Meeting the Challenges of Tomorrow: The 7th Annual Southern VT Economy Summit
WEST DOVER, VT – 300 people gathered at the Mount Snow Grand Summit in Dover on May 21 for the 7th Annual Southern Vermont Economy Summit. Attendees represented a wide range of community stakeholders – business owners, community leaders, and elected officials – and included state, local, and regional economic and community development professionals.
Following an introduction by the Summit host organizations and the lead event sponsor, Brattleboro Savings and Loan, keynote speaker Chris Estes took the stage. Estes, Co-Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group, framed the day with a call to action: rural communities must reclaim the narrative about the intrinsic value that exists in our communities. We must also identify, value, and measure effective collaboration as a way to chart progress in rural economic development.
Following Estes’ address, Adam Grinold, Executive Director of Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC), and Bill Colvin, Executive Director of Bennington County Regional Commission (BCRC), took up the theme of regional collaboration as they joined a plenary panel to share the progress Southern Vermont has made in the last five years as a result of the region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS). The panel was moderated by Fred Abousleman of A/R360 Consultants, who have been engaged by BDCC and BCRC to help produce the 2024 SoVT Zone CEDS. Grinold and Colvin highlighted advances in areas ranging from broadband deployment to refugee resettlement. Summit attendees were encouraged to share their input for the 2024 CEDS via a breakout session and online survey. There will be additional opportunities for public engagement throughout the summer.
Over the course of the day, attendees chose from 17 different breakout sessions that looked at the work of building a shared and resilient economy that can meet the challenges of tomorrow. Of note was a session entitled ‘How Can our Communities Meet the Climate Challenges of Tomorrow.’ Moderated by Chris Estes, the panel included Elizabeth Baxter of the Miami Valley (OH) Regional Planning Commission, Chloe Schaefer, the Chief Planner of the Cape Cod Regional Commission, and Stephanie Smith, Vermont’s State Hazard Mitigation Officer. Estes, Baxter, and Schaefer showed how regional planning efforts can add capacity, perspective and regional coordination to local communities as they look to reimagine their towns in light of climate threats. Smith was able to highlight the landscape of Vermont’s hazard mitigation efforts.
Other popular sessions included ‘Coalition Building for Systems Change’; a workshop on local economic development strategies led by Melissa Levy; a session on developing local food systems for economic development led by Food Connects Executive Director Richard Berkfield; and a session on how collaborative marketing can lift up local businesses, led by Andrew Mendez-Spera and highlighting several marketing efforts from our region.
Over and over, attendees commented on how energizing it was to connect with such a wide array of people who are working to make their community better. “I am proud to be surrounded by so many passionate professionals all working toward the betterment of Southern VT,” said one local attendee. Another appreciated the Summit’s unique ability to cover “the width and breadth of the communities it serves.”
At lunchtime, there was a special event honoring the 2024 Emerging Leaders who were honored in an awards ceremony sponsored by Community College of Vermont (CCV), Shires Young Professionals, and Southern VT Young Professionals.
The Summit was made possible in part by this year’s Summit sponsor, Brattleboro Savings and Loan. Other major sponsors included MSK Engineering, M&T Bank, the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Weston and Samson, UVM/Leahy Center for Rural Partnerships, and CCV. The Vermont Economic Development Authority, Efficiency Vermont, Merritt and Merrit, Downs Martin Rachlin, and the Richards Group also sponsored sessions.
Program details and materials are hosted at the Summit website, along with a full list of sponsors, including media sponsors: www.sovermontzone.com/summit.
BDCC and BCRC host the Summit each year on behalf of the Southern Vermont Economic Development Zone. The Summit is part of the Southern Vermont Economy Project, which helps build capacity, expertise, and resources in the zone with support from the USDA Rural Community Development Initiative.
