After a summer break, the VTO podcast is back! This episode kicks off a series called “Investing in Vermont”. I will be interviewing people that are involved in shaping the local economy/community in the St. Johnsbury area.
My first guest in the series is Ed Vilandrie.
When Peter Vollers is not working as a Real Estate Lawyer, he owns and runs Vermont Overland. His knowledge of and appreciation for Class 4 VT roads has led to the creation of some very unique gravel adventure ride/races.
Dr. Alan Betts is an Atmospheric Researcher and Vermont's leading Climate Scientist. In the late 1970s, he moved to Vermont, and for over 40 years he has continued his research on regional and global weather and climate. He has worked with scientists and institutions in the US and around the world; and on many national and international research projects.
Collin Daulong and his wife Caitlin own Kingdom Cycling and Experiences. Their company gives bike tours all over New England and during the summer is based trailside at the Kingdom Trails on Darling Hill. In this interview Collin talks about how the company was started, and why accessibility is so important.
Alex McAndrew is a professional downhill and enduro mountain biker based in East Burke Vt. Alex and his soon to be wife Ella (also a professional MTB rider) run Vermont Mountain Bike Tours, are coaches and guides and have just opened their new venture Green Mountain Pro Tune.
Maura Adams is the Program Director for the Northern Forest Center in Concord NH. They work to develop economic opportunities in the Northern Forest through a number of different programs. She is also a trail runner and mountain biker who is responsible for the new Bike The Borderlands program.
Chris Hibshman is the co-owner of the Village Sport Shop in Lyndonville VT. He is a backcountry skier, a mt bike rider and coach who cares deeply about how his employees and customers get treated.
Bob Dion is the founder of Dion Snowshoes, a company based out of Bennington Vermont. He is also a Veteran Ultrarunner who has an incredible list of wins and records in very long distance races. If you are a runner this discussion will blow your head apart.
Rasputitsa means Mud Season in Russian. It is also the name of a ridiculously fun and tough gravel bicycle race that happens during, you guessed it, mud season in the NEK of VT. Since its launch, the race has grown its participation by a huge amount and has donated thousands to charitable causes. It’s been named “Best Cycling Event in the Northeast” by Competitor Magazine and listed in “7 Challenging, Fun Spring Classics to Ride” by Bicycling Magazine.
Carrie and Pete (Chief) Tomczyk own “The Hub” at Darling Hill in Lyndonville VT. The Hub is a bar nested in the Village Sport Shop hillside and serves lots of amazing craft beer. It is a great spot to relax after a day of riding some of the best trails in Vermont. The view there is amazing!
Ted King is a retired professional bicycle racer who recently moved to Vermont. Teds love for using maple syrup as a race fuel led him to co-found “Untapped”, a company that started putting it into single serving containers like gel packets. Ted also hosts the “King of the Ride” podcast, which deals with all things bikes and business. Since retiring Ted has been a tireless advocate of all things to do with bicycling.
CJ Scott is the trail manager for the Kingdom Trails in Burke VT. He is an outdoor enthusiast, with a deep appreciation for being in the woods and recreating outdoors. He came to the NEK from Maine to go to school (majoring in outdoor recreation) in 1997 and a broken arm led him to change his plans of moving to Alaska to staying in the Kingdom.
On this episode I sit down and chat with Lilias Ide. Lilias is the marketing manager for the Kingdom Trails in Burke, VT and a Mountain Biking badass. If you follow KT on social marketing you should be familiar with her trail update videos.
Abby Long is the recently appointed Executive Director for the Kingdom Trails Association in Burke VT. Abby comes to the Kingdom from Leadville Colorado, where she worked first as the Athletic Service and Registration manager then as the Executive Director for the Leadville Legacy Foundation.
On this show I talk to Ryan Thibault. Ryan is the owner of Ranch Camp, a Mountain Bike base lodge concept that contains a bike shop and also serves great beer and food. He is also the creative director for Collective Arts brewery and owner of MTBVT.com.
In this episode I speak with John Worth. John is the co-owner of the East Burke Sports, the Burke Mountain Ski Patrol Director and the founder of the Kingdom Trails. John and I talk about how the KT system started, how it has changed and what is needed for balanced future growth.
This is an episode that I almost didn’t release. Being new to the podcasting game, I am still learning. A few things happened prior and during the interview that completely threw me off my game.
Knight is a stonemason, a trail builder, and a damn good MTB rider. His business creativity, love of riding and sense of community have allowed him to create a life that is fully submerged in the riding lifestyle. Knight talks about his love of jumping and how he became involved with trail building. We also discuss his several businesses which all are tied to riding bikes.
Andy Weinberg lives to help people realize what they are truly capable of. His company, The Endurance Society, puts on challenging races for runners, skiers and bikers. These are not typical races, and include a snowshoe marathon, a 10-day Ultrarunning event with distances of 8k to 888k (551 miles!!!!) and a death race style event that the details are kept secret. An endurance athlete himself, Andy has participated in 100 mile running races, long distance swimming events, and even a quintuple iron man distance triathlon (12 miles swim/560 mile bike/131 mile run).
Last year I moved back to Vermont for the third time in my life for what I call “semi-retirement”. My business (National Powersports Distributors) is run by an incredible team and my involvement is no longer needed on a daily basis. My wife Amy and I always knew that we would move back to Vermont, and we chose the North East Kingdom (NEK) partly because of the amazing Kingdom Trails. It’s not only the trails that are awesome here, the people are too.
I'm Back!!! Finally had a chance to talk with Daniel Jordan from VT Bikepackers! Daniel Jordan is a Bikepacker, Endurance racer and Organizer for the Vermont Super 8 Course, a 640 mile backroads tour of VT.