Vermont Business Magazine, 41 winners and nearly 200 guests celebrated the Rising Stars recognition award Thursday night at the Comfort Suites in South Burlington. The list is comprised of young professionals 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.
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‘This is the second year we've honored a group of young Vermonters. Among their professional accomplishments, the judges looked very hard at how they've given back to their communities," said VBM Publisher John Boutin. "All of these winners are outstanding members of their communities and have given a lot of themselves to help others.’
Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott gave the keynote address and noted how, in the wake of two major floods in the state in just the last six months, that truly, "We are Vermont strong."
Bob Guydos of Choice Strategies said that this group of younger Vermonters will lead the state into the future and will demand a new way of using technology to accomplish the goals of a modern society. For instance, he said, consider employee benefits. He said that it would be cheaper today for an employer to pay the average worker's mortgage than to cover his health care. This, he said, must and will change.
Choice Strategies, of Waterbury Center, was among a select group of sponsors for the Rising Stars event, which included PMG Public Relations of Burlington, NBT Bank of Burlington, Simon Pearce of Quechee, Lake Champlain Chocolates of Burlington and the Vermont Country Store of Manchester Center.
‘We received many outstanding nominations and the judges had a difficult time getting it down to only 41," Boutin said. "The latest census report shows that Vermont is the second oldest state in the US, but these young professionals show that Vermont is not losing its young talent. For these young professionals it’s not just about business. It’s about them making a difference in their communities.’
Vermont Business Magazine will honor Vermont's most accomplished young leaders at the Rising Stars dinner on Thursday, November 3rd. The dinner will be held at 5:30 at the Sunset Ballroom at the Comfort Suites on Shelburne Road in South Burlington. The honorees will also be featured in a special program in the November issue of Vermont Business Magazine.
FAST FACTS: Of the 41 honorees, there were 23 men and 18 women. There are 19 from Chittenden County, 7 from Washington County, 6 from Rutland County, 4 from Bennington county, 2 from Windsor County, 2 from Orleans County and 1 from Caledonia County. The average age of the winners is 30 years old. The oldest is 39 and the youngest is 10 years old.
2011 HONOREES
Alec Newcomb - MyWebGrocer - Chief Strategy Office
Alison Davis - Westaff/Mount Family Group LTD - Branch Manager
Amanda Ibey - Homebuilders & Remodelers Assoc. - Government Affairs Director
Amy Cunningham - Everybody Wins! VT - Executive Director
Andrew Savage - AllEarth Renewables, Inc. - Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Anise Richey - Draker Laboratories, Inc. - Production Manager
Benjamin Adler - Skinny Pancake - Owner
Bradley Holt - Found Line - Co-Founder & Technical Director
Brian McKenna - D.B. McKenna & Co. - CFP
Catherine Wisloski - Lake Champlain Chocolates - Director of Marketing & Brand Management
Christopher Bernier - Special Olympics of Vermont - Marketing & Development Director
David Metraux - State of Vermont - Information Technology Manager II
David Parker - Dealer.com - Senior Director, Corporate Development
Demeny Pollitt - Girlington Garage - Owner
Edward Sanders - The Hampton Inn and Event Center - Director of Sales
Eli Moulton - Merrit & Merritt & Moulton - Partner
Elliot Orton - Vermont Country Store - Chair of the Board
Eric Mallette - The Paramount Theater - Programming Director
Geoffrey Hand - Dunkiel Saunders - Partner
Jessica Bridge - Real Estate Vermont - Owner
John Lyon - Wilkins Harley Davidson - General Manager
Justin Bourgeois - Community National Bank - Commercial Lending Office: VP/Commercial Lending; Business Lender
Kate Keough - iTech US, Inc. - Director of Operations
Kate Neubauer - Community Sailing Center - Executive Director
Kathryn Vanderminden - Village Roots Catering - Chef/Owner
Kent Melville - Kent's Soda - Co-Founder
Leslie Schreiber - Schreiber Training - Owner
Lukas Snelling - Energize Vermont - Director of Communications
Matthew Cota - Vermont Fuel Dealer Association (VFDA) Executive Director
Michael Lannen - Eternity Web Development - President + Founder
Michael Coppinger - Downtown Rutland Partnership - Executive Director
Michelle Fairbrother - Berkshire Bank - Vice President, Vermont Regional Manager
Molly Turner - Ben & Jerry's - Executive Assistant
Nicole L'Huillier Fenton - Flavor Communications, LLC - Owner
Oliver Levis - Earth Sky Time Community Farm - Farmer/Baker
Rebecca Gutwin - the RehabGYM Inc. - CFO
Ross Evans - Simon Pearce - Director of Marketing
Sky Barsch Gleiner - Vermont Sports Magazine - Owner/Publisher
Seth Webb - Town of Killington - Executive Director, Economic Development and Tourism
Tesha Buss - Good Commons - Creator
Yael Friedman - Fletcher Allen Foundation - Annual Fund/Major Gift Officer
Source: Vermont Business Magazine. November 3, 2011