Office of Engagement team members have been making their way around Vermont this spring, meeting business owners and professionals in the non-profit and government sectors dedicated to building a stronger more resilient Vermont economy.

In late March, OoE Senior Outreach Professional Wayne Maceyka met with leaders in the central Vermont towns of Randolph and Bethel.

“People who are working hard to build their local economy and upskilling their workforce have expressed a great deal of enthusiasm about having UVM as a partner,” said OoE Director Chris Koliba. “The more places we visit, the more face-to-face conversations we’re having about how UVM can help these regions grow and thrive.”

Randolph is at the geographic center of Vermont, roughly equidistant from the Vermont Capital Region (Montpelier/Barre, Vt.) and the Upper Valley Region (White River Junction, Vt., and Hanover/ Lebanon, N.H.). Historically a busy rail hub for central Vermont, Randolph is connected to both areas by I-91.

Like many other towns and small cities throughout the state, Bethel and Randolph boast a rich mix of traditional manufacturing, high tech industry and new startups. The OoE team also found a successful grassroots effort to bring new vitality to Bethel’s downtown and an exciting educational collaborative based at Vermont Technical College (VTC) in Randolph.

Hi-Tech in the Middle of it All

UVM Professor of Mechanical Engineering Dryver Huston and Engineering Professor of Practice Ken Burkman accompanied Maceyka to see the new Vermont Manufacturing Collaborative (VT-MC) on the VTC campus. At first glance, the new space resembles a dream makerspace for students, designers, engineers, machinists, and entrepreneurs who want to test out the practicality of their next big idea. The facility, which will open this summer, provides businesses and students access to world-class manufacturing technology including design digitalization, metal and polymer additive 3D printing, advanced machining, EDM processes, heat treatment, post-processing, metrology and metallurgy.

“We have built a high-end manufacturing training and demonstration facility so we can help businesses and learners in a variety of ways.” said Barry Hulce, VT-MC’s executive director. “While the Center was built for student training, workforce development, and technology accessibility, it will hopefully also become a place for community entrepreneurial engagement.”

VT-MC has its origins in a Department of Defense project aimed at developing practical ideas to improve manufacturing and workforce training in America’s lagging manufacturing sector. VTC, along with several industry partners and advisors, wrote a successful proposal and contracted with the DoD’s National Imperative Industrial Skills Initiative to build an Advanced Manufacturing Center in Randolph. The facility will serve as a key technology learning center for students as they take projects from ideation to production and provide businesses access to new manufacturing technology.

“It’s a great resource and a great option for engineering students at UVM,” said Koliba. “We envision UVM students using the facility to learn about industrial application.”

Maceyka also met with representatives of high-tech companies that are potential internship or career matches for UVM students, including Matthew Fordham, a VP at Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) in Randolph. ARA is an employee-owned company which provides engineering and technical support services for the national security, health and energy industries. Last year ARA received a contract for $5,237,915 from the US Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, N.H., to test the effects of extremely cold ambient and ground temperatures on different kinds of roadways and airstrips.

Just off route 12 in Bethel is [G]W Plastics. Founded in 1955, the company is one of the largest manufacturers in Vermont. The company, recently purchased by the Swedish company Nolato, makes precision molds and provides manufacturing services for the medical device, diagnostics, and pharmaceutical markets.

“These are just two more examples of high-level manufacturers with a significant presence in Vermont,” said Maceyka. “They are always looking for talent and we’re working closely with UVM Career Services to make sure UVM graduates know they have options to stay in Vermont while working in jobs that offer plenty of opportunity for career growth.”

Gloves and Grassroots

The region also boasts smaller companies that have successfully navigated market turbulence caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Vermont Glove in Randolph is a 4th generation business founded over 100-years ago. Principally the company makes hand-crafted gloves for electric and telephone companies seeking protection for line workers. In 2018, Kurt Haupt in sold the business to Sam Cooper, a recent college graduate at the time. He runs the business with Kurt's daughter, Heidi Haupt, co-owner and operations manager.

Hooper pivoted to production of masks when the pandemic started. The transition back to glove making was slowed by supply chain issues. “The pandemic is still definitely affecting our operation with regard to being able to keep everybody in the building, manufacturing constantly — doing the responsible thing quarantining folks and then losing production hours there,” he said in a recent VTDigger article.

But demand remains strong for gloves and Hooper said a key selling point is that the product is made in Vermont and has a strong reputation for quality and durability.

“We’re really happy with the support that we’ve been getting from our customers in the sense that they want to buy from us rather than whatever’s on a ship outside LA,” he said. “I think for the first time, the American consumer is starting to rethink how they consume products.”

Other entrepreneurs are working to revitalize downtown spaces in the region. One of them is Lylee Rauch-Kacenski, who has a day job as communications manager at the Center for an Agricultural Economy, a non-profit based in Hardwick.

She is also a founder and co-owner of the Arnold Block in downtown Bethel with her wife Lindley Brainard and another couple, Lisa and Tom Warhol. Started in 2017, the community incubator features coworking, community space, fitness studio and a commercial kitchen.

“We started as a for-profit model, which depends on a certain amount of commercial activity. COVID threw us a curveball, shutting down many of the activities the block was designed to provide,” Rauch-Kacenski said.

After closing operations during part of the pandemic, she is “hopeful that the space will again be a thriving community resource.

“There’s a lot happening in Bethel—within the next two to three years about a million dollars in grants, including a community schools grant and a Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative Grant—will be coming in.”

Rauch-Kacenski points to other community collaborators that have continued to thrive amidst the pandemic, including Bethel for All, aimed at connecting Bethel residents with essential services, and the Bethel Revitalization Initiative, to build a stronger, more vibrant and inclusive town.

Meanwhile a commercial kitchen in the building has already been occupied by Hailbrook’s Broken Stove Bakery. The Arnold Block also has a track record of success as a business incubator—a startup insurance agency rented office space for a year before growing into a separate building with a street entrance in town.

“The Arnold Block model is something we’re seeing a lot in Vermont,” said Maceyka. “Entrepreneurs are stepping forward to use existing infrastructure in creative ways to infuse new life into commercial centers.”