Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Vermont Food Venture Center is Shaping Up!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


The Vermont Food Venture Center is Shaping Up!

Hardwick, VT- October 19, 2010—The construction of the Vermont Food Venture Center is well underway and is preparing to open its doors in the spring.

The Vermont Food Venture Center (VFVC), a shared-use incubator kitchen, has been operating from its Fairfax, VT location since 1996 and will be opening its doors to food processors at the new Hardwick location in early spring. Not only will the new facility be fully equipped for processing and producing value-added products, but with the expansion will come business consulting services and skill-development programming for clients.



A strong foundation for the area’s emerging food economy has been established by local businesses and organizations, and with the construction of the new facility, the VFVC is following suit. With the exterior walls of the building up, and the insulation and plumbing nearly complete, the electricity and roof will soon follow. The construction team, which includes architect Harry Hunt, the contracting group, Professional Construction, Inc and VFVC Construction Project Manager Steve Pitkin, is committed to quality and best practices. As Mr. Pitkin said earlier this week, “to improve the energy efficiency of the building, [we] changed a few elements of the design which may have slowed the construction somewhat, but the improvements are well worth the slight delay.”

As the building goes up, more work continues to happen behind the scenes as Louise Calderwood, VFVC’s Interim Project Manager works with Heidi Krantz, the Small Agricultural Business Advisor for both the Center for an Agricultural Economy and the Vermont Small Business Development Council, to develop tours and workshops to share with clients. Says Ms Calderwood, “I am fully aware that both the VFVC’s current and future clients need to hit the ground running as soon as those doors open in the spring. Heidi and I, along with the VFVC Advisory Committee, are developing the necessary pieces so that VFVC clients can succeed.”

With a space designed to accommodate a wide array of interests and products, the Vermont Food Venture Center will be an energetic addition to the growing entrepreneurial spirit of the Hardwick area’s food and agricultural businesses. For more information about how to join the Vermont Food Venture Center or to discuss its future programs and opportunities, please contact Louise Calderwood at 802-586-2239 or email her at rcalderwod@aol.com

Contact:
Louise Calderwood, Interim Project Manager
Vermont Food Venture Center
Tel: 802-586-2239, e-mail: rcalderwod@aol.com

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