Hemmings Motor News seeking buyer

12:00AM / Wednesday, November 07, 2001Print Story | Email Story

The future of one of Bennington, Vt.â€™s most longstanding and loyal businesses is up in the air, as Terry Ehrich, publisher of Hemmings Motor News, announced in late October that he is working on a plan to sell the company. Suffering from a long battle with cancer, Ehrich told employees the time is now to plan for Hemmingsâ€™ future, while he has time to make the best decision for a suitable buyer that will continue Hemmingsâ€™ tradition of community dedication, socially responsible business practices, and environmental activism. No one knows how the sale might take shape, or if another decision will be reached. The potential sale, which is being overseen by Veronis Suhler and Associates of Manhattan â€” an investment bank that specializes in the sale and management of publishing companies â€” will be, according to Terryâ€™s brother Perez Ehrich, a â€œlong, difficult and complicated process,â€ as the Hemmings business includes such diverse holdings as an old-fashioned full service gas station, three separate office buildings, a brigade of antique and classic cars, as well as a storehouse full of memorabilia. In an interview with the Rutland Herald, Terry Ehrich said keeping the publishing company in Bennington will be the highest priority. Often referred to as â€œthe bible of the collector car hobbyâ€ by enthusiasts, Hemmings Motor News was founded in 1954 by Ernest Hemmings as a resource for collectors seeking hard-to-find auto parts to restore their vintage vehicles. Ehrich, an Arlington, Vt. native who graduated from Harvard in 1964, purchased Hemmings in December 1968 and moved it to Bennington in 1970. Since then, the publication has swelled to nearly 900 pages of classified ads, articles and information about hobby events, with a paid print circulation of more than 250,000. It also has several offshoot products, such as its popular classic car calendars, a bimonthly magazine covering the street rod and muscle car circuit, and an extensive web site (hemmings.com) that was voted â€œBest of the Webâ€ by Forbes in the Antiques & Collectibles category. Ehrich sent a memo Oct. 26 to the approximately 130 employees, explaining that in his failing health has led him to seek more time with his family. He said now is the time to be proactive about Hemmingsâ€™ future, so the best solution can be found and he can have control over the terms of the sale. Hemmings has been one of Benningtonâ€™s most stable employers, and a model for responsible growth. Operations include Hemmings east on Main Street, Hemmings west on West Road, and the Holden-Leonard Mill on Benmont Avenue, which is used as a warehouse for memorabilia. Several years ago, Hemmings purchased and rehabilitated a vacant downtown building, which was converted into an old-fashioned Sunoco filling station. In an interview last July at Hemmingsâ€™ annual media event, Ehrich was more interested in discussing social change than he was classic cars. He said he tries to set an example for other businesses that the community is just as important to them as they are to it. â€œWe try to encourage and inspire other businesses to look beyond the bottom line and pay attention to where they live,â€ he said. â€œIf you donâ€™t take care of your neighbors, no one will take care of you.â€ He is particularly committed to environmental causes and to children. Ehrich was responsible for launching the First Day Holiday in 1997, in which employers give parents a day off so they can spend the opening day of school with their children and meet the teacher. â€œIt always seemed odd to me that, as parents, we tell our kids not to talk to strangers. And then what do we do when school starts â€” we send them to a place full of strangers. Itâ€™s very reassuring to a child when he sees mom and dad actually meet the teacher on the first day of school. Itâ€™s become sort of a tradition.â€ The holiday has become so popular that it is celebrated in schools throughout the nation, as well as all schools in Vermont. Hemmings received a Presidentâ€™s Service Award for spearheading the foundation, which is located adjacent to its West Main Street offices. He has been a proponent of the Corporate Green Up campaign, saying that â€œI see our involvement as an opportunity to use the hobby as a vehicle for social good.â€ He has always been a proponent of alternative fuels and proudly includes a hybrid vehicle in his car collection. Ehrich has donated to numerous charities and school organizations and served on countless boards. On Oct. 21, the Bennington community held a parade to honor him and recognize his efforts.

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McCann Recognizes Superintendent Award Recipient

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:32PM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Landon LeClair and Superintendent James Brosnan with Landon's parents Eric and Susan LeClair, who is a teacher at McCann.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Superintendent's Award has been presented to Landon LeClair, a senior in McCann Technical School's advanced manufacturing course.

The presentation was made last Thursday by Superintendent Jame Brosnan after Principal Justin Kratz read from teachers' letters extolling LeClair's school work, leadership and dedication.

"He's become somewhat legendary at the Fall State Leadership Conference for trying to be a leader at his dinner table, getting an entire plate of cookies for him and all his friends," read Kratz to chuckles from the School Committee. "Landon was always a dedicated student and a quiet leader who cared about mastering the content."

LeClair was also recognized for his participation on the school's golf team and for mentoring younger teammates.

"Landon jumped in tutoring the student so thoroughly that the freshman was able to demonstrate proficiency on an assessment despite the missed class time for golf matches," read Kratz.

The principal noted that the school also received feedback from LeClair's co-op employer, who rated him with all fours.

"This week, we sent Landon to our other machine shop to help load and run parts in the CNC mill," his employer wrote to the school. LeClair was so competent the supervisor advised the central shop might not get him back.

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