Op Ed: Eclipsing 802,000: Making Vermont a Destination for a Lifetime

This commentary is by Kevin Chu, Executive Director of the Vermont Futures Project, and Amy Spear, Vice President of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce On April 8th, over 160,000 people visited Vermont to observe the solar eclipse. Vermont briefly surpassed the 802,000 population goal that the Vermont Futures Project set last year, and we saw … Read more

9/13/2023 – Windsor County Forum

Black River Innovation Campus Logo

On September 13, 2023, the Vermont Futures Project will be visiting Windsor County as part a statewide tour to inform the development of a statewide economic action plan. The public forum will be held at the Black River Innovation Campus auditorium in Springfield, VT from 3:30 – 5:00 PM. Parking and entry will be via … Read more

Business Growth Can Counteract Brain Drain

Silhouette walking away from light source

Brain Drain A recent Washington Post story, citing novel research using LinkedIn data that quantifies the brain drain (or gain) phenomenon across the country, has been getting a lot of attention here in the Green Mountain State. The data show Vermont to be the biggest loser which means we have the highest proportion of college … Read more

2022 Priorities

Dear friends and neighbors, Gratitude is where I begin any new journey and this one is no different. I am thankful for this opportunity as the new Executive Director of the Vermont Futures Project to give back to the state I love – a place that I call home. I appreciate the work of those … Read more

2021 Year in Review

The past two years have challenged us all, and the future remains uncertain. Focusing on our future is more important than ever. Through the Vermont Futures Project’s tax and housing white papers and our racial diversity and equity data sets, we helped elevate a shift in thinking and a new narrative for what is possible … Read more

A Note from Executive Director Lori Smith

Hello, The Vermont Futures Project sent a press release this week introducing The Moment is Now to Improve the Health of Housing. We are presenting this white paper stating that the moment is now to create a long-term, comprehensive plan to address our housing crisis.  In 2016, The Vermont Futures Project set a target for … Read more

Research is at the Heart of the Vermont Futures Project

Most will agree that our shared COVID-19 experience in 2020 has generated many questions about our community health. Likewise, it has unearthed many new questions about our Vermont economy as well. In 2020, the Vermont Futures Project had the opportunity for extensive discussions about the Vermont economy with a wide variety of business, non-profit, community, … Read more

2020 Year in Review

2020 challenged us all and left many with great uncertainty. One thing we know is that the COVID-19 pandemic will not last forever and focusing on our future has more important than ever. Despite the challenge of working remote, the Vermont Futures Project made great progress with relevant research and data analysis to assess our … Read more

Vermont Futures Project Welcomes New Board Members

The Vermont Futures Project is pleased to welcome our three new Board Members Jonathan Brathwaite, Kelly Krayewsky, and Evan Langfeldt. Jonathan Brathwaite is a 15-year veteran of the craft spirits and alcohol industry and joined acclaimed filmmaker and Singani 63 owner Steven Soderbergh in January of 2014 to launch Singani 63 and to formulate the … Read more