G. Russell Fitzpatrick II didn’t start out to take on the responsibilities of being a businessman, but the opportunity to make the transition from being a brewer to brewery owner came and he took it.

It’s a $50,000 bet on himself and on his bid to make the Golden Dome microbrewery a success. He intends to put Montpelier firmly on the list of great national micro brews.

Russell got his M.A. in beer-making at the University of California at Davis, the branch of the university system specializing in the development of agricultural technology, and came back to his hometown to take the job as the brewer of the Golden Dome when it was started up by Ian Dowling in November, 1996.

Dowling had to leave the business for personal reasons, so it was closed down briefly while Dowlings backer’s reorganized the business. They selected Russell to operate it, and he got loans from the Revolving Loan Fund and the Chittenden Bank to cover his share of the equity and to provide for some cash flow until revenues from the new sales came in.

The business now employs three full-time workers. The product is sold throughout the state and is beginning to catch on in other areas. ¨

As a member of the Board of Directors of the Bradford Community Development Corp., Janice Parkington knew the difficulties of starting a small business. Even so, she was intrigued with the idea of trying to start one herself. Then fate intervened, and Janice suddenly found she had to either get a full-time job or start a business that would pay the bills.

Her sister has a store called Cheap Kids in Orford, N.H., to sell used children’s clothes, and Janice, who lives in Bradford, liked the idea but knew she’d have to avoid competing with her sister, especially since she wanted to call hers Cheap Kids II.

To make a used kids clothing store a success, Janice figured she needed a community with high numbers of both high-income and low-income families because she would need a good supply of quality children’s clothes to sell and a large number of potential buyers as well. Janice researched the demographic characteristics of the nearby towns and found that Barre fit her profile best.

Her new store has the advantage of being downtown with a front and rear entrance, and convenient parking. Because she has been able to expand into a profitable sideline of once-worn women’s clothes as well, she feels she’s on the right track.

Janice used her loan of $XXXx to spruce up the storefront she rented, pay the first few months’ rent, and get the word out so the store could be stocked with consignment good.

Brian Hale has found a niche market by turning his love for dirt bikes, snow machines and ATV’s into a steady business with what he thinks may have great growth potential.

The shop for J. B. Motorsports and Salvage occupies a garage bay behind some of the granite sheds off Barre’s Blackwell Street. There are dozen ATV’s and snow machines in various stages of disintegration and reintegration, along with a couple of bikes, and the shelves along the walls are filled with parts. Attached to the garage bay is the office where parts are stocked as well

Brian does the repairs, but the lucrative part of the business is selling the customers the used and reconditioned parts needs for most repairs. He sells new aftermarket parts, as well, but the real profit is in the used parts because the demand is high.

By building up his reputation and scavenging the countryside for dying and dead machines to salvage for parts, Brian is accumulating a small fortune in used parts for all makes and models of these machines, and he hopes the day will come soon when he has enough inventory to sell to customers all over the world through the Internet to.

Brian heard about the loan fund from friends, and after a year getting established, he applied and was approved for a loan of $DDDDD so he could outfit the business with a decent computer and a beat up inventory that he could salvage parts from.

He’s not taking a paycheck yet from the business, pouring all he can into back into it. "That’s the hardest part of this," he said, "being patient about building up the inventory, but I think in another year or so, this will be really ready to take off." ¨

Tom and Steve McKinney are a father and son team who have jumped in to fill the void in the Montpelier taxicab and courier industry.

The team used a $6,000 loan to purchase insurance and two used vehicles, one of which is a mini-van and the other a four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle. Together with their four-wheel drive sedan, the fleet is well equipped for Vermont’s winters.

The business has been in operation since January and is beginning to catch on as people become aware of Dakota Services, as they call the business.

Steve McKinney says he realizes now they should have borrowed more money to pay for advertising and some other start-up costs, but he’s satisfied with their progress and hopes the business will begin making a profit by early next year.

What has helped a great deal, he says, is the business provided by the area’s colleges and senior centers.

"We’re still learning," Steve said. "We’ve come a long way from nothing, and the business has a great potential." ¨The first week in September was not the best time to be hanging out at the Flower Depot in Waterbury to ask questions about the business and take pictures of the owners, Gloria Bilbrey of Duxbury and Paula Rembisz of Waterbury Center.

It was Wedding Week, and the new florists had three anxious brides for customers.

A couple of weeks later, they were happy to chat. They said most of their loan of $20,000, half of which came from the Chittenden Bank, was still in a money market account.

"We actually opened with our own money, but we used the loan to buy some equipment and to pay cash for the stock because it’s cheaper that way," said Paula.

"Most of the expenses now are paid from cash flow, even the little we take home each week, but it’s nice to have the money in the account because we would be very nervous without it." ¨