SEVEDS Board Meeting Minutes, March 17, 2016 | 3 pm- 5 pm  BDCC

Attendees: Bob Steven, Patrick Mooreland, Meg Streeter, Adam Grinold, Kristin Mehalick, Alex Beck, Jill James (Phone), Bill Covlin, Luke Stafford, Drew Richards, Berta Magginness, Konstantin von Krusenstiern, Susan McMahon, Martin Langeveld , Guest: Stephen Dotson

 

The Usual Business

• Welcome and Gathering
• Approve Minutes – approved
• Review and Approve Financials – Jill
  • New DOL Grant started: Alex’s Salary has moved completely to BDCC
  • Influx of Cash for past month
    • Town of Brattleboro (2015)
    • YP Funds for February
    • Grant Funding Pay-out
    • Meg Motions, Bill Seconds, Financials Approved
• Reschedule April Board Meeting – Bob
  • Rescheduled to: April 28th, 3-5 pm
• Chair Comments
  • Executive committee meeting prior to the SeVEDS board meeting to have more detailed conversations around the SeVEDS organization.
  • BDCC/SeVEDS Structure meetings – ongoing conversations around the structure of SeVEDS. We are trying to define clearly what we are now which is an affiliate organization of BDDC. We are getting clearer about how the organization’s work, what are the differences and how do we work together. It is getting clearer and more to come. We will continue to evolve. There’s value to having a 5013 ©. SeVEDS would need to be a separate entity. As our regional relationships evolve we may want to revisit SeVEDS regional approach and expanded across counties. Concerned we don’t have a sustainable funding plan for the organization.The executive board would like to come back to the board with recommendations and how we find a sustainable funding source long term. SeVEDS also has a capacity issue and can only dedicate specific resources to certain initiatives. How do we find a way to be sustainable – at least a 10 – 20 year effort. Next steps, the executive committee working as this task force.
  • The idea of matching grant funds with initiatives is needed. What is SeVEDS core funding need to be in existence? Interesting to explore other revenue streams but SeVEDS already has these (state, grant and municipalities).
  • SeVEDS is not a 501 3 © yet
  • BDDC has an audit requirements for SeVEDS whereas SeVEDS is not
  • Most of the time it’s easier for BDDC to be a fiscal sponsor – like the one we are doing now with the McClure foundation

 

CEDS and FY ‘16 Board Priority Area Updates

 

• General CEDS

 

• CEDS Objective 1: Act Regionally
  • Vermont Gubernatorial Candidates Visits to the Windham Region – Kristin
    • Candidates took tours and met with local businesses throughout the region. Also met with BDCC/SeVEDS boards to have conversations around initiatives

 

 

• CEDS Objective 2: Create an entrepreneurial environment and culture to enhance existing business and grow new business.

 

• Board 2016 Priority:
  • Accelerator Feasibility Study Update – Kristin
    • FYI: Study Due from Vital Economy: Week of April 25th, recommendation will be given at this time  
    • Istig8 VT Presentation – RT
      • Need for sustainable programing around start-ups and businesses sustainability
      • The need to create sparks and is appealing to everyone, startups and current business growth
      • The EDA funding was planned to hire an accelerator program manager.

 

 

• CEDS Objective 3: Improve wage parity with the surrounding laborshed

 

• Board 2016 Priority: Green Building, Healthcare, Tech Driven Precision Manufacturing
  • Green Building Cluster Action Team Meetings Update – Kristin
  • Action Team Meeting Notes: FIRE, Products & Services, and Knowledge Center. These action teams are meeting prior to Milestone 2 and will be conducting asset mapping exercises. These meetings are available in audio format in the above links.
  • FYI – Milestone 2 Event: Wednesday, April 27th 9:00 am – 11:30 am, Location TBD, location will most likely be in Brattleboro. This will be a report out the asset mapping exercise conducted in the break out session meetings

• Reference Material: GB Cluster Analysis

 

 

• CEDS Objective 4: Increase the size and quality of the workforce

 

• Board 2016 Priority: Workforce Development and Internship Program
• FYI – Spoke at a panel for AdvanceVT Conference about Internship Program & Workforce Development – Alex
• FYI -Continuing to meet with High Schools on Fast Tracks to Success – Alex
• FYI- School Board Orientation Meetings began 3/14 – Alex
  • Presenting to these leadership teams to engage and educate them
  • Applying for funding from a variety of sources – SeVEDS is 1 o f 7 chosen by the McClure foundation to submit a full application for funding
• $50,000.00 in potential funding from the USDA and McClure foundation to focus on business roundtables – job creation narrative is not helping us as much as we could, the actual problem is who is going to be filling these jobs
• Imavermonter.com a website that’s focused on
  • BDCC is promoting this – need to raise $5,000.00 to be on this website and would include people of color on the website. There currently is not representation in the Windham county

 

 

• CEDS Objective 5: Retain and attract younger talent through engagement linkages, lifestyle amenities, and meaningful career opportunities

• Board 2016 Priority: SoVT Recruiting – Alex

 

• YP Gala – Alex
  • 286 (potentially more) attendees, 100 tickets at pre-sale
  • Gross Revenue ~$5,000
  • Net Revenue ~$3,000
  • Steering Committee Meeting this past Monday
  • April event with Downtown Brattleboro Alliance
  • Next Six Month Calendar to be designed – want to hold of candidate forum around economic development that will be in partnership with the Bennington County
  • The Retreat keeps talking about engaging a commuter bus from MA up to VT – this doesn’t grow the population but gets people here to spend money. Problem: how do we find and connect with them?

Substantive Discussions

• Town Meeting Day Review – Kristin
  • Total funding received
  • Lessons learned
  • October – November – SeVEDS should be added to all town reports
  • Were not funded in the town of Londonderry because SeVEDS has not showed representation at Town Meeting day.

 

Town	Potential Funding for FY 2017
Brattleboro	Pending – $25,000.00
Rockingham	$15,000.00
Westminster	$9,534.00
Putney	$8,106.00
Vernon	$6,600.00
Wilmington	$5,628.00
Dover	$3,372.00
Marlboro	$3,234.00
Total	$51,474.00

 

Other Business / Announcements (as needed)

 

• Next Regular Board Meeting – April  28th 3:00 – 5:00 pm
• BDCC Semi-Annual Meeting, Wednesday, April 27th 4:00 – 6:00 pm, Location TBD