VOBA to Present 2025 Sen. Patrick Leahy Trailblazer Legacy Award to Donna Carpenter and Family

The Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance (VOBA) is pleased to announce that the 2025 Sen. Patrick Leahy Trailblazer Legacy Award will go to Burton Snowboards owner Donna Carpenter and her family. The award presentation will be held on Nov. 13 at the Burke Mountain Resort & Conference Center during VOBA’s seventh annual Vermont Outdoor Economy Summit. All are invited and registration is online here. 

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The VOBA Trailblazer Legacy Award, now in its fifth year, honors someone who has made an outstanding contribution to Vermont’s outdoor business economy with special recognition for business excellence, contributions to Vermont’s outdoor infrastructure, climate and sustainability solutions, and advocacy for diversity, inclusion and equity. A fact sheet listing just some of the Carpenter’s achievements in these areas follows. 

“We are thrilled that Donna and her son George can accept this award which recognizes all that their family has done for Vermont’s outdoor economy and for outdoor recreation as a whole,” said VOBA Executive Director Kelly Ault. “They have long been recognized globally for both the incredible legacy that Jake Burton Carpenter left in creating Burton and their ongoing and change-making impact on outdoor recreation today. It is hard to think of a family that better exemplifies the leadership and values this award stands for or who are better models for ethical and sustainable business growth.” 

“I’m honored to accept this award on behalf of our family,” said Donna Carpenter, Owner & Chair of Burton Snowboards. “Burton has always been rooted in Vermont, so this recognition means a great deal. We’re committed to staying here, connected to the community we love, and celebrating what makes Vermont so special for generations to come while carrying Jake’s legacy forward." 

VOBA created the Sen. Patrick Leahy Trailblazer Legacy Award in 2020. Past recipients include: Sen. Patrick Leahy, Marc Sherman and Mike Donohue of Outdoor Gear Exchange, Johannes von Trapp of the von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort, and Mike Solimano, CEO of Killington/PICO Resorts. The award, a topographic 3D wooden map of Vermont and the keeper award, a 3D map of Mount Mansfield, were created by Vermont’s Treeline Terrains, now a division of Maple Landmark, of Middlebury. 

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FACT SHEET

BUSINESS & ECONOMIC IMPACT 

• Burton remains a privately held company, owned and chaired by Donna Carpenter. Her sons—George, Timi, and Taylor—serve on the Board and have each been involved with the company in various ways over the years. George currently works full-time at Burton as part of the preparation for the next generation of ownership. Taylor owns and operates Gaston Weed Company, based in Williston, VT, with a retail location in Essex. Timi is pursuing a degree in fashion design in California. 

• Burton has kept its headquarters in Vermont, employing just under 350 people at its Burlington campus and focusing their R&D facility, Craigs, here. 

• Worldwide, Burton employs about 1,000, including its joint venture in China.

• The company has innovated beyond boards into technical apparel, helmets, and goggles, specifically designed with the rider in mind. 

• Burton has strived to reach new audiences and raise the company’s profile with collaborations with artists ranging from Gwen Stefani to artist Jeff Koons to former Louis Vuitton designer Virgil Abloh, and is also proud of working with lesser-known and young artists.

• Burton has served as an incubator as numerous former Burton employees have gone on to found new businesses and play leadership roles in the outdoor industry.

• It has supported and nurtured some of the sport’s most high-profile athletes, including pioneer Craig Kelly; Olympians Shaun White, Kelly Clark, and Ross Powers; and X Games phenom Zeb Powell. Clark and Powers hail from Vermont.

• Burton has worked on creating films such as Dear Rider, a documentary on Jake’s life, and this year, Paved, a 2025 Red Bull collaboration two years in the making. 

• It’s also the iconic 30th anniversary of the Burton Custom, the best-selling snowboard in history. 

• Preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2027, the company is already planning milestone collections beginning with its Cycle 27 releases next fall, marking five decades of innovation and growth.

  
  

INFRASTRUCTURE 

• In 2011, Burton created Craig’s, a 10,000 sq. ft R&D facility named in memory of legendary Burton rider Craig Kelly, on the Burton campus in 2011, along with public-facing displays that track the history of snowboarding’s development.

• Launched and supported numerous events ranging from the long-running U.S. Open, to the grassroots Mystery Series that helps launch new talent. 

  
  

CLIMATE RESILIENCY & SUSTAINABILITY 

• Burton was the first snowboard brand to meet the B Corps certification standards for social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Burton is a proud B Corporation company, working to operate our business on a triple bottom line -- balancing profit, people and planet.

• Burton was a founding member of the climate advocacy group, Protect Our Winters. 

• The company is committed to science based carbon reduction targets, including Net Zero by 2040

• Since 2024, Burton has sourced 100% renewable energy to match annual electricity use at global stores and offices.   

• Burton has made significant progress on ambitious product and material sustainability goals. Highlights for this season include:

  • Designing ALL products to be PFAS free, eliminating harmful “forever” chemicals

  • Using FSC-certified wood in more than half of boards (56%), ensuring the boards are deforestation free

  • Over 70% of polyester used in the softgoods line is recycled, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering the carbon footprint of the line. 

  • Sourcing certified natural fibers like organic cotton (99%) and responsibly sourced down (100%), which supports regenerative agriculture and the humane treatment of animals.

  • And designing packaging to be plastic free and easily recyclable (99% softgoods; 86% hardgoods), reducing waste and avoiding single use plastic.

    
    

DEI: INCLUSION & ADVOCACY 

• Since its inception in 1982, the Burton US Open offered equal prize money to women. 

• Donna and Jake Carpenter launched the Chill Foundation in 1995. The global non-profit has provided free access to board sports to more than 30,000 young people across 9 countries from diverse identities and backgrounds.

• In 2004, Burton started the Women’s Leadership Initiative. Since then, worldwide its management has grown from 4% identifying as women to close to 50%.

• In 2017, Burton added gender-affirming surgery to its medical plan.

• Donna Carpenter and her family have advocated for the authentic growth of the sport as a whole, including hiring an advocate to help represent snowboarding with groups such as FIS and others.

• Burton is a founding member of the Outdoor Diversity Alliance (ODA), a group of 20+ companies from across the outdoor industry working to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoors

• Burton fosters 10+ employee-powered grassroot affinity groups and employee round tables (ERTs) elevating the voice of the employee – particularly those from under represented backgrounds including women, gender nonconforming people, people of color, and people with physical disabilities

• Burton donates $1-2M annually to nonprofits and grassroots organizations advancing climate justice and equitable access to the outdoors – in addition to Chill, we are proud partners of Protect Our Winters (POW), Unlikely Riders, the High Fives Foundation and 15+ other organizations driving change. 

• As a part of our journey to foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, 100% of Burton’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) participated in a 6 month Cultural Competency incentive in 2025; every male leader on the SLT has participated in White Men for Racial Justice (WMRJ).

• Beginning in 2021, Culture Shifters, envisioned by ESPN commentator and activist Selema Masekela and pro snowboarder Zeb Powell, and brought to life by Burton Snowboards, has amplified the voices of people of color on snow. The initiative unites BIPOC change-makers to shape a snowboarding culture that reflects the sport’s future—diverse, inclusive, and empowering—resulting in a 65% increase in new attendees year over year. Guided by five strategic pillars—community-led, industry-ally supported, radically inclusive, a moment within a movement, and influential—it’s anchored by an advisory panel including Judith Kaisma, Kenny Stills, Dr. Neftalie Williams, Zeb Powell, and Selema Masekela.