VBSR Event

VBSR 2009 Spring Conference

Date: Tuesday May 5th, 2009

Time: 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM

Location: Burlington, VT

Address: Hilton Hotel, 60 Battery Street, Burlington, VT 05401

Cost: VBSR Members: $125, Non-members: $175; Terry Ehrich Dinner: $75; AFTER MAY 1--VBSR Members: $150, Non-members: $200

To Register: Online registration is now closed

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

Event Description

"On the Long Trail: Sustaining Success"

If you would like to print the conference agenda, download the pdf version here:Spring Conference brochure (716 K)

Full Day Conference Featured Speakers

David Cay Johnston, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author

and

Will Raap, Founder and Chairman of the Gardener’s Supply family of companies

Agenda

Monday evening, May 4, 2009
5:45 – 9:30 pm
Sixth Annual Terry Ehrich Awards Dinner
Northern Lights Cruise Boat, Burlington, VT
5:45 Boarding for 6:00 departure
6:00 Reception
7:00 Dinner
8:00 Awards Presentation
(NOTE: Additional registration fee for awards dinner)

FULL DAY CONFERENCE
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
7:30-8:30
Registration & Reception
Light breakfast provided by Onion River Co-op / City Market

8:30-8:45
Welcome & Remarks
Will Patten, Executive Director, VBSR
Julie Lineberger, Chair of the Board, VBSR

8:45-9:45
Keynote Address
David Cay Johnston
Author of New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill)
Recipient of the Pulitzer Prize and the George Polk Award

davidcayjohnstonweb_151 David Cay Johnston has spent many years investigating and challenging the way government spends the public’s money. As a journalist with The New York Times until he left in April of last year, he exposed how in the past three decades government subsidies and regulations have quietly and steadily funneled money from the poor and the middle class to the super-rich and politically connected. In 2001, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize “for his penetrating and enterprising reporting that exposed loopholes and inequities in the U.S. tax code, which was instrumental in bringing about reforms.”

Despite Johnston’s fundamental skepticism about government policies and spending, especially in light of the circumstances that are creating the current economic downturn, he is hopeful that the crisis “can help us clear away the rot and build a more solid foundation—one that elevates people over capital,” “kick-starts commerce,” and removes costly barriers to success. Join us to hear why he believes progress must begin with a return to the six basic principles of the Constitution—society, justice, peace, security, commonwealth, and freedom.

10:00-11:30
CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS - SESSION A

1. Been There, Learned a Few Things
Sponsored by Antioch New England Graduate School
Robert Fuller, Merrick Foods Inc.
Jim Pratt, Cabot Creamery Cooperative
Jon Villanti, Villanti & Sons Printers
moderator: Stephanie Lahar, Stephanie Lahar and Associates, LLC
What have businesses that have survived past downturns discovered about staying aloft in hard times? What are some of the basic tenets of smart management in the face of economic challenges? What are some of the counterintuitive strategies that companies have used to prevail? Hear how several long-established companies and their leaders made it through difficult passages, what worked, and what they would do differently. Share your thoughts and questions, and join us in a discussion to distill insights on how companies can best secure themselves and seize advantages in today’s economy.

2. Reinventing Business in Changing Times
Stephen Conant, Conant Metal & Light
Katy Lesser, Healthy Living Market
Ed Shepard, Small Dog Electronics
moderator: Flip Brown, Business Culture Consultants
What drives businesses to change and innovate? Do challenging times create new opportunities? In this session you will hear how three businesses are responding to changing financial and marketplace conditions by re-shaping their companies, shifting direction, or adapting their business models. Your business peers will talk about how they make decisions during difficult times, how they handle obstacles they encounter, and how new opportunities are inspiring big changes within their companies.

3. The Long View
Tom Stearns, High Mowing Organic Seeds
Sarah Waring, Vermont Council on Rural Development
Dave Winslow, EpikOne
moderator: Merryn Rutledge, ReVisions LLC
This session looks ahead at the opportunities we have to prepare for and work toward in order for our businesses to meet the future. We will begin by listening to three insights into challenges that await us when we take a long view. Then participants will work together to envision what the future holds. How do we shift our ways of thinking about suppliers and resources, employees and communication, business processes and information, markets and partnership, products and value creation?

11:45-1:00
NETWORKING LUNCH
Welcome remarks from Governor Jim Douglas

1:00-2:15
CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS - SESSION B

4. Marketing: New Tools & Tough Times
Sponsored by Concept2
Jeff Rutenbeck, Champlain College, Division of Communication
Pat Sears, Spike Advertising
There’s no better time to market than in tough times! VBSR’s businesses, like the rest of the business world, are faced with two serious marketing challenges—companies that don’t keep up with quickly changing marketing tools risk becoming irrelevant, and companies that cut back on marketing in hard times risk losing market share. In this workshop you’ll learn about the new and emerging marketing tools that are rapidly replacing traditional media, and strategies for reaching audiences and moving markets in tough times.

