Photo: Facility tour of Fulflex, taken by BDCC Staff
Conversations with manufacturers, educators, and state officials focused on strengthening career pathways in southern Vermont
Brattleboro, Vt – What will it take for Windham Region manufacturers to keep and grow good jobs? To answer that question, on Thursday, October 8th, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) convened, “Why Manufacturing Powers Windham Region’s Growth,” a CEO Roundtable as a part of the Windham Leadership Series.
The day began with facility tours at Fulflex, Against The Grain Gourmet, and Prince Industries. These are local companies supplying national and global customers with rubber and elastic products, gluten free baked foods, and precision parts for medical and military applications. Tours were followed by a hands-on demonstration led by a career and technical education student and their manufacturing instructor, Rich Thompson, from the Windham Regional Career Center.
Roundtable participants then took part in a working session that included Secretary Tayt Brooks of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Commissioner Kendal Smith of the Department of Labor, Commissioner Lyle Jepson of the Department of Economic Development, and Tamara Eklof, College and Career Readiness Division Director at the Agency of Education. They were joined by school and career center leaders from across the region, the Community College of Vermont, Vermont State University, Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center, and BDCC Workforce Program Leaders.
Matt Barewicz, Director of the Vermont Department of Labor’s Labor Market Information Division opened the session with a look at the data. In 2025, manufacturing accounted for 1,835 filled jobs in Windham County, about 9 percent of all jobs, and $119.3 million in wages, about 10% of the county total. Brattleboro is the center of that activity, with 1,181 manufacturing jobs, or 11.7 percent of the city’s jobs. That is roughly 64% of all manufacturing jobs in the county. Manufacturing is an important part of the regional economy.
Throughout the morning the discussion returned to one idea; no single employer can build the region’s workforce alone. Participants discussed programs and partnerships already in place, including BDCC’s Pipeline and Pathways Program (P3), which works closely with all four of Windham County’s public high schools and area employers to connect students to careers in the region. State programs such as the Vermont Training Program have also supported employer-led training here, including the G.S. Precision training school. In addition, the Windham Regional Career Center, the Community College of Vermont, and Vermont State University provide training and credentials for youth and adults.
“What I saw in Brattleboro is a region that excels in collaboration, and is organizing around the opportunity presented by the need for talent among regional manufacturers. What I saw in Brattleboro is a region that has organized itself,” said Secretary Brooks. “BDCC, the schools, and employers are working from the same plan, and that is why state investments here produce results for the companies that use them. The Vermont Training Program’s support for GS Precision’s school is a good example of what happens when an employer, a regional development corporation, and the state pull in the same direction. There is more to do, but the structure is here, and our job is to help the region build on it.”
“We are hiring, and will be opening up more positions soon with a growing line of business. We offer starting wages well above minimum wage. In a tight labor market we are competing for people who already have jobs, but don’t understand manufacturing. We need educators, parents, and community partners who understand the opportunities here and what a great place this is to work,” said Don Venice, VP of Operations at Fulflex, employed at the Brattleboro plant for 51 years.
About the Windham Leadership Series
The Windham Leadership Series brings together forward-thinking leaders from across the region who demand timely information, clear data, and meaningful cross-sector discussion. We don’t just talk about the economy, we feature speakers achieving real-world results. This is your space to gain practical insights, see new possibilities for Windham County, and compare notes with peers navigating the exact same decisions.
About BDCC
Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) is a private, nonprofit economic development organization with the mission of investing in the drivers of the regional economy so that people, businesses, and communities in Southern Vermont can thrive. In addition to its private nonprofit leadership role in regional business acceleration and expansion programs and projects, economic, workforce, and community development programming, BDCC is also contracted to carry out the work of one of the twelve the State of Vermont’s certified Regional Development Corporations (RDC) for the greater Windham County area (including Windham County and the towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, Winhall, and Weston). BDCC’s activity is made possible in part by a grant from the State of Vermont through the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. For more information, visit: https://brattleborodevelopment.com/
