A Two Billion Dollar Secret

Why would you want to keep a two billion dollar industry a secret? I hope the answer is that no one would want to, but that sometimes these things happen. The aerospace and aviation industry represents a two billion dollar piece of the Vermont economy, and employs thousands of Vermont residents...who knew.

Part of my job as Director of Business Development with JobsInTheUS is to identify and develop strategic partnerships with key organizations to support our state-specific recruitment resources for employers and job seekers. The vast majority of hires that any company makes over the course of a year is from a local candidate. That is, businesses will only pay relocation costs for a very, very small percentage of hires made. With our business model focused on the local market, these partnerships are one way to ensure we're promoting great businesses to job seekers across the states we serve.

Recently, we reached out to the Vermont State Chamber of Commerce to find out if there would be an opportunity for a strategic partnership. Thanks in large part to the vision and drive of Chris Carrigan, VP of Business Development for chamber, we have created a powerful and engaging relationship to support specific industry sectors across Vermont. One of these is the newly formed Vermont Aerospace and Aviation Association. Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie developed this organization in partnership with the chamber with a mission to help build awareness of the amazing business and employment opportunities that Vermont has to offer. Dubie was raised outside of Burlington, earned is BS in Mechanical Engineering at UVM, was a fighter pilot in the Air Guard, and worked for Goodrich Aerospace in Vergennes, VT. Clearly, this is the right man with the right perspective to move this mission forward.

JobsInVT came in to the picture to support the workforce development side of this mission, and to provide the exposure for the great employment opportunities in this growing sector in the state. A customized job portal has been created for the VAAA, giving job seekers access to the job openings available within their membership. At the open house on June 18, I was asked to speak to the membership, and was slotted just after the general manager of Goodrich and the chief engineer from Sikorsky- not bad company. I felt compelled to drive home the importance of self promotion within the industry to help build awareness of the great businesses across the state. While most people are aware of Goodrich and Sikorsky, who know much about Aviatron, Mansfield Helifight, or Vibration Solutions? These are just a few of the high paying, dependable, forward thinking employers based in VT who support international aviation and aerospace giants.

Like the national economy, regional economies are dependant upon confidence in the market place. I urged these businesses to be bold in their self promotion, vocal in their small successes, and active in their community. I've spoken with numerous lifelong Vermont residents who had no idea how large or how viable this sector was in their state. A state that has deftly built a reputation as a dairy capital of the world, as a maple syrup mecca, and as a land of lush mountains for recreation. Through our work with the Vermont Aerospace and Aviation Association and the VT Chamber, we hope to help build the awareness of this sector, and promote the excellent high-paying, future-oriented careers that are a key to Vermont's future.