JUDGING THE RISING STARS

A big event in the business life of Vermont has become the selection of Vermont Business Magazine’s Rising Stars. I’ve been honored to be a judge since the beginning and we are proud makers of the award plaque as well. This year was again a real challenge for the judges – the 84 young people nominated were absolutely top notch, in a wide variety of careers and who live in most areas of the state. People occasionally ask what we look for in the judging process and every judge is a bit different but we all look for a combination of career advancement and community involvement and people who look like they will benefit Vermont in the future. (We want to hear from them later) We have had people ask if it is reasonable for a state as small as Vermont to find 40 people under 40 to recognize each year. Seeing the resumes of our nominees year after year all I can say is that the only shortage we might face is in nominators with the awareness and commitment to fill out the very easy form. If you’d like to be a nominator – just pay attention to the Vermont Business Magazine in print, online or with their daily e-newsletter. It’s quite painless and our incredibly talented young people deserve to be recognized.