ABSTRACT

The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation convened employers, educators and government officials for a roundtable discussion on manufacturing on Thursday, held during October as Manufacturing Month. The event featured presentations from educators at the Windham Regional Career Center and from state Economic & Labor Market Information Director Mathew Barewicz, panel discussions with state officials and educators, and an open session in which those present brainstormed ways to streamline the process of educating and employing people in the regional manufacturing industry.

VTDigger

Brattleboro Development Credit Corp. hosts roundtable on Vermont manufacturing workforce

Oct 13, 2026, 5:03 PM

Context

BDCC Executive Director Adam Grinold said the goal was to bring people from all sides of the matter into one room to begin a conversation about why manufacturing matters in southeast Vermont, what problems the industry faces and how to find shared solutions.

Barewicz's presentation covered data on changes in employment and population rates over the past 20 years. He said Vermont, adjusted proportionally to compare against the United States, surpasses the nation in its share of industry that is manufacturing, and he said Brattleboro holds the biggest share of manufacturing industry in Windham County. He also said immigration has been one of the major contributing factors to the state's population growth, and emphasized the need to make the profession seem accessible to young people.

Discussion at the event addressed preconceptions about manufacturing, such as that it involves a lot of dangerous work or offers limited upward mobility.

After the presentations and panel discussions, several attendees said they wanted the process streamlined and simplified.

All Perspectives

Adam Grinold, BDCC executive director: Grinold said the purpose of the gathering was to bring everyone involved into one room and start a conversation about manufacturing's importance in southeast Vermont, its problems and possible shared solutions. "We recognize our role in trying to bring everybody together," he said. "We have a real opportunity to lead as we see manufacturing start to decline, largely around some closures, but there's opportunity, there's need, and we need to make sure we're following all of those."

Mathew Barewicz, state Economic & Labor Market Information director: Barewicz presented data on employment and population change over the past 20 years and said Vermont surpasses the nation in manufacturing's share of industry when adjusted proportionally. On population, he said: "Seventy-five percent of our population growth over these last decades has been from people coming from abroad. When you have a change in the federal policy about how many people are coming into this country, states like Vermont are going to feel problems." He said Brattleboro holds the biggest share of manufacturing industry in Windham County and called for making the profession seem accessible to young people. "When we're talking to kids today, we're changing the conversation, from not just finding a job or getting a career, but, 'Hey, do you want to run your own business?'" he said. "We have to get them excited about either the work they're going to do or the mission of the organization."

Nancy Wiese, Windham Regional Career Center director: Wiese said the industry has changed over time and addressed preconceptions about it. "We need students to buy into the fact that manufacturing is now really cool," she said. "Now, manufacturing is so clean, and it has so much to offer students."

Richard Normandin, Northrich, Inc.: Normandin said the region should simplify how workers and employers connect. "We need to have one door to knock on," he said. "A common goal as a region is really important."

Lyle Jepson, commissioner of Economic Development: Jepson said Vermont's limited population growth makes every potential new employee important. "When we're only graduating four or five thousand kids, we've got to make sure that we keep all the kids in the state, going to our schools," he said. "Maybe we need to change how we work things, but we all need to meet them, shake their hands, tell them how important they are, create relationships to keep them in the state of Vermont. It's a harder thing to do, because you can ski in Colorado [or] you can ski in Vermont, but it's the relationships that are going to keep people here."

Gaps & Unknowns

The source does not state how many people attended the roundtable.
The source does not identify the closures Grinold referred to when he said manufacturing is starting to decline, or state the scale of that decline.
The source does not name the state officials who took part in the panel discussions.
The source does not state whether the participants agreed on any follow-up actions or next steps.
The source does not state the specific federal policy change Barewicz referred to in connection with immigration.

Sources & Further Reading

VTDigger — original

Read the original at VTDigger

Related Coverage