courtesy photo
MONTPELIER – Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas visited with Linda Ramsdell, president of the Headwaters Community Trust, on July 1, as part of a statewide listening tour following the upgrade of her office’s online business filing system.
The listening tour follows her office’s improvements to an online business filing system. The goal of said changes was to make registration with the office as easy for small businesses as possible.
She also visited The Fitness Warehouse VT in Newport and 802 Notarize in St. Johnsbury on the same day.
The three recently formed businesses across the NEK were selected by the Secretary of State’s office for visits, with the chance to offer direct feedback to Secretary Copeland Hanzas about their interactions with her office and state government in general.
“One of the first steps for every business entity that gets started in Vermont is to register with our office,” explained Secretary Copeland Hanzas. “We want to make that process as smooth as possible, and for folks to feel supported as they get things off the ground. This listening tour is a chance for our office to connect and learn more about the needs of Vermont’s vibrant small business community.”
Headwaters Community Trust, founded in 2024, works to use the community land trust model to alleviate housing insecurity in Albany, Craftsbury, Glover, Greensboro and adjoining communities.
“It’s so inspiring to see Vermonters take their ideas and passions and make the leap to turn them into a business venture,” said Secretary Copeland Hanzas. “From housing to fitness to notary services, these visits all shared a similar theme: driven, dedicated folks with a can-do, creative attitude and a strong community spirit making a tangible impact in their community. Small businesses like those we visited today bring immense value to our state, and when it comes to my office and our state government, we’re working to make sure they find support, and not barriers.”
