BURLINGTON, Vermont – Mercy Connections is pleased to share that Lisa Ventriss, President and CEO of Vermont Business Roundtable, will be this year’s recipient of the Catherine McAuley award. The award will be bestowed at Mercy Connections Annual May Luncheon on May 4, 2017.

Each year the Board of Directors selects a person who exemplifies mercy values and the example of Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy.  This year, the board will honor Lisa Ventriss with the Catherine McAuley award.  Continue reading “Mercy Connections to Honor VBR President Lisa Ventriss [2.1.17]” →

Business Associations Join Together:
Request President Trump to Rescind His Executive Order Regarding the Issuance of Visas

Vermont business associations representing small, medium and large, businesses and their employees across Vermont finds the recent Executive Order signed by President Trump to be contrary to the economic and humanitarian values that have defined our state and our country since its inception. The statement is issued jointly by the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce (LCRCC), the Vermont Business Roundtable (VBR), the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce (VCC).

As a state whose history is steeped in the legacy of those fleeing religious and political oppression, and as a state whose history is woven throughout the American Revolution’s fight for personal liberty and freedom, our Associations reject the underlying assumption that one’s race, religion or culture should create an automatic bar to entry into our country. Continue reading “Roundtable Joins LCRCC, VBSR and Vermont Chamber to Request President Trump to Rescind Executive Order on Visas [2.1.17]” →

(South Burlington, Vt.)  Today, Lisa Ventriss, President of Vermont Business Roundtable (VBR) and Jeffrey Carr, President, Economic & Policy Resources (EPR), announced the Q1 2017 outlook results of their joint initiative, the VBR-EPR Business Conditions Survey and Index.

Overall Finding

The latest survey, which was conducted during the first two weeks of January 2017, achieved a response rate of 71 percent overall and included a 50 percent or greater response rate from 13 of 14 represented sectors within the membership.  Survey results show that: Continue reading “1Qtr Business Conditions Survey Shows Growing Positivity [1.31.17]” →

Today, Lisa Ventriss, President of Vermont Business Roundtable (Roundtable) announced the recipient of the 2016 New Medallion Award, which recognizes exceptional school leadership and progress toward the goals inherent in Act 46 of equity, access, and quality of educational experiences for all Vermont students.

According to Win Smith, Chair of the Roundtable’s Board of Directors, “For 15 years the Roundtable annually recognized schools for the innovative and creative ways in which they delivered excellence in the whole educational experience, despite increasing social and economic pressures. Now in the Act 46 era, the Roundtable believes it is all the more important to recognize exceptional, innovative leadership that best prepares our students for college and career readiness. So, it gives us great pleasure to announce the 2016 winner is Ms. Rachael Potts, Internship Coordinator and Employment Specialist from Harwood Union High School.” Continue reading “Roundtable Announces 2016 New Medallion Award Recipient [12.5.16]” →

(So. Burlington, VT) Today, Lisa Ventriss, President of Vermont Business Roundtable (Roundtable) joined with fellow leaders across Vermont in pledging to support all Vermonters and welcome people of all backgrounds to the Green Mountain state. In doing so, the Roundtable upholds Vermont’s traditions and reputation as a place of hope and opportunity.

According to Ventriss, “The Board of Directors believe that it is important to clearly articulate, on behalf of the full membership, a commitment to those principles that shape a representative democracy and that embrace all communities as equally deserving of those rights and freedoms.”

The joint statement was also signed by Governor Peter Shumlin, Governor-elect Phil Scott, and the presidents of Vermont’s public and private higher education institutions. Continue reading “Roundtable Issues Joint Statement Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness [11.18.16]” →

by Lisa Ventriss, President
On the Friday before Election Day I came home to find my copy of Hillary Clinton’s memoir of her time as Secretary of State, Hard Choices, lying on the floor with half of its cover chewed to shreds. Because the only thing my dogs regularly destroy are squeaky tennis balls, I took this as a bad omen and said so to my dogs. Continue reading “Ventriss VPR Commentary on Opportunity and Obligation” →

(South Burlington, Vt.)  Today, Lisa Ventriss, President of Vermont Business Roundtable (VBR) and Jeffrey Carr, President, Economic & Policy Resources (EPR), announced the Q4 2016 outlook results of their joint initiative, the VBR-EPR Business Conditions Survey.

Methodology

The quarterly survey is a tool for tracking business conditions and forecasting the future of Vermont’s economy, by providing insight into business sentiments and trends. Specifically, the survey provides both a look back at the previous quarter and a predictive index going forward.

The data for both the backward and forward-looking questions are weighted to the Vermont economy by sector employment and turned into “diffusion indices”.[1] These diffusion indices provide a tool for analyzing and presenting insight into the Vermont economy over time through the sentiments of the Roundtable members. The survey asked eight retrospective and prospective questions about the CEOs’ economic outlook, demand, capital spending, and employment. Continue reading “4th Qtr Business Conditions Survey Results Still on Neutral [11.17.16]” →

by Lisa Ventriss, President

Once a year, I gather with my fellow state business roundtable executives to network, commiserate, and share best practices. This year we met in Detroit, where I happened to stay at the same hotel as the LA Rams football team, who were in town to play the Lions.

At the onset, let me state that the Rams are my brother’s favorite football team, and interestingly enough, my husband is the former professor of the team’s head coach. So, when I checked into the hotel on Saturday for my meetings and literally ran into the LA Rams team, I was delighted! Continue reading “Ventriss VPR Commentary on Locker Room Talk” →

(South Burlington, Vt.)  Referencing her valuable contributions to the State of Vermont in education policy, the New England Secondary School Consortium Council has selected Lisa Ventriss, President of Vermont Business Roundtable as a Public Will Fellow and member of the Vermont Team.

The Public Will Forum will serve as an expert advisory council informing the work of state agencies of education and the governing body of the NESSC. “I am honored to participate in this important group and look forward to the opportunity to benefit all of Vermont’s children through the work of the Consortium”, stated Ventriss.

The New England Secondary School Consortium (NESS) is a regional partnership that promotes forward-thinking innovations in the design and delivery of secondary education across New England. Five partner states  – Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont – work together to close persistent achievement gaps and promote greater educational equity and opportunity for all students.

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