The third Wednesday in October is Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day to celebrate the great work happening across the nation by our local Chamber of Commerce organizations.
Today we would like to highlight some of our accomplishments this past year, reintroduce you to our staff, and thank our fellow Chamber of Commerce organizations that we are fortunate to work with regularly across Vermont.
Here at Chamber & Economic Development of the Rutland Region (CEDRR), we have certainly had a lot of changes this past year as a result of our merger just one year ago between Rutland Economic Development Corporation and Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce. The staff at CEDRR and the countless volunteers that are affiliated with our organization have been working tirelessly to bring our work to life throughout our region. To give you a high-level overview of some of our work, here is a brief snapshot of what we have been up to:
- Successfully launched a new organization,
- Written several Regional Economic Development Grants (REDG) for local businesses,
- Launched the CEDRR Intern Hub in Downtown Rutland in partnership with Castleton University,
- Provided technical assistance to local businesses impacted by COVID-19,
- Expanded our Real Rutland initiative and Concierge Program,
- Enhanced our Revolving Loan Fund,
- Provided funding for additional internships for Stafford Technical Center students funded through a grant by the Department of Labor,
- Assisted The MINT with a 9,000 square foot expansion,
- Grew internship opportunities internally for students at Castleton University,
- Began our own initiatives to support Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and built a DEI Committee to continue this work,
- And so much more!
The list is endless, and our staff is pleased to be working on behalf of businesses and families throughout Rutland County every day. You may already know most of our staff, but we would like to reintroduce you to the staff of CEDRR that continue to make Rutland County an even better place to live, work, play, and grow a business.
At CEDRR, we are so incredibly grateful for this place in which we get to call home and the people we get to call friends and colleagues. On this day, we’re especially thankful for all of our local Chamber of Commerce organizations, especially those that are primarily operated by gracious volunteers. Our towns are so lucky to have each of you leading the way towards a more vibrant community.