Jeff Lackie joins GMVS as senior director of high performance sport
Longtime U.S. Ski Team coach Jeff Lackie, who spent seven years as a key member of Team [Michaela] Shiffrin’s coaching staff, will be joining its alpine coaching team at Green Mountain Valley School in Fayston, as its senior director of high-performance sport.
In this new, full-time leadership position, his responsibilities will include working with longtime alpine program director, Steve Utter, to refine the school’s approach and shape the future of the school’s alpine program.
“Jeff is a skilled and innovative alpine leader with international credibility and experience who can help take GMVS to the next level. He is a natural fit,” said Utter. "His experience and understanding of alpine ski racing is immeasurably valuable to our program. I look forward to our collaboration.”
Over the last 25 years, Lackie has coached at every level of the development system, from U12 to the World Cup. In thinking about this next step of his career, he stated, “I’ve always been intrigued by the outsized contribution academies make in the national athlete pipeline. GMVS has a 50-year history of offering its student athletes world-class facilities in a beautiful natural setting. Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to pursue excellence here? I look forward to joining the team and helping harness the full potential of GMVS.”
In the words of head of school, Tracy Keller, “As we celebrate our 50th anniversary and set our eyes on the future, we remain steadfast in our commitment to elite ski racing. Jeff’s tireless work ethic coupled with his passion for alpine ski racing and a world view of high-performance athletics will propel us forward. We are thrilled to have him on board.”
Lawson’s Finest Liquids awarded Certified B Corporation status
Lawson’s Finest Liquids has earned status as a Certified B Corporation. The Waitsfield brewery, founded by Sean and Karen Lawson in 2008, operates on a values-driven vision of making the quality beer while cultivating healthy, vibrant communities through ethical business and sustainability practices. Achieving B Corp certification is the latest step in the brewery’s 15-year history of commitment to positive social and environmental changes.
Lawson’s Finest joins only 18 breweries in the U.S. who meet the standards required by B Lab, the nonprofit behind the B Corp certification process. To achieve the status, companies must work to create positive economic change through inclusive, equitable and regenerative practices and excel in five core socially and environmentally focused areas: governance, workers, community, customers and environment. To date, less than 6,600 companies on the planet are certified B Corps.
The SIP, as the brewery’s team of 80 employees refers to the Lawson’s Finest Social Impact Program, prioritizes healthy communities, sustainable recreation and environmental conservation. With the goal of financially supporting community vitality and the natural areas the SIP has donated more than $1.9 million to worthwhile causes and community-building efforts since 2018. In 2022 alone, Lawson’s Finest donated more than $500,000 through its multi-pronged donation program.
By mid-June 2023, Lawson’s Finest will generate 100% of its electric needs through solar power, provided by multiple installations on its campus including the largest solar canopy in Vermont. Continued investments in solar are among the brewery’s sustainability initiatives, which also include providing electric vehicle charging stations to the community, monitoring, and reducing use of wastewater, electricity, and propane, and partnering with local waste management companies to recycle brewery plastic wrap, grain bags and can metal. Lawson’s Finest also pulls out of code beer from shelves to be processed in an anaerobic digester that recovers energy and nutrients from organic byproducts for reuse.
