Business Ticker Chester kettle corn makers open B&B; One Credit offers $1,000 scholarships; class held on government contracts

Kettle corn makers open B&B in Stone Village home

Carol Leofanti and Mark Ouellette of Chester announce the opening of The Stone House Bed & Breakfast and Kettle Corn Co., at their home at 166 North St. in Chester’s historic Stone Village.

Leofanti and Ouellette, who purchased the property last May, are offering two units for nightly and seasonal rental. The apartment has a private entrance and consists of two bedrooms, two full baths, a full kitchen and living room with couch that can convert to a single bed. The second unit is a spacious guest room with a private bath.

Kettle corn is manufactured in the Cooper House, a separate building next to the main house where it is believed barrels were once made in the mid-1800s.

Fresh kettle corn is available in the enclosed glass porch on the left of the driveway. The shop is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays through Sundays and occasionally during the week. When the kettle corn signs are out, the shop is open. The Stone House Kettle Corn Co. not only offers the traditional “sweet and salty” kettle corn but also a variety of unique specialty flavors as well as unique home-made sweets.

Ouellette recently retired from the Grafton Public Schools in Grafton, Mass., after teaching 8th grade U.S. and world history for the past 24 years.  Leofanti is an LPN employed by American Medical Technologies as a clinical specialist and has many years experience working with the geriatric population. She also owned and operated a breakfast and lunch restaurant in Uxbridge, Mass.

Stone House Kettle Corn can be purchased in Chester at Lisai’s Market, Heritage Deli and Bakery, the Main Street Coffee & Scoop Shop and the Southern Pie Company as well as in Grafton at Grafton MKT.

Leofanti and Ouellette can be reached at (802) 374-0172 or at Stonehousebbchestervt@gmail.com or find them on Facebook by clicking here.

One Credit Union offers $1,000 college scholarships

Brett Smith, president and CEO of One Credit Union, announced that it would be increasing its 2019 Scholarship Program to $1,000 each.

Every year, the Credit Union awards six scholarships to qualified high school seniors looking to continue their education. To qualify, applicants must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better, demonstrate financial need and be eligible for membership at One Credit Union. Candidates also submit a 300 word essay explaining their experience with teamwork and community building, something One Credit Union is passionate about.

“Continuing education is important, be it collegiate or vocational,” said Smith. “We understand financing it is no easy task, and we are here to help our members.”

Applications are available online by clicking here. Deadline for submissions is April 15 2019.

One Credit Union is headquartered in Springfield, and has a branch in Chester.

Selling to the Government 101

Join the Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance Center for a one-hour introduction about selling to the government at 1 p.m. Feb. 14, 67 Merchants Row, in Rutland.

Learn the basics about competing for contracts with the government whether it is state, local, or federal while also learning about socio-economic small business programs that may provide an advantage when competing for federal contracts.

Topics include:
• Marketing your small business to the government
• How to locate bid opportunities
• Understanding the registration process
• How to successfully compete for government contracts
• Socio-economic small business programs

Workshop is free, but registration is required. To register, click here.