[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 10, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6323-S6324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO ANDREW WHITEFORD
Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I am proud to recognize Andrew Whiteford
of Richmond, VT, owner of Andy's Dandys, maker of all-natural dog
treats.
Marcelle and I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew and his mother
Lucie Whiteford at the bicentennial celebration for Richmond's Old
Round Church, and we were so impressed with him. Andrew was born with
Down syndrome, and his family started Andy's Dandys as a means for
Andrew to have meaningful employment and to provide jobs for other
young adults with special needs. His work is in line with the best of
Vermont's spirit of service to others, and for that I ask that the
article by Lynn Monty from the August 22, 2013, edition of the
Burlington Free Press be printed in the Congressional Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the Burlington Free Press,
Aug. 22, 2013]
Richmond Bakery Cooks Up Job-Training Program and Successful Business
A mother's creative approach to helping her son transition
to adulthood, and all-natural dog treats, are the recipe for
success at Andy's Dandys.
Lucie Whiteford launched the Richmond bakery to help her
son Andrew (Andy) Whiteford, 21, who was born with Down
syndrome, find meaningful employment after high school
graduation.
The business was inspired by her boy's affection for his
rescued hound named Rosie and his love for reading recipes
and baking.
``I hope for him to be fulfilled, happy, healthy, as
independent as he wants to be, and to continue to be in a
social environment surrounded by people who understand him
and love him,'' Whiteford said of her son.
This Bridge Street bakery is on a mission to illustrate
employability, while producing a high-quality Vermont
product. The original goal of supporting Whiteford in his
growth from high school to adult work life has evolved to
serving other young adults with special needs, and teaching
them real work-based skills that they can take with them in
their job search for future employment.
``The mission of Andy's Dandys is to employ and train
people to be employable,'' business partner Lesha Rasco said.
She is Whiteford's special educator at Mount Mansfield Union
High School where he will graduate next year.
``It's the revenue stream that makes the mission part
possible,'' Rasco said. ``In the future we hope that it will
build.''
Rasco designs and implements individualized work training
programs at Andy's Dandys for other young adults with special
needs. She has been an instrumental part of Whiteford's
growth and of developing his business.
The business has grown organically, Rasco said. ``Lucie has
been buying things and paying herself back.''
Baker, decorater, deliverer
Andrew Whiteford bakes and decorates Andy's Dandy treats
and also makes deliveries and works to promote the business
at trade shows and seasonal events.
Andy actually goes by Andrew.
``His name is Andrew. We don't call him Andy,'' Lucie
Whiteford said.
``Call me Andy,'' Andrew Whiteford said with a smile.
``He is yanking my chain,'' Lucie Whiteford said. ``The
business was named Andy's Dandys because we wanted some link
to Andrew, because this was for him, and because it has a
nice ring to it. Should we decide to one day make something
other than pet treats, we won't have to change the name.''
On a recent morning, a baker's apron was folded in half,
and tied around his waist, not around his neck, just the way
he requested. Andrew Whiteford was just as meticulous about
dipping each one of the many freshly baked molasses dog bones
into bright orange yogurt frosting, as he was about donning
his apron.
``There are all kinds of colors, like blue, orange, and
sometimes brown,'' he said. ``I want to sell these in Las
Vegas and on a Hawaii beach someday. I am not joking. It's
true.''
Preservative free treats
Joking or not, Andy's Dandys has taken off.
The business started in 2008. Andrew Whiteford began by
selling the treats in school and at Saint Michaels's College,
where his father Tim Whiteford is an associate professor of
education.
By fall of that year a few hundred of the colorful dog
treats sold from a couple Chittenden County convenience
stores. Overall, 8,500 treats sold that year.
The bakery uses human-grade ingredients and the treats are
preservative-free.
Today, the bakery turns out thousands of treats each week,
which sell at about 95 stores in Vermont, New Hampshire,
upstate New York, and Maine. Thirty-two thousand treats sold
in 2012.
``This year we are pacing about 20 percent ahead of where
we were last year, and last year was a 100 percent increase
over 2011,'' Lucie Whiteford said.
Custom shaped for your business
The bakery has started offering custom-shaped treats that
reflect a business' name or product. For example, a flying
pig dog treat for the Northfield Savings Bank instead of the
standard milk-bone biscuit, she said.
``It's about offering customers a Vermont-made product to
demonstrate support for a small Vermont business such as
ours,'' she said. ``They gave us a shot, and I understand
that customers really love them.''
Lucie Whiteford came on staff full-time last month after
leaving her position as an account executive at Fox 44 TV.
She hopes to begin drawing a salary as the new quarter starts
in September.
``It's profitable now which is why I was able to leave my
job to do this full time,'' she said. ``Now that I can work
on this business full time, I expect to be able to double
sales again in a year's time.''
The biggest reward
More than revenues, Lucie Whiteford's biggest reward is
watching her son succeed in adulthood. She said raising a
child with a disability has been enlightening and rewarding.
``We celebrate what most people consider mundane
accomplishments, such as learning to speak well enough to be
understood, learning to button a shirt or tie a shoe,'' she
said.
Andrew Whiteford has always pushed himself to achieve goals
singing a solo at the senior recital, snowboarding down a
black diamond trail, and teaching himself how to dip dog
treats with two hands at once, his mother said.
``He continues to exceed our expectations, reminding us
that we should be mindful about not setting the bar low just
because he has a disability,'' she said. ``As a family we
have all grown so much in terms of learning patience,
patience and more patience.''
Andrew Whiteford has come into his own in the past few
years, his sister Marie Johnson said. ``He has a definite
interest in this business now,'' she said. ``He has developed
a sense of ownership.''
Their mother agreed. ``Andrew turned a corner this summer.
He decided he wanted to
[[Page S6324]]
come here and work with me. It was what it was all for, and
me sticking with it, and having it be a part of our lives,
and having it become the thing he has decided to do it, I
couldn't be happier,'' she said.
Andy's Dandys manufactures and packages the treats at the
Bridge Street shop, and will be opening a retail store at
that location in mid-September.
Correction
This story has been updated to reflect the following
correction: Lucie Whiteford launched the Richmond bakery
Andy's Dandys. Her name was misspelled in two instances in a
previous version of this story.
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