Breakfast Workshop: Strengthening Outdoor Business Agility in Changing Times

Over the first 100 days of the Trump Administration, Vermont outdoor businesses and organizations have been assessing impacts from changes related to tariffs, reduced Canadian and international visitation, consumer spending, federal grant cuts, reduced access to recreation places, and workforce reductions within the federal government and AmeriCorps.

Register to join this workshop for networking, education, and technical assistance to support the outdoor sector on a range of topics from trade, tourism, and business decision making to financing and funding options, customs, legal, and human resources advice, and marketing analysis.

A panel discussion offering guidance and resources will be followed by topical small group and 1:1 sessions.

PRESENTERS

• Mike Pieciak, Vermont State Treasurer
• Heather Pelham, Commissioner, Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing
• Tammy Flanders Hetrick, Senior Consulting Coordinator, A.N. Deringer
• Chris D’Elia, President and Treasurer, Vermont Bankers Association
• Nicole Killoran, Director, Vermont Small Business Law Center, Vermont Law and Graduate School
• Peter Sampson, Chief Lending Officer, Vermont Economic Development Authority

ADVISORS

• TJ Whalen, General Partner and Managing Director, FreshTracks Capital
• Lawrence Miller, Senior Advisor-Mission Investments, Vermont Community Foundation
• Dave Schmidt, Founder, 45 North
• Bill Supple, LLC, Founder
• Sasha Dietschi-Cooper, Founder, Method Outdoor Collective
• Dan Lyons, Managing Director, HR Services, The Richards Group
• John Young, Director, Vermont Training Program, Vermont Department of Economic Development
• Noragh Devlin, Advisor, Capital Innovation Lab

Register if you are an outdoor business or organization seeking:

• Information and new industry relationships;
• Guidance and tools for business and organizational planning;
• Financing strategy and funding options to navigate working capital and grants; and,
• Marketing approaches to tap shifts in consumer purchasing and visitation.

AGENDA

8:00 – 8:10 Coffee and networking
8:10 – 8:30 Expert panel
8:30 – 8:50 Audience discussion
8:50 – 9:10 Small group and 1:1 sessions
9:10 – 9:30 Continuation of sessions or general networking

VOBA’s Federal Impacts on Vermont Outdoor Businesses Report includes stories and recommended problem-solving areas for the state, service providers, funders, and the industry:

• Support business technical assistance to aid business and organizational planning;
• Provide flexible financing options and funding to navigate working capital;
• Market local businesses and outdoor destinations to tap shifts in consumer behavior;
• Organize networking opportunities for relationship building, collaboration, and learning;
• Lean into outdoor recreation as a source of participation, health and wellbeing; and,
• Stay the course on investments in recreation, and conservation, and accessibility as the underpinning of the state’s future outdoor economy.

Other resources include:

• Federal impact report from the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative
• USMCA resources from Vermont’s Congressional Offices
• Tariff resources from the Vermont Department of Economic Development
• Vermont Small Business Development Center’s Business Agility Guide

This event is free to VOBA Members and $15 for Non-Members.