This week, the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce held it’s annual meeting. This event was a departure from our previous format and was held at the Barre Opera House and featured not only delicious food and beverages provided by Gusto’s in Barre, but also featured a performance from Singer/Impressionist/Comedian Joey Voices.
This event would not have been possible without the generous support of our event sponsors, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Vermont, Casella Waste Management, Fidium Fiber, Northfield Savings bank and Vermont Mutual Insurance! We also received generous support from Community National Bank, Community Bank NA, Green Mountain Harvest, Frankenburg Agency, Isham Berwick Agency, Kingsbury Companies, M&T Bank, Norwich University, Passumpsic Bank, Union Bank and Vermont Biz! We couldn’t do it without you!
This year our Board of Directors said goodbye to two prominent figures. Kim Bolduc of Bolduc Metal Recycling, a former Board Chair, and Dee Lamberton, owner of A Quilter’s Garden who was the driving force behind our annual Athena International Leadership Awards gala. Thank you for all you have done to help create a stronger, more vibrant Chamber!
We welcomed some new faces to our Board this year. We added the talents of Gretchen DeHart from Community College of Vermont, Ashley Eberly of Writing to Freedom Copywriting, JD Green of Aired Out, Jon LaFord of Staples, as well as Nathan Payne of Dream Anchor Photography. Thank you for volunteering your time and talents!
Lastly, but certainly not least, Matt Musgrave of Associated General Contractors of Vermont concluded his term as Board Chair and passed the gavel to Gwen Schuyler of the Family Center of Washington County who assumes her duties as Chair of the Board.
Our Chamber had a terrific 2022! We had our most successful recruiting year, ever, with 57 businesses joining the Chamber ranks, bringing us to well over 300 member businesses, a high we haven’t achieved in decades. We continue to provide practical solutions to business challenges including the areas of marketing, promotion, training as well as employee recruitment and retention. We provide relevant information for tourists visiting our area and also put on multiple, fun events throughout the year.
Our next major event will be our annual St. Patrick’s Day roast in March. Our victim … I mean recipient this year will be Mark Tatro of Tatro’s appliance and promises to be a terrific time. Following this will be our annual Casino Night in April and our Chamber Challenge Golf Tournament in May.
To learn about these or any of our other upcoming events, follow us on social media or visit centralvt.com.