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Vermont Leads Manufacturing Exports, Study Finds

Long-held opinions are hard to change. The state of the US manufacturing sector is a good example. Many people, particularly those in the Northeast and Midwest, hold tightly to memories of mass layoffs and factory closings nearly 20 years ago. After two decades of transformation, today’s manufacturing sector is quite different. In fact, manufacturing exports, including food production and processing, have enjoyed positive annual growth rates in all but one state since 1986, point out the authors of Comparing Manufacturing Export Growth Across States: What Accounts for the Differences?, a recent journal article from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Nationally, manufacturing exports as a share of Gross Domestic Product grew from 4.1 percent in 1986 to 7.0 percent in 1998.

People

The Vermont Economic Progress Council has named Fred Kenney as Executive Director. VEPC is the nine-member panel established in 1994 with members appointed by the Governor to provide long-term economic policy planning. In 1998 it was given the responsibility of implementing the Economic Advancement Tax Incentives Act and reviewing applications for tax incentives.

People in S&T

Dr. Paul Hale has been named the Executive Director of the Vermont Technology Council. Among other tasks, Dr. Hale is working on the state’s EPSCoT award in cooperation with the Vermont EPSCoR Program.

New Director Named

Dr. Paul S. Huyffer has been named Executive Director of the Vermont Technology Council and Special Assistant to the President of the University of Vermont for Economic Development. The Vermont Technology Council has been in existence since 1992 and has been responsible for the development of a science and technology plan for the state.

The chairman of the Vermont Technology Council noted Dr. Huyffer's significant experience in building cooperative relationships between academia and industry. Prior positions include Vice President, Science and Technology of the Markem Corporation and several senior executive positions at the Polaroid Corporation.

Dr. Huyffer received the first Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry ever granted by the University of Vermont, in 1964.

Position Available

Applications and nominations are invited for the position of Executive Director of the Vermont Technology Council. The Council is a voluntary association of community leaders from the public and private sectors who are concerned with the economic vitality of Vermont and believe that the state's prosperity depends on the successful commercialization within the state of scientific and technological advances and innovations. The Council promotes cooperation between the R&D resources of Vermont's colleges and universities and its industrial and commercial sectors. The end objectives are new, free-standing commercial businesses evolving from this cooperation.