VBSR Event

2009 VBSR Fall Conference

Date: Tuesday Nov 10th, 2009

Time: 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Location: The Equinox

Address: 3567 Main Street Route 7A, Manchester Village, VT

Cost: Pre-registration--VBSR Members: $75; Non-members: $90; Students: $50; EXHIBITOR TABLES - $150 (does not include conference pass)

To Register: Online registration is NOW available. Click on the green "Conference Registration" tab above.

For More Info: Call 802-862-8347, or email

Event Description

If you would like to print the following information, download the pdf version of the Fall Conference brochure (680K)

If you are looking for someone to connect with for carpooling, please see the VBSR Fall Conference Attendee List

7:30 - 8:30
Registration and Light Breakfast

VBSR Southwest Public Policy Forum
(7:45–8:30)
At this meeting you will have an opportunity to inform local legislators and VBSR staff about policy issues of concern including re-licensure of Vermont Yankee, health care reform, environmental permitting, unemployment insurance, and state economic development policy. VBSR will provide an update of past and planned policy initiatives, and results from our recent member policy survey.

8:30 - 9:00
Welcome and Opening Remarks

9:00 - 10:00

Morning Plenary Session

PLEASE NOTE: Unfortunately, our planned morning keynote speaker, Rebecca Adamson, has had to cancel due to illness. This has created an opportunity for us to assemble a panel of Vermont business leaders to talk with you about their vision for the future of Vermont. You won't want to miss this!

What's Next for Vermont?
Mark Curran, Black River Produce (invited)
Joe Fusco, Casella Waste Systems
Tom Leavitt, Merchants Bank
Paula Routly, Seven Days
moderator: Jacob Park, Green Mountain College
As Vermont moves forward through troubling economic times, many of the state's most innovative entrepreneurs see opportunity in crisis. Come and hear four of Vermont's most forward-thinking business leaders share their unique, statewide insights into Vermont's economy. Join the discussion on how Vermont can, should, and will emerge. Leave the session feeling energized about Vermont's future and your business role in it.

10:15 - 11:30
Concurrent Workshops - Morning Session

1. A Plan For All Seasons
Geof Brown, Vermont Country Store
Sandy Predom, Merchants Bank
Sarah Shippee, Scott’s Clean Sweep
Jeffrey Shumlin, Putney Student Travel
moderator: Julie Lineberger, LineSync Architecture
Most companies experience some degree of seasonal fluctuation of their business cycle. During a seasonal downturn, how can you keep cash flowing, employees working, facilities humming, and new opportunities coming in? Join us for an enlightening look at strategies employed by your business peers and ideas from local banks to keep things running smoothly in all seasons.

2. What Makes a Business-Friendly State?
Chris Bailey, Vermont Smoke and Cure
Don Mayer, Small Dog Electronics
Jeanne Morrissey, J.A. Morrissey, Inc.
Mike Rainville, Maple Landmark, Inc.
moderator: Barry Lawson, Barry Lawson Associates
What factors of a state’s economy create a hospitable environment for business? In an often-polarized debate, opposing sides voice staunchly held views on the tax code, permitting and regulations, infrastructure, and more. In this workshop, established and emerging business leaders will get beyond the rhetoric, outline contributors and obstacles to their success, and engage attendees in a discussion about finding creative ideas to help drive VBSR public policy initiatives.

3. Building Vermont’s Future Workforce
Renee Beaupre-White, Green Mountain College
Andrei Ghenoiu, student intern for Catamount Carpet Cleaning, Inc.
Jane May Jones, Catamount Carpet Cleaning, Inc.
Tara Pfeiffer-Norrell, VBSR
moderator: Jacob Park, Green Mountain College
Some of Vermont’s most valuable resources are also some of its least recognized—college students and recent graduates. Vermont has a wealth of smart, affordable, young talent, yet it can be challenging to make lasting connections with local businesses. Come and learn from local experts how easy it can be to design a meaningful internship, what resources are available to help you, and why it makes sense to re-energize your workplace with bright young interns.

11:30 - 12:00
VBSR 2009 Annual Meeting

12:15 - 1:45
Networking Lunch
VBSR will give special recognition to Vermont House Speaker Shap Smith for his leadership in 2009

1:45 - 3:00
Concurrent Workshops - Afternoon Session

4. Building Resilient Local Communities: Rutland and Woodstock
Sally Miller, Sustainable Woodstock
Jim Sabataso, Sustainable Rutland
Michael Stoner, mStoner
Jessie Wetherby, Sustainable Rutland
Like many Vermont towns, Rutland and Woodstock face tough economic times. In each community, local businesses are participating in organized efforts to revitalize their towns. In this workshop you’ll hear stories about businesses as agents of positive change, helping their communities to take charge of their own destinies by creating local and sustainable economies.

