Photo courtesy of the Southwestern Vermont Chamber and Greg Nesbit Photography: (Left) Board President Shannon McLenithan, Treasurer Bill Deveneau, Executive Director Matt Harrington, and Vice President Nancy Koziol
The Biggest Business Night of the Year
Vermont Business Magazine Promoted as the “Biggest Business Night of the Year,” The Southwestern Vermont Chamber's 2024 Annual Membership Meeting was a resounding success with over 100 business owners, stakeholders, nonprofit leaders, board directors and community members in attendance. The meeting was held on Friday, January 26, 2024, at the Mount Anthony Country Club in Bennington, Vermont. The event marked a significant milestone as the Chamber announced its intention to embark on a comprehensive strategic plan to create a clear and compelling vision for the future of the organization.
It was in 2017 that the Chamber last announced its strategic vision to become a regional chamber; at that time the Chamber was primarily focused on the Bennington community. At the 2020 Annual Membership Meeting the Chamber announced its three years of regional success culminating in a rebrand and name change to the Southwestern Vermont Chamber.
“We believe now is the time to rally the members and embark on a new, exciting vision for the organization,” remarked Matt Harrington, Executive Director of the Southwestern Vermont Chamber. “We launched our rebrand in 2020 and not soon after we faced the pandemic. I think this chamber really shined during that era and did a lot of work to secure the region throughout those tumultuous years. We are at a point now, with the majority of the pandemic in the rear view mirror, that it's only responsible for the board of directors and the staff to start to chart a post-pandemic, forward-looking course for the Chamber.”
The meeting kicked off at 4:00pm with the business portion where members actively participated in discussions about the organization's affairs. Presenting Sponsor Heritage Family Credit Union welcomed the crowd and encouraged networking and business relationship growth throughout the night.
The executive director shared briefly the successes over the past year including 50 new members to the organization, a 95% approval rating of the Chamber based on the membership survey, a 94% satisfaction rate for having a business in Southwestern Vermont based on the membership - a 13% increase over the past four years, and the awarding of the state’s GROW Grant to the Chamber for efforts in relocating and retaining new Vermonters to the state.
Harrington added, “None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the unwavering support and collaborative spirit of our dedicated members. I’ve said it before at these meetings, and I’ll say it again - a membership that goes together, grows together. These great numbers and achievements are only possible because of all of you. Your collective mission to come together as a community, your commitment to shared goals, and progress has propelled us forward, and I express my deepest gratitude for your continued partnership and membership.”
The meeting also included the introduction of new board members Caryn Packard of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, Rob Bahny of Southwest Tech, Sean Osborne of J.K. Adams & Shires Young Professionals Chair Carolyn Gilbert. The membership also recognized retiring board members Ron Levene of The Barn at Center Hill and past board president Brian Maggiotto of the Inn at Manchester.
The officers, recommended by the full board and voted on prior to the meeting by the membership, remained the same with Shannon McLenthan remaining as board president, Nancy Koziol and Erica Lawrence as vice presidents, Bill Deveneau as treasurer and Brenda Jones as ex officio.
The board and membership also approved the 2024 operational budget for the organization with a majority vote.
In her remarks, board president Shannon McLenithan expressed optimism about the future, "In the face of rapid and dynamic changes, it is incumbent upon us, as leaders of the Chamber, to adopt a progressive and adaptive approach. Our responsibility is to enhance relationships between businesses, governments, non-profits, and community stakeholders through collaboration. This collaborative effort aims to develop comprehensive solutions to intricate issues, ultimately contributing to the improved well-being of the broader community."
At 5:00pm, as the official business meeting was called to a close, the mood shifted to celebration with a complimentary sparkling beverage passed around to all attendees, sponsored by Silver Therapeutics. The cash bars, sponsored by Hoffman Real Estate, opened, and h’or d'oeuvres were served by host the Mount Anthony Country Club. Light piano music began to play with Matt Edwards on the piano sponsored by VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region.
Fidium Fiber, the award sponsor, presented a video showcasing the recipients of the annual Chamber Awards, including:
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New Member of the Year: Little City Cider Company
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Member of the Year: Union Underground
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Regional Visionary: Heritage Family Credit Union
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Young Professional of the Year in a Business: Justine Curry
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Young Professional of the Year in a Nonprofit: Asher Edelson
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Lifetime Achievement: Brenda Jones
The night continued with a social hour where members connected, networked and built relationships.
Sponsors for the night included Presenting Sponsor Heritage Family Credit Union, Award Sponsor Fidium Fiber, Sparkling Toast Sponsor Silver Therapeutics, Bar Sponsor Hoffman Real Estate, Entertainment Sponsor VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region and Media Sponsor The Bennington Banner. Small Business Sponsors included The Gamer’s Grotto, Carpenter & Costin, Charlie's Coffee House, couch + cork and Mahar McCarthy Real Estate.
The night concluded with an annual meeting tradition - a small box of salted caramel chocolates provided by The Village Chocolate Shoppe - was available to all attendees as a parting gift.
As a parallel event, the Shires Young Professionals (SYP) hosted an "After Party" at the Country Club’s newest attraction Golf Simulation room directly after the close of the Chamber’s Social Hour. Both members of the Chamber and SYP members were encouraged to hang out, enjoy a cash bar, a roaring fire, golf simulations, appetizers and networking on into the night.
The Chamber wishes to give a special thank you to the host, Mount Anthony Country Club, as well as CAT-TV for putting together the award video, Matt Edwards for entertaining the membership and Greg Nesbitt for the night’s photography.
Source: 1.26.2024. (Southwestern Vermont) – SWVTChamber.com
