Honors & Awards

August 2012

ARC Mechanical announced the training achievement of HVAC technicians, installers, and plumbers. Earning their master plumber designations in Vermont are Willie Bonser, Nick Carbee, Shaylor Duranleau, and Brad Roy. They are already master plumbers in New Hampshire. Steve Copp, a fourth-year apprentice plumber in New Hampshire, is now a journeyman plumber in Vermont. Luke Hathaway, Brad Roy, and Andy Tomlinson completed the competent person training required by OSHA for crane signals.

Janet Cooper of Baystate Financial Services has achieved membership in the Million Dollar Round Table, the premier association of financial professionals.

Barbara McHenry of PrimeLending was ranked fourth in the list of Top USDA Originators in 2011 by Scotsman Guide. Eligible professionals must have had at least $30 million in loan volume or 100 loans closed in the calendar year.

Jason Charest, transportation planning engineer at the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, has passed the Professional Engineer exam administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. He passed the Civil Engineering and Transportation sections. Dan Albrecht, senior planner, passed the Certified Floodplain Manager exam administered by the Association of State Floodplain Managers WowToyz won a 2012 Top Toy of the Year award and a Seal of Excellence award from Creative Child magazine for its CuddleZoo plush dinosaur line.

The U.S. Small Business Administration and Vermont Business Magazine honored Vermont’s 2012 small-business award-winners. The Small-Business Person of the year is Chach Curtis, CEO of Draker. Other awardees are as follows. Joel Melnick of Nathaniel Group Inc., Small-Business Exporter; Andrew Boutin of Pellergy LLC, Vermont Microenterprise; James and Karen Mount of Westaff, Family-Owned Small Business; Vermont Economic Development Authority, Financial Services Champion; Passumpsic Savings Bank, Community/Rural Lender of the Year; Linda Rossi of the Vermont Small Business Development Center, Special Award for Disaster Assistance; Sarah Spencer of Got Clicks?, Women in Business Champion; Laura Sibilia, Volunteer Perseverance Award; William Mattewson of Heatech Inc., Business Perseverance Award; and Simon Geigel of Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, Home-Based Business Champion of the Year.

PuroClean Managed Services has received the Presidents Circle Award from Purosystems Inc. The award is given to the top 25 franchisees in the country. PuroClean was 13th out of 356. PuroClean also announced its move to larger quarters at 1366 Marshall Ave., Williston.

The Vermont Specialty Food Association elected Jack Gilbert of Gringo Jack’s restaurant in Manchester, president. Laurie Callahan of Cabot Creamery is vice president, and Bob Christoffel of Creative Labels is secretary-treasurer. Roger Myers of Lake Champlain Chocolates was re-elected to the board of directors.

HowardCenter announced that Sen. Sally Fox was elected to its board of trustees. Fox serves on the Vermont Senate health and welfare and finance committees.

The Burlington Business and Professional Women announced that Julie Conrad, a mathematics consultant for the Vermont Department of Education, was named 2012 Young Careerist at the local and state levels. Stephanie Hainley, MBA, project manager at and White + Burke Real Estate Investment Advisors, was elected president. Miriam Boyle, MSA, manager of family programs at the Vermont National Guard, is vice president. Lisa Heald, financial assistant in the city of Burlington police department’s office of the clerk and treasurer, is treasurer.

CCTV Center for Media & Democracy announced the addition to its board of Peter Kriff, executive director of the Vermont Statewide Independent Living Council, and Elaine Sopchak, a founder of Five Corners Farmers Market and former Essex Junction planning commissioner.

Diana Sheltra of Double Entry Bookkeeping LLC passed the IRS competency exam for tax preparers and is now a Registered Tax Return Preparer.

The Greater Burlington Y announced the addition of five candidates to its board of directors: Amy Mellencamp, principal of Burlington High School; Craig Jones, executive director of Vermont’s Blueprint for Health; Andrew Martin, senior vice president of PC Construction; Rich Pearce, investment portfolio manager and founding member of The Trust Company of Vermont; and Terry Pomerleau of Pomerleau Real Estate. Renee Bourget-Place is board chair.

