TimberHP Exits Chapter 11 with Strengthened Balance Sheet, Roadmap for Long-Term Financial Stability and Growth

Company emerges with $21 million in new working capital; Cianbro remobilized on-site in Madison for completion of TimberBoard manufacturing line.

Madison, Maine – TimberHP, the sole manufacturer of wood fiber insulation in North America, announced today its successful emergence, uncontested, from Chapter 11, allowing the recapitalized company to operate from a position of strength as it executes its strategy for long-term growth. Exiting reorganization, the company has officially reincorporated as TimberHP, Inc. and has retired the previous corporate name, GO Lab, Inc.

The change of legal name symbolizes an exciting fresh start for the company, with a strategy that calls for rapid execution across key areas of TimberHP operations.

In Madison, Cianbro Corporation, the general contractor at the mill, has remobilized on-site and is nearing completion and operation of the manufacturing line for the company’s third product, TimberBoard. TimberHP expects to have certified TimberBoard available for sale by the end of the year.

“We are very grateful for the broad support that we have received from creditors, financial partners, the Finance Authority of Maine and other lenders, which has enabled us to successfully complete our restructuring with an exciting opportunity for growth moving forward,” said Matthew O’Malia, TimberHP CEO. “Our team demonstrated incredible commitment and resilience through this transition period, and our improved liquidity and balance sheet provide the chance to execute on our plan to make TimberFill, TimberBatt and TimberBoard mainstream insulations of choice for residential, light commercial, and multifamily development projects.”

Sales of TimberFill and TimberBatt, which continued uninterrupted during the Chapter 11 court process, are projected to grow substantially post-exit, as TimberHP ramps up production with recently improved products, and the company uses its improved financial position to implement its marketing plan and build out its sales force across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Customers interested in purchasing TimberHP wood fiber insulation can search for retailers on our website here: www.timberhp.com/find-a-dealer

Goldsmith & Davis Architects Announces Partnership and Rebranding

After 42 years of innovative design in Vermont, Nantucket and Florida, we are pleased to announce that J. Graham Goldsmith Architects will now be known as Goldsmith & Davis Architects.  The firm recently launched a new website celebrating the name change and featuring some of our recent work. 
Goldsmith & Davis Architects came to be after Graham welcomed Adam Davis as partner a few years ago.  The firm remains committed to delivering high quality service to our valued clients, as we continue to build upon our legacy of excellence in design. Goldsmithanddavis.com

AIAVT Board member and Secretary, Devin Bushey, along with NCARB Licensing Advisor, Dave Mentzer, both joined the Vermont Licensing Board in 2025. 

AIAVT's Board Held a Volunteer Day at Habitat for Humanity in Winooski

As part of the 2025 AIAVT Board of Directors retreat, board members volunteered at a Habitat for Humanity build in Winooski, VT in April. The experience was a powerful one for many of our board members, and they were grateful for the opportunity to get out from behind computer screens and roll up their sleeves. 

Update on Plainfield Village Expansion Project

In the wake of the catastrophic flooding of July 10, 2024 which destroyed or damaged multiple homes in Plainfield Village on Hudson Ave, Mill St, and along the Brook Rd, Plainfield, resident Arion Thiboumery asked the question:  “Why not build a new neighborhood on the higher ground just East of the Lower Village to replace what was lost during the flood?” AIAVT member Sandy Vitzthum has been working with the town of Plainfield, the expansion project's steering committee, and New Frameworks to respond to the town's need for affordable housing. 
Sandy Vitzthum Shared the Tiny home cluster which responds to the project's focus on the creation of small homes on small lots. 

These homes are produced by New Frameworks of Plainfield VT and are on 1/20 acre (or smaller) parcels.  Architect: Sandra Vitzthum, Engineer: Paul Boisvert (Engineering Ventures) Rendering by Lincoln Brown. Learn more about the expansion project here.

gbArchitecture Hires Austin Jarvis

gbArchitecture is excited that Austin Jarvis, who initially joined gbA as an intern in the summer of 2023, has recently come aboard gbA as a designer. Austin recently earned his Master of Architecture degree at Roger Williams University, graduating with two certificates in Urban Planning and Real Estate. He also worked with the Rogers Community Partnership Center: Design and Research Team where he worked with other students to assist with small community architectural and preservation projects around Rhode Island. A native Vermonter, Austin loves to experience and travel to new places, hike in Vermont and New Hampshire, play and coach basketball, ski, and is an aspiring painter! www.gbarchitecture.com

