A. Wayne Roberts, President of Lake
Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce Announces
RetirementExecutive Search Process Will Begin in
March
Karen Marshall, chair of the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of
Commerce (LCRCC), announced today that A. Wayne Roberts, long-time president of
the Chamber, would retire from his post at the end of the year. Roberts has been
at the helm of the LCRCC since 1986.
"In 20 years, Wayne Roberts transformed our Chamber from
supporter of the business community to the leading advocate for public policy
that creates sustainable economic development in the State of Vermont," said
Marshall. "He brought small and large business experience to the role, and
pursued a vision to create a dynamic Chamber of Commerce that represented
multiple interests, and created leadership capacity among its citizens. His
impact on the economic welfare of the businesses and citizens in the Champlain
Valley is profound. He has forged strong alliances for our business sector with
state and federal policy makers that will benefit our communities for years to
come. As we begin our search for a new President, we will look to find the
talented individual who can build on this strong foundation. "
Prior to coming to the Chamber, Roberts was an account manager
for IBM. He then owned and operated three successful hospitality businesses in
Vermont and was an assistant professor of Business Management at Johnson State
College. In 1980, Roberts served as White House deputy personnel director, and
was subsequently appointed by the president to serve as U.S. deputy
under-secretary of Education.
During his tenure at the Chamber, the organization has become
one of the largest non-profit business membership organizations in Vermont,
serving over 2,000 member businesses and 60,000 employees throughout the
state.
Roberts successfully developed four divisions within the
Chamber, including Leadership Champlain, the Vermont Convention Bureau, the Lake
Champlain Regional Marketing Organization, and Education & Training.
Leadership Champlain works to identify, nurture and engage the
leadership potential of community members to support a healthy economic
environment. Since its inception in 1988, more than 700 community leaders have
graduated from the program.
Roberts brought The Vermont Convention Bureau (VCB) into the
fold in 1988 as a regional organization responsible for marketing Vermont as a
preferred meeting and convention destination. In 1994, the VCB expanded to a
statewide organization. Today, the VCB successfully promotes Vermont throughout
the U.S. and internationally, generating hundreds of meeting and convention
leads with a nearly $10 million economic impact annually.
The Chamber also administers the Lake Champlain Regional
Marketing Program (RMP), a program of the Vermont Department of Tourism and
Marketing. Through the RMP, the Chamber publishes and distributes numerous
award-winning publications aimed at marketing the region as a tourism
destination. The Chamber’s public relations efforts include working with travel
writers, attending consumer shows and maintaining the organization’s web site,
which receives over one-million visits annually. The Chamber’s public relations
efforts have garnered national attention for the region in major media outlets,
worth millions of dollars.
Among the Chamber’s many accomplishments is a successful
education and training division. The Chamber’s early efforts to focus on
education and training in the region began in 1990 with Project Assist, a
program that encouraged partnerships between schools and area businesses to
improve learning and career opportunities for youth.
In 1997, the Chamber partnered with GBIC to develop the
Workforce Investment Board (WIB) in an effort to identify and develop quality
training programs that would address the workforce development needs of local
manufacturers. The WIB focuses on developing and sustaining business and
education partnerships for youth and adult learners with an emphasis on
strengthening and enhancing the delivery of technical education in the
region.
The accomplishments of the Chamber and GBIC in the education and
training arena are extensive. In the last decade, the Chamber and GBIC have been
responsible for the development of the Vermont Learn to Earn Initiative, the
development of School-to-Work programs and School-to-Work Resource and
Curriculum Guides (which became state models), and the development of Linking
Learning to Life.
Roberts also developed four successful Chamber programs,
including government affairs, communications, marketing and member services.
Each of these programs help the Chamber achieve its mission of promoting and
supporting a healthy environment that makes the region the ideal place to live,
work and do business. The government affairs and communications programs are
also shared with GBIC.
Today, the Chamber employs 32 full-time staff that operate in
seven locations. The Chamber’s headquarters are at 60 Main Street in Burlington,
with satellite locations in Rutland, Montpelier, Boston, the Burlington
International Airport and the North and Southbound I-89 Welcome Centers in
Williston.
The Chamber’s Executive Committee has formed a search committee
to begin a search for a new president. Dawn Francis will serve as a staff
liaison for the committee. For more information about the search, please contact
Dawn Francis at 863-3489, ext. 210 or visit the Chamber’s web site at
www.vermont.org.
-30-
Mary
Ward
Director of
Communications
Lake Champlain Regional
Chamber of Commerce
& GBIC
60 Main Street, Ste.
100
Burlington, VT
05401
p 802.863.3489
ext. 209
f
802.863-1538
www.vermont.org
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