Betsy Forrester

Betsy taps into her wealth of experience in marketing and business in her role as Realtor, as well as her deep knowledge of Vermont's towns and landscapes.

Originally from outside of Buffalo, Betsy moved to Vermont when she attended Middlebury College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts. She decided to stay in the Green Mountain State after graduating because of the beauty, vibrancy and outdoor recreation offered in Vermont.

Immediately after college, Betsy worked for Garden Way, the Vermont-based direct mail company known for its Troy-Bilt garden roto-tillers. While there, she first worked with the copy chief at its in-house advertising agency, and later analyzed the company's direct-mail campaigns. When Garden Way moved to Troy, New York, Betsy opted to remain in Vermont and served as marketing director for Tygate Companies, the owner of local hotel and restaurant properties.

Betsy then joined The Garrett Hotel Group, an owner of luxury resort properties such as Upper Saranac Lake's The Point , originally built as William Avery Rockefeller's summer home. During her 18 years with the privately held firm, she served as its corporate administrator, managing tasks ranging from organizing Board and shareholder meetings to collaborating with graphic artists to create marketing materials to producing the annual report.

In 2010, Betsy joined Realtor Meg Handler to work as a team at Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Realty. The team offers their respective strengths in marketing, business operations and contract negotiations. “Meg and I are both resourceful and problem solvers,” Betsy notes. “We truly go above and beyond for our clients. For example, if a house needs sprucing up before it goes on the market, we'll arrange to have everything done, from painting to electrical to junk removal.”

Betsy's flair for advertising and her organizational skills benefit buyers and sellers in Chittenden and Addison counