BRATTLEBORO — The recent Southern Vermont Economic Development Summit gathered and showcased individual and collaborative economic and community development entities and efforts in Bennington and Windham counties.
More than 130 attendees from the two counties, representatives of statewide programs and collaborators from out of state were addressed by Vermont governor Phil Scott and Secretary Michael Schirling of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, and received economic briefings from the Federal Bank of Boston and the Vermont Department of Labor.
The Southern Vermont Economy Project, a summit co-sponsor, plans to continue the momentum created at the summit with new professional development programming.
In July, the Project will launch a bi-monthly “quick-hit” webinar series titled “Knowledge Bites,” focused on providing introductory information about economic and community development tools, programs, and funding opportunities.
Each session will be 30 minutes including time for brief questions and contact instructions for participants looking to utilize the showcased tool or program. This programming will be free and open to the public, but geared towards entities in Southern Vermont that work in economic and community development.
Presentations will include topics such as where to find commonly requested labor data on the Vermont Department of Labor website; who should and how to apply for the Windham Region Brownfields Reuse Initiative; information on how to utilize the state downtown/village designation to leverage funding; a discussion about the new joint Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy and how to submit projects; and more.
The first session will be Tuesday, July 11, at noon: “How do I find useful labor data on the Vermont DOL website?” presented by Kevin Stapleton at the Vermont Department of Labor.
Instructions on connecting to the webinars, as well as a schedule of topics, can be found at brattleborodevelopment.com/knowledge-bites.
The Southern Vermont Economy Project also will be providing information on the site regarding how to request an opportunity to present best practices and/or use of economic and community development tools. Webinars will be recorded and archived at the above web address.