, palliative medicine; Willow Moryan, obstetrics and gynecology; Susanne M. Nelson, audiol-

ogy; Bess A. Trevino, internal medicine; and Dr. James L. West, neurology.

Health Care and Rehabilitation Services, a nonprofit organization that serves Windham and Windsor county residents, hired the following employees in December and February: Ashlee Kelley, office generalist, Hartford; Heather Mason, clinical intern, Hartford; Courtney (Stebbins) Emerson, CYF respite provider, Hartford; Jesse Baughman, billing specialist, Springfield, Vt.; Tamara Kinsman, CYF respite provider, Hartford; Taylor Johnson, respite provider, White River Junction; Patricia Hanchett, team lead, Hartford; Miranda Collins, crisis intervention specialist, Springfield, Vt.; Brandon Sheridan, community outreach specialist, 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-based behavioral interventionist, Hartford.

Nonprofit organization board appointments Tamara Warschinski, leadership and planned giving officer at Kimball Union Academy, has been elected president of Junction Arts & Media’s board of trustees. She replaced Tracy Hutchins, executive director of SEE NOTES S23

COURTESY DARTMOUTH HEALTH

Dr. James B. Yu will lead the genitourinary radiation oncology program in the department of radiation oncology and applied sciences at Dartmouth Cancer Center and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

Nonprofit grants and donations The Cornish Community Initiative earned a $727,456 Northern Border Regional Commission Catalyst Program grant to put toward renovating the town’s former general store into a library and community center.

Families Flourish Northeast Inc. earned a $1 million Northern Border Regional Commission Catalyst Program grant to put toward building a 12-unit residential substance use disorder treatment facility for women with children in Lebanon.

The Mill School in Woodstock was awarded $25,000 through the First Children’s Finance VT and Make Way for Kids (MWFK) Infant/Toddler Capacity Building Grants program to expand the existing child care center by 14 infants and 30 toddlers, which will lead to employing 12 new staff member. The expansion is expected to be complete in June 2025.

Bambino University in Perkinsville 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 serve eight infants, 20 toddlers and 20 preschoolers and employ 10 staff, including the owner. The center is expected to open by July 2025.

The following Dartmouth College students and faculty have earned $100,000 in grant funding from the Hopkins Center for the Arts (the Hop) and the Vice Provost for

Nonprofit expanded programs Claremont MakerSpace has launched a new workforce development program titled “Trade Up Claremont.” Cortney Nichols, the nonprofit organization’s new director of education and workforce development, will oversee the program, which involves work-

ing with area businesses and community organizations to connect them with workers.

Free training programs will focus on manufacturing, machining and facilities maintenance.

The Norwich Public Library has purchased around 300 phonics-based decodable books using a $2,500 grant from the Winnie Belle Learned Fund.

Plymouth State University has introduced a new 96-credit three-year applied bachelor ’s degree program in cybersecurity, which the school previously offered as a minor. It will be available to students in fall 2025. There are plans to launch a four-year cybersecurity degree program in fall 2026.

Awards and other honors Upper Valley children from 36 schools and 40 homeschool groups participated in the Upper Valley Trails Alliance’s (UVTA) Passport to Winter Fun Program this winter.

The Norwich-based nonprofit organization distributed a record-breaking 6,100 passport booklets this year.

Generations United has named Kendal at Hanover’s Early Learning Center a Program of Merit for its “commitment to advancing meaningful connections between young children and older adults, enriching lives, and strengthening community bonds,” according to a news release from the nonprofit 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 Lake Sunapee Region Chamber honored the following businesses, organizations and residents during its annual awards ceremony in February: The Bend at Sugar River, Sunapee, Rookie Business of the Year; Mackenzie Blizzard, Proctor Academy sophomore, Young Professional of the Year; Bark and Bray Farm Animal Sanctuar y, Wilmont, Nonprofit of the 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 for its Leadership Upper Valley program, a 10-month program that aims to prepare participants for leadership roles in the community. Applications can be found at vitalcommunities.org/leadership-upper-valley/ and will be accepted through May 31.

Information for this column was compiled using news releases emailed to Valley News staff. To have business or nonprofit organization news included in the next edition of Enterprise, email biznotes@ vnews.com prior to June 20.

-, Saturday, April 12, 2025

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 film and media studies professor at Dartmouth College; and Johanna Evans, senior program manager and head of film and media at Hopkins Center for Arts at Dartmouth 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 investment and asset management on Wall Street for more than 40 years, has been elected to Dartmouth Health’s board of trustees.

Three new members have been elected to the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics board of trustees: Jason T. Garbarino, executive director and co-founder of Nursing is STEM Coalition; Laurel J. Richie, former president of the WNBA; and Dr. Emily P. Zeitler, a cardiologist at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.

Research’s Arts Integration Initiative program: “Art, Business and Soft Power,” Chad Elias, associate professor, department of art history and Sunglim Kim, associate professor, Department of Art History, Department of Asian Societies, Cultures and Languages; “Bronzed: A History of Makeup, Hair, and Race in Hollywood,” Desiree Garcia, associate professor and chair, Department of Latin American, Latino, & Caribbean studies; “Medical Misogynoir: Graphic Medicine as a Tool to Raise Awareness of Medical Misogynoir Across Three Centuries in the US,” Shontay Delalue, senior vice president and senior diversity officer and Vinald Francis, biomedical illustrator and graphic medicine artist, Geisel School of Medicine; “Quilting for Resilience: Stitching Together Stories of Mutual Aid from Vermont’s Floods,” Sarah Kelly, research scientist in the Energy Justice Clinic at the Irving Institute for Energy & Society and a lecturer in the Geography Department, Aletha Spang, GIS specialist, Department of Geography and Charis Boke, lecturer, Department of “Vicarious,” Luke Anthropology; Cargill, graduate student, master of science in computer science with concentration in digital arts; “Living Interpretations: A Digital Exploration of Ambiguity 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 fine arts in sonic practice; “Cyber Folksongs for Digital Nomads: A Sound Ethnography,” Hermia Miaoxuan Huang, undergraduate student; “Visualizing Vermont Flooding: Mapping the White River with Drone 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 to 10 nonprofit organizations in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont including New London Hospital, Upper Valley Habitat for Humanity in White River Junction, Norman Williams Public Library in Woodstock and Royalton Memorial Library.

Central Vermont Habitat for Humanity, which serves residents in towns in Orange and Washington counties, has earned a $20,000 two-year donation from the Community National Bank, based in Waterbury, Vt.

Enterprise 23

NOTES FROM S22

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Enterprise 24

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