OCTOBER 25, 2006
BRATTLEBORO, VT — The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC)
hosted its Annual Meeting of Trustees on October 24, 2006, at the Marlboro College Technology Center. In addition to reports from the president, the executive director, and the treasurer, the meeting featured the election of 14 new members and the re-election of officers.
New members include: Barry Beeman (Brattleboro Memorial Hospital), Larry Bloch (Save the Corporations), Bill Corbeil (WTSA), Rebecca Day (Title Examiner), David Dunn (Rescue, Inc.), Tony Elliott, Sally Fegley (Tom & Sally's Chocolates), Jim Hayssen (Bradford Machine), Ellen Lovell (Marlboro College), Burl Penton (Brattleboro Bowl), Julie Peterson, Bob Rusten (Town Manager, Wilmington), Artie Schubert (Windham Foundation), and Robin Stern (Potter Stewart Jr. Law Offices P.C.).
The re-elected officers are: Debbie Boyle (President), Peter Van Oot (Vice President), John V.P. Meyer (Treasurer), Richard Carroll (Clerk), and Stephen Phillips (Assistant Clerk).
Of the more than 57 members and guests who attended the meeting, three notable attendees were Vermont State Commissioner of Economic Development Mike Quinn; guest speaker Michael Kane, managing partner of the economic development consulting firm Mt. Auburn Associates; and Stephen E. Baker, 2006 recipient of the BDCC Founders Award.
Baker is the head of Bakers, Inc., a three-generation family business originally established in 1925 in Brattleboro as a newspaper, magazine and greeting card shop. It has grown over the decades to include a group of stationery and magazine stores, an office furniture store, an office design company, and a newspaper and magazine distributing company. Winners of the BDCC Founders Award are selected for their efforts and actions that have helped to make a difference to our area and to the business climate; they are known for creating value-added jobs and for promoting a climate that enhances the economic vitality of the region.
Kane has been a practitioner and researcher in the community and economic development field for more than 25 years. He specializes in regional economic development planning and sector analysis and organizing, among other areas. In 1992, he joined Mt. Auburn Associates, a consulting firm working with a variety of public and private organizations to create effective economic development policies and programs that promote economic growth and stability, job generation, and the improved functioning of capital markets.
Quinn has been serving as the commissioner of economic development in Vermont since 2003. His background includes working as the senior vice president and development team leader for Banknorth Vermont, and holding vice president positions at the Bank of Vermont, Irving Financial Centers, and Chittenden Bank. His role under the Douglas Administration involves expanding entrepreneurial activity in Vermont through coordination of business incubators, federal grants, and capital investment efforts.
BDCC is a private, nonprofit economic development organization that serves as a catalyst for industrial and commercial growth in Windham County. Its primary objective is to create and retain a flourishing business community that supports vibrant fiscal activity, and improves the quality of life of all its residents. Founded in 1954, BDCC owns and manages the Cotton Mill industrial park/incubator and the new business park at the former Book Press building, among other facilities, and is one of 12 Vermont Regional Development Corporations.
For more information about BDCC, call 802-257-7731 or email bdcc@sover.net.