Ryan Chaffin
Director of Marketing &
Business Development
Farrell Distributing
What brought you to Vermont?
I was born and raised in Connecticut and
attended Champlain College. Having such
a positive experience here in Burlington
for those years, I then decided to make
Vermont my home. I have always felt a
strong connection to this beautiful land-
scape, the values, and the sense of place
that comes with the small-town, com-
munity-oriented landscape. The general
kindness, creativity, and compassion of the
souls that Vermonters have are contagious,
and I wanted to live amongst them.
What keeps you here?
Certainly my family and career keep me
here. My beautiful wife and daughter also
cherish the values and recreation that
Vermont provides. Weekend trips to the
ski resorts, summer day trips for a swim,
world-class restaurants that celebrate our
agriculture, and desire to support our local
farmers, brewers, wineries, cideries, and
all things fermented! Working for a locally
owned and operated family restaurant and
a couple of legendary Vermont breweries
was an amazing career start. Today, I work
for a beverage distributor, heading up all
the marketing and business development
for some of the most iconic brands in the
world, right here in Vermont. But repre-
senting more than 35 “Made in Vermont”
partners and brands—which represent
hundreds of jobs here in our local work-
force—reminds me every day how amaz-
ing this little state is. It is so easy to make a
positive difference here both professionally
and personally, with people who are always
appreciative of your efforts, and it all rein-
forces why I want to live here and intend to
stay, too.
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