Annual Meeting 2009

The Annual Meeting of the Vermont Alliance of Independent Country Stores took place on Wednesday, May 13, at the Franklin Conference Center in Rutland.

Members and guests as well as the press attended the Alliance's Eighth Anniversary at the annual meeting at the historic Howe Center, also home of Westminster Cracker. Westminster Cracker is a manufacturer of nationally distributed oyster crackers, and charts its history from 1828 in Westminster, Massachusetts.

Following coffee and danish, storeowners introduced themselves and gave a summary of their year's experiences in the current economy and their relationship with towns and villages. The meeting was chaired by Charlie Wilson (Taftsville), and also attended by John Rehlen (Castleton), Janet MacLeod (Adamant), Gary Hatch (Newbury), Joe Kamuda and Matt Cartier (Kamuda's in Pittsford), Dave & Pat Finlayson (Harborville), Bill MacDonald (Waits River), Carolyn DiCicco and Kim Furlong (Barnard), Tom Hurst (Willey's in Greensboro), Nancy & Doug Tschorn (Wayside in West Arlington), Marilyn Bellemare (Mach's in Pawlet), as well as Jim Harrison (VGA) and Dennis Bathory-Kitsz (Alliance Director). Also attending were Paul Bruhn (Preservation Trust), Phil Jordan (Vermont Magazine), Steve Andrews (American Flatbread, the luncheon sponsor), Ken Hughes (Hughes & Co.), and host Keith Dunn, Vice President of Westminster Crackers.

The first round-table discussion was Wine, Wine & More Wine, led by John Rehlen. He addressed what works and what doesn't in expanding wine sales, and sought the experiences of other store owners. The next talk was The Important Role of Country Stores in Vermont with special guest Paul Bruhn of the Preservation Trust of Vermont, sharing insights on the country stores' unique roles in communities as well as ongoing efforts to re-invent markets to remain financially sustainable. Following the two round-tables was a tour of the Westminster Cracker manufacturing facility led by John O'Neill, Vice President of Manufacturing. The intriguing tour included a look at all the stages of cracker-making from mixing the dough through rising, rolling, baking, re-baking, quality control, and packaging. (Some photos of the tour as well as of the meeting as a whole are on 2009 Annual Meeting Photo Album.)

Following the tour, everyone sat down to a meal created by American Flatbread, including salad, pizzas of all kinds, and desserts.

Our 2009 Annual Meeting sponsors include Westminster Crackers and American Flatbread.