BURLINGTON — Leadership of the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce will change this fall when Cathy Davis, now executive vice president, takes over the top job. President Tom Torti is stepping down in November to focus on the chamber’s foundation.
The Lake Champlain Chamber, located in Vermont’s most populous area, covers Chittenden, Addison, Franklin and Grand Isle counties, though it has members throughout the state, Davis said. The group has about 1,200 members and operates several programs aimed at promoting tourism, stimulating the economy and nurturing talent, including the LaunchVT business accelerator.
Davis started off as a government affairs specialist with the chamber in 2007. She said she had no qualms about moving up to the leading role in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis.
In ordinary times, the chamber’s primary function is supporting economic opportunity for Vermonters through its various initiatives, she said, and that hasn’t changed.
“We really haven’t missed a beat in moving forward,” Davis said. The chamber has added some educational offerings, making its webinars available to all businesses, not just members.
Torti, who was appointed president and CEO of the chamber in 2006, said he plans to take a more active role in developing the foundation, which operates the chamber’s programs in leadership and business development.
Torti has had a big influence on Vermont in his long career. After graduating from St. Michael’s College in 1976 and the University of Vermont in 1979, he worked in child protective services before entering the policy arena. He served for 16 years in senior cabinet positions for Vermont Govs. Howard Dean and Jim Douglas.
“Tom’s a great manager,” said Dean. “He never says ‘Oh, I don’t think we can do this.’ It’s always about, ‘How can we get this done?’”
Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy said that Torti has extended the traditional reach of a chamber to export Vermont’s image, name and values to the rest of the country and the world, including Canada, the state’s neighbor to the north. The Democratic senator has worked with Torti on Taste of Vermont, an annual event in Washington, D.C., that showcases Vermont food and beverages.
“He has helped immeasurably in building and solidifying the Vermont brand,” Leahy said.
Despite being the leader of a diverse group that identifies itself as the state’s largest business organization, Torti is usually willing to speak out on controversial issues. The chamber has taken a position many times, supporting marriage equality, health care reform and the basing of the F-35 jets in Burlington. It also resisted efforts to raise the minimum wage. Torti knows these positions cost the chamber members.
“Many chambers around the country have Political Action Committees (PACs) and use them to deflect controversy away from the organization,” he recently wrote to members. “Our Chamber does not. We do not look to hide behind the fig-leaf independence afforded by a PAC. We believe that if we feel strongly about an issue, we should have the courage to own it and accept the consequences.”
Dean said that when Torti worked as director of what is now Buildings and General Services in his administration, he was skilled at operating in a complex environment without upsetting anybody.
“That’s a really hard job,” said Dean. “He’s a really honest person, and he also knows how to get where he needs to get without ruffling feathers.”
Under Douglas, Torti served as secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources, where he led many environmental initiatives, including the state’s fleet management strategy to reduce emissions from state vehicles.
“He worked to guide the state’s policies to be climate-sensitive long before that was a given: he accompanied me to a UN Climate Summit in Montreal and helped lead Vermont to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative,” Douglas said. “Tom believes in the dual objectives of economic prosperity and preserving our state’s natural beauty.”
With social distancing in place, the chamber has had to cancel its many in-person conferences and events, and it’s not clear what kind of sendoff will be possible for Torti when the transition happens in November. Torti said he didn’t need a party.
“This has always been about the chamber,” he said, noting that the best thing about the job had been the talented people he had worked with over the years.
“I’m optimistic about a nice celebration for Tom sometime this fall,” said Dean. “Though we may still be wearing masks.”
