News

News

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Can Tempeh Change the World?

Entrepreneur, vegan, and self-proclaimed solutionary, Sarah Speare believes that it can. Sarah Speare, cofounder and...
March 22, 2024
+ Melissa LaCasse Facility Shot: Photo / Tim Greenway "Saco packaging manufacturer Tanbark gears up for growth"

Can Plants Replace Plastic Packaging?

Maine’s Tanbark Molded Fiber is rethinking a century-old product for modern times. As consumers better...
March 19, 2024
+ Ericka Weik and Michael Zebrowski in front of a satellite at the Up End This headquarters in Johnson. Zebrowski needed capital and reached out to Janice St. Onge, president of the Flexible Capital Fund last year. The Flex Fund provided Up End This with a $300,000 loan and brought in Northern Community Investment Corporation in St. Johnsbury as a participant in the loan for an additional $150,000. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.

Through Flood and Pandemic, Entrepreneur Michael Zebrowski is Determined to Up End the Affordable Housing Crisis

Being an entrepreneur takes grit, determination, and vision, all of which Michael Zebrowski, founder of...
January 18, 2024
+ Photo by Isora Lithgow Creations.

An Impact Fund Investor’s Musings: Lessons Learned from a Decade of Investing in Rural Communities

By Janice St. Onge, President, Flexible Capital Fund, L3C Since 2011, I’ve been running the...
November 2, 2023
+ A trained chef in Kenya, Damaris Hall, right, emigrated to the United States in 1991 with her now husband and business partner, Mel. In 2016, the couple launched Global Village Foods in Quechee. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.

Pioneers of African Cuisine, Global Village Foods Finds Community in Vermont

“If you look online, you can find Chinese food, Italian food, and so many ethnic...
February 6, 2023
+ Bill McGrath, president and chief technical officer and chief executive officer Neil Cannon at the company’s headquarters in Randolph.

Lighting the Way to a Healthier Future

LEDdynamics pushes the boundaries of LED technology from its lab in Vermont. Bill McGrath, president...
July 1, 2022
+ Greg Georgaklis Vermont Farmers To You

Farmers To You Finds Silver Lining in Tumultuous Years of Pandemic

“Our mission hasn’t changed,” said Greg Georgaklis, founder of Farmers To You, “but the world...
March 23, 2022
+ Nils Behn, CEO and President of Aegis Renewable Energy, has learned a few key lessons as a business owner, including the importance of making decisions quickly. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.

Aegis Founder Lives by His Mission to Have a Net Positive Impact on the Planet

Nils Behn vividly remembers sitting in class at Harwood Union High School and deciding that...
March 7, 2022
+ TimberHP by Go Lab founders Matthew O’Malia and Joshua Henry. Photo from the Portland Press Herald by Brianna Soukup.

Maine Entrepreneurs to Manufacture Insulation Made from Wood

Used for decades in Europe, TimberHP by GO Lab brings wood fiber insulation to the...
December 13, 2021
+ Ralph DesLauriers with his children Adam, Evan, and Lindsay. Ralph DesLauriers, was the original developer of the resort in the 1960s, which he owned and operated for 30 years until he was forced to sell to the bank in 1997. In 2017, the DesLauriers family bought back the resort with a group of local investors. Photo courtesy of Bolton Valley.

Bolton Valley at the Heart of the DesLauriers Family

After a 20-year hiatus, the next generation of DesLauriers are at the helm bringing new...
October 29, 2021
+ Glavel CEO Rob Conboy Vermont Flex Fund Portfolio Companies

Vermont Manufacturer Introduces Low-Embodied Carbon Building Material to U.S.

Made from recycled glass, Glavel will begin manufacturing foam glass gravel at its Essex facility...
September 23, 2021
+ Bob White and Pam Cowan have brought Pulmac into the information age, incorporating technologies that allowed mills to use data to operate more efficiently and produce stronger, lighter materials. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.

Innovation in an Aging Industry

Pulmac Systems International Brings the Information Age to Pulp and Paper The pulp and paper...
July 27, 2021
+ Encore Renewable Energy, Vermont

From Brownfields to Brightfields: Encore Renewable Energy Reimagines Sites for Solar

An engineer by training and environmentalist by choice, Chad Farrell founded Encore Redevelopment in 2007...
June 1, 2021
+ Nothern Reliability Vermont Jay Bellows

KORE Solutions Inc. is Moving the U.S. Toward Renewables, One Battery at a Time

“Battery storage is what allows renewable energy to be relevant in today’s market,” said Jay...
May 7, 2021
+ Grow Compost Vermont

Grow Compost Grows a Business

From homestead to statewide, Lisa Ransom and Scott Baughman close the loop for Vermont’s food...
April 29, 2021
+ Localvore Vermont

Localvore App Helps Feed Vermonters During Pandemic

Fresh from a year-long stint at Groupon, Dan White moved to Vermont in 2011 with...
April 20, 2021
+ Meg Donahue, left, and Lisa Lorimer Donahue, are committed to whole foods, and wanted MamaSezz meals to feel familiar and accessible— nothing too fussy or time-consuming. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.

