“I’m a queer, nonbinary-trans, disabled, multidisciplinary artist, author, and teacher” just begins to describe who Toby is as an artist and a person. They constantly work to expand access to creativity for all and to push the bounds of how we view the arts, our world, and each other. Toby wrote about being an artist in Vermont.
How has living as an artist in Vermont affected your creative process?
In many ways, Vermont’s rural nature has required me to become self-sufficient—to believe in my own work and move ahead with my own drive, taking on many roles at once in any creative process, to solve my own problems. But in reality, even though most artists need to be a DIY-entrepreneur of some kind, we are not really in it alone. We can’t be. Being in Vermont means that I have had to be intentional and purposeful in seeking out my communities and networks, and to be open about who and where they might be. As a result, I have community here locally, and different but equally strong connections in other states, regions, and countries; instead of isolated I have become connected. I travel a lot, but I always come back home.
What is something about your art that has changed over time?
I’m getting more interdisciplinary—both in product, using poetry and other art forms along with dance, and in process, using not-traditionally-dance-based methods for creation and design. Dance’s medium is people; I’m finding the best tools for working with people as people often come from other fields.
What is your vision for the next several years?
I’m working on a solo show! It blends personal experiences—of gender, disability, and other things—with my different modes of motion, including floor work, crutches, and aerials. I have some exciting Vermont collaborators who’ll be helping me develop this work, which I hope to premiere in 2020. I’m also enjoying assembling my palette of employment, doing facilitation, performing my and others’ work, teaching/trainings, creative residencies, and design work both at home and away. Vermont’s artistic environment is becoming more inclusive and vibrant, and I hope to help nurture that continued growth.
Not long ago, Bor Yang, the new executive director of the Vermont Human Rights Commission, contemplated leaving the state.
At the time, Yang was an administrative law examiner at the state agency, which investigates allegations of discrimination in housing, state government employment and public accommodations. Part of her job was giving “implicit bias training” to state employees, housing providers, legal providers and social service agencies.
After one such session, a law clerk told Yang she had overheard two individuals having a private conversation during which they muttered, referring to the trainer, “Well, maybe she should go back to her country.”
“I have not heard that since I was a little kid,” said Yang, 41, as she recounted the incident in her work quarters on Baldwin Street in Montpelier. Born in Laos, Yang and her family moved to the U.S. when she was 3. “It really did make me sad, and also it made me want to leave Vermont,” she said.
Since she started working at the commission in 2015, Yang said, she has heard from other members of minority groups who planned to leave the state because of the discrimination they experienced, feeling that “sticking around to fight this fight seems really impossible.”
But Yang herself has a reason to stick around — the chance to make a change in her new community. In November, the ethnic Hmong woman became the first person of color to head the Vermont Human Rights Commission since the state agency was formed in 1988.
When Karen Richards, Yang’s predecessor, was appointed in 2013, she brought team-building skills, budgeting experience and solid legal skills, said Donald Vickers, who has been a commission member since 2008 and was on both selection committees. Richards also hired quality staff and built new partnerships, he noted.
“We were looking for the same skills in Bor,” said Vickers, “plus the ability to take the commission to the next level by building a strong information and training component.”
“It was Bor’s passion and her vision for the Vermont Human Rights Commission that, to me at least, pulled her ahead of the field,” said Mary Brodsky, who was appointed to the commission in 2010.
“My goal and vision for this agency is doing more proactive work and not just always reacting to discrimination,” Yang said.
Many Vermonters still don’t know about the agency and its work, she noted. What the commission needs, in her view, is an outreach and education coordinator to create, develop and deliver a comprehensive strategic plan to educate Vermonters about the law.
“We only have investigators,” said Vickers. “If they have cases, they can’t do training.”
While the agency handles more than a dozen protected categories, Yang wants to start out by focusing on race and national origin. She named three high-profile cases in the past year that saddened her: Kiah Morris citing racial harassment as a reason for her resignation as state representative; the alleged racial profiling of slam poet quartet Muslim Girls Making Change at the Burlington Elks Club; and the racist treatment that attendees of a camp for transracial adoptees reported encountering in Stowe.