5. Awakening the Dreamer: What Business Can Do to Change the Dream
Ann Driscoll, Goddard College
The old dream of acquisition for the sake of acquisition and unbridled consumption is dying. This workshop describes the multiple crises of our age and explores how business plays a pivotal role in shaping and leading the largest social movement of all time. Join us for a compelling video montage with speakers like Van Jones, Paul Hawken, and Majora Carter. Then engage in conversation that will inspire you to use new business models to take action in pursuit of an environmentally sustainable, socially just and spiritually fulfilling human presence on our planet.

6. Policy News from Washington—Direct to You
Andrea Cohen, VBSR
representative from the Office of Senator Pat Leahy
representative from the Offfice of Senator Bernie Sanders
representative from the Office of Congressman Peter Welch
moderator: Don Mayer, Small Dog Electronics
Things continue to evolve at a breakneck speed with the new administration in Washington and with the recent economic turmoil. Representatives from Vermont’s Washington delegation will be on hand to provide participants with information and updates on the current goings-on in Washington. Topics will include healthcare reform, energy policy, and economic stimulus, and there will be plenty of time for questions and discussion.

7. Through the Looking Glass (of Hiring): Applicants Helping Employers, Employers Helping Applicants
Beth Gilpin, HR Consulting
Markey Read, Career Networks
Employers who put more energy and attention into sourcing environmentally friendly materials or reducing their carbon footprint than into developing and managing their recruitment and employee development processes risk making inappropriate hiring decisions. Applicants who are attracted to companies for their SR mission but neglect to understand how they fit the company and role can become dissatisfied and underperforming employees. When one or both of these ingredients is present, the hiring process is wrought with disappointment and misunderstanding. Join this insightful and practical discussion about how to create a more effective approach for both applicants.

8. Climate Change: Engaging Business Leadership
sponsored by Washington Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Paul Comey, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
Robert Dostis, Green Mountain Power
Chris Miller, Seventh Generation
Greg Strong, Spring Hill Solutions
Action and change on climate change must come from business. In this session we’ll start with an overview about how to address this issue successfully. Then we’ll hear several Vermont business leaders describe how they have gotten senior management on board with initiatives to reduce carbon footprint and address climate change, the kinds of resistance they’ve encountered, and how they’ve overcome it. How can we, as a community, spread the word and the urgency among our peers? Come to this powerful session to hear about ways to get business leadership motivated and dedicated to addressing climate change.

9. Sleepless in Vermont: What Keeps Us Up at Night
Allison Hooper, Vermont Butter & Cheese Co.
Paul Millman, Chroma Technology
Gretchen Morse, United Way of Chittenden County
moderator: Judy Warriner Walke, Collaboration and Planning Consultant
No matter how participatory your management structure or how involved your employees, it’s lonely at the top. In this leadership conversation designed for CEOs and upper management, you’ll hear three of your peers share their perspectives—what decisions keep them up at night, how they stay focused on what they are able to influence, and how they keep a long-term perspective when things get tough. Then you’ll have a chance to ask questions, explore your own challenges, and exchange some practical conclusions.

10. Social Responsibility’s Return on Investment
Matt Burge, Hypertherm, Inc.
Ted Freeman, Praxis Consulting Group
Michelle Hamm, Monadnock Paper Mills
Everyone knows that socially responsible business practices are good for people and the planet. But what about the bottom line? In this workshop, we share recent findings about the relationship between certain SR practices—environmental initiatives, community engagement and healthy workplace initiatives—and business performance. This session will also feature case studies from several companies who have tracked the impact and the resulting cost savings of their programs. Join us to discuss the challenges of measurement, how to consider intangibles, and how you might track the ROI of your own company’s programs.

2:15-2:30
NETWORKING BREAK
Delicious treats provided by Rhino Foods

2:30-3:45
CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS - SESSION C

11. Sustaining Corporate Social Responsibility in Turbulent Times
Victor Morrison, American Flatbread
AJ Rossman, Draker Laboratories
moderator: Karen Fleming, Green Mountain College
Socially responsible business practices can offer you competitive advantage, but incorporating them into your daily business operations can be challenging in a difficult economy. In this session we’ll talk with two companies about their varying degrees of experience in developing and maintaining SR practices in the face of economic difficulties, compromises they’ve had to make, examples of effective low or no-cost practices, and the outlook for the near future. You’ll also get practical information about business sustainability education resources available from academic institutions in the region. Bring your own challenges and stories to the conversation.

12. What is Socially Responsible Compensation?
Frank Sadowski, Gallagher, Flynn & Company
Is socially responsible compensation more than just good compensation? Does it require excellent benefits, a livable wage, open book management, employee ownership, or any particular practices? Can a barely profitable start-up offer socially responsible compensation? These questions lead us to think about compensation and social responsibility much more comprehensively, and to develop criteria by which we can evaluate the social responsibility of a wide range of compensation practices. This session will offer a definition of socially responsible compensation and a framework for considering these issues.

13. Values-Based Buying
Andrea Learned, Learned on Women
In this tough economy it is important to realize that the socially responsible mission inherently serves the most powerful voice in the marketplace—women. The triple bottom line serves the community connection, long-term view that most women bring to their purchasing process—that which goes above, beyond and around price, and truly resonates with the lifestyle and core beliefs of your customers. Knowing how what you do connects with a woman’s way of buying will give you the best clues for serving all of today’s savvy consumers. Join us in this discussion of a new framework for marketing. To hear more about values-based consumers, listen to a recent interview with Andrea Learned on The Browser.

