Media Contact:
Chris Carrigan
ccarrigan@vtchamber.com
Direct: 802-223-0904
 
Berlin, VT (September 26, 2019) – Today at the Vermont Chamber’s 2019 Manufacturing Summit, the Vermont-Quebec Aerospace Trade Corridor was officially extended to Connecticut with a signing ceremony of an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Aéro Montréal and Aerospace Components Manufacturers (ACM). Over the past six years, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce has established and prioritized the Vermont-Quebec Aerospace Trade Corridor, building cross-border trade partnerships to increase economic activity for Vermont manufacturers.
 
Governor Phil Scott introduced the partners and said, “I’m pleased to officially extend our Aerospace Trade Corridor and strengthen the bond between these three regional partners with the signing of this MOU. This is great news, and a positive step forward, as we work to grow our state and region’s aerospace sector.”
 
“Today’s official extension of the Vermont-Québec Aerospace Trade Corridor to Connecticut is the result of two years of foundational work,” said Chris Carrigan, Vice President of Business Development, Vermont Chamber of Commerce, “and was made possible through inter-clustering and supply chain integration, which is optimizing global supply chains by providing our companies and northern neighbors with access to new markets, contacts, innovations, business opportunities and contracts in the aerospace industry.”
 
The Vermont Chamber hosted delegations from Aéro Montréal, the Québec Government, Connecticut aerospace, as well as 25 Canadian companies in support of its work to build a U.S.-Canadian Aerospace Corridor, linking Vermont’s $2 billion aerospace and aviation cluster with a $28 billion Canadian aerospace industry for cross-border contacts and contracts. This is part of the vision of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Aéro Montréal, signed in 2013 and now enhanced by extending the corridor to Connecticut in a signing at the event.
 
In its sixth year, the Manufacturing Summit attracted attendees from the Northeast region and as far away as California, Virginia and Minnesota. Attendees networked with industry peers, met buyers and suppliers, connected with employers, attended industry workshops, saw new product innovations and experienced dynamic exhibits such as the Advanced Manufacturing Lab by Vermont Technical College.  
 
For more information visit www.ManufacturedInVT.com.
 
About the Vermont Chamber
The largest statewide, private, not-for-profit business organization, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce represents nearly every industry sector with a mission to create an economic climate conducive to business growth and the preservation of the Vermont quality of life.

By Amy Spear, Vice President of Tourism for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce
 
From mid-September to mid-October, Vermont’s Green Mountains transform into a vibrant landscape of gold, red, yellow and orange. It’s the ultimate fall foliage destination with over one million visitors traveling to Vermont in the month of October alone to capture memories while enjoying Vermont specialty products and attractions with mountain vistas, picturesque lakes, classic New England villages and countryside ablaze with color. While Vermont tourism is thriving and our brand is strong, visitor impacts go beyond lifetime memories and Instagrammable moments; last year, visitors contributed $391 million to the state’s coffers in tax revenue (Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development).
 
With hundreds of tourism businesses included in our statewide membership, the Vermont Chamber works to fully fund the marketing effort that promotes Vermont as a tourist destination. The Vermont economy depends on a healthy tourism industry, and the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing (VDTM) is the steward of the Vermont brand that drives that industry. Their work ensures that we maintain our share of visitors to Vermont during all four seasons in an ever-increasing global market. For this work to continue, Vermont needs to increase the promotional funding appropriated to VDTM.
 
Vermont is within a day’s drive of 80 million people. VDTM and the Vermont Chamber have formed a strong public/private partnership to support the tourism industry; VDTM lures the visitor to Vermont and the Vermont Chamber connects Vermont businesses to visitors with digital and print resources.  The cornerstones of the collaborative marketing efforts include content on VermontVacation.com (1.7 million visitors) and the Official Vermont Vacation Guides (300,000 distributed that are distributed throughout New England and the U.S., Canada, and Europe).
 