Among the complaints Yang has investigated was one made by an African American employee against patients and staff at the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital in Berlin for discriminatory and racist behavior, as Mark Davis reported in Seven Days last February. Yang said she was shocked to learn that adults were still using racial epithets and lacked the tools to facilitate discussions of racism.
“We’re kind of in crisis in terms of race relations in Vermont, and I’d like to see us be more proactive in that regard,” said Yang.
Yang hopes the next state budget includes funds that would enable the commission to hire an outreach and education coordinator, but that’s not assured. She also plans to organize annual conferences and community forums to address race and national origin. “I like the idea of doing very clear campaigns around human rights and diversity,” said Yang, “and showcasing the people who live here and who they are and what they do.”
Yang was born in 1977, two years after the communist Pathet Lao forces overthrew the monarchy in her landlocked Southeast Asian country. Her father and uncle were among thousands of Hmong soldiers who had fought a secret, Central Intelligence Agency-funded war against the communist soldiers in northern Laos. When they were defeated, the U.S. airlifted about 2,500 top Hmong military officials and their families to safety in Thailand. But many others, including Yang’s family, had to trek through jungles to cross the Mekong River and make their own way to Thai refugee camps.
Hmong soldiers had been led to believe that, in the case of defeat, they and their families wouldn’t be left to fend for themselves, Yang related. To this day, her father laments that abandonment.
Yang wrote about her family’s escape from Laos and move to the U.S. in an essay in Expand Your Bubble, a combination of memoir, self-help book and anthology by central Vermont author Amy Carst. The pair met about two and a half years ago when Carst was a legal apprentice at the Vermont Human Rights Commission.
Carst sat in on several mediation sessions with Yang, she said, and was impressed by the latter’s diplomatic skills. In one session with school administrators, Yang demonstrated that she had the ability to speak the truth, to even criticize or condemn, in a way that even the person at the receiving end can respect and appreciate, Carst recalled.
In the autobiographical essay, Yang described how her right leg was paralyzed by the polio virus when she was about a year old; today, she uses a brace and a crutch. During the family’s escape, her mother swam across the Mekong River using a makeshift plastic float; her father bribed Pathet soldiers to release family members who had been captured.
Because they feared an infant’s cries would reveal them, some fleeing families used opium to sedate babies, Yang wrote. When a child died from an overdose, the parents grieved in silence.
“It’s a story that is prevalent throughout a lot of [the] Hmong people’s journey,” said Yang, “of what they were doing to make it through the jungles and cross the river.”
The first Hmong refugees resettled in the U.S. in 1975, and the biggest wave of arrivals — slightly more than 27,000 — was recorded in 1980. The 2010 census reported about 260,000 Hmong in the country, with the highest concentrations in California, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Yang grew up mainly in Minnesota and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Minnesota Law School. She became an attorney at age 25 and practiced in the areas of family law, government benefits and Social Security.
She also volunteered for about two years with the Minnesota Volunteer Lawyers Network, where she dealt primarily with family law and immigration work. “In the area of family law where [Yang] has experience, the demand for services far outstrips the staff,” said Tom Walsh, the organization’s executive director. “Having pro bono volunteers who are willing and able to provide advice is extremely valuable.”
Yang was working as a solo practitioner and college instructor when her husband suggested moving to Vermont, where he had attended school. Yang agreed because she wanted to try something new.
As a person with a disability, a woman and a person of color, Yang has had to defy stereotypes throughout her life. “The burden with being a minority is that you’re never given the benefit of the doubt,” she said.
As an example, she cites her difficulty finding a job in Vermont over the course of 11 months, despite her qualifications. “I can’t help but feel it has something to do with the fact that my name is very foreign sounding,” said Yang.
She’s seen firsthand the kind of notice her disability can draw. On hikes, she recalled, she’s encountered strangers who said to her with great gusto, “You’re amazing” or “You win.”
“And I’m just walking,” Yang said wryly.
