Business Notes: Aug. 16, 2015
South Strafford — The 2015 Vermont Tree Farmer of the Year tour will be held Sept. 12, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at David Paganelli’s Clover Hill Tree Farm on Blanchard Road in South Strafford.
Paganelli will open the tour with a discussion of the Vermont Woodlands Association, the Vermont Tree Farm Program and the history of the property.
Dave Wilcox, state lands forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, and Paul Harwood, forester and owner of Harwood Forestry Services Inc. of Tunbridge, will lead the morning session. Wilcox will talk about care of wild apple trees and will demonstrate release, pruning, mowing, liming and grafting.
Harwood will demonstrate forest stand improvement work and explain how manipulating species composition and improving stem quality affects future timber value. Both will talk about the importance of establishing and maintaining a proper road, trail and landing system.
The afternoon session will focus on forest structure and creating and maintaining habitat for wildlife. Toby Alexander, biologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service; Steve Hagenbuch, conservation biologist with Audubon Vermont; and John Buck, wildlife biologist for Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife will lead the session.
Cost is $20 per person; $10 for children 14 and younger. A registration form is available at http://www.vermonttreefarm.org (click on Tours & Events).
Registration deadline is Sept. 7. Tour will be held rain or shine.
Company News
Pamela Ashton, a licensed clinical addictions therapist and alcohol and drug counselor, has opened Better Mind Solutions LLC , a private practice for substance abuse counseling, at 35 Bank St. in Bradford, Vt.
Ashton holds a master’s degree in counseling from Florida Atlantic University and has completed 6,000 hours of professional supervision working with chronic mental illness and substance abuse.
She has held the licensed alcohol and drug counselor credential in Vermont since 2009 and has more than 12 years of experience at many levels, including case management for the chronically mentally ill, inpatient rehabilitation and medicated assisted therapy clinical case management.
She specializes in opiate addiction as well as assessment, relapse prevention, skill building and cognitive behavioral therapy. For more information, call 802-449-3123 or email ashtonp15@yahoo.com.
The National Institute of Modern Martial Arts dojo has moved into a new and larger location at 140 North St. in Claremont. The dojo was founded in 1989 by seven martial art masters, offering courses and training in a variety of styles. The new location has allowed for the addition of a yoga studio and a day care facility.
“Our commitment to better serve area communities with outstanding martial arts education was the primary motivation for moving,” Brendan Donahue, a longtime member of the dojo, said in a news release. “The addition of a yoga studio and day care will also make the new space more enjoyable for the whole family.”
For more information, visit http://nimmadojo.com or email nimmakarate@gmail.com.
The Hitchin Post restaurant in Claremont, which has been in the Sprague family since the 1970s, was sold last month to a Charlestown couple, Matthew and Jennilyn Barney.
“It is something we been thinking about for a long time,” Jennilynn Barney said Friday at the Maple Avenue eatery. “I used to come here with my grandparents. Good food and a lot of good memories.” The Barneys said they may add a few things to the menu but plan to keep the fare the same as it has been for years.
Frank Sprague, who along with his wife, Heidi, are working with the Barneys during a transition period, said the building was once a private home and began as a restaurant in the 1960s. He bought it in 1977 and ran it for 10 years. His mother and sister operated it for another 10 years until 1997. His wife operated it for two years and Sprague’s brother, Daniel, ran it until 2009, when Frank and Heidi took it over again.
In 1989, Frank Sprague entered the education field and retired as Stevens High School principal in 2014.
Upcoming Events
The Upper Valley chapter of SCORE is offering a fall workshop series on Thursday evenings beginning Sept. 10.
The workshops will be held from 6-9 p.m., at 20 West Park St., Lebanon, Suite 316, in the Citizens Bank Building.
The series schedule is as follows:
Sept. 10: Start Your Own Business — A primer on developing and managing any small business, this workshop provides critical materials and a step-by-step process for developing a workable business plan.
Sept. 17: Quickbooks — Focuses on using Quickbooks financial software to help plan and run a business.
Sept. 24: Managing for Success — This workshop is about the practical aspects of managing your business to maximize the chances of success.
Oct. 1: Business Bookkeeping — An “Accounting 101” overview of basic accounting concepts, the fundamentals of financial statements and how they are prepared.
Oct. 8: Advertising and Promoting — Focuses on the marketing effort required for any business to be successful.
Cost is $30, two for $45. Veterans free. For more information or to reserve a spot, visit http://www.uppervalley.score.org, email score@valley.net or call 603-448-3491.
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