[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 134 (Monday, September 12, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S5493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO PETER VAN OOT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, it is a great pleasure to call the Senate's 
attention to the economic development contributions of Peter Van Oot, a 
friend and former member of my staff. Pete, a native of Westminster, 
VT, has long served his community and our State with dedication and 
enthusiasm. Through his work with the Brattleboro Economic Development 
Credit Corporation board, and, more recently, the Green Mountain 
Economic Development Corporation, Pete has worked tirelessly to create 
jobs and to promote our local economy. Named Volunteer of the Year by 
the Northeast Economic Development Association, Pete was recently 
recognized for his hard work, and I take this opportunity to offer him 
my congratulations. I ask unanimous consent that an August 8 article 
highlighting his work, in the Brattleboro Reformer, be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record as follows:

     Local Lawyer Recognized for His Commitment to Economic Growth

             [From the Brattleboro Reformer, Aug. 8, 2011]

                            (By Josh Stilts)

       Brattleboro.--Peter D. Van Oot's said his vision of a 
     healthy community starts with a strong local economy. Because 
     of this commitment and his unwavering focus, which he 
     attributes to his father, Van Oot was named Volunteer of the 
     Year by the Northeast Economic Development Association.
       Without access to good paying, secure jobs, the education 
     system falters and it can easily lead to social injustice, he 
     said.
       ``When mom and dad don't have a job anymore, bad things can 
     happen,'' he said.
       That's why in his 20s, Van Oot dedicated his spare time to 
     establishing outlets for businesses to grow and to figure out 
     ways to draw large employers to the area.
       Van Oot grew up in Westminster and said he can remember 
     when there were plenty of jobs and how much happier the 
     residents seemed. After earning his law degree, he returned 
     to the area and began working at Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC 
     and nearly simultaneously started volunteering on the United 
     Way of Windham County board.
       ``I realized quickly that if we didn't work to shore up the 
     Windham County economy, all the organizations would be for 
     naught,'' Van Oot said. ``Without good-paying jobs and a 
     solid local economy you lose the base of the community.''
       As unemployment rises, the strains on organizations such as 
     the United Way and Youth Services becomes almost too much, he 
     said.
       About a decade ago he shifted his focus and began serving 
     on the Brattleboro Economic Development Credit Corporation 
     board.
       ``My interest really became how do we bring jobs to the 
     area to fulfill the ones that left and bolster the economy,'' 
     Van Oot said. ``It was a fantastic organization to work with. 
     In the past two years we really did some great work. We've 
     had economic development success with Grafton Cheese's retail 
     store and brining in the Common Wealth Yogurt factory.''
       Not only do those businesses provide good paying jobs, 
     they're also using Vermont based resources, Van Oot said.
       ``It really helps to fill the economic gaps,'' he said. 
     ``Like in golf, we need to fill in the divots.''
       Van Oot said there's a lot of people who have done and are 
     doing what he does but urged younger people to get involved.
       ``Brattleboro had always been known as a community that had 
     people who were involved in the economy, in rotary clubs and 
     boards like the United Way,'' he said. ``But now it's much 
     more difficult to get younger business people involved in 
     these types of activities.''
       He added that reaching out to young entrepreneurs has 
     already started to bear fruit.
       ``Look at what they're doing with the BDCC small business 
     competitions,'' Van Oot said. ``What a great way to get 
     people involved.''
       Jeff Lewis, executive director of the Brattleboro Economic 
     Development Credit Corporation, said Van Oot was a champion 
     of growing the local economy.
       ``Pete worked tirelessly to promote economic development in 
     southern Vermont during his many years in Brattleboro,'' 
     Lewis said. ``His focus and leadership helped the 
     organization create dynamic strategy that addressed 
     widespread economic decline in the region.''
       Lewis added that Van Oot transformed the board's 
     membership, created a robust public policy, orchestrated 
     annual plan reviews and developed a BDCC CEO council.
       ``BDCC now annually exceeds its goals for economic 
     development and its own financial stability,'' Lewis said. 
     ``Based on Pete's work with the board, BDCC is now leading a 
     regional strategy project looking to address long-term job 
     and population loss, and the prospective loss of the region's 
     largest employer.''
       In the last couple of years Van Oot has transitioned from 
     his Brattleboro office to the firm's Lebanon location, and it 
     was there he got involved with another group, the Green 
     Mountain Economic Development Corporation, which is similarly 
     focused on creating community through jobs.
       ``Pete has brought that same deep level of commitment to 
     his role on the board at GMEDC (that he had in 
     Brattleboro),'' said Joan Goldstein, the group's executive 
     director. ``Leadership of this type ought to be recognized 
     and I am pleased that NEDA saw it the same way we did.''
       Van Oot will be presented his award at the NED's annual 
     meeting on Oct. 24 at the Sheraton Hotel in Burlington.

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