Charlie Kimbell - Vermont Rep

EARLY YEARS

Charlie is the youngest of the 8 children of Arthur and Mona Kimbell, born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1964.  The family moved to St. Albans, Vermont in 1968 and lived there for 10 years.  It was in St. Albans that Charlie and his siblings learned to ski at Hard’ack and later entered alpine ski racing at Smuggler’s Notch.  Art and Mona Kimbell were very involved in civic organizations, instilling in their children a strong work ethic and desire to serve others.  

With just Charlie and his sister Noni left at home, Art and Mona Kimbell moved to Brownsville, Vermont in 1978 and the two kids enrolled in Woodstock Union High School.  Charlie was active in high school as a member of the Thespian Society and performed in many plays and musicals, the high school band, the Belles and Beaux choir, student council, varsity soccer and skiing.  He was the class president and the Valedictorian, as well as the president of the National Honor Society. 

Charlie chose to attend the University of Vermont and majored in political science.  He immersed himself in student government starting in his freshman year and was elected student body president as a sophomore and served two terms.  He lobbied the Vermont legislature on behalf of his constituents to increase funding for the University and to keep the drinking age at 18.  He was inducted into the Mortar Board Society and the Boulder Society and received the George Kidder Medal, awarded to the senior male who best exemplified leadership and character.  

WORK HISTORY

After college Charlie started a grocery delivery (by boat) business on Squam Lake in New Hampshire.  The business did not succeed, from which Charlie learned many valuable lessons.  He joined Vermont National Bank in Brattleboro, Vermont in 1987 and began a 10 year career there.  Charlie worked for the bank in many capacities including:  mortgage loan officer, branch manager, commercial loan officer, business development specialist.  He served in branch offices in Brattleboro, Woodstock, Springfield, Essex, St. Albans, and Burlington.  

In 1997 Charlie joined Wild Apple Graphics, the art publishing and licensing company located in Woodstock, Vermont as Sales and Marketing Manager.  The company grew threefold in both revenue and employees during Charlie's time there.  His work responsibilities evolved with the company's growth, and he served as Chief Strategy Officer and Director of Licensing before he left the company in 2007.  

Charlie started Kimbell Enterprises, LLC in 2007 to provide sales and marketing consulting services to growing businesses in Vermont.  He worked for many different companies providing lead generation services, marketing consulting and sales management.  It was during this time that he created the Prouty Ultimate as part of the larger Prouty event for the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. 

Charlie joined Manufacturing Information Systems, Inc. in Woodstock, VT in 2010 as Director of Marketing and later assumed the role of VP of Sales and Marketing.   MISys develops and publishes software for manufacturers to manage inventory and production.  Charlie left MISys in May of 2016 to focus on the marketing and logistics of Elevation Clothing, a retail clothing store owned by he and his wife in Woodstock, Vermont.  He returned to MISys in October of 2018, balancing the demands of the legislature and managing the back office operations of Elevation Clothing. In July of 2020 Charlie and Carolyn sold Elevation Clothing to another Woodstock couple who have taken over the reins and operating it as a family business.

FAMILY

In May of 1987, Charlie married his high school sweetheart, Carolyn Riehl of Woodstock, Vermont.  They have three children, Abbie, CJ and Andrew.  All five Kimbells graduated from Woodstock Union High School.  

Carolyn graduated from the University of Vermont in 1986 with a BA in Economics.   While raising the three children she has had careers in garden design and retail.  In 2009 she was hired to establish and manage Elevation Clothing in Woodstock.  She and Charlie bought the store from the founding partners in 2012.  Carolyn has been very involved in the community, including serving as President of the Woodstock Garden Club. 

Abbie graduated from Princeton University in 2011 and has worked for leading companies in the tech space. She and her husband, Matt, live in Stowe, VT with their incredibly adorable and brilliant daughters Libby and Nora.

CJ graduated from the University of Vermont in 2014 and worked for companies large and small in New England before obtaining his MBA from Darden Business School at the University of Virginia. He now works for a management consulting firm in NYC focused on the health care space.

Andrew graduated from St. Lawrence University in 2017 and worked in Vail, CO and Bandon, OR before returning to Woodstock where he works both as a realtor and with his parents in renovating homes.  

Charlie’s parents, Art and Mona Kimbell, lived in Brownsville for 30 years before moving to Wheelock Terrace in 2008.  They have both sinced passed away. 

EVENT DIRECTION

Charlie began organizing events as part of the student council at St. Albans City Elementary School, but continued to do so through high school, college and beyond.  He created The Longest Mile, a 1 mile running race from Lake Champlain to the UVM Green in Burlington, to benefit the King Street Youth Center.  In its first year in 1991 the event attracted 400 participants and raised $10,000 for the charity.  Charlie organized the event for 3 years.  He then served as Race Director for the Covered Bridges Half Marathon in Woodstock, Vermont for 5 years, and as Race Co-Director for another 5 years as well as president of the board.  The event has been ranked as one of the top 10 half marathon races in the United States.  He created the Road to the Pogue, a 6.1 mile running race on Mt. Tom in Woodstock, limited to 500 runners, in 2007, and directed the race for 7 years.  He also created and managed the 100 mile addition to the Prouty cycling event, called the Prouty Ultimate, and managed that event for three years. 

In 2014 and recently in 2016, Charlie and his wife managed the Ibex Tent Sale, a huge 3 day sale for the manufacturer of fine merino wool clothing. 

ATHLETICS

At a young age Charlie took to athletics and competed in a number of sports:  baseball, soccer, track and field, x-c ski racing and alpine ski racing.  He excelled at ski racing and competed at the national level in high school and college, skiing for the University of Vermont as a freshman and sophomore.  As a self-described over-the-hill athlete, Charlie is still active, riding a gravel bike on the incredible network of backroads in central Vermont and a mountain bike on the single track trails in Woodstock.  

POLITICAL CAREER

As President of the UVM Student Association, Charlie led the student senate and represented the 7,600 undergraduate students to the faculty and staff of the University as well as the Vermont state legislature.  He served two terms, working 30-40 hours per week in his position while carrying a full academic course load.  

In St. Albans Charlie was elected to the Board of Trustees of the St. Albans Free Library.   He made an unsuccessful bid for Mayor of St. Albans in 1994 at the age of 29.   

After moving back to Woodstock in 1994, Charlie ran for State Senate in 2004 from Windsor County against three strong incumbents.  He lost that race as well.

He was elected as Trustee in the Village of Woodstock and served two 2 year terms.  

In 2009 he was appointed to the Woodstock Economic Development Commission and served as Chairman for many years before stepping down in 2017 and finally leaving the commission in 2020.

Charlie was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in 2016, was reelected in 2018 and again in 2020.