From Hospice to Good Health, Plant-Based Eating Inspires a Business

MamaSezz enters growing meal delivery niche with whole food, plant-based fare. When Meg Donahue, co-founder...
February 12, 2021
+ Jeff Weaber, Aqua ViTea

Trust Your Gut: Aqua ViTea Founder Jeff Weaber on Growing an Idea and a Business

At the core of Aqua ViTea founder Jeff Weaber’s business lies a simple idea: that...
December 14, 2020
+ Eleanor Leger, Eden Ciders Founder

Pressing Apples and Pressing for Prosperity in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom

Cider pioneer Eleanor Léger on growing a business with intention. Movies have been made about...
December 3, 2020
+ Women Impact Investors

Getting Started on Your Journey to Invest with Your Values

Take One Step Today By Janice St. Onge, Flexible Capital Fund President Is your money...
April 20, 2020
+ Passage through COVID-19

Why We Need All Kinds of Capital for Recovery

By Janice St. Onge, Flexible Capital Fund President The Flexible Capital Fund, L3C (the “Flex...
April 13, 2020
+ Ceres Greens Team at Work in Barre, VT

Flexible Capital Fund Invests $75,000 in Ceres Greens to Grow Production of Local Greens

Eating fresh, local greens during the winter months can be a challenge but Ceres Greens...
March 9, 2020
+ Greg Georgaklis, Founder and Owner of Farmers To You

Connecting People to the Farmers That Feed Them

Farmers To You is changing the food system to change our relationship with food On...
February 3, 2020
+ Localvore

Op Ed: Dan White, co-founder, Localvore.co and Localvore Passport App

Let your tastebuds do the buying this holiday season Eating Local Means Eating Better I...
December 10, 2019
+ Small Cohort Group at 2019 Integrated Capital Institute - RSF Social Finance

Paying it Forward with Capital

RSF Integrated Capital Institute Reflections I have mixed feelings. I’m feeling sad and a little...
July 9, 2019
+ MamaSezz Plant Based Meal Delivery Service

Flexible Capital Fund invests $150,000 in MamaSezz to provide food that heals and a livable wage for all workers

Conscious consumers are demanding products and services from environmentally and socially responsible companies in all...
June 5, 2019
+ Brattleboro, Vermont Solar Project with Encore Renewable Energy

Encore Renewable Energy receives $1 million from impact investment funds to expand solar projects in New England

Three capital providers in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine come together to support renewable energy...
February 26, 2019
+ How funders and entrepreneurs can work better together when a Vermont business is failing.

Op Ed: Learning through failure in business

I recently read a post from a colleague at Goodworks Ventures, an impact investment fund...
February 7, 2019
+ Twenty-four fellows of RSF’s Integrated Capital Institute met for the first time at Paicines Ranch, California.

Op Ed: How much is enough?

How much money is enough? Do you really know what your money is doing? What...
December 3, 2018
+ Vermont Investment Community Addressing Unconscious Bias Toward Women Investors

Op Ed: Let’s change the face of our investment community

In October, 38 women and four men from Vermont and New England gathered to participate...
November 12, 2018
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Op Ed: Jay Bellows, CEO, Northern Reliability, Inc.

Ask any rural business owner what the hardest part about starting and growing a company...
May 24, 2018
+ Vermont Aqua ViTea Kombucha

Flexible Capital Fund Invests $300,000 in Vermont Kombucha company, Aqua ViTea

The Flexible Capital Fund (Flex Fund) announced a $300,000 investment in Aqua ViTea, LLC, to...
May 14, 2018
+ Localvore

Expansion of Localvore is growth model for job creation in Vermont

Flexible Capital Fund investment accelerates market expansion for Localvore’s digital marketing platform Conscious consumers are...
January 5, 2018
+ Localvore Vermont founders

New Deal: Burlington-Based Localvore Aims to Be the Anti-Yelp

Excerpt from Seven Days: The creators of Localvore Today started their company five years ago with a...
October 21, 2017
+ Localvore Burlington Vermont

Localvore Reinvents How to Discover Local Food & Drink

New Localvore Platform Connects Farms, Restaurants and Producers with Conscious Consumers to Promote Sustainability and...
October 8, 2017
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Diverting waste from landfills is economic opportunity for Grow Compost

Vermont’s Universal Recycling Law creates market for organics hauling and management services; Flexible Capital Fund...
December 6, 2016
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Community development organizations get $4.45 million from US CDFI fund

Excerpt from Vermont Business Magazine: Four Vermont economic development organizations received grant awards totaling $4.45 million...
October 5, 2016
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Socially responsible investment made in Burlington, VT clean energy development company

For Immediate Release July 14, 2016 The Flexible Capital Fund announces the addition of Encore...
July 14, 2016
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Eden Specialty Ciders ready to grow with working capital from the Flexible Capital Fund

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 11, 2016 Eden Specialty Ciders (formerly Eden Ice Cider) is poised...
May 11, 2016
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$600,000 invested in VT green businesses

Excerpt from Burlington Free Press Two growing Vermont companies specializing in renewable power and natural-resource...
November 9, 2015
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Two Vermont companies responsible for design, manufacturing and installation of first large-scale wind turbine in New York City

Excerpt from vermontbiz.com Aegis Renewable Energy, a Vermont based renewable energy company, designed and installed...
February 9, 2015
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The Benefits of “Slowing Your Money Down”: Crowdfunding Small & Local

Excerpt from nonprofitquarterly.org Earlier this month state, regulators in Oregon created a crowdfunding investment program...
January 29, 2015
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Slow Money formalizes Vermont-style investment

Ruah Swennerfelt lives in Charlotte with her husband, Louis Cox. The retired couple have inherited...
January 25, 2015
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Common Good Vermont: Opportunities and Challenges in Capitalization & Growth

Common Good Vermont interviews Janice St. Onge, the Deputy Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, Inc....
January 23, 2015
+ Aegis Renewable Energy Vermont Creamery

Flex Fund borrower, Aegis Renewable Energy installs largest VT rooftop solar array at Ayers Brook Goat Dairy

Aegis Renewable Energy installed the largest single rooftop solar array in the state at Ayers...
December 14, 2014