Pewter store named Addison County business of the year

Author: Nicole Lam

As the attendees of last week's Chamber of Commerce meeting listened to bylaw changes and voted yay or nay, they were pleased to find that the overwhelming sentiment was not one of serious business, but of community spirit. The meeting was conducted over dinner and saw speakers referring to board members by nicknames and announcing awards with personal anecdotes and public embraces. The close-knit group and friendly atmosphere was fully realized when Middlebury College Treasurer, Bob Huth, stepped to the podium to announce the Addison County Business of the Year. In his speech congratulating Judi and Fred Danforth, of Danforth Pewter on their receipt of the award, he told a piece of thier tale that actually came from his own life.

Huth recounted a story of being in a shop in Yellowstone National Park and seeing a beautiful piece of pewter. He turned it over and smiled at the heart-warming words "hand-crafted in Vermont, by Danforth Pewter." As he told this story and hugged Judi and Fred Danforth, pride filled his face.

Outside of Addison County, in the news today, we are often inundated with stories of the controversies in our global economy. In this century, success is hard to measure. In financial reports, people not only look at quarterly balance sheets, but they also take into account a company's personal philosophy and the president's mission statements. A corporation's values and ideas have become just as important as the numbers on earnings and income reports.

A company is expected not only to excel financially, but to become involved in their community as well. While the execution of such ideals is sometimes less than impressive in large companies, it is often fully appreciated on a smaller level. The Addison County Chamber of Commerce (ACCOC) holds on to this belief that community involvement is crucial. ACCOC Chairperson Bonita Bedard spoke of just this ideal in her speech on Thursday's annual meeting saying that "success has a broad meaning." Thus, the Chamber gathered in Middlebury's new Town Hall Theater to celebrate successes like those of Danforth Pewter.

The Addison County Chamber of Commerce is an organization that represents businesses in the area and provides commercializing opportunities, encourages managers to work together, helps start-up firms and gives assistance to dealings with government taxes and land acquisitions.

"What the Chamber of Commerce has done for our shop is to advertise what we sell to tourists, to the outside world," said Judi Danforth, an owner of Danforth Pewter.

As Danforth and her husband Fred accepted the 2008 award for their 33-year-old business, Judi Danforth elaborated upon their humble company goal.

"We try to make beautiful things from our hearts," said Judi, and "share them with people, hoping simply that they are delighted."

A Community Achievement Award was later presented to Porter Medical Center for its improvements on healthcare services for their patients in the community. The center has enhanced their surgical equipment and scanners, added short-term rehab facilities and hired more physicians from Addison County.

Doug Anderson was awarded the title of citizen of the year for his dedication to the renovation of the new Town Hall Theater, and, finally, the President's Award went to Darcy Tarte of Chittenden Bank who has devoted time to promoting the ACCOC, and connected the Vergennes area to the committee.

Before arriving on campus, many Middlebury first-years received brochures with information such as where to open a bank account, where to buy school supplies and medications, and where to have our parents stay in town. It was in these brochures, by the ACCOC, that first-years originally first heard of the National Bank of Middlebury, Marble Works Pharmacy and American Flatbread.

"The ACCOC places spotlights on the companies in Addison County, although the irony is that the committee works completely behind the scenes to achieve this goal," said Bedard.

The evening finished off with a summary of the mission of the ACCOC. The committee collaborates well because the philosophy of the ACCOC coincides with those of each enterprise. This shared philosophy is spreading around the world, but seems to be implemented in a particularly elegant way here in Addison County.