As a significant economic driver for the State, the tourism industry is the heartbeat of the Vermont brand. Together, the two statewide entities market Vermont’s most relevant, compelling, and differentiated experiences. Promotional funding connects visitors to local, family businesses: the small inns and classic bed & breakfasts, outdoor recreation, world-class beer, Vermont specialty products, country stores and iconic main streets.  With proper support of the tourism industry via increased promotional funds from the State, we will continue to grow this market to benefit all Vermonters.
 
While funding for VDTM has remained flat for almost 10 years, other New England states have bolstered their tourism marketing efforts with additional funds. The tourism industry remains essential to Vermont’s economic success and level funding will not protect and grow Vermont’s share of visitors. Without increased investment in destination marketing, we put the annual $2.8 billion in total tourism economic activity (Vermont Tourism 2017 Benchmark Report) and the over 30,000 jobs supported by the tourism industry at risk. In addition to direct spending, the tourism sector has residual positive impacts on other business sectors such as real estate, professional services, healthcare, education and manufacturing.
 
In order to maintain and increase our market share, we cannot lose sight of staying economically competitive. The destination marketing VDTM deploys is critical to drawing visitors to Vermont to spend money with our hoteliers, cultural institutions, craft beverage producers, chefs and retail outlets, which is critical to support a healthy state economy. It is time to work together as Vermonters to increase spending on destination marketing efforts through VDTM as an investment in a Vermont economy.
 
​Amy Spear is the Vice President of Tourism for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce which partners with the State in digital and print marketing to encourage more visits to Vermont. Amy Spear lives in Killington. 

Media Contact:
​Chris Carrigan
ccarrigan@vtchamber.com
Direct: 802-223-0904
Cell: 802-488-4099 (use day of show)

Berlin, VT (September 4, 2019) – The Vermont Chamber’s 2019 Manufacturing Summit on Thursday, September 26th will deliver numerous trade opportunities for businesses in New England and Canada, enhancing and helping to grow the number of manufacturing jobs in Vermont to 9.46% of the workforce.
 
The Manufacturing Summit is bringing buyers, suppliers and partners together for business opportunities at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction. Airbus, Bell Flight, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce and Sikorsky top the list of out-of-state companies representing the aerospace industry at the Manufacturing Summit. With over 600 pre-scheduled meetings, these companies will have the opportunity to engage and add Vermont and New England manufacturers to their supply chains, contributing to the economic growth of the state and region.
 
“Vermont is the supply chain hub for these companies to engage pre-qualified suppliers and partners, and optimize their supply chains for competitive advantage,” explains Chris Carrigan, Vice President of Business Development for the Vermont Chamber. “Vermont stands out as a leader in the industry because of the Manufacturing Summit’s ability to draw in 25 Canadian companies and 20 buyers from large, out-of-state manufactures.”
 
The Vermont Chamber will host delegations from Aéro Montréal, the Québec Government, Connecticut aerospace, as well as 25 Canadian companies in support of its work to build a U.S.-Canadian Aerospace Corridor, linking Vermont’s $2 billion aerospace and aviation cluster with a $28 billion Canadian aerospace industry for cross-border contacts and contracts. This is part of the vision of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Aéro Montréal signed in 2013 and to be enhanced by extending the corridor to Connecticut in a signing at the event.
 
In its sixth year, the Manufacturing Summit attracts attendees from the Northeast region and as far away as California, Virginia and Minnesota. Attendees network with industry peers, meet buyers and suppliers, connect with employers, attend industry workshops, see new product innovations and experience dynamic exhibits, such as an Advanced Manufacturing Lab by Vermont Technical College.  
 
For more information visit www.ManufacturedInVT.com.
 
About the Vermont Chamber
The largest statewide, private, not-for-profit business organization, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce represents nearly every industry sector with a mission to create an economic climate conducive to business growth and the preservation of the Vermont quality of life.