Summit CEDS Event Sponsored by Local Banks
Brattleboro Savings & Loan, and Bank of Bennington will sponsor the 2017-2018 Windham Region Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Vital Projects Announcement, the opening event of the upcoming 2nd Annual Southern Vermont Economic Development Summit at 9:15am on May 30th 2018.
“We look forward to this event every year,” said Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation Director Adam Grinold. “Sharing projects with promise and momentum are an important update to our regions long term strategy for growing the economy.”
A CEDS (Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy) is a federally prescribed strategy-driven plan for regional economic development. The CEDS development process is designed to bring together public and private sectors in the creation of an economic roadmap to diversify and strengthen the regional economy. Projects are submitted annually and ranked by the CEDS Project Review Committee according to a set of 10 scoring criteria, built out of the objectives of the CEDS. Projects that are included in the CEDS have the benefit of wider regional recognition and the opportunity to gain more points if applying to federal funding. This year there were 42 projects submitted of which 29 were updates and 13 were new. The project submissions were reviewed by the committee on April 9th. Project ranking announcements will be made at the opening event of the 2nd Annual Southern Vermont economic Development Summit.
Brattleboro Savings & Loan and Bank of Bennington, partnering to sponsor the event, have been long standing partners in Southern Vermont’s strategic planning, financing and implementing of key projects.
“We’re pleased to support the work of southern Vermont’s business and municipal leaders in their ongoing efforts to grow the region’s future,” said Dan Yates, President of the Brattleboro Savings & Loan.
“This is an exciting time to be in southern Vermont,” added Bank of Bennington President Jim Brown. “The collaborations and focus underway are inspiring new entrepreneurial activity and business ventures.”
The Summit will highlight projects with innovative and unique partnerships, strategies for growing the regional economy, and insight into how other regions are working to improve the economic outlook of their communities. Featured speakers included the Acting Director Tim Martin of the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration Region 1; Mayor Alex Morse of Holyoke, MA, and Mariko Silver, President of Bennington College. It takes place at Mount Snow’s Grand Summit Resort in Dover on May 30th and is hosted by the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies, Bennington County Industrial Corporation, and Bennington’s Regional Economic Development Group. The event is sponsored by Mount Snow and Green Mountain Power, The Richards Group, Efficiency Vermont, Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, Edward Jones, Heritage Family Credit Union, and Bennington Potters. Additional support for the Summit comes from Peckham Industries, Inc., Abacus Automation, Inc., WW Building Supply, Southern Vermont College and Marlboro College. Media sponsors are the Bennington Banner and Brattleboro Reformer.
For more information about the summit, a link to registration, and the complete agenda, visit www.SoVermontSummit.com, or contact Sarah Lang at slang@brattleborodevelopment.com.
About Brattleboro Savings & Loan
Since our beginning in 1912, Brattleboro Savings & Loan has become a staple of the Brattleboro area by creating and providing competitive financial services and solutions to help the surrounding communities flourish. We are an independent, full-service, community-focused financial institution focused on providing exceptional personal service and community involvement.
About Bank of Bennington
The Bank of Bennington is proud to be a full-service mutual community bank headquartered in Bennington with branches in Manchester, Bennington, Arlington and Rutland Vermont. We are known for our customer service, financial strength, and community involvement. Bauer Financial, an independent bank-rating service, has awarded The Bank of Bennington their 5-star “superior” rating for more than twenty consecutive years. The bank employs nearly 60 individuals across four offices. The average employee has been with the bank for more than ten years.
The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation is a private, nonprofit economic development organization that serves as a catalyst for industrial and commercial growth throughout Southeastern Vermont, including Windham County and the towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, and Weston. BDCC serves as the State of Vermont’s certified Regional Development Corporation (RDC) for the greater Windham County area. BDCC is one of 12 RDCs throughout Vermont. For more information visit: https://brattleborodevelopment.com/
Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) is an affiliate of BDCC that grew from a 2008 grassroots effort, initiated by BDCC, 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 submitted the Windham Region’s federally recognized S.M.A.R.T. Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for federal approval. For more information visit: www.seveds.com
Bennington County Industrial Corporation (BCIC) is a non-profit economic development corporation. It is overseen by a board of business people and professionals from throughout Bennington County, Vermont. Its office is in Downtown Bennington. BCIC’s mission is to promote quality jobs in Bennington County. It provides services and information to businesses, runs an industrial incubator, does development projects, and advocates policies that support its mission. For more information visit: www.bcic.org
The Bennington County Regional Commission created the Regional Economic Development Group (RED Group) in early 2017, in response to a directive from the Vermont General Assembly to establish a steering committee “to serve as the foundation for economic development work in the Bennington County region.” The RED Group meets monthly to review and discuss internal and external economic development issues that affect southwestern Vermont, consider the regional implications of local economic development issues, and pursue options for future initiatives across Southern Vermont.
