Vermont Teddy Bear (VTB) has humble beginnings in 1983 as a Church Street Marketplace pushcart, selling its cute, fluffy bears to people responding to news and radio advertising and those just passing by. It has grown into a privately held powerhouse employing 120 people full time and up to 700 seasonal employees under the leadership of President and CEO, Bill Shouldice.
Although VTB remains devoted to the bears continuing to produce custom requests; seasonal and current event offerings and a bear hospital for repairs; it has diversified into other direct-to-consumer ventures such as pajamas, jeans and loungewear. Sustainability and innovation are embedded in the company’s culture. The bears are stuffed with fluffy, soft, shredded recycled plastic water bottles which allows the bears to maintain their shape and cuddliness while being stuffed with a previously used resource.
VTB is committed to giving back to Vermont and the other communities it populates. “It’s all part of our commitment to community,” Shouldice said. “We believe that we have a responsibility to leave our employees, and the communities where we live, work, and raise our families, in better shape than when we found them. People ask me for cash donations all the time. We don’t do that, but we will partner with you. There’s a give and a take there. If we try to put on the shelf a bear wearing a fez, we won’t sell many of them. But when the Shriners take a relevant bear and put it in front of their constituents, magic happens.”
VTB’s dedication to community was front and center during the pandemic. Keeping employees actively employed under pandemic workplace mandates and also meet the demand for masks, VTB switched its production focus. A commitment was made to make 125,000 masks and donated them free of charge to organizations and individuals which is 1 mask for every 5 Vermonters. Other Vermont companies such as Darn Tough Vermont, Seventh Generation, Burton and Bee’s Wrap; municipalities and private citizens donated goods and sewed masks using the kits. “We just felt like it’s the right thing to do,” Matt Mole, Director of Global Resources, said. “We’re getting these masks out to people who need them. It’s above dollars and cents — it’s about people.”
VTB continues to react to the current cultural and social zeitgeist and has entered into a partnership with Jen Ellis, the creator of the “Bernie Mittens” worn at the 2021 inauguration. In keeping with VTB’s focus on giving back, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the mittens will go to Make a Wish Vermont.
