One of the projects I have been involved with for the last year is the formation of the Vermont Software Developers Alliance. The Vermont Business Magazine just published a great article on the organization and I was very happy to see this paragraph.

Included in that number is a one-woman software consulting firm with an international reputation. Julia Lerman, who does some of her business via thedatafarm.com, works with Microsoft on software development projects while giving speeches around the country and serving as a mentor to young software companies. She moved to Huntington six years ago from the New York City area because of the state's skiing and riding opportunities. Lerman says she had wanted to relocate to Vermont sooner, but it took her a while to realize "how much tech is going on up here."

There are a lot of awesome companies (vertical, consulting, large and small) in our area. Not just the .NET folks that have made Vermont.NET such a success, but many technologies. We are darned lucky to have our cake (live in this beautiful place) and eat it too (do the work we love).