Dear Friends,

It looks like a beautiful Memorial Day weekend here in the Northeast. I’ll be heading over to Maine for my annual ride to lobster. The creemee stands are open and the Green Mountains are living up to their name as spring seems to be over and summer here.

Both our S. Burlington store and our Manchester, NH store will be open on Memorial Day, and the rest of Small Dog will be taking the day off. I reluctantly agreed to keep the two retail stores open because all of the other stores in the shopping center/mall are also open; however, I also think that it is important that all of us at Small Dog Electronics take the time to honor those who have sacrificed for our country by serving in the military. Our young men and women do not choose where they serve, but their sacrifice is very, very real and their service undeniable.

We do have a solemn duty to support our soldiers and their families who are left behind. We also have a duty to make sure that when we send our soldiers into danger, we do so judiciously and only under the most imperative conditions. We have a duty to question, to dissent, and ultimately to support the men and women who go to battle in our name. Memorial Day is a day where we remember and celebrate the lives of those who have given their all for us. I have nothing but respect and honor for these brave men and women.

“When we say, “war is over if you want it,” we mean that if everyone demanded peace instead of another TV set, we’d have peace.” -John Lennon

In other news, Small Dog Electronics was inducted into the University of Vermont Deane C. Davis Business Hall of Fame Tuesday and we joined 21 other companies in that prestigious honor. I joked about our struggles in the minor leagues as I accepted this honor, but it was really an award for our 65 Small Dog employees and our thousands of loyal customers! The Foley Family of companies is this year’s winner of the Deane C. Davis Outstanding Business award and we congratulate Mark Foley and his team on this honor.

The Foley Companies have been a mainstay of Central Vermont for over 135 years, and are headquartered in Rutland, VT, our state’s 2nd largest city. We will be holding our Vermont eWaste Recycling Event at Rutland High School on June 30th, and we are excited to bring our ewaste efforts to Rutland!