BRATTLEBORO — On Thursday, March 16, at 4 p.m. at the Latchis Theatre, Sen. Bernie Sanders will 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.
Everyone is welcome to attend this free event - the formal kick-off for the Windham Grows project.
Other speakers will include representatives of 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 start-up 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 customized 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 the Restless Rooster.