Rose Wilson

Rose specializes in marketing, business planning, and business development for farms, non-profits and small businesses. Rose’s mission is to make a difference on a local level. She is focused on building community relationships; fostering a strong, sustainable, local economy; encouraging environmental stewardship; supporting local agriculture and family farms.

Over Rose’s career she established new corporate markets for Geographic Data Technology, now Tele Atlas, a leading GIS firm, stewarded the launch and growth of Harpoon Brewery in northern New England, including starting the Harpoon Brewery Beer Garden and organizing the first Harpoon Point to Point Tour, managed revitalization efforts in downtown Windsor, VT through the VT Downtown Program, and worked with over 70 farms, value added producers, small businesses, institutions, and non profit organizations.

Rose was the 2008 commencement speaker at her high school alma-matter, Stanstead College, and has presented on business planning and marketing at numerous conferences across Vermont.

Rose is on the Board of Directors for the Upper Valley Credit Union, on the NOFA Loan Committee, and is a member of NOFA-VT, the Vermont Fresh Network, Rural Vermont, and the VT Council on Rural Development.

Rose holds her BA from Dartmouth College, and is a citizen of both Canada and the United States.

Key Assets

• Relationship building
• Team approach
• Optimism and enthusiasm
• Listening skills
• Long-lasting results
• An appreciation for community, nature, animals and farms
• A genuine concern for client success and satisfaction

Cool Highlights

Rose was invited to participate in “Moving Vermont Agriculture Forward,” an effort created by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture and the John Merck Fund to provide a succinct process of identifying key leverage points to advance the Business Development for Vermont agricultural products, 2008

Rose represented the town of Windsor, accepting a Preserve America grant from First Lady Mrs. Laura Bush and U.S. Secretary of the Interior, the honorable Dirk Kempthorne in the Cannon House Capitol Building, Capitol Hill on July 12, 2007

Public Speaking

Rose is an accomplished professional speaker, a listing of appearances is as follows:

Presenter, “Make Time for Planning,” NOFA-VT Direct Marketing Conference, South Royalton, VT, 2010

Presenter, “Introduction to Commercial Sales,” Vermont Fresh Network and VT Agency of Agriculture Food and Market’s annual Matchmaker event, Windsor, VT 2009

Commencement Speaker, Stanstead College Baccalaureate, Stanstead, Quebec, 2008.

Presenter, “Identifying New Markets and Expanding Existing Markets through Market Research,” Vermont Housing and Conservation Board,” Vermont Housing and Conservation Board Business Planning for Farm Success: A Gathering of Farm Viability Professionals, Middlebury, VT, 2008

Invited lecturer, “Taking Stock- For Experienced Business Owners,” University of Vermont Extension, Berlin, VT, 2008

Presenter, “Developing a Marketing Plan for Your Farm,” NOFA-VT Direct Marketing Conference, South Royalton, VT, 2008

Moderator, “Farm Viability Panel,” Vermont Housing And Conservation Board Anniversary Conference, Montpelier, VT, 2007

Speaker, Vermont Council on Rural Development annual symposium, Marketing Vermont’s Creative Economy, Statehouse, Montpelier, VT, 2007

Trainer, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board Farm Viability Program, Value Added Marketing, 2007

Presenter, “Effective Advertising for Agri-Business,” MicroCredit-NH, Keene, NH, 2007

Speaker, Tilling The Soil of Opportunity, VT Small Business Development Center, Randolph, VT, 2007

Ranked as the “Top Workshop of the Conference” for presenting, “Leveraging the Vermont Brand,” at Senator Leahy’s 10 Annual Women’s Economic Opportunity Conference, Randolph, VT, 2006