14. The Future of Vermont’s Local Economies—Our Town or Any Town?
Matt Dugan, Shadow Productions
Doug Hoffer, Independent policy analyst and author of the Job Gap Study
Kerry Comollo Slattery, Vermont Kitchen Supply
moderator: Julie Lineberger, LineSync Architecture
Vermont is powerless to shape the global economy, but we can think clearly about how it affects us, what choices we have, and what opportunities exist for independent action. This session will provide background information and an update on the Leaky Bucket study, including facts about Vermont’s dependence on imports and the economic impact of shopping for goods and services at locally-owned businesses. We’ll also hear local companies tell their own stories. Bring your questions and insights to this session, and discuss how we can help community members view themselves as citizens first and consumers second.

15. The Working Bridges Project: A Model for Applying New Best Practices to Common Workforce Challenges
Rachel Jolly, Vermont Works for Women
Elizabeth Madigan, Fletcher Allen Health Care
Justin Worthley, Rhino Foods, Inc.
moderator: Beth Kuhn, United Way of Chittenden County
The topic of “Livable Wage” has received a lot of attention in the Vermont business community. While the livable wage remains a strong and compelling long-term vision, several Vermont employers have found new strategies for providing resources and increasing engagement and retention for lower-wage workers through the Working Bridges project—a program to raise awareness of economic class issues, and identify and test strategies to retain lower-income workers and more effectively manage an economically diverse workforce. Come and learn how this innovative model is producing positive local impacts, and gaining national recognition.

16. Financial Challenges and Opportunities in an Economic Downturn
Cairn Cross, FreshTracks Capital
Emily Kaminsky, Community Capital of Vermont
Joe Sibilia, Meadowbrook Lane Capital and CSRwire
moderator: Jacob Park, Green Mountain College
Companies, small and large, are trying to understand the financial challenges of their business—challenges that are magnified during trying economic times. How can companies make the right decisions that balance their financial well-being and their other management priorities? Hear about the challenges and opportunities from representatives of leading venture capital, community loan, and financial companies, and come prepared to ask questions and share your experiences.

17. Weathering the Recession: New Tools for Vermont Businesses
Amy Kirschner, Vermont Sustainable Exchange
Jesse McDougall, Chelsea Green Publishing
Glenn McRae, Intervale Center’s Food Hub Program
Linda Rossi, Vermont Small Business Development Center
moderator: Michael Wood-Lewis, Front Porch Forum
The economic downturn sweeping the globe is not sparing the Vermont business sector. However, small and micro businesses in Vermont are far from powerless in the face of this recession. An emerging crop of new tools, many of them internet-based and developed by Vermonters, are providing new ways to cut costs, generate revenue, form partnerships, raise capital and weather these tight times. You’ll hear about services that match workers and jobs, buyers and sellers, and barter partners; give away unwanted inventory; raise capital; and more. Join the discussion, and take away concepts and tips for keeping up and getting ahead.

3:45-4:15
CONFERENCE CLOSING REMARKS
Will Raap
Founder and Chairman of the Gardener’s Supply family of companies
Take this final opportunity to gather as a whole group!

willraapweb_147 For many years Will Raap has been at the forefront of developing innovative business practices and enterprises that help us move towards a more sustainable, earth-friendly future. Under his leadership, both Gardener’s Supply Company and the non-profit Intervale Center have been successfully demonstrating the benefits of local, small-scale farming in urban communities. In recent years, he has also been involved in building linked enterprises guided by social mission in Costa Rica.

Will believes there is not much Vermont can do to avoid the pain of the recent economic collapse. However, he asserts that the crisis reaffirms Vermont’s sound strategy for building the state’s economy—one based on responsible lending, strong local communities, a healthy environment, local food production and energy generation, and investment
in jobs that build on our inherent strengths. Join us to hear Will talk more about the opportunity of business in Vermont to work our way around tough times and take charge of our own destiny.

4:15-5:30
Post-Conference Party!
Come and unwind while sharing your news and insights from the day with colleagues, peers and friends.

Directions to Event

From I-89, take exit 14 West. Follow Main Street to the waterfront and turn right on Battery Street. The Hilton Hotel is at 60 Battery Street. Parking is available in the City of Burlington Parking Garage attached to the hotel for $8.00 per day per car.
Save money, fuel, and carbon emissions by carpooling to VBSR’s Spring Conference. Contact VBSR if you would like help coordinating a carpool ride to the conference.

Accommodations

The hotel is a VBSR member and a partner in Vermont’s Green Hotels Program. The Hilton has set aside a limited number of rooms available May 4 and 5 (if reserved by April 21) at the reduced rate of $149. Call the Hilton directly at 802-658-6500 for reservations.

VBSR member, Greenmont Farms of Underhill Center, VT, has also offered a special overnight lodging rate of $30/person/night for conference attendees. If you are interested, please contact John Connell at 802-899-5141. For more information about the farm, please visit http://www.greenmontfarms.com.