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.

Media Contact:
Sally Cooper, Vermont Chamber of Commerce
scooper@VTChamber.com, 802-262-2140

Berlin, VT (August 7, 2019) — The Vermont Chamber of Commerce announced the nine recipients for the Above and Beyond Awards, an award category designed to showcase the inspiring workforce shaping Vermont today.

The Above and Beyond Awards will be given to individuals who have taken that extra step in their job, industry, or community work, thus contributing to a more vibrant state for Vermonters to live, work and play. Special recognition for their outstanding qualities and achievements will be showcased during the annual Vermont Chamber Citizen of the Year & Above and Beyond Awards Dinner on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at the Hilton Burlington Hotel.

2019 Above and Beyond Award Recipients:

• Steve Bryant, Dorset Inn
• Steve Costello, Green Mountain Power
• Mark Delaney, Smugglers’ Notch Resort
• Leslie Griffiths, GlobalFoundries
• Julie Holcomb, Vermont Employment Agency
• Sherre Ross, Liquid Measurement Systems, Inc.
• David Wulfson, Vermont Rail System
• Maureen Hebert, Vermont Technical College
• Sheena Daniell, Rutland Regional Medical Center
• Amanda Benway, AeroParts Plus Inc.

Registration to attend the Vermont Chamber’s Citizen of the Year & Above and Beyond Awards Dinner on Tuesday, November 19 will open the end of this month. For more information visit the event page.

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.

Prevailing post-adjournment reports have sidelined the praise both the Legislature and the Administration deserve for their contributions to Vermont’s economy. While it is tempting to continue debating the 2019 political turmoil, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce instead chooses to celebrate some of the many areas where legislators actively responded to the needs of the business community.

With a Democratic supermajority controlling the House and Senate, and a Republican occupying the State’s highest office, pre-session legislative forecasts predicted disfunction and conflict. Fortunately, Vermont continues to distinguish itself as a place of civility and reason.
This was made evident by the cordial and productive relationship witnessed in the 2019 legislative session between the Legislature and the Governor. Ultimately, what was lost in catchy headlines was gained in the passage of some overwhelmingly beneficial economic policies.

But this cohesion was no accident. Throughout the winter and spring, the business community pressed the State House to first, do no harm, and second, to begin addressing some the State’s most urgent economic needs. The Vermont Futures Project identified a goal to increase the workforce by 10,000 workers annually, and the Legislature showed its commitment to mitigating this supply gap by supporting policies that better attract and retain a highly trained workforce. While the issue of worker shortages impacts virtually every industry and was a topic at the forefront of most economic development conversations, it was only one of many areas where significant progress occurred.

Governor Scott and the Legislature truly embraced the opportunity to work together whenever possible, placing the interests of Vermonters far ahead of temptations to partake in unproductive political gamesmanship. Evidence of this is most apparent in the bipartisan focus on economic development that characterized the 2019 legislative session. Some of the resulting standout successes include:

• Passage of a workforce bill that provides $1.95 million for expanded incentives, including the remote workers program and $2 million in tourism marketing funds as well as an additional
  $225,000 to market Vermont as a place to live and work
• Provision of resources to research initiatives to better enable populations with traditional barriers to employment to enter the workforce, with emphasis placed on the corrections population, workers in recovery and new Americans
• Changes enacted to the Vermont Training Program to add guidelines that focus grants on small businesses
• Passage of legislation to include marketing of the State-owned airports in the State’s economic development marketing plan
• Passage of legislation that clearly defines State-owned master permits for airports, including Act 250, Agency of Natural Resources and other applicable permits
• Passage of a broadband bill that that substantially increases broadband access to the nearly 50,000 Vermonters who lack high-speed internet

​The Vermont Chamber of Commerce commends the work of all policy leaders, but particularly acknowledges the legislative leadership of Speaker of the House Mitzi Johnson and Senate President Pro-Tempore Tim Ashe, as well as the Scott Administration’s ongoing commitment to make Vermont an affordable and economically robust state. The minority party was also an essential element in promoting affordability and a policy environment that prioritized strong economic development initiatives.

Like all states, Vermont faces many challenges – high taxes, cumbersome permitting requirements for development and an overall high cost of doing business, to name a few. But considering the real economic progress made in 2019, this session was undoubtedly a win for the business community.