Vermont Business Magazine The second Shires of Vermont Regional Summit was held on November 30 at the Dana Thompson Park House in Manchester. 
Co-hosted by The Shires of Vermont Regional Marketing Organization, Bennington County Industrial Corporation, and the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce, a meeting of approximately 35 municipal officials, business leaders, and community leaders met to “roll up their sleeves” and follow-up on ideas generated by the initial Summit held in late September. The Manchester venue was chosen to underscore the commitment of the groups to an integrated region-wide community effort, spanning the 17 towns served by the former Manchester and the Mountains Chamber of Commerce and the communities served by the Bennington Area Chamber.
A key finding at the first summit was the importance of including the Bennington County Industrial Corporation (BCIC) and Bennington County Regional Commission (BCRC) in the planning, as they are already leading economic development efforts in the County. The expanded alliance offers greater opportunity for state and federal funding, especially as Bennington and Windham County create a Southern Vermont Economic Development Zone and Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). Following a review of current regional initiatives and partnerships and a summary of the first Summit, attendees split into two roundtables to focus on marketing and economic development. Facilitated by Jonah Spivak of The Shires RMO, Matt Harrington of the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce, and Jonathan Cooper of the BCIC, the roundtables reached consensus on their main priorities.
The marketing roundtable endorsed the creation of an expanded regional area guide to be published by the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce next spring, with a robust website also a priority. “We're excited that the Bennington Chamber can make this a priority for attracting visitors to our region and as a guide for locals and visitors who are already here. Once a guide is produced, a regional website should follow.” said Linda Benway, President of The Shires RMO.
Other priorities are the creation of a comprehensive inventory of tourism assets and resources, and an analysis of the region’s highest potential geographic markets, based on marketing data from current visitor transactions. Future planning will follow.
The economic development group identified four key priorities for the next 6-12 months: getting the right stakeholders involved with the planning; creating an economic asset inventory; building bridges with similar groups in Windham County; and creating a simple “Case for Change” document to define its vision and plan the first steps in the process. Both roundtable groups agreed to meet again in January to continue the work.
Summit organizers were pleased with the event and the consensus reached by the attendees. “Some of the more exciting highlights from around the table were fruitful discussions about the green economy/agri-food movement, attracting/keeping millennial generation talent in the region, and the notion of economic “gardening” vs. “hunting,” said Matt Harrington of the Bennington Chamber. “That is, we’re better off building an economic base through an improved workforce and business growth from within our communities, than luring a big manufacturing plant through incentives to save the day.”
As the combined regional effort gains momentum, the Summit organizers encourage committed members of the business community to become involved with the effort. As Jonathan Cooper stated it, “If our region is going get on the map for available federal resources, it is very important to have public participation in the CEDS process for southern Vermont. We need to involve all key stakeholders in the community.” Interested parties should contact The Shires of Vermont at [email protected].
The Shires of Vermont Regional Marketing Organization is a 501c(3) nonprofit formed to promote the region of southern Vermont known as “The Shires of Vermont.” The Shires is a historical reference to Bennington and Manchester – known as Shire towns because they are uniquely, each sites of a county courthouse. The region encompasses the river valleys of the Batten Kill, Mettowee, Walloomsac and West Rivers and spans the area between the Green Mountains and the Taconic Range. It is replete with historical sites, working farms, furniture makers, artisan dairies, inns and restaurants, galleries and museums, ski resorts, wild trout streams, covered bridges and other authentic American treasures. Learn more at theshiresofvermont.com
Photo: Matt Harrington of Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce describes how a comprehensive economic development strategy can attract state and federal funding.