Dear Friends,

I was up in Essex, Vermont this week to visit the boys at Classic Bike Experience and I pass the Mazza vegetable stand on the way. They had a sign out advertising fresh strawberries. Now, I pride myself on having early strawberries, but the first of June is unheard of in these parts. I had to stop and buy some and asked how they managed to get berries so early. He just said that it was due to a mild April and May (we had the same weather, but no berries yet!)

The fresh berries were so flavorful and so remarkably different from the berries you get during the winter here in the north. The only thing they have in common is the color and shape. I know summer is here now that Vermont strawberries are available.

Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference starts on Monday and with it, a keynote address from Steve Jobs. I’ll be checking it out from one of the blog-feeds to see what new toys are on the horizon. It was fascinating to watch the extended interview with Steve at the D8 conference. With over 90 minutes of interview and audience questions, there was a lot of insight to learn about how Steve views the market and the future of digital technology. Ben highlights some of the topics below.

I am very pleased to report that the Vermont legislature passed VBSR’s key piece of legislation called the For-Benefit Corporation bill. A For-Benefit Corporation is a new corporate entity offering entrepreneurs and investors the option to build and invest in businesses that meet higher standards of corporate purpose, accountability and transparency. Fiduciary duty is redefined by requiring consideration of interests beyond shareholders, including the corporation’s employees and suppliers, the local and state economy and the environment.

I testified in favor of this legislation and Small Dog Electronics plans to be one of the first companies in the nation to adopt this new corporate charter. Will Patten, VBSR’s Executive Director, and Andrea Cohen, VBSR’s Public Policy Coordinator, deserve a shout-out for their extraordinary work on this landmark legislation. You can learn more about it on their website here.