Handy Is Chamber
Executive of Year

VTC President Ty Handy, the Chamber of Commerce's 2008 Business Executive of the Year, with Rebecca McMeekin of the Chandler Center for the Arts, last year's top exec. (Herald / Bob Eddy)

The Randolph Area Chamber of Commerce presented its coveted "Business Executive of the Year" award Friday evening to Ty Handy, the president of Vermont Technical College.

More than 75 guests braved slippery roads and blowing snow to attend the Randolph Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2008 annual meeting and dinner last Friday at the college. Following a buffet dinner, President Joe Boyd opened the meeting with a report of Chamber activities during 2007 and upcoming aspirations for 2008

Handy was cited for his energetic leadership at VTC, which has resulted in the creation of five new academic programs and the construction of the new student center at SHAPE, as well as his contributions to community organizations, even though he came to VTC only in 2006.

The five new programs are the most that VTC has ever offered at once and include fire science, equine studies, sustainable design, diesel tech, and dental hygiene. The result has been a new high in enrollment at the Randolph Center-based college.

Handy has also plunged into local and regional organizations and policy discussions. He is a past officer of the Randolph Rotary, and is currently serving on the board of directors for Gifford Medical Center, the state Chamber of Commerce, and the Randolph Area Community Development Corp.

The award was presented by Chamber President Joe Boyd at the Chamber’s annual meeting at—appropriately—Vermont Tech.

Handy was introduced by Rebecca McMeekin, last year’s winner of the Chamber’s top award for her work as executive director of the Chandler Center for the Arts.

She noted that Handy was born and raised in Orlando, Fla., and didn’t see snow until he was 17. Former milestones in his academic career were at the University of Kentucky, the University of Arkansas and Ivy Tech State College, where he was chancellor.

Handy’s wife of 23 years, Kimberly, is a native of Louisville, Ky. but has family roots in Pawlet, Vt. Son John is at the University of Chicago, while son Beau is a senior at RUHS and participating in the VAST program at VTC.

Officers Elected

During the business meeting, President Boyd thanked outgoing board member Brent Kay for his contributions to the Chamber over the years. The elected officers for 2008 included Joe Boyd from Randolph National Bank as president, Rob Niebling from Rule Signs as vice president, Mike Van Dyke from Vermont Technical College as secretary, George Gray from Compucount as treasurer and Marty Strange, consultant, as past president.

New directors are Sarah Baker of Chittenden Bank, Julie Iffland of Randolph Area Community Development Corp and Mike Hickey of 802 Creative Partners.

Continuing on the board are Ashley Lincoln, Gifford Medical Center; Karen Warner, Valley Bowl/WCVR; Bob Wright, CFM, Corp; Mona Colton, Randolph National Bank; Fred Newhall, ClearSource, Inc; Arny Spahn, Rotary; and Rick Goodall, DuBois and King.

All About Coffee

The guest speaker, Peter Burke, from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, treated the group to a fascinating and entertaining presentation entitled "From Tree to Cup." Guests learned about some of the 26-year history of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, including the company’s belief in the importance of maintaining respect for each other and thinking out of the box. Peter also shared specific stories from his recent trip to coffee cooperatives in Mexico.

In appreciation, the Chamber made a contribution to Grounds for Health, an international non-profit organization that creates sustainable and effective cancer prevention programs in Mexico with a primary focus on cervical and breast cancers.