2021 Outstanding Business of the Year Award
Named after former Governor Deane C Davis (1900-1990) and co-sponsored by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and VermontBiz, the award is given to the Vermont company that embraces the unshakeable values that Davis brought to his office: enhancing the economy and championing the environment with the help of business and satisfied employees. Governor Deane C….
About this Event
Named after former Governor Deane C Davis (1900-1990) and co-sponsored by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and VermontBiz, the award is given to the Vermont company that embraces the unshakeable values that Davis brought to his office: enhancing the economy and championing the environment with the help of business and satisfied employees.
Governor Deane C. Davis (1900 – 1990)
In 1968, at the age of 68, when most people look forward to enjoyment of retirement, Deane C. Davis was elected governor. Governor Davis brought considerable experience to the governor’s office (1969-1973), gleaned over many years as a lawyer, corporate officer and company president. He was a strong advocate of a sound economy based in a protected environment.
Governor Davis was known as the “Environmental Governor” because of his strong support for Act 250, which was enacted during his administration. He also championed a vigorous economic development program that resulted in the creation of the highly successful regional economic development corporations.
Criteria
The Standards of Excellence are the criteria that will be used in judging the nominees for the Outstanding Business of the Year Award. The following questions should be used as guidelines and examples for companies as they prepare their submissions for nomination. Please note, this award is designated to a for-profit business as the judging committee will take the growth of sales into consideration.
Demonstrated success by:
* Continued growth in number of employees and/or sales.
Does the company have a clear mission statement that allows sustainable growth for itself and its employees? Does the company’s goals and objectives create incentive for sustained growth? Does the company’s marketing strategy keep up with a constantly changing market place?
* Commitment of company resources, including employees to community projects.
Does the company have a community relations function at its corporate level? Does the company encourage employees to participate in community projects? Are company officers involved in community projects?
* Recognition of the environment as a natural and economic resource for Vermont.
Does company policy incorporate Vermont’s natural environment in the production or marketing of its product(s)? Is the company actively involved in the development of local, regional or state natural and economic environmental policies?
* Creation of a positive work environment for all employees.
Does the company involve its employees in operational policy creation? Does the company create incentives for employee participation in company and community projects? Does the company’s human resources policies provide for meaningful and continuing employee evaluation?
Standards of Excellence:
The Outstanding Business of the Year Award is the prestigious recognition of a company in Vermont who has met the highest standards of excellence in the past year to improving its sales, the work environment for its employees, and its contribution of its resources to its community.
The honoree has demonstrated success through:
- Continued growth in number of employees or sales
- Commitment of company resources, including employees to community projects
- Recognition of the environment as a natural and economic resource for Vermont
- Creation of a positive work environment for all employees
The economic well-being of Vermont rests squarely on the success of its businesses, large and small, which provide jobs, products, and services to consumers in Vermont, across the United States and around the world. Many companies in Vermont fully exemplify the Outstanding Vermont Business Standards of Excellence. They have used these standards as a guideline to improve their business, their employees and their community. These standards are relevant to all businesses, small and large.
Meeting the highest standards of excellence is the direct cause of the success of any business. Even if the market is ready and consumers are willing, the ability to attain the highest standards of excellence combined with a clear, definable mission statement is vital to any company’s longevity.
Eligibility:
To be eligible the nominated business must have its corporate headquarters in Vermont for at least 10 years. Subsidiaries of international corporations may also be nominated if their U.S. headquarters are based in Vermont and if they operate largely autonomously. Please note, this award is designated to a for-profit business as the judging committee will take the growth of sales into consideration.
General Information:
Anyone may nominate a business for the Outstanding Business of the Year Award. The nomination may be made by the business itself, a government agency, or interested individuals.
The screening committee may request additional information from nominators, references or the company itself for the judge’s consideration. All entries and supplementary materials will become the property of the VermontBiz and will not be returned. Decisions of the judging committee are final.
Because the Outstanding Business of the Year Award is designed to recognize the total commitment of a company, nominations should describe the entire scope of the company’s mission.
Accompanying Materials:
The online nomination form allows you to submit up to three supporting documents to your online nomination. Supporting documents are optional. Please submit as much background material as you feel necessary to support the statement. Additional materials may include, but are not limited to samples of company policies, mission statements, company annual reports, employee newsletters, program evaluation forms. If you are unable to submit accompanying materials online you may mail them to: VermontBiz, 365 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT 05403.
Confidential Information:
In order for the Selection Committee to properly evaluate each application, it is helpful for us to have relevant information requested (sales figures and employee count). This information is CONFIDENTIAL and will not be shared with anyone other than the Selection Committee. Copies will be destroyed following the selection. Please include this information with your application.
