John Durgin, Board President, is an Employee Owner at King Arthur Baking Company and serves as a member of the Ownership Culture Team. He is a previous owner of two small businesses and has a background in Sales, Management, and Employee Development and Training, specializing in applying customized productivity measures. He also has over 20 years as an automotive retail management professional with proven skills of marketing, sales and new business development. He has worked with large distributers and manufacturers to implement long and short term objectives, policy implementation, and strategic direction. John has also worked for a non-profit with the mission of providing reliable transportation for low income households, and volunteers in his local community on a regular basis.
Chris Moran, Board Vice President, is Manager of Lean Construction at PC Construction Company and has been involved with employee ownership in the company since the establishment of the ESOP in 2002. PC’s employee-owners are known for providing client-focused construction solutions in a diverse range of markets, which include commercial, education and campus, health care and life sciences, hospitality and resort, manufacturing and industrial, and water treatment.
Elias Gardner, Board Treasurer, is a founding employee owner at The New School of Montpelier, Vermont’s largest worker cooperative. The New School is a learning community committed to preparing individuals with unique and complex challenges for successful lives. In his fifteen years at the New School, Elias has held many positions including seven years on the Board of Directors. Currently he is a Program Director and Special Educator. Since 2015, Elias has been a member of Vermont Employee Ownership Center's Board and Middlesex Vermont’s Budget Committee. He has a psychology degree from McGill University and a Masters of Business Administration from Norwich University. In his free he enjoys tabletop games, perennial gardening and the escapades of his two children.
Michael A. Gurdon, PhD, Board Secretary is Emeritus Professor & Associate Dean for Graduate Programs at the University of Vermont's School of Business Administration. His teaching specialties lie in the areas of international management and organizational behavior. He has been a consultant on strategic and human resource planning for a variety of private and public organizations. His research interests encompass employee ownership, industrial democracy, academic entrepreneurship and the commercialization of scientific invention.
Cindy Turcot is the former President and CEO of Gardener's Supply Company, a direct mail and web company located in Burlington, Vermont. Gardener's Supply has had an ESOP since 1987 which currently owns 100% of the company. Cindy was a founder of, and served for many years on, the internal ESOP Committee. She has a strong commitment to open book management and promoting ESOP education and is a driving force for a strong ownership culture within the company. Cindy is a past President of the New England Chapter of The ESOP Association, and is currently the national Chair of that organization.
Tabitha Croscut is an attorney with Devine Millimet. Tabitha has counseled clients for more than a decade regarding ESOP transactional, compliance and fiduciary issues, and has represented companies, sellers and internal and external trustees in ESOP transactions from less than a million to over four hundred million dollars. She presents regularly on how ESOPs can be an effective exit/transition planning tool for owners of closely held businesses. She is a member of the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) and The ESOP Association.
Jon Crystal served as Executive Director of the VEOC for six years before retiring in 2012. Prior to that he worked in higher education administration at UVM and Castleton State as well as teaching at the graduate and undergraduate level. His interest in employee ownership derives from four years spent working for the Industrial Cooperative Association Loan Fund, traveling around the nation in support of worker cooperatives, and as a special advisor to the Marianist Sharing Fund on employee owned businesses. In the community he has served on many non-profit boards, including as President of Spectrum, CVOEO and Burlington College.
John W Davis, CPA, CFP, CVA, CEPA is the founder of Davis & Hodgdon Associates and Copper Leaf Financial. Both entities focus on helping individuals and business owners attain their financial and personal goals. John spends much of his time advising business owners on exiting their businesses successfully through various vehicles including sales to family members, sales to key employees and where appropriate to ESOPs. He also serves as chair of the Vermont Economic Progress Council and Treasurer for Age Well.
Keith Flaherty is the President and CEO of Hallam-ICS, an engineering, process automation and commissioning firm with 5 offices, including one in South Burlington, VT. Hallam-ICS established an ESOP in 2000. Keith was a partner at Hallam-ICS and oversaw the transition to 100% employee ownership in 2015. He has served in several positions at Hallam-ICS since 1989, including electrical engineer, CFO and CEO.
Linda Rossi is the State Director of the Vermont Small Business Development Center. She joined VtSBDC in 2005 and has been a Business Advisor, Assistant Director and Associate State Director, prior to becoming State Director in 2013. She has been on the America’s SBDC Board of Directors since 2017, and is currently the Vice-Chair, as well as a member of the national Leadership Committee. Prior to joining the SBDC, Linda spent 20 years in the private sector as a national project manager for IBM, business manager for 4 start-up and growing small businesses, as well as an Adjunct Faculty member in higher education and the Treasurer and founding board member of a non-profit organization.
Nina Dinan is the newly appointed Director of PT360, the first and only physical therapy cooperative in New England. She has been with PT360 for 10 years as both a full-time physical therapist and site manager of the Williston location, as well as an employee-owner for the last 8 years. She obtained her Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Vermont in 2012 and was drawn to PT360 due to the cooperative model which she has enjoyed learning through the help of the VEOC. In her time away from the office, she enjoys being outdoors in any capacity.
