Addison County Economic Development Corporation
Business Strategy and Planning
Addison County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC) is a critical resource helping businesses thrive in Addison County. ACEDC works with organizations in all sectors and provide services and support to pre-venture start-ups through established businesses and global corporations.
The Challenge
The time constraint of the provided funding was a significant challenge for an already busy team. In addition, multiple regions within the state were conducting similar gatherings. State leaders would be given the opportunity to see the work of these regions and compare their approach and execution of the event. All aspects of the summit needed attention, including overall strategy development, agenda building, speaker identification, panel facilitation and all event logistics.
The Opportunity
Recently, the Vermont Department of Labor generous;y provided funding for a workforce development gathering in Addison County. A critical issue facing most businesses in Vermont is the inability to identify and maintain the necessary personnel. An Addison County Workforce Development Task Force was recently reinvigorated by the Addison County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC), making the timing of the funding particularly important. The ACEDC team was already at capacity, so additional planning and facilitation support was needed. The funding required the event to be planned and executed within a 50-day period.
How We Are Helping
Community Barn assisted in planning the event, crafting an agenda that engaged the business, provider and educator communities and provided different levels of participation for all attendees. Panelists and Facilitators were provided with preparation materials to ensure a high caliber experience was had by all attendees. At the event, Community Barn facilitated the panel discussion which required researching the workforce development issue on a local and national level, creating diverse questions, preparing the panel and managing audience participation. Pre and Post event surveys were conducted, analyzed and presented. A summary event report was prepared and follow up meetings held with the Addison County Workforce Development Task Force to support the prioritization of and action on identified workforce development challenges and potential solutions.