She knows such passersby mean well, Yang continued, but to her their comments indicate that they perceive people with disabilities as incompetent or lacking in confidence. “There’s a lot of people who are well-intentioned people and they consider themselves good people,” she said, “but they can still participate or behave in discriminatory ways.”
Yang has also seen discrimination manifest itself in Vermont hiring practices. It isn’t unusual for employers to engage in informal hiring processes, she said. They tend to hire applicants they already know and like, and it can be hard to persuade them to widen their search for the sake of diversity.
“Our group of friends tend to be people who look like us,” said Yang. “If you’re hiring people that you know, chances are that ‘who you know’ tend to be other white people.”
While she’s determined to combat such behaviors, Yang acknowledged that bias is a natural phenomenon from which no one is immune, born from life experiences. In her view, the remedy is constant mindfulness.
Several years ago, Yang said, after taking an implicit bias test, she was surprised to learn she had a slight bias in favor of able-bodied people. On reflection, she realized she had worked so hard to defy stereotypes that she had given herself a bias against having a disability.
This is a story Yang often shares during training sessions to encourage participants to be open about examining their own bias. The more aware they are, the less likely they are to act on such bias, she said.
Yang is optimistic about the likelihood of eliminating implicit bias and systemic racism in Vermont. And Montpelier is where the change can start, she believes.
“When I think about policies that could be improved to be more inclusive, those policies are going to start in Montpelier, with the legislators and the heads of agencies,” said Yang.
A version of this article first appeared on sevendaysvt.com and in Seven Days newspaper, a Burlington-based newsweekly published on Wednesdays and distributed for free at more than 1,000 locations in northern and central Vt. and Plattsburgh, N.Y. Photo by JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR
Scrappy, motivated, innovative, even desperate. These are words that can describe most small business owners as they pursue their dreams along with success. Recently Vermont Public Radio aired a podcast featuring several Vermont entrepreneurs who have found success in a variety of ways, often by utilizing business support programs offered by the Agency of Commerce and Community Development and other organizations throughout the state. The businesses featured each took a different path but have two things in common: they all work incredibly hard, and they have all found success in Vermont.
Small businesses are the bedrock of the Vermont economy. Small business plays a large role in the lives of many Vermonters – in 2018, there were 77,683 small businesses, and 59.4% of Vermont employees worked for a small business. Additionally, these businesses make up 99% of all businesses in the state.
Recent Vermont small business news:
Being nimble and flexible is essential. Vermont’s general stores, some of which have been in business for decades and in some cases even centuries, have expanded and contracted to meet the demands of their customers and offset competition. Carrying local products and not being afraid to reinvent the business are key to succeeding as a business that many Vermonters rely on as a community hub.
The Vermont Farm Table Company has invented a new line of affordable, DIY-assembled tables that can be ordered online and delivered within a few days. The company will continue to produce their original line of custom, handmade tables. With revenues expected to reach $5M, the company felt it was time to expand with its unique fast-shipping tables that are made of real wood and have hired a new sales team of six to accommodate anticipated growth.
Startup darling SheFly is gaining momentum and continues to lay the groundwork for success. Recently the company, which invented pants specifically designed for women that allows them to relieve themselves outdoors without having to undress, started taking preorders and has established a relationship with a factory that will manufacture the pants. They will be launching on the iFundWomen crowdfunding platform in Spring of 2019.
Joining SheFly in the clothing manufacturing sector is a variety of Vermont-based clothing businesses each addressing an outdoor niche. Mana Threads makes brightly colored activewear for women. Eva Shaw invented the Overeasy HoodE, designed to fit over a skier’s helmet to improve warmth. Kaden Apparel founder Chelsea Camarata designs mountain biking wear specifically for women. Stratton-based Orsden manufactures ski jackets and outdoor wear with high quality, innovative features that sell at a lower price point, making skiing more accessible.
Nick Grimley is the Agency of Commerce & Community Development’s director of entrepreneurship and tech commercialization, and he’s available to advise your business at (802) 798-2328 or at Nick.Grimley@vermont.gov.
