Archive for March, 2011

In case you have wondered where PNR disappeared to, it has taken an indefinite hiatus. Since 2007 and after roughly 200 weekly issues, Her Wonderful Loveliness (HWL) felt the need for a break. Though it may not be readily apparent to the Gentle Reader, PNR actually was a delightful, yet very labor intensive undertaking. Pooped and concerned about quality control, I suspended publication prior to the holidays and tilted my cupped ear to the wind, expecting to hear protesters in the streets demanding their PNR. None came and I interpreted the quiet to mean lack of interest, and that’s okay, too. To every thing, there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven. (more…)

By: Steve Voigt, Chair

Does the use of ‘disaster’ to describe any number of issues in our states and country ring hollow to anyone else in the wake of Japan’s multiple disasters?  After getting over the disbelief around the scale of the human impact, the magnitude of the recovery needed and the equanimity of the Japanese people is what strikes me. (more…)

The 24^th Annual Meeting of the Vermont Business Roundtable saw the passing of the Chair’s torch from America’s #1 Family Resort ~ Smugglers’ Notch Resort ~ to America’s Oldest Flour Company ~ King Arthur Flour. After two years and countless hours in the saddle hauling water for the Roundtable, Bill Stritzler delivered his outgoing remarks and was presented with the Chair’s Chair by a grateful membership. During his tenure Stritzler exhibited a leadership style that Roundtable President Lisa Ventriss described as “sage wisdom through story telling.” Stritzler also chaired two very important and successful initiatives including the 2010 Pulse of Vermont: Quality of Life survey and the Business Leadership Summit on Early Childhood Initiatives. (more…)

We recently had the pleasure of making acquaintance with John Killacky, the new Executive Director of The Flynn Center, when he joined us as our guest to VBR’s 24th Annual Membership Meeting in January.

To show his appreciation for the invitation and hospitality amongst members, John is graciously offering a 15% discount to the upcoming Mariachi Los Camperos performance on Sunday, April 3rd.

To learn more about this heralded group of performers or to purchase tickets, click here. The promo code is: roundtable.

At the February meeting of the Roundtable Board of Directors, Ken Perine, President and CEO of the National Bank of Middlebury, and chair of the Tax & Fiscal Policy Task Force, presented that group’s reactions and policy recommendations, which were ultimately endorsed by the Board. On two separate occasions over the past year, the Roundtable presented formal testimony before the Blue Ribbon Tax Structure Commission (BRTSC) and, later in the process, also participated in a roundtable discussion of current issues with members of the Commission and other stakeholders. (more…)

If you missed the Roundtable’s March 2^nd ski day at Sugarbush Resort, then you missed one of the best CEO presentations to date. Oh, the skiing was pretty awesome, too, and you missed my high-viz day glow, lime green jacket ~ an update over my old, banana yellow jumpsuit, which Staige Davis was fond of. But I digress…

Win Smith was our congenial host at Lincoln Peak and, throughout the changeable weather day we skied on terrain ranging from groomed corduroy cruisers, to natural coverage on steep, wooded trails, to rapidly accumulating fresh powder.  (more…)

The family’s winter vacation to Florida this year included a new element, one that I highly recommend if you’re ever within striking distance…”taking the waters” at one of that state’s hot mineral springs. If I’d known about these natural spas before, I would most certainly have made it a tradition long ago. The setting was definitely funky old Florida, not sexy South Beach; the music piped through the trees was New Age, not Top 40 Hip Hop; and, surprise! the café featured Vermont beer to accompany our spa food menu. But it was the spring itself that was most fascinating: it maintained a steady 87 degrees as 9 million gallons of water flowed through it every day, and the water that we soaked in was totally and naturally changed every three hours. So while I slowly made endless circuits around the neck-deep natural pool, marveling at all the Russian tourists, I mused. (more…)

UVM Sustainability Leadership Programs for Professionals
Summer Institute July 11-22, 2011
Sustainability has become the key driver of innovation across all industries and all sectors. Businesses and organizations of all types and sizes are seeking knowledgeable leaders who can help them shift their practices to be sustainable. Communities need citizens who are prepared to help develop real solutions for the challenges they face. Are you prepared? (more…)