Is eCorp English the Green Mountain State’s own little Solyndra? Not quite. But the Middlebury-based language training company did get lucrative state loans with the promise of creating 100 “well-paying jobs” by 2013 — only to go belly up and leave a trail of vendors and employees who haven’t gotten paid for their work.
John Flowers has the scoop over at the Addison County Independent.
According to the Addy Indy, eCorp founder and president Deborah Schwarz said the company couldn’t marshal the $750,000 to $1.25 million it needed to launch its new product — and had to close as a result.
The company had trouble making payroll and still owes about $150,000 to various local vendors for services ranging from furniture to electricity. That figure does not include more substantial sums owed to larger investors, creditors, lawyers and the state of Vermont, according to Schwarz.
As Seven Days reported back in February, eCorp received more than $500,000 in economic development loans from the state and was touted by Gov. Peter Shumlin at the company’s ribbon-cutting as a business that would ensure “our kids and our neighbors have a bright economic future in this state.”
D’oh! Maybe something was lost in translation?
According to Flowers’ report, the state is in line with other vendors and employees to get paid back by eCorp.
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Hope they’re paying back Vermont WITH INTEREST!
Ecorp English was my employer in the Paris region during September and October 2011. The company went bankrupt and still owes me nearly 2000 euros for unpaid services as an English Language Coach. I was working fairly full-time for seven weeks mainly conducting classes at various DHL sites around Paris. I assume DHL had paid in advance. All of my subsequent attempts to recover payments due were futile. I have a collection of polite but useless emails from the CEO Ms. Schwarz promising her continued best efforts to repay.
In the months following the demise of the international company based in Vermont, I read some terrible blogs commenting on mis-treatment of one-time employees of Ecorp. I was not alone. Now and then I ask myself whatever became of the polite Ms. S.
Ecorp was renting a premises from me when her company was relocated in Malta prior to moving to Vermont.
She vanished leaving a substantial amount of unpaid rent, utility bills and what not. I kept receiving hefty unpaid bills addressed to her which I very much doubt they have ever been settled. She has always been a crook and would love to know her whereabouts. If any one can help I am prepared to listen 🙂 CM.