Thursday, March 24, 2011
Continental Breakfast: 8 a.m. / Guest Speaker & Networking: 8:15 a.m.
Open to public: $15 fee for non-members/sponsors
Hilton Hotel, 60 Battery Street, Burlington, VT

Champlain College Alumni Dawn Lancaster, owner and Vice President of Carved Solutions will be the guest speaker at the Vermont Ventures Network breaksfast on March 24 at the Hilton Hotel in Burlington.

Following a lifelong dream and entrepreneurial drive, Dawn and her husband, Mike Lancaster, created Carved Solutions in February 2006. After moonlighting and proving the concept of Carved Solutions for almost two years both left their professional careers at the height of the recession to take control of their future.

Dawn is a 1989 graduate of Champlain College with degrees in Business Management and Marketing Management and Retailing. Recently, Champlain awarded Dawn and Mike (Electronics Technology '88) with the Vermont Alumni Leadership Award for business success and service to community.

In its few short years of operation this exciting growth company has literally taken the Personalized Gift Market by storm and is now looking at what can only be described as explosive growth.

Carved Solutions is a value added reseller that produces and markets high quality personalized, Vermont made soaps and candles, with several complimentary personalized gift lines.

Vermont made quality and craftsmanship has been the focus of branding. The products are natural, Vermont-made, and widely recognized for their distinctive quality - even before they are personalized. The line includes Organic and Nontoxic Alternatives, is manufactured with Fair Trade and even Carbon Neutral processes, and Made in the USA with planet friendly materials.

Carved Solutions has been featured by Oprah's December "O" list, House Beautiful Magazine, MSNBC, The Today Show and other comparable media organizations. The company has an energetic and successful social media marketing program and identity that is also supported by traditional marketing efforts. All the above have set the stage for an extremely effective, multi-channel sales and distribution program, that is well executed through both online and brick and mortar outlets. These programs have effectively penetrated every aspect of the holiday, gift, wedding, custom logo and private label markets, establishing relationships, and inking agreements with hundreds of Direct to Consumer clients, Private Labels and Authorized Vendors.

Several high profile product-licensing agreements are part of the selling program. Carved Solutions has already secured official licensing for the Greek licensed products as well as a history with collegiate licensing.