Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), a statewide, nonprofit business association with a mission to leverage the power of business for positive social and environmental impact, held its 34th annual conference in mid-May at beautiful Hula Lakeside. VBSR welcomed the full cohort of 38 students from the University of Vermont (UVM) Sustainable Innovation MBA (SI-MBA) program at its conference themed, “In Our Hands: Bold Restructuring | Redefining Connection | Joyful Resilience.”

The Annual VBSR Conference welcomed more than 400 attendees and 40 exhibitors, an inspiring keynote, nine dynamic sessions, and a vibrant post-conference networking party. SI-MBA students had the chance to network with the Vermont business community and take part in impactful discussions on timely topics like AI and social responsibility. They also applied their MBA coursework and helped a few companies think through business challenges. In a session moderated by Noah Miller, SI-MBA’17, Birdie Blue picked their brains on scaling-up circular manufacturing, Guru sought their opinions on alternatives to social media marketing, and Think Dynamic Digital discussed ways of making digital marketing more inclusive for those with disabilities.

VBSR and SI-MBA, with a shared vision about the role of business in society, have built a strong relationship over the years. The SI-MBA program has hosted VBSR networking events, and SI-MBA's Graduate Programs Career Advisor John Kim serves on the VBSR Board of Directors. As well, students have conducted site visits to VBSR member companies and have attended networking events and panels throughout the year. Unsurprisingly, many SI-MBA graduates have gone on to join many of the mission-driven VBSR member companies including Burton Snowboards, Seventh Generation, Ben & Jerry’s, and Rhino Foods, among others.

SI-MBA students enjoyed a great day of learning, networking and celebrating, and are grateful to have an organization like VBSR welcoming their generation of changemakers to the community—whether it’s in Vermont, or around the world.