OUTSTANDING BUSINESS AWARD WINNERS
1990 WALLACE ENTERPRISES
1991 C & S WHOLESALEGROCERS
1992 MCKENZIE MEATS
1993 PERRY RESTAURANT GROUP
1994 GREEN MOUNTAIN COFFEE ROASTERS
1995 VERMONT HEATING & VENTILATING
1996 MACKMOLDING COMPANY
1997 SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH RESORT
1998 VERMONT COUNTRY STORE
1999 CABOT CREAMERY
2000 WAITSFIELD CHAMPLAIN VALLEY TELECOM
2001 WILD APPLE GRAPHICS
2002 NRG SYSTEMS
2003 HUBBARDTON FORGE
2004 IDX
2005 KING ARTHUR FLOUR
2006 RSG
2007 SYMQUEST GROUP INC
2008 NATIONAL LIFE GROUP
2009 BIOTEK INSTRUMENTS INC
2010 SMALL DOG ELECTRONICS
2011 FOLEY FAMILY OF COMPANIES
2012 GW PLASTICS, INC.
2013 DEALER.COM
2014 CHAMPLAIN CABLE
2015 PC Construction
2016 Marathon Health
2017 Vermont Mutual Insurance Group
2018 Green Mountain Power
2019 Chroma Technology Corporation
2020 Lawson’s Finest Liquids
Winners
Healthy Living Market receives Deane Davis Business of the Year Award
VermontBiz and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce announced Wednesday that Healthy Living Market and Café is the winner of the prestigious and highly anticipated Deane C. Davis Outstanding Business of the Year Award, 2021. This annual award honors a Vermont business that shows an outstanding history of sustained growth while displaying an acute awareness of what makes Vermont unique. The award, named for the former governor of Vermont, was created 32 years ago by VermontBiz and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce to recognize and honor the state’s best companies.
The honor was bestowed at the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center on Burlington’s Waterfront.
“The year 2022 marks the 50th Anniversary of Vermontbiz and the 32nd Anniversary of the Deane C Davis Outstanding Business of the Year Award, something we are very proud of here at VermontBiz. The list of past winners is a virtual who’s who of businesses in Vermont. This year, once again we had three great companies as finalist for this prestigious award, Caledonia Spirits, Healthy Living Market and Café and Hickok and Boardman Insurance Group, all three businesses have shown great merit for the Deane C Davis Award. Like Davis himself—former governor, president of National Life of Vermont, and environmentalist—each finalist reflects Vermont’s diverse nature and, at the same time, radiates a savvy business sense” said John Boutin Publisher of VermontBiz and co-presenter of the award. “We have so many outstanding businesses in Vermont, but these three finalists reflect much of what we see throughout our state economy,” said Vermont Chamber President Betsy Bishop
Long before it was anywhere near a “market” or a “cafe”, Katy Lesser founded Healthy Living Market and Cafe in 1200 square feet, with a strange mishmash of inventory, one employee, and an average of 6 customers a day. With zero business experience and an absence of anything close to an industry devoted to natural foods, it seemed like a recipe for disaster. And in spite of being told it would never work, Katy set out to “grow up,” learn how to run a business, and be a true pioneer in the soon-to-be growing natural foods industry.
Since 1986, Lesser has turned Healthy Living into a company with 3 vibrant Vermont markets with over 300 employees and sales growing every year. Along with her deep commitment to sourcing healthy food and supporting local agriculture, she has shown equal devotion to creating hundreds of jobs for a diverse segment of the Vermont population. Their mission statement has not changed over the years. “We’re on a mission to fuel a passion for great food, health, and well-being and be the place where people gather to shop, eat, and work.” These core principles have driven community loyalty, growth in sales, and a dedicated staff!
Going hand in hand with creating jobs, giving back to the communities that loyally support them has been part of their mission for over 35 years. From the very start, their Community Outreach Program has reached hundreds of small local non-profits every year and is devoted to helping groups that have small budgets and big hearts. They work with motivated, innovative groups with values similar to their own. They are especially interested in food insecurity and access to food, environmental issues, building a strong community, making health a priority, supporting organic farming, and educating both adults and kids about these things. At their registers they ask customers to round up to the nearest whole dollar amount and donate the difference to a select charity each quarter. Healthy Living matches these donations and in 2021 donated nearly $120k to charities. The staff also participates in a variety of community outreach projects and is paid for time spent. In 2021 Healthy Living donated $150,000 in cash and in-kind donations to local organizations such as Feeding Chittenden, Spectrum, Family Services, South Burlington Food Shelf, Prevent Child Abuse Vermont, private and public schools.
While they love and believe in the products they sell, their even bigger commitment is to creating interesting jobs for people. The range of jobs is wide; everything from kitchen work to financial expertise, and helping people learn, grow, and move on in their careers is their greatest joy. Their management team works 7 days a week to create a positive place to work. They employ people who started as cashiers and are now managers, buyers, and supervisors, and because of this, they retain successful staff. Over the past two years, the pandemic has offered them the opportunity to take care of their staff in new, bigger ways. As an essential business, they never closed their doors. That meant they needed to find ways to ensure that staff felt coming to work was not only safe, but a place where support was available. They put new bonus plans in place, offered Hazard Pay, upped the Angel Food program, and above all made safety a priority. As a result, their core team of staff has loyally come to work during this difficult time, and the team is stronger than ever!
In 2021 Healthy Living opened their third store, in Williston Vermont. They created 60 new good jobs. They did this in the middle of covid, in one of the most challenging business environments in the past 25 years, in one of the most competitive industries in America. “Healthy Living has endured recessions, pandemics, and many other ups and downs in our nearly 40 years in business. For the Deane Davis award team to recognize our longstanding perseverance is affirming and appreciated. We look forward to the award ceremony later this year, and thank everyone for the opportunity,” said Eli Lesser-Goldsmith CEO.