Most of us think about a Christmas tree for a few weeks in December, but David Russell, owner of Russell Christmas Tree Farm in Starksboro, Vermont thinks about them just about every day of the year. In fact, right now, he’s starting to think about the tree that might end up in your living room in 2025.
Open Thanksgiving through Christmas, Russell Farm sells between 1,000 and 1,500 Christmas trees every year, all of them grown on his 360-acre farm. David and his wife, Janet, retired from dairy farming in 2012 and made the transition to growing and selling Christmas trees, which now accounts for approximately 75% of their business. “It was an easy transition for us,” said David. “We were tired of dairy farming and had been selling Christmas trees on the side since 1980, so we already had the business in place.”
Last year, Americans purchased 27.4 million real Christmas trees according to the National Christmas Tree Association, with just under one-third coming from choose-and-cut farms. David and his seasonal team of 20 employees work hard to make sure the experience at Russell Christmas Tree Farm is a memorable one. Visitors are greeted by Eli and Emmett, the farm’s horse team, for a sleigh ride and treated to hot chocolate by a warm fire. Once visitors have chosen and cut down their tree, Eli and Emmett bring them back down the hill while their tree is tied and transported back to their car. “We take the hassle out of the process,” said Russell, “so that families can enjoy their time here.”
Seasons on a Christmas Tree Farm
While the holidays are certainly high season at Russell Farm, David’s work is year round. After a well-deserved rest after Christmas (for both him and his horse teams), David will turn his full attention to the spring planting. He has already purchased Balsam and Fraser fir seedlings from Asack Tree Farm in Barton, Vermont and from a state run nursery in New Hampshire, which will go into the ground after the ground thaws. During the spring and early summer, the trees are fertilized and rows are mowed to keep weeds down, all in preparation for the first shearing, which predictably takes place right around July 10 every year.
“The buds burst late May or early June sending out tender new growth,” said Russell. “Once that growth has come in, we begin shaping the tree.” He warns, however, that his trees are sheared to their most beautiful natural shape and size. “If you want a perfectly manicured tree, you can buy a plastic one. Mine are guaranteed not perfect and that’s exactly how we want them.”
Late fall, David begins to ramp up and prepare for the holiday season ahead, and so do the horses. After a lazy summer grazing, David begins in earnest to work his teams, which include Eli and Emmett, and a brother and sister team, Carina and Jackson. “It amazes me how excited they are to bring each group up the hill, but they have to be in great condition for the work,” said Russell. “Or maybe,” he muses, “they are just excited that this could be the last trip of the day before supper.”
In their spare time, the Russells manage the 300-plus acres that are not dedicated to Christmas trees, harvesting 10-12 cords of firewood he’ll need for the winter and selling small amounts of pine and ash. They also raise grass-fed animals.
Dave Barron and his daughter, Phoebe, pull a freshly-cut Christmas tree through the snow Russell Tree Farm in Starksboro. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.
The Choose and Cut Tradition
It takes between seven and ten years for both Fraser and Balsam firs to grow to the most popular six- or seven-foot height, which is why David is currently thinking about your 2025 Christmas tree. For the next decade, he will be shearing, shaping and tending to trees that might be sold to the children of his current customers. “We have fourth generation families buying trees from us,” said Russell. “I just received a card from a woman who has been buying trees from us for 35 years.”
Most of the trees on Russell Farm are harvested around six to seven feet tall, but he can always find bigger trees for customers who want them. “The biggest tree we’ve sold was to Shelburne Museum, and that one was about 25-feet,” said David. If a customer is looking for a very specific height in the 15- to 20-foot range, sometimes David will cut down a 30-foot tree and just sell the top.
Erica Houskeeper, of Burlington, started going to Russell Tree Farm with her family two years ago. Her husband, Dave Barron, and their daughter Phoebe, returned to the farm once again last week to cut their own Christmas tree. “We were a little late in getting our tree this year, and my husband and I wondered if we should just buy one somewhere closer to home that’s already been cut,” she said. “When we suggested that option to our daughter, she begged us to go to Russell Farm. ‘It’s a tradition!’ she told us. So, we took a trip to Starksboro and found a beautiful 8-foot tree. It’s always such a magical experience at the farm.”
