him to let me apprentice at
the factory. I was eager, and
Kurt and his daughter Heidi taught
me every step of the operation.”
Sam was 23 at the time and looking
to transition out of his role in marketing
and sales at Vermont Creamery. He met
with the creamery’s owner who gave him
the green light to branch out. The owner
just happened to be Sam’s mom, Allison
Hooper.
When Sam Hooper says he’s going to do
something, he persists. He credits his
business acumen and drive to his
mother, who co-founded the renowned
Vermont Creamery in 1984. While
learning how to cut and sew gloves
during the day, Sam did his homework
at night. He dug into market research,
studied the industry past and present,
and wrote a business plan. That intense
analysis only strengthened his resolve
and his vision to reinvigorate the heritage
company. He recalls thinking, “If I can’t
figure out how to make a pair of gloves,
I won’t be able to teach someone else
how to do it. I may not be the best sewer
on the floor but I know how to do every
step. And I understand the importance of
quality assurance.”
74 VERMONT MAGAZINE
The Education
of an Entrepreneur
Sam bought the company
from Kurt Haupt on January 26,
2018. “Kurt handed me the key to
the front door and said, ‘Good luck.’ I
thought, geezum, I just took on a lot of
debt. Time to get to work!” He set up an
advisory board of businesspeople who
he respects: Ric Cabot, president of Darn
Tough Socks; Frank Michael Munoz,
director of marketing at Land O’ Lakes/
Vermont Creamery; Jody Davignon, a
managing partner at Farrow Financial in
Randolph; and Allison Hooper. “I know I
have a lot to learn, and I trust these people
will push and challenge me. I’m 25 and
don’t have all the answers.”
Sam quickly acknowledges he wouldn’t be
where he is today if he hadn’t grown up
involved in
the family
business. “My mom
is my greatest hero. I
garnered a crash course in
business development sitting
around the dinner table and
working in every aspect at the cheese-
making plant during summers and school
breaks. I worked production line, cheese
room, sales, and marketing. That taught