Southern Vermont Economy Summit Rides Again!
There were lots of smiles behind the masks at the Southern Vermont Economy Summit, held in person at Mount Snow Resort in Dover, Vermont on May 12, 2022. Just over 200 attendees gathered from 40 towns in Vermont and surrounding areas to address a range of topics relevant to the current economic moment in Southern Vermont.
One of the highlights of the day was the chance for the audience to learn more about the Welcoming Communities program, not just in the context of our region’s long-term workforce development goals, but also as a way to put a human face on the experience of opening our community to arriving refugee populations. As one attendee put it, “Having refugees on a panel, sharing their experience made this the most memorable experience.” This track of the conference included a morning keynote featuring Joe Wiah and Thomas Huddleston, who described their partnership with BDCC in establishing a Multicultural Center in Brattleboro to spearhead the effort to resettle 90 people displaced from Afghanistan in Southern Vermont this year. Read more about their presentation in the Brattleboro Reformer article, Refugee resettlement celebrated at Economy Summit.
We were also thrilled to have Daniel Herriges bring the Strong Towns movement to Southern Vermont with the help of sponsorship from the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development. One of the major tenets of the Strong Towns approach is to “Stop fearing change and start embracing a process of continuous adaptation,” tieing directly into the theme of this year’s Summit, ‘Cultivate Change.’ Attendees left fired up to spread these ideas around our region. You can find links to Daniel’s presentation slides on the SoVermont Zone website, and we encourage everyone interested in community and economic development to explore more content at https://www.strongtowns.org/
At lunchtime, Chet Clem regaled the crowd with the humorous side of wrestling with our and our communities’ reaction to change. While statements like ‘Everything is Broken and It’s All Our Fault” don’t necessarily seem humorous, in context, Chet helped us to laugh our way through the overarching hope and occasional despair that accompanies the work of affecting needed and positive change in rural communities. You can listen to more of Chet’s commentary on the podcast he co-hosts with Jeff Siegler, called “Struggletown.”
The context provided by Daniel and Chet informed the conversation as we dove down into the trenches of community projects, hearing from community leaders in Springfield, Dover, and Vernon. Rather than just looking for an end result, these presentations looked at the sometimes messy and ongoing process of moving forward with transformative projects of all sizeds. You can find all the presentations at the Summit Website.
In the adjoining room, continuing the theme of welcoming and effecting (not just reacting to) change, a panel of local leaders and HR managers engaged in a frank discussion about their efforts to create more welcoming workplaces in our region.
Content geared towards business leaders also tackled the theme of change head-on. Two panels explored the positive and transformative possibilities that change can present. From treating succession planning as an opportunity to pass on institutional knowledge and provide opportunities for young entrepreneurs, to discussing how responding to change can strengthen a business model, both panels provided thought provoking content and conversation.
Content aside, the best part of the day was, undeniably, the chance to gather in person! As one attendee put it, the Summit was a great reminder of “Just how awesome Southern Vermont is. Our community is overwhelmingly supportive and adaptive with so many amazing leaders.”
BDCC, and hosting partners BCRC, thank all the sponsors, panelists, and most of all attendees of this event. Southern Vermont is strengthened by the network of connections made at this event, and through all of our work, together, in strengthening Southern Vermont!
Please find all the Summit materials at https://www.sovermontzone.com/2022-summit.
If you attended the Summit, we invite you to fill out a brief survey at this link. Your responses and ideas will directly inform our planning for future summits!
Lastly, thanks once again to all the Summit Sponsors. Special mention goes to the Summit and Session sponsors: Peoples United (a Division of M&T Bank), Brattleboro Savings and Loan, VT ACCD, MSK Engineering, and VELCO.
About the Southern Vermont Economy Summit
The Southern Vermont Economy Summit is an initiative of the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation’s Southern Vermont Economy Project (SVEP). 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 by the USDA Rural Community Development Initiative, as a program of BDCC & SeVEDS. For more information on the summit, please visit: www.SoVermontZone.com/summit