5. Reaching and Cultivating Your Web Audience
Gaelan Brown, groSolar
Jesse McDougall, Catalyst Webworks, and formerly with Chelsea Green Publishing
Diane Zeigler, Kimbell Sherman Ellis
moderator: Ann Viets, World Learning
VBSR’s businesses are faced with a myriad of rapidly evolving Internet marketing options, and it can be especially difficult for small companies to keep up. But limited resources don’t have to mean little or no web visibility or inadequate web site design. In this session we’ll talk about effective, inexpensive, and easy-to-implement ideas to attract and keep web visitors. Learn from experts and your peers how best to keep your web presence fresh, engaging, and relevant.

6. Thriving in a Recovering Economy
Bram Kleppner, Danforth Pewter
David Marvin, Butternut Mountain Farms
Chris Patton, Cultivate Minds
Emerging from a recession, most businesses are simply focused on survival. But some companies have taken measures that have allowed them to grow in this difficult economic climate. Join us to hear creative ideas for both growing sales and cutting costs, including building partnerships with other businesses, taking a fresh look at sales and marketing practices, using free and low-cost web tools, and more. Bring your questions and your own ideas to share!

3:15 - 4:00

Afternoon Keynote Speech

Lisa Lorimer, Author and former President and Owner of Vermont Bread Company
Your business plan is only going to get you so far. When you’re actually running a values-driven business, problems come up that you never could have anticipated. Margot Fraser, founder and CEO of Birkenstock, and Lisa Lorimer have been there and they’re here to help. They are co-authors of a new book, Dealing With the Tough Stuff: Practical Wisdom for Running a Values-Driven Business, offering personal insights, advice, stories, and tools for overcoming common and not-so-common business challenges in the world of mission-driven business. Join us to hear Lisa’s personal insights and seasoned advice—not just about what worked, but sometimes what spectacularly didn’t.

Directions to Event

For directions to the Equinox, visit their web site.

Lodging

Overnight accommodations are available for Monday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 10 at The Equinox at the discounted rate of $129/night. Please call 877-854-7625, M-F 9-5, for reservations. Reserve no later than Friday, October 30.

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Event Sponsors

Conference Underwriters

Edible Green Mountains is a community-based quarterly publication that promotes the abundance of local foods, season by season. Our mission is to transform the way our community shops for, cooks, eats and relates to food one decision at a time. We celebrate local, sustainable, seasonal, authentic foods and culinary traditions. Through our publication, website, and events, we connect consumers with local growers, retailers, chefs, food artisans and their shared passions. By encouraging these relationships to grow and thrive in a mutually beneficial, healthful and economically viable way, we hope to ensure a future for Vermont that includes farms, healthy food, clean air, soil and water.

Established in 1982, ECS is an employee-owned, pioneering environmental consulting firm consisting of 200 professionals. The company is headquartered in Agawam, Massachusetts and has 11 additional offices throughout the Northeast, Midwest and Southeast, including two Vermont locations in Brattleboro and Waterbury. ECS’ full line of services includes site assessment, remediation and engineering, regulatory compliance, health and safety training, energy and sustainability services, and industrial hygiene services including asbestos, lead, mold, and indoor air quality testing.

Is your business growing and you need to expand or relocate? That’s where White + Burke comes in. You’re expert at your business. We’re experts at finding, analyzing, marketing and developing commercial and investment real estate. Let us handle your real estate matters so that you can stay focused where you’re needed most: running your business. Whether we’re planning a development project, structuring the financing, wading through the permitting process or scouting the ideal location, our approach is to plunge in, unearth all the details, and do whatever it takes to solve the problems and bring your project to fruition. White + Burke has been practicing a strategic blend of consulting and brokerage services since 1990. Our seasoned team of interdisciplinary investment real estate advisors is intimately familiar with how commercial development works in the context of Vermont – that’s why we’ve become the go-to firm for every type of investment real estate project.

Northshire Bookstore is a family owned, independent bookstore in Manchester Center. Northshire is a full-service bookstore with a large children's' section. In addition, we carry many non-book items, including music, movies, stationery, gifts, toys, games and more. Northshire is winner of Publishers Weekly's Bookseller of the Year Award and the Pannell Award for Excellence in Children's Bookselling.

Opportunities Credit Union is a statewide, full service, community financial institution. We provide fair financial services that everyone needs to succeed in today’s world. Affordable checking, savings, mortgages, auto loans, small and micro business loans are available along with socially responsible investing options. Deposits up to $250,000 are insured by the NCUA.

In 2008 TruexCullins began its fifth decade of design excellence. Our focus remains constant…to provide design leadership to our clients and communities. This focus demands skill, passion and effort from dedicated people. At TruexCullins, our people define and empower us to be creative and thoughtful, to provide insight and imagination. We listen and engage the people we work for and with. We enhance lives as well as the natural environment. We enjoy our work, and look forward to each new design project with curiosity, pride and passion. As an architecture and interior design firm, TruexCullins provides our clients the expertise and creativity of five distinct design studios in the disciplines of Education, Workplace, Home, Resort and Interiors.

LineSync Architecture satisfies client needs through creativity, ingenuity, and attention to detail. Social and environmental responsibility are integral. Innovative energy-efficient materials and methods are employed in all projects: institutional, commercial & residential. For publications and awards: http://www.linesync.com