The Brattleboro Development Credit Corp. and Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies honored two organizations and one individual Oct. 17 for their outstanding contributions to southern Vermont:
- DVFiber, a nonprofit municipal organization working to bring high-quality internet to 24 communities in southeastern Vermont, received the 2024 SeVEDS Leadership Award for Excellence in Economic Development. “By connecting over 600 customers and building more than 200 miles of fiber, DVFiber is playing a crucial role in providing essential connectivity for telemedicine, education, remote work and local businesses,” said SeVEDS chairwoman Wendy Harrison.
- Leader Distribution Systems, a family-owned independent Pepsi-Cola beverage franchise, was given the 2024 BDCC Founders Award. BDCC President Craig Miskovich praised LDS CEO John Leader and his family for their consistent commitment to the community, calling the company “a shining example of what it means to be a community-focused business.”
- The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Joseph Pieciak Jr., managing shareholder of the accounting firm Downey, Pieciak, Fitzgerald & Co. Since moving to Brattleboro in the late 1960s, Pieciak has spent thousands of hours volunteering for the United Way and the Windham County Humane Society, among other organizations.