“Music to my ears,” said Russell. “We want everyone to leave happy. The sincere appreciation people express is the reason I do this. It fuels my fire and keeps me going on those long days.”
Funding growth and mastering business skills are constant challenges for small businesses. Vermont entrepreneurs can access a variety of resources to help them succeed.
Investments
Middlebury-based Seedsheet sells gardening fabric embedded with a selection of organic, non-GMO seeds. The company needed investment to hire new employees to meet new demand. Socially conscious investment firm Vermont Works stepped in to help, providing a combination of financing and support, becoming a partnership that’s enabled Seedsheet to expand into new markets.
Over the years the Vermont Community Loan Fund has provided millions of dollars to Vermont businesses to preserve jobs and support communities. Its most recent recipients include small businesses ranging from a sawmill to an auto mechanic as well as an ice cream shop, child care center, and Stone’s Throw Pizza, a restaurant in Fairfax owned and operated by two best friends.
Competitions
Vermont is known for its start-up friendly environment, which is enhanced by competitions that allow entrepreneurs to test their business concepts and win seed money.
Sometimes a business is not able to access larger funding sources due to restrictions or requirements that a very small company cannot meet. The ThinkVermont Innovation Grant is a new competitive program that will enable the State to invest in projects with grants that can be accessed more quickly and with fewer restrictions than traditional federal initiatives. Over 45 applications were submitted in the first round of the grant, with recipients to be announced early in 2019.
The Road Pitch is a business plan competition that travels all over Vermont seeking out the best new business ideas. Itinerant, motorcycle-riding investors and advisors hear dozens of pitches and select regional winners, who go on to compete for a grand prize. This year’s winner, Synticos, invented the SlurryJet, an abrasive waterjet cutting technology.
Accel-VT, a business accelerator, offers months-long support to businesses who compete to be a part of each cohort. The most recent cohort focused on climate economy businesses, and they wrapped up their work this fall. The third sprint of the Fall 2018 cohort—for agriculture and food-tech businesses—is underway.
Supports and training
Small businesses often start with one person who finds they need support and training to keep their business growing.
Burlington—a recognized innovation hub—established the Mayor’s Prize for Entrepreneurship to increase support for innovation and entrepreneurship in the city. Mayor Miro Weinberger recently announced the awarding of $100,000 to three organizations dedicated to providing extensive training and mentoring to new businesses.
The Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET) offers coworking space, mentorship, and seed funds to its member entrepreneurs. It serves as an incubator for tech businesses by providing the space, guidance, and collaboration that entrepreneurs need to thrive. One of VCET’s biggest partners, the University of Vermont, recently reported on the many student and alumni businesses that have gotten their start at VCET, including OhMD, Next Capital, and Packetized Energy.
UVM students recently received essential training in an aspect of business that these inventors and engineers don’t usually get in the lab—customer service. They recently participated in National Science Foundation I-Corps training designed to prepare them to work with paying consumers—a very different audience from say, the federal government. UVM now plans to offer I-Corps trainings twice a year.
UVM students and faculty also have resources available to help them commercialize their inventions. Recently the Agency of Commerce and Community Development partnered with UVM’s Office of the Vice President for Research to host a seminar on technology transfer and tech commercialization, offering tips and guidance for how small businesses can access the federal commercialization funding programs.
Emerging Leaders is a free, seven-month executive course for small businesses offered by Vermont Technical College through the Vermont Small Business Development Center. Its most recent graduating class included a variety of companies including a brewery, excavating company, textile manufacturer, and a pharmacy.
Here for you
If you are an entrepreneur in search of programs and services to support your small business, the Agency of Commerce & Community Development has many ways to help. You can learn more about our programs at https://accd.vermont.gov/economic-development/doing-business. Or contact Joan Goldstein, Commissioner, (802) 272-2399 or Brett Long, Deputy Commissioner, (802) 461-9353.
