Press Release: Registration is now open for the 8th Southern Vermont Economy Summit
Attendees at the 7th Annual Southern VT Economy Summit in 2024. Photo, Matthew Cavanaugh Photography
Southern Vermont — Registration is now open for the 8th Southern Vermont Economy Summit. This annual learning and networking event will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at Mount Snow Grand Summit Resort in West Dover, Vermont. Registration information and a full schedule of the day’s events can be found at www.sovermontzone.com/summit. Early Bird pricing, which is currently in effect, is scheduled to end on March 20.
The theme of the 2025 Summit is “Adapt & Thrive.” Throughout the day, presentations, panels, workshops and discussions will investigate ways that our region can adapt to current economic and demographic trends in order to support a thriving economy.
Opening the day is Keynote Speaker Josh Wright from Lightcast, a global leader in labor market analytics. Wright will present findings from the recent Lightcast report, “The Rising Storm: Building A Future-Ready Workforce to Withstand the Looming Labor Shortage.” Situating Vermont’s ongoing experience of demographic and workforce trends in a national context, Wright, along with a slate of panelists from the education, healthcare, and construction sectors, will look at how these key employment sectors are already adapting to unprecedented disruption in the labor market.
Following the Keynote, Summit attendees can choose from more than 15 different breakout sessions and interactive workshops. The morning will focus on the ‘big picture’ of our economy and workforce through a variety of panels and presentations. In the afternoon, attendees will be able to choose from panels or interactive workshops to build hands-on skills. The day wraps up with small group roundtables, discussions and information sessions designed to help attendees act on all they have learned, and connect with resources and networks.
The Southern Vermont Economy Summit is the flagship event of Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC)’s Southern Vermont Economy Project, which helps build capacity, expertise, and shared resources across the Southern Vermont Economic Development Zone. It is the year’s best opportunity for Southern Vermont business, community, and municipal leaders to connect with peers, listen to experts, ask questions, and learn effective ways of dealing with the myriad economic challenges faced by the region. The event is co-hosted by BDCC, Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies, and Bennington County Regional Commission.
The 2025 Economy Summit is made possible in part by this year’s sponsors, including Brattleboro Savings and Loan, the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, MSK Engineering, Vermont State University, UVM Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships, M&T Bank, Weston and Sampson Engineers, Vermont Electric Power Company, Stevens and Associates/M&S Development, Community College of Vermont, The Vermont Community Foundation, The Richards Group, the Vermont Economic Development Authority, Efficiency Vermont, Better Business Bureau–NE Region, Merritt and Merritt Law, Vermont Community Loan Fund and Southeastern VT Medical Center. Media sponsors include Vermont News Media, Great Eastern Radio (The Peak), and Minuteman Press Brattleboro.
For more information about the event, including additional sponsorship opportunities, contact Meg Staloff, Program Manager for the Southern Vermont Economy Summit, at mstaloff@brattleborodevelopment.com.
About the Southern Vermont Economy Project
The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC)’s Southern Vermont Economy Project (SVEP) works to stabilize, improve, and expand the rural economic and workforce development network in Southern Vermont. Its goal is to increase capacity and collaboration among partnering organizations and communities. SVEP is funded in part by the USDA Rural Community Development Initiative, as a program of BDCC & SeVEDS. For more information on the program, including goals, resources, and partners, visit www.brattleborodevelopment.com/svep/
