Vermont Trophy & Engraving was founded in Burlington, Vermont in 1959 by Jerry Baden, as Baden's House of Trophies. It has had several names and owners since then, becoming Vermont Trophy & Engraving in 1974, and with Steve and Margi Swett as owners since 1996.

After careers spent in large cities in banking (Steve), credit unions and economic development (Margi), we decided we wanted a change of lifestyle – a slower pace, and to try working together. Daughter Jessie regularly mentioned that she wanted to live someplace where she was "free to be myself”. Vermont seemed a natural choice.

Steve was born in West Lebanon, NH and had worked in Brattleboro. Margi yearned to live here ever since a 3rd grade social studies project. We were curious to see how our marriage and the business model we'd developed over the dinner table would survive, and perhaps even prosper. Happily, we've been lucky on both counts. And Jessie found that, by and large, she has been free to be herself!

Our plan was to buy a value-added business and focus it on the business to business market, by developing long-term partnerships with our customers. As our model applied to Vermont Trophy & Engraving, we set out to offer the finest engraving – some of it with proprietary techniques – using advanced technology handled by a talented, dedicated staff. We have also sought the highest quality and innovative products, insisting on a level of business etiquette which we are distressed to find so rare these days.

Dawn Hartman, our production manager, has an incredible background in many areas of design and engineering. 'Out of the box' describes Dawn’s approach to technical challenges. We all say, "Dawn can engrave anything,” and it seems to be true. We now work with several designers and marketing agencies, who found us after long searches for engravers able to work to their specs, or their odd-shaped pieces. Since Dawn joined our staff in 1999, we have been able to expand into more technically exacting processes, which have allowed us to do more high-level, interesting custom work. Who knows what she’ll think of next?

Karen Green is our store manager. Her interactions with customers and suppliers show the friendly, conscientious person she is. Karen is determined that each order is something she would be happy to receive herself. Her attention to detail and follow-up are indicators of her commitment to customer service.

The rest of our staff (production and sales) is also dedicated to serving customers with ingenuity and dedication. Our mission is to find ways to say yes, and to be creative in problem solutions.

We also have a unique customer service rep who works very hard at greeting and making everyone feel welcome. Ivy is our chocolate lab, who has never met a stranger, and sees herself as an ambassadress on behalf of dogs everywhere. She likes to lean against people, and if petted, will do her 'chocolate drop' as she falls over in delight.

We all answer the phone…there are no menus here. There is no production line, just individual production benches used by trained, skilled members of our team.

We hope you will learn a bit about us from this site but we must note that it’s a sketch, not a full portrait. If there is something you need that you don't find – call us. As noted above, a human being will answer the phone Monday – Friday, 8-5.