AIAVT Members Serve as Jurors for AIACT Alice Washburn Awards

Three AIA Vermont members, Pi Smith of Smith & Vansant, Andrew Garthwaite of Haynes & Garthwaite, and Greg Thomas of Groundline Studio were selected to serve as the jury for this year's Alice Washburn Awards, an AIA Connecticut awards program. The Alice Washburn Awards, named for the distinguished, self-taught Connecticut designer and builder of the 1920’s, whose work is known for her thoughtful, stylistic, and programmatic invention.  Focusing on style, this program acknowledges excellence in traditional house design through the thoughtful adaptation of tradition to address 21st-century needs. Award categories: (1) New Construction; (2) Additions, Adaptive Re-use, Renovations and Restorations; and (3) Accessory Buildings. https://aiact.org/awards/alice-washburn-awards/

Jonathan Miller, AIA Retires from MasterSpec

After 10 years, Jonathan Miller shared that he has retired from his position as Principal Spec Writer at MasterSpec/Deltek. "ARCOM hired me in 2015 and worked for them until they were acquired by a holding company in September 2016. Avitru was our rebranded name for a few years until Deltek acquired us in December of 2019. I've been with Deltek ever since. It was a great company and specifications team to work for and I really appreciated them all! I will be taking some time off and designing a Tiny Home or two before I resurface as a consultant.... perhaps late."

Birdseye Announces Two Architecture Students Join The Firm

Birdseye is excited to be hosting two architecture students this summer.
Jules Gershman joins us as an architectural intern. Jules is from Burlington and is pursuing a BArch at the University of Utah.

Marly McNeal joins us as our Architecture Student Resident. Marly is from Ohio and studies architecture and real estate development at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP). Our Architecture Student Residency program lets students explore their own architectural ideas related to the art and craft of shelter-making within the Vermont landscape in a non-academic setting among building professionals across Birdseye. Marly’s work explores an ever-transforming architecture through a relational lens that considers humans, non-human life, and the land itself as co-clients.

System Integrators: A New Chapter of Equitable Collaboration Through Worker Ownership

When a System Integrators client pulls into their driveway, home technology springs into action—lights turn on, the garage door opens, the fireplace ignites, and music fills the home. It’s all made possible by the Vermont-based team that has been at the forefront of smart home system design since 2003.

Now, the company has taken an exciting step forward in becoming a worker-owned cooperative, securing the company’s future while giving its employees real ownership and a stake in its success.

Founded by Rick Scott and his late son Richard, System Integrators built a reputation among Vermont’s top architects and designers for combining technical know-how with a strong sense of aesthetics.

“Our team is a collection of passionate tech nerds who also care deeply about interior design,” said Nicholas Thibeault, Director of Systems Design and now CEO and board president. “When architects and designers come to us with a vision, we work hard to bring the best possible technological solutions while honoring their artistic work.”

The idea of employee ownership started with Scott, who was inspired by other local businesses thriving under the model. Scott wanted to retire but wanted to do so in a way that benefited the people that had dedicated years to the company’s success. He decided the employees would make better owners than one of the large corporations rapidly acquiring smart home installers across the country, Thibeault explained. Scott then bought a ticket to the Vermont Employee Ownership Conference, where he connected with VEOC Executive Director Matt Cropp, who ultimately guided the team through the transition.

“At first, the thought of our small team taking on the task of implementing a buyout of our current owner seemed impossible and overwhelming,” said Matt Graver, SI’s Operations Manager. “The process was indeed long, and a lot of time and effort was put in by every team member, but the guidance we received from Matt and VEOC both pre- and post-buyout has been extremely helpful in setting our business up for success as new owners.”

For years leading up to the buyout, SI had been refining its values and vision using a business management system called Entrepreneurial Operating System, or EOS. The employees were able to carry that foundational vision and set of values forward when becoming the company’s owners.

“Acquiring ownership of the co-op empowered us to formalize and enhance our existing processes, ensuring they evolve with both our business objectives and the needs of our clients,” said SI Senior Technician Scott Larose.

System Integrators currently has 15 employees, eight of whom are now co-owners of the business. As new employees are hired on, ownership will be offered to them following successful completion of a probationary period, a standard practice for worker cooperatives. In addition to a say in decisions, the worker cooperative model offers financial benefits in the form of a share in annual profits, giving employees a chance to build wealth beyond their regular wages.

“Now that we are owners, everybody at work seems to be more and more motivated,” said SI Technician Parker Manley. “Everyone is more engaged because they understand that the success of each project directly impacts their financial future,” echoed Thibeault. “There’s a stronger sense of collaborative accountability and pride in everything that we do.”