an assortment of gel food colors , a recipe booklet , and of course , cookie cutters in a variety of shapes to satisfy all my holiday decorating desires .
Ann Clark is a real , live person , not just a brand name . From humble beginnings in her garage decades ago , Ann Clark Ltd . in Rutland has now become the largest cookie cutter manufacturer in the United States . They make approximately 4 million cookie cutters annually with around 700 different shapes that are sold in 2,500 stores around the United States , online via Amazon and their own website , and in 19 countries throughout the world . The growth the company has achieved over time is a direct result of hard work , determination , and practical know-how . Add in the burst of creativity needed to bring beautiful design to cookie enthusiasts and bakers everywhere , and you ’ ve got the Ann Clark empire , right here in the Green Mountain State . I had the pleasure of chatting with Ben Clark , Ann ’ s son and CEO of the company , while taking a little break from my holiday cookie decorating adventure . I knew that Ben ’ s parents , Ann and John , were not originally from Vermont , so I started with one of my favorite questions : What brought them here in the first place ? “ My parents were living in Maryland , married , pregnant with my oldest brother , and they were saying : ‘ We don ’ t want to raise our kids in DC ,’” shares Ben . His father had gone to Camp Keewaydin on Lake Dunmore in Addison County when he was younger and that gave him the idea to check out Vermont . “ They literally flew into Rutland , my dad found a job at the Howe Scale Corporation , and they moved to Vermont a couple months later ,” he added . As the Clarks planted roots in Rutland with their growing family , Ann , an artist and painter , began creating artwork for small companies throughout the state . She painted a pig shape that took off and was made into a variety of items : cutting boards , ornaments , and , of course , metal cookie cutters . The cookie cutters became popular , and as more animal shapes were added , they decided to attach recipes to them and sell them at gift shows . In 1990 , due to the growing popularity of her homemade cookie cutters , Ann and John started Ann Clark Cookie Cutters , which has now simply become Ann Clark as they ’ ve added much more to the brand since then .
“ I grew up in Vermont ,” continues Ben , “ went to school here at UVM , moved to North Carolina , went to grad school there , and then my wife and I moved to Annapolis , Maryland . I was at a great job at Black and Decker . She was on a career track at a law firm , loving life , tons of friends , tons to do . And then she was pregnant with my oldest daughter . And I was like , ‘ Hey , what do you think about moving to Vermont ?’ She said , ‘ This sounds familiar .’ We talked to my parents about it . My dad got sick , and spending time with him before he passed became a priority . We were able to spend a year or so together before his passing , after which I took over the company . It sounds sad , but it ultimately got us back to Vermont . That was about 20-plus years ago now .”
With a background in engineering and business , making and selling things like cookie cutters was a natural fit for Ben . When things first started out , a third-party company was making the cookie cutter designs while Ann designed the recipe cards . They ’ d manually attach the cards for custom orders , like college mascots and the Michelin
MEGAN DEMAREST ( 2 )
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