The Chamber staff from left to right: Matt Harrington, executive director; Erika Floriani, membership manager; Mikaela Lewis, event manager. Photos courtesy of the Southwestern Vermont Chamber and Lorianna Weathers Photography. See more below.
The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce hosted their annual membership meeting with over 120 members in attendance at the Park McCullough Historic Governor’s Mansion Carriage Barn on Friday, January 27th 2023.
Per the bylaws of the 501c6 nonprofit organization, the board of directors must gather the membership annually to discuss the business of the organization. Over the years the annual membership meeting has grown more into a social gathering with the Chamber promoting it as “The Biggest Business Night of the Year.” The meeting also included live music, food and bar, a complimentary sparkling beverage for all attending and the illustrious Chamber Awards.
The annual membership meeting this past week was the first time the membership has physically gathered since January 2020 right before the pandemic hit. The past two years of meetings have been innovative experiences with a large conference call, musical guests, at home bottle service, and of course, the annual awards.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be back in person after a two-year hiatus,” remarked Matt Harrington, the executive director of the Chamber. “There is just something that sparks and crackles when 120 stakeholders, influencers, business owners and community leaders get together in a room to celebrate. It feels really good to be back in person.”
The annual meeting was broken into two main parts this year. At 4:00pm members were encouraged to arrive and handle the business of the organization. This included introducing the new slate of officers with Shannon McLenithan of the Bank of Bennington being elected as the board president, Nancy Koziol of couch + cork as vice president, Erica Lawrence of Union Underground as vice president, William Deveneau of William C Deveneau Attorney At Law as treasurer, Brian Maggiotto of the Inn at Manchester as past president, and Brenda Jones of KW Vermont as ex officio.
Additionally, new board members were also welcomed and included Mark Grossarth, AVP of Marketing for Heritage Family Credit Union, Tammie Reilly, executive director of Greater Northshire Access Television (GNAT), and Lillie Williams, owner of Maple Leaf Realty.
The Shires Young Professionals have a voting seat on the board and Beth Wallace was renewed for a second term as chair of the young professional organization back in December. Retiring board members were also honored which included Michael McKenna of D.B. McKenna, Art Whitman of A&G Agriservices, Matt Willey of Ramuntos, and Lynn Green formerly of the Four Chimneys Inn.
The business portion carried on with the passing of the gavel from Brian Maggiotto, outgoing president to Shannon McLenithan, incoming president. Maggiotto was presented with a plaque engraved, “This award in special recognition and appreciation for his dedicated leadership and stewardship as President of the Board of Directors 2019-2022.”
Following the transition, new board president Shannon McLenithan provided some remarks, “Looking forward we are optimistic about our future and our members’ future. That optimism is fueled by the resiliency that this region has shown through the navigation of a pandemic. While no easy challenge, we all had to pivot quickly, day by day to keep moving forward. And through it all, we saw a region come together growing stronger together. Pulling up our bootstraps, making grass roots efforts to find creative ways for progress! For that we should be proud!”
The business portion concluded with the passing of the annual budget presented by the executive director and treasurer which showed about a 12% increase from the 2022 budget, a healthy sign of normalizing and growth in the nonprofit.
At 5pm, the meeting and mood shifted as the business portion concluded and the celebration started. Heritage Family Credit Union, presenting sponsor of the event, welcomed everyone as complimentary sparkling beverages, sponsored by new member Silver Therapeutics, were handed out to all the guests. Fidium Fiber, award sponsor of the night, then presented the award video of the recipients which had been produced earlier. The video included all award recipients and their remarks on receiving the awards.
The award recipients for the 2022 year include:
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Member of the Year: Hoffman Real Estate
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New Member of the Year: The Coffee Bar
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Volunteer of the Year: Joel Howard
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Regional Visionary: Vermont News & Media as well as Paul Carroccio
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Young Professional of the Year in a Business: Ahmad Yassir of the Bennington Banner
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Young Professional of the Year in a Nonprofit: Beth Wallace of United Counseling Services
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Lifetime Achievement: Jim Sullivan of the Bennington County Regional Commission
Video of award recipients: https://youtu.be/wnxkkxNso2Y
Harrington in his presentation highlighted the current successes of the Chamber which were also highlighted in a continuous reel played throughout the event and included:
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A 95% member satisfaction rate based on the 2022 membership survey
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93% of members think that Southwestern Vermont is a good place to have a business which was up by 9 points from 2019
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87% of members thinking that Southwestern Vermont will be a better place to do business in the next 3 years which was up 7 points from 2019
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Garlic Town, USA, the flagship event of the Chamber, had consumers spend over $130,000 with merchants in downtown Bennington in one day
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51 new businesses, non profits, and individuals joined the Chamber in 2022
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The Chambre boasts a 92% retention rate of its members which is considered industry excellence
The rest of the night included a social hour with hors d’ oeuvres provided by Pangaea and a cash bar with beer, wine, cocktails & non-alcoholic options sponsored by Hoffman Real Estate and provided by Park McCullough. Musical entertainment, played throughout the night, included cellist Will Hayes and violinist Brooke Vincent and was sponsored by Carpenter & Costin. A silent auction of membership goods was also available for guests to partake in. At the conclusion of the night guests were provided with an annual meeting tradition: a small box of salted caramel chocolates provided by The Chocolate Shoppe.
But wait there was more! In partnership with the Chamber, the Shires Young Professionals held an “After Party” at the new Prospect Coffee House that started at 6:30pm with food and drinks provided by Pangaea. If guests of the annual meeting were still looking to connect and enjoy the night, they were encouraged to attend the after party, as were young professionals.
Sponsors for the night included Presenting Sponsor Heritage Family Credit Union, Award Sponsor Fidium Fiber, Toast Sponsor Silver Therapeutics, Bar Sponsor Hoffman Real Estate, Entertainment Sponsor Carpenter & Costin, Media Sponsor the Bennington Banner & Manchester Journal, and Small Business Supporters Gamers Grotto, Juniper Lane, Staples, Labrador Acres Lawn Service, and EZWay Rental. A special thank you to host Park McCullough Historic Governor’s Mansion, as well as Pangaea and Prospect Coffee House.
The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce promotes, leads and advocates a unified effort, on behalf of its members, to maintain and improve a healthy business climate and rewarding quality of life for the entire Southwestern Vermont region. Membership in the Chamber is open to any individual or organization interested in working collectively for the betterment of the business climate and quality of life in the region. The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce has represented communities and businesses since 1911 and offers its members a variety of benefits.
Shannon McClenithan, incoming board president, shares her vision for the Chamber
Matt Harrington, executive director of the Chamber, at his seventh annual meeting, welcomes guests
Over 120 member attend the Chamber's Annual Membership Meeting on Friday night
The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce. Bennington. ExploreTheShires.com