BRANDON — There will be a change at the helm of the Addison County Chamber of Commerce.
Chamber President Andy Mayer announced last week that he will be leaving his position at the end of the month to become the president/CEO of a chamber in Washington state.
Mayer made his decision public at the chamber’s annual meeting at Café Provence in Brandon on Wednesday night. Also at the event — which nearly 80 Chamber members and local business owners attended — a local business, an organization and an individual were presented with awards.
Mayer has led the Addison County Chamber since 2007 and is relocating to be closer to his and his wife’s family. Sue Hoxie, the chamber’s marketing and communications director, has been named interim president.
“We’re very thankful for the service Andy has given to the community,” said Steve Misasi, chair of the chamber board of directors. “He will be greatly missed in the area.”
Misasi, who heads his namesake accounting firm, said the board will start the search for Mayer’s long-term replacement within a month, after it evaluates what the person in that position needs to accomplish. He expects the entire process to be completed within six months.
“Sue (Hoxie) may end up being the replacement,” he said. “We need to look around and take a look at what the job will be going forward.”
TOP CITIZEN, BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATION
Then it was on to the awards. First up was the 2014 Buster Brush Citizen of the Year Award presented to Nancy Malcolm, who has been involved on some level with a plethora of Addison County organizations.
The Buster Brush Award is given to an Addison County citizen who exemplifies the criteria for which the award is given — a history of getting things done to make the community better in a variety of ways, with no intention of personal reward or recognition.
Malcolm’s community involvement includes The United Way of Addison County (former board chair), Porter Medical Center Auxiliary (past president), Frog Hollow Arts Center (former board member), Addison Respite Care Home (board member), the county’s Guardian Ad Litem program, and the building committees for both Middlebury Union High School and Middlebury Union Middle School. She also chaired the Middlebury Area Creative Economy Group, which led to the Green Energy Expo and the Middlebury Arts Walk.
Malcolm played a vital role in the development of Middlebury’s new Riverfront Park, including fundraising and leading the volunteer effort to plant the rain garden. She also spearheaded the successful effort to get the Middlebury town office proposal passed. Also, Malcolm is the current chair of the Middlebury Planning Commission.
The Chamber’s Community Achievement Award is given to a nonprofit organization that provides a significant and sustained contribution to the wellbeing of the area. This year’s award was presented to Addison County Transit Resources, known as ACTR, and accepted by Executive Director Jim Moulton and board Chair Dean George.
Since 1992 ACTR has grown in its ability to serve the people of Addison County. In its own words, they are “There When It Matters.” ACTR helps people get where they need to go whether it’s work, shopping, medical appointments, school, play, and much more.
Many riders have no other way to get around and others merely choose to use public transportation, availing themselves of ACTR’s routes and special services like Dial-a-ride.
With a new Middlebury facility that opened last fall, ACTR is able to operate even more efficiently. That is true in two ways — the Creek Road building is an outstanding example of energy efficiency, in keeping with the organization’s principles, but it also allows for more efficiency in operation, in that the buses can be more easily maintained now that there is space to do so. Moulton’s skills in efficiency and managerial excellence have been recognized and he is currently doing double duty by helping another transit system, Stagecoach Transportation Services, which serves Orange and northern Windsor counties, get back on its feet.
Champlain Valley Equipment, anchored in Middlebury, was presented with the 2014 Business of the Year Award. That honor recognizes businesses that have grown, sometimes despite adversity, while providing excellent products or service while doing well by their employees and the community.
Champlain Valley Equipment is a family-owned business that has grown from one location, started in Middlebury in 1970, to now having four additional locations (in Derby, St. Albans, Berlin and East Randolph) and employs nearly 100 people. The company is known for its excellent customer service and its ties to the areas it serves. Company President Brian Carpenter is also known for having recently retired from his service as brigadier general of the Vermont Army National Guard.
The company recently completed an expansion of its showroom in Middlebury and survived a fire at its warehouse last winter. Unbeknownst to many and showing the company’s commitment to the region, it supported Addison County residents by funding ACTR bus service to this August’s Addison County Fair & Field Days. According to the award nominator, “Champlain Valley Equipment saved the free bus to the fair, which was in danger of being cut, and Brian Carpenter of Champlain Valley Equipment stepped in to underwrite the entire operating cost.”
Carpenter thanked the chamber, saying he accepted the award on behalf of the whole company.
“We love operating in Addison County,” he said. “That is the heart of our business. We provide good jobs, meaningful service, and try to give back to the community. I will let everyone at the company know you have recognized them for their efforts.”
Editor’s note: John McCright contributed to this story.