OCTOBER 25, 2006
BRATTLEBORO, VT — Brattleboro native and family business owner Stephen E. Baker is the recipient of the 2006 Founders Award, presented by the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) at its Annual Meeting of Trustees on October 24, 2006.
Winners of the BDCC Founders Award are selected for their efforts and actions that have helped to make a difference to our area and to the business climate; they are known for creating value-added jobs and for promoting a climate that enhances the economic vitality of the region.
Past recipients of the BDCC Founders Award have included George Schneeberger, founder of G.S. Precision; Tony Cersosimo, founder of Cersosimo Lumber; Tony Elliot, founder of Sovernet; Bob Johnson, founder of Omega Optical; and John Kristensen, co-founder of BDCC.
Baker is the head of Bakers, Inc., a three-generation family business originally established in 1925 in Brattleboro as a newspaper, magazine and greeting card shop. It has grown over the decades to include a group of stationery and magazine stores, an office furniture store, an office design company, and a newspaper and magazine distributing company.
An active and supportive community member and volunteer, Baker was involved with the BDCC from 1968 to 1994, serving as president from 1984 to 1986. He has also served on the boards of First Vermont Bank (now TD Bank North) and Retreat Healthcare, and has worked on several Brattleboro Memorial Hospital fundraising campaigns.
According to BDCC Board of Trustees President Debbie Boyle, “Every community has individuals in it who make things happen and who community groups go to when something needs to be done. Steve Baker has not only been a leader at BDCC, looking out for the manufacturing base, but has also been instrumental in helping to establish downtown organizations to keep the downtown a vibrant downtown. His business has been a mainstay in downtown for decades. We thank him for his contributions to BDCC and the Town of Brattleboro."
BDCC is a private, nonprofit economic development organization that serves as a catalyst for industrial and commercial growth in Windham County. Its primary objective is to create and retain a flourishing business community that supports vibrant fiscal activity, and improves the quality of life of all its residents. Founded in 1954, BDCC owns and manages the Cotton Mill industrial park/incubator and the new business park at the former Book Press building, among other facilities, and is one of 12 Vermont Regional Development Corporations.
For more information about BDCC, call 802-257-7731 or email bdcc@sover.net.