The VEOC hosted its first-ever Employee Ownership Awareness Day at the Vermont State House on Tuesday, March 24th. The goals of the event were to familiarize legislators with the benefits of employee ownership; recognize Vermont's employee-owned companies and their contributions to the state's economy; and highlight the mission of the VEOC.
 |
VEOC Board member and Trust Company of Vermont founder Jack Davidson (center) speaks with Darby Bradley of the Vermont Land Trust (right) and Senator Robert Hartwell of Bennington (left). |
VEOC representatives -- including employee-owners from King Arthur Flour Company, Gardener's Supply, Carris Reels, and Chroma Technology -- were on hand to speak with legislators and provide them with information on employee ownership. We were also joined by Randy Rowland of Teamswork, Betsy Black of the Cooperative Fund of New England, and Giles Willey and Jack Dubie of Vermont Systems. King Arthur Flour Company provided an array of delicious breakfast treats.
Many legislators we spoke with were already very familiar with employee ownership, but others had limited knowledge. The event gave us the opportunity to educate lawmakers about which Vermont companies are employee owned, and how many jobs these companies provide. It also gave us the opportunity to heighten the overall awareness of the many benefits that employee ownership brings to businesses, employees, and communities alike -- particularly how employee ownership can help preserve local ownership of businesses. We look forward to returning to the State House next year to continue the dialogue with Vermont's lawmakers.
 |
 |
| VEOC Board member and JaniTech owner Dawn Terrill (left) speaks with Rep. Linda Waite-Simpson of Essex Junction (right). | Adrian Pratt of Gardener's Supply Co. speaks with Rep. David Zuckerman of Burlington. |
 |
 |
| VEOC Program Director Don Jamison speaks with Rep. Ann Pugh of South Burlington. | VEOC Board President and Chroma Technology founder Paul Millman speaks with Rep. Margaret Andrews of Rutland. |