November 3, 2021

VOBA to Present U.S Senator Leahy with Its Inaugural Trailblazer Award

Montpelier - The Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance (VOBA) will present its inaugural Trailblazer Award to U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) at an outdoor ceremony at 2pm on Wednesday, November 10th at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe.

“In addition to a lengthy career preserving and protecting remarkable outdoor places in virtually every corner of Vermont, Sen. Leahy has been well ahead of the national curve in terms of understanding the importance of both supporting and balancing the many interconnected facets of the outdoor recreation economy,” said Drew Simmons, Pale Morning Media President and VOBA Board Chair. “It’s a remarkable honor for VOBA to be awarding the first Trailblazer award to the Senator, as his lifetime of work has set the stage for the successes of our outdoor businesses, the vibrancy of our shared lands and waters, and the health of our communities.”

In his 47-year tenure representing Vermont in Congress, Sen. Leahy has added more than 100,000 acres to the Green Mountain National Forest, helped establish the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, created Vermont’s first and only National Park -- the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park -- and protected portions of the Missisquoi and Trout Rivers.

VOBA created the Trailblazer Award to honor the historical and long-lasting contributions of leaders in Vermont’s outdoor sector. VOBA will present the award annually to individuals whose leadership has contributed substantially to Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy.

VOBA emerged in 2018 out of a recommendation from the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC), a public/private initiative established in 2017 by an executive order of Governor Scott to leverage Vermont’s outdoor recreation assets, to drive economic development in the outdoor sector and help grow Vermont’s economy.

VOBA is a nonprofit business organization that networks, educates, and provides development services to its 90 members that represent manufacturers, retailers, facilities, marketers, trail builders, educators, and creatives, as well as organizations, individuals, and entities that have an interest in Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy. VOBA’s priority areas for 2022 include workforce development; justice, equity, diversity and inclusion; sector branding and marketing; and, outdoor recreation economy policy.

In addition to Sen. Leahy, Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray will participate in the awards ceremony with remarks about Vermont's outdoor recreation. VOBA’s annual member meeting will follow the awards ceremony.  RSVP for the event and learn more about VOBA.

The Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance (VOBA) works to educate Vermonters about outdoor recreation and to educate Vermont outdoor recreation businesses about business development initiatives, collaboration opportunities, and outdoor recreation economy policy. VOBA is dedicated to strengthening, expanding, attracting, and retaining outdoor recreation economy businesses in Vermont. For more info: VermontOutdoorBusinessAlliance.org