Forestry students learn the business
October 19,2015
Albert J. Marro / Staff Photo Stafford Technical Center forestry students shave been helping out at the 170th Vermont State fair in Rutland. Kristen Lee, right, photographs Isaac Day running a large saw Tuesday morning.
Mark Raishart has been Forestry and Natural Resources instructor at Stafford Technical Center since 2010. Incorporating business elements into the program, he and his students produce forest products as a student-run business. All of the students in the program are involved in the processing of wood products in the forest and at their outdoor lab at Stafford. Here, Raishart discusses the program in more detail.
What is nature of your business?
We focus on a range of products and industries depending on the season, customer requests, and student interest. We primarily sell firewood and lumber and do custom milling with our portable sawmill, perform a small-scale commercial timber harvest, and sell seedlings from our greenhouse in the spring. In addition to these fundraising activities, we do a great deal of community service for public institutions. Conservation work is a significant portion of our focus, and this often means working for the “greater good.”
How/why did the company begin? What was the inspiration, the story behind its beginning?
Integrating physical work into the classroom is part of the foundation of technical education. Creating products is fundamental to the students’ experience here. Selling them is secondary. I don’t expect all of my students to become entrepreneurs, but they will all need to know how to be effective employees. Part of that is learning basic work responsibilities and part of it is understanding the economics behind the forest products industry.
How did you get where you are today with the business (has it changed focus, grown, downsized, etc.)?
Stafford’s products are students, not goods and services. In the Forestry and Natural Resources Program, we have focused our efforts on projects that fit within our school schedule, interest the students, are relevant in the industry and offer academic learning opportunities.
As a student-run business, does it differ from how other businesses are run? What makes it unique? What is its most appealing aspect to customers?
We operate during the school day as part our class. Not all of our products are available for sale to the general public. Services such as custom milling and firewood are arranged directly with customers, and we fill orders as we have time. We tend to sell out of firewood quickly. The seedling sale occurs for about two weeks during the spring.
Because we run during the school day only, our capacity for production is limited. Economy of scale is not on our side, so we rely on donated materials and job sites. At the same time, it is very important that students learn about the science and process behind what we’re doing, not just production. We take our time, and learning through failure is sometimes a part of the process. The greatest value to customers is knowing that they are supporting a learning opportunity.
Teacher: What is the most important thing you’ve learned as head of a student-run business?
The thing that I try to instill in my students and practice myself is that work should be satisfying. My hope is to instill a sense of pride and responsibility in the work that we have done. If my students can carry this into their workplaces after high school, they will be more effective employees and business owners.
Student: What is the most important lesson you have learned in helping run this business?
Jacob Lanfear, RHS: “The most important lesson I’ve learned is being able to manage my time and work efficiently and professionally.”
Contact information:
Mark Raishart
Forestry and Natural Resources Instructor
Stafford Technical Center
8 Stratton Road
Rutland, VT 05701
(802)770-1057
[email protected]
If you are a locally-owned Rutland area small business or sole-proprietorship and would like to be featured in A Business Story, please contact [email protected].