Vermont Business Magazine is proud to announce the winners of its Rising Stars recognition award. The list is comprised of 40 winners under the age of 40. Award recipients were selected by a panel of judges for their commitment to business growth, professional excellence and involvement in their communities.
‘We are thrilled by the response to this initiative to recognize these up-and-coming leaders,’ said VBM Publisher John Boutin. ‘We received 150 outstanding nominations and the judges had a difficult time picking the top 40. These young professionals have chosen to make Vermont home. For these young professionals it’s not just about business. It’s about them making a difference in their communities,’ Boutin said.
‘In the fourth year of this award we have seen an increase of over 100 percent in nominations over the first year,’ he added.
Vermont Business Magazine will honor Vermont's most accomplished young leaders at the Rising Stars dinner on November 7th. The dinner will be held at the DoubleTree hotel on Williston Road in South Burlington. The honorees will also be featured in the November issue of Vermont Business Magazine.
FAST FACTS: Of the 40 honorees, there were 20 men and 20 women. There are 18 from Chittenden County, 1 from Rutland County, 2 from Bennington County, 3 from Addison County, 9 from Washington County, 1 from Windsor County, 2 from Lamoille County, 3 from Windham County and 1 from Franklin County. The average age of the winners is 32 years old. The oldest is 39 and the youngest is 23 years old.
Judges: Governor Jim Douglas;, Steve Cook, Deputy Commissioner, Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing; Anson Tebbetts, News Director, WCAX; Nicole Ravlin, Co-Founder, PMG Public Relations; Margi Swett, President, Vermont Trophy and Engraving; John Lyons, General Manager, Wilkins Harley Davidson; and Linda Rossi, State Director VtSBDC.
Rising Stars
Class of 2013
Rex Accavallo - Pro-Tech Security & Fire ‘ Manager ‘ South Burlington
Christopher Adams - Capital Connections, LLC -Communications Coordinator - Montpelier
Emily Adams - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont - Office Coordinator/Exchange Specialist - Winooski
Carrie Allen - Heritage Family Credit Union - SVP Business Development, CUDE - Rutland
Jess Andreola - Hotel Vermont - Assistant General Manager ‘ Burlington
Robynn Beams ‘ WCAX - Video Journalist - South Burlington
Owen Brady - Vermont Gas - Key Accounts Rep - South Burlington
Valerie Brosseau - Burlington Emergency Shelter - Executive Director - Burlington
Erica Campbell - VT Farm to Plate/VT Sustainable Jobs Fund - Farm to Plate Program Director - Montpelier
Ben Chamberlain - Flying Hammer Construction ‘ Owner - Panton
Patti Daniels - Vermont Public Radio - Managing Producer, Vermont Edition - Colchester
Colin Davis - Shaksbury Cider ‘ President - Shoreham
Joe Doud - Vermont Lake Monsters - Assistant General Manager - Burlington
Becky Fu - Vermont Department of Economic Development - International Trade and Foreign Investment Specialist - Montpelier
Jessica Gingras - Vermont Chamber of Commerce - Government Affairs Program Manager - Montpelier
Jeb Gorham - Southern Vermont College - Assistant Professor of Business - Bennington
Joshua Hanford - Dept of Housing and Community Development - Director, Vermont Community Development Program - Montpelier
Michael Harrington - Town of Bennington - Director of Economic Development - Bennington
Ben Johnson - Commonwealth Dairy- Vice President - Brattleboro
Rebecca Kraemer - Small Dog Electronics - Vice President - Waitsfield
Bianka LeGrand - Red Coral Consulting- Founder/CEO - Burlington
Alex Lehning - St. Albans Historical Society - Executive Director ‘ St Albans
Adam Lemire - LineSync Architecture - Senior Designer - Wilmington
Jane Lindholm - Vermont Public Radio - Host, Vermont Edition - Colchester
Caleb Magoon - Power Play Sports ‘ Owner - Morrisville
Thomas Moffitt - Commonwealth Dairy ‘ President - Brattleboro
James Moore ‘ SunCommon - Co-President ‘ Waterbury Center
Jon Olin - Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, Inc. - Senior Structural Engineer - Burlington
Beth Parent - PMG PR -Account Supervisor - Burlington
Emily Piper - Burlington Young Professionals ‘ Director - Burlington
Mariah Riggs - Main Street Landing- Director of Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center - Burlington
Colin Ryan - A Stand Up Life - Speaker, Comedian, and Founder - Burlington
Andrew Stickney - Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies - Vice President - Burlington
Jenny Sullivan ‘ Fuse - Insights Manager - Winooski
Jennifer Surat - Central Vt. Economic Development Corporation - Director of Development - Montpelier
Kyler Turnbull - Sugarbush Resort - Events Director - Warren
Sarah Waring - Center for an Agricultural Economy - Executive Director - Hardwick
Eric Warnstedt - Hen of the Wood - Co-Owner ‘ Waterbury
Christine Werneke ‘ VNA of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties - Director of Business Development - Colchester
Ben Wilson - Middlebury College - Associate Director of Prospect Research - Middlebury