Photo: SeVEDS SeVermont Leadership in Economic Development Awardee Lisa Sullivan and family.
Brattleboro, VT – Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) & Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies’ (SeVEDS) Annual Meeting took place on October 23rd. Boards of Trustees, Members, staff, and community partners attended the event which was held at the BDCC Business Park on Browne Court on Putney Road.
Craig Miskovich, BDCC Board President, led the formal meeting. This included election of trustees and officers, and approval of amendments which marked a key organizational milestone. In 2024, the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) celebrated its 70th anniversary—seven decades of investing in the people, businesses, and communities that make southern Vermont thrive. At that time BDCC’s Board and staff also undertook a comprehensive reorganization process to strengthen BDCC’s structure, sustainability, and long-term impact.
Guided by broad community input, that process reaffirmed BDCC’s mission: To invest in the drivers of the regional economy so that people, businesses, and communities in Southern Vermont can thrive. The mission is carried out through four core areas—business assistance and financing, commercial real estate and development, community development and capacity building, and workforce development and training. With a refreshed identity and renewed clarity of purpose, BDCC is now better positioned to communicate its work, deepen partnerships, and continue advancing the region’s economic resilience.
Business concluded as newly elected Board President, Bob Stevens, closed the annual meeting and handed the podium to the evening’s keynote speaker, Joan Goldstein. As Vermont’s former Commissioner for Economic Development, and in her new role as Executive Director of the Vermont Economic Development Authority, Goldstein has partnered with BDCC for over a decade to advance major local projects. Her comments highlighted the pioneering role of BDCC’s leadership in shaping key state programs, and leading the way to maximize utilization of those programs to accomplish important projects such as the Wheelpad production facility and Putney Road Industry and Technology Park redevelopment to support economic growth in southeastern Vermont.
Two awards were presented during the program. The SeVEDS award for SeVermont Leadership in Economic Development award was introduced by Gary Fox, SeVEDs Chair. Fox underscored the importance of regional collaboration in shaping the future and celebrated the 2024 Southern Vermont Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS), a new five-year roadmap for coordinated regional work.
The award, which honors individuals whose leadership transforms strategies into lasting impact, was presented to Lisa Sullivan, owner of Bartleby’s Books. Laura Sibilia, BDCC’s Director of Regional Strategies, celebrated Lisa’s contributions in her remarks. A founding member of SeVEDs and key community leader during Wilmington’s flood recovery, Sullivan’s work continues to this day as a stalwart board member who exemplifies a deep commitment to resilience, small business, and rural vitality.
Don Venice of Garware Fulflex USA Inc. received the BDCC Founders Award from Al Claussen, BDCC’s Real Estate Director. Claussen’s remarks gave testimony to Venice’s 50 years of leadership, dedication, and service at Fulflex. Venice has played a critical role in maintaining the plant in Brattleboro for his entire career, including through COVID-19 when the plant was a key provider of materials for protective medical gear.
The BDCC & SeVEDS Annual Report was distributed at the annual meeting, celebrating the successes of the past year including the launch of a new BDCC web site where the report can be found.
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 also serves as the State of Vermont’s certified Regional Development Corporation (RDC) for the greater Windham County area (including Windham County and the towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, Winhall and Weston). BDCC is one of 12 RDCs throughout Vermont. 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/
About Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS)
Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS), a nonprofit 501(c)3, is an affiliate of Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) that grew from a 2008 grassroots effort, initiated by BDCC, to understand and create long-term strategies needed to reverse the economic decline of the Windham Region and plan for the economic impacts from the closure of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. In 2014, after multiple years of regional input, education and data gathering, SeVEDS received federal approval for the Windham Region’s federally recognized S.M.A.R.T. Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). SeVEDS has subsequently partnered with Bennington’s Regional Economic Development Group to develop the 2019 and 2024 Southern Vermont Zone CEDS. For more information visit: www.seveds.com.