Kelliher Samets Volk received awards for two projects in a regional competition sponsored by the Publicity Club of New England: a Silver Bell for work in the Crisis Communications Campaign category (“National Grid Responds to Tropical Storm Irene”) and a Bronze Bell in the Television News Placement-Local/Regional category (“The Vermont Department of Health Reduces Smoking in Vermont”).

Samuel Borofsky, the owner of Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, with stores in Brattleboro, Keene, N.H., and Hadley, Mass., was named Retailer of the Year by the Vermont Retail Association. Green Life of Burlington, owned by Mike and Shannon Hassenberg, was named Greentailer of the Year. The organization announced its newly elected officers: president, Marc Sherman of Stowe Mercantile; vice president, Diana Newton of Bon Ton in South Burlington; secretary, Martha Dwyer of The Ginger Tree in Rutland; and treasurer, Christine Tattersall of Tattersall’s Clothing Emporium in Rutland.

The board of the South End Arts & Business Association announced the appointment of six members: Rick Levinson of RL Photo, Alex Halpern of Freeman French Freeman, Chris Ashby of Champlain Valley Exposition, Chris Webster of Select Design, Dennis Healy of Burton Snowboards, and Natalie Miller of Spark Arts.

Stephanie Longshore of Plato’s Closet in Williston received a Sales Excellence Award from the parent company of Plato’s Closet for “outstanding performance.”

Pamela Mackenzie, CEO of DeckerZinn, was elected to chair the board of directors of Vermont Public Television. She succeeds Brian Harwood, who continues on the board as past chair. Robert Hofmann, senior vice president and senior operations officer for Union Bank, was elected vice chair. The board elected two new members: Jeremy Schrauf, who has taught economics at University at Albany-SUNY, and Lisa M. Ventriss, president and CEO of Vermont Business Roundtable.

Kirsten Cheney, the owner of Swannery Design Studio in Essex, received second-place in the 2012 New England Museum Association’s publication awards program in the Newsletters and Magazines, Budget Under $750,000 category, for her design of the Tasha Tudor Museum newsletter.

William C. Mount was named a member of the 2012 Executive Council of New York Life Insurance Co., joining the most successful of the company’s licensed agents. Mount has been a New York Life agent since 2008 and is associated with the company’s general office in Colchester.

The American Business Awards named Dealer.com the Fastest Growing Company of the Year. Dealer.com joins other “great performers” receiving awards, such as NASCAR, Ford Motor Co., and Verizon Wireless.

Seven Days won four national awards from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia conference and six awards from the Vermont Press Association. The AAN AltWeekly Awards “honor superior journalism and graphic design.” Seven Days took awards in the “under 50,000” circulation category: Food Writing, second place, Corin Hirsch; Media Reporting, second place, Megan James and Margot Harrison; Photography, second place, Matthew Thorsen and Jeb Wallace-Brodeur; and Illustration, honorable mention, Jeff Drew. The Vermont Press Association awards included the John D. Donoghue Award for Arts Criticism, including daily and nondaily media: first place, Pamela Polston, second place, Dan Bolles; Best State Story, nondaily, second place, Ken Picard; Feature Writing, nondaily, second place, Paula Routly; Outstanding Website, nondaily, second place, Seven Days; and Best Local Story, nondaily, honorable mention, Ken Picard.

Hickok & Boardman Inc. was named the 2011 Agency of the Year by Frankenmuth Insurance. The award is presented to the agency attaining the highest overall percentage rating in growth, profitability, and premium volume. Pictured, from left: Lincoln Merrill Jr., president and CEO of Patriot Insurance Co.; Richard Smith, vice president of Hickok & Boardman; and John Benson, president and CEO of Frankenmuth.

Shelburne Farms received an Honor Award from the Preservation Trust of Vermont for the recent Shelburne House Gardens project. The award was accepted on behalf of Shelburne Farms by Patricia O’Donnell of Heritage Landscapes, who had a key role in the planning.

The Vermont Historical Society received two Awards of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History. The society’s Vermont History Explorer website for teachers and students took one award, and the society along with author Donald H. Wickman won for the publication of A Very Fine Appearance: The Vermont Civil War Photographs of George Houghton. •

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