🐦 March 16 at 4PM - Sanders coming to Brattleboro for Windham Grows development program
Posted Friday, March 10, 2017 7:57 pm
By Erika Elder Special to the Reformer
BRATTLEBORO — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., will be in town next Thursday to make an important announcement regarding funding for Strolling of the Heifers' small business development program, Windham Grows, from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and the U. S. Department of Agriculture
Windham Grows is Strolling's' regional food and agriculture business hatchery. It is fully funded by grants from U.S. Department of Economic Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Windham County Economic Development Program, and Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Board. The program has received more than $300,000 in matching grants from these agencies.
Sanders will be at the Latchis Theatre on March 16, at 4 p.m., to make the announcement. The event is free and open to the public.
Other speakers will include representatives from the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, and the Working Lands Enterprise Board, all of which participated in the total project funding of more than $300,000.
In collaboration with state and regional partners, Windham Grows is a "business hatchery" that aims to build the food and agriculture business sector in Windham County by connecting startup and early-stage businesses with critical services, resources and financing. The project is free to participants and fully funded by these grants.
Windham Grows was created in response to several of Windham County's economic challenges, including loss of jobs and economic output resulting from the closing of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station, and an aging population, as well as to build on the area's existing strengths in the farm and food sectors.
Led by a pair of seasoned entrepreneurs-in-residence, Jim Verzino and Cairn Cross, Windham Grows seeks out and develops great business ideas by providing startups and scale-up stage businesses with a custom-tailored package of support services and resources designed to maximize their chances of success.
The kick-off event will include introduction of, and brief presentations by, each of the project's seven current participating businesses — Good Body Products, True North Granola, Whetstone Associates, Tavernier Chocolates, Frabjous Fibers, Sweet Basil Foods and Vermont Cheesecake.
Windham Grows is now accepting applications for its second session which begins in July 2017. Each group is limited to 10 to 12 qualifying businesses.
For more information on Windham Grows, or to submit an application, please visit www.WindhamGrows.org.
http://www.reformer.com/stories/sanders-coming-to-brattleboro-for-special-announcement,500954