VERMONT
WELCOME WAGON
PROJECT
MEET THE Southern Vermont VWWP TEAM
SoVermont welcomes you to the Green Mountain State! The region’s arts, educational and recreational offerings are world class, and our companies are connected to the world through trade and technology.
SoVermont is a partnership of the Bennington County Industrial Corporation, the Bennington County Regional Commission, and the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation. Serving Bennington and Windham counties, we work to support and build vibrant area economies and thriving communities in beautiful Southern Vermont. Come build a thriving life, career, and future with us -- jump on the Welcome Wagon today.
Learn more about hosting here.
Learn about participating as a new or returning Vermonter here.
Casey Haynes
With the culmination of a months-long road trip to "find himself," Casey ended up finding Southern Vermont and the New England Center for Circus Arts. As Casey became more involved with promoting the circus school as a national destination for artists, his awareness of and appreciation for his surroundings grew. Casey has spent the last four years falling ever-deeper in love with Southern Vermont—its stunning nature, its commitment to arts and community.
While you can't take the circus out of the boy, Casey now works as the Talent Specialist at the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, connecting people to opportunities in this beautiful slice of Vermont.
Matt Harrington
Matt Harrington was born in Bennington, Vermont and went to the State University of New York College at Oneonta where he studied marketing and advertising. After a short stint at a Top 100 marketing firm in Albany, NY, Matt moved back to Vermont to work with his family’s leadership development firm. While at the firm, Matt authored “Survival of the Hive: 7 Leadership Lessons from a Beehive.”
In 2016, Matt joined the Bennington Chamber of Commerce (now the Southwestern Vermont Chamber) as their executive director. He was named a 40 Under 40 Rising Star in Vermont in 2017. Matt has served as chair of the Shires Young Professionals group in Southwestern Vermont, currently serves as chair of the Governor’s Travel and Recreation Council, board member of the Vermont Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, and on The Vermont Futures Project Young Professional Council.
On the side, Matt runs a private consulting and speaking firm, Harrington Brands, that he founded with a focus on transforming organizational culture, leadership and people. In his spare time he travels the country speaking and working with organizations.
Matt just moved into a new home on Elm Street in Bennington with his fiance and is set to get married there next year! He loves to cook, run, watch movies, explore new drinking and eating destinations, and traveling (especially to the ocean)!
Jonathan Cooper
Jonathan is a “Newer” Vermonter, having moved to Bennington in 2016 to work on economic development issues for the Bennington County Regional Commission. Since then, he and his wife, Kate, have been able to settle down, buy a house, add a second child, and build exciting careers in the center of the town they call home.
For Jonathan, and for many others who are inclined to think regionally, Bennington is a great town with a backyard as big as Southern Vermont and the Berkshires: weekends are spent exploring swimming holes, waterfalls, dairy bars, logging roads, old cemeteries, meadows, blueberry fields, sculpture gardens, libraries, farm stands, and more. (He also assists his daughters in their ongoing and hands-on inventory of the region’s playground assets.) He enjoys hockey in the winters, croquet in the summers, and the stellar cloudforms of Southern Vermont all year long.
Alex Figueroa
Alex Figueroa is originally from Buffalo, New York and moved to Bennington, Vermont three years ago. Alex attended Utica College where he received a degree in Health Sciences with a Minor in Gerontology and furthered his education where he attended Hilbert College obtaining a Masters Degree of Public Administration with a Concentration in Health Administration.
Currently, Alex works as a Blueprint Care Coordinator & CAG Project Supervisor with Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. Besides his work, Alex is very passionate about community engagement and loves to be involved. He serves as the Chair-Person for the Shires Young Professionals in Bennington County whose mission is to connect, engage, and empower young professionals in our community, helping them to emerge in their professions. Along with serving as chair of SYP, Alex sits on several committee & sub-committee groups and is an active board member with Green Mountain Community Network, and the Vermont Futures Project Young Professional Council.
Recently, Alex was selected as one of Southern Vermont's 2020 Emerging Leaders. Lastly, Alex is a family man. When he is not working or serving his community you can find him spending time with his beautiful wife Rebecca and his amazing baby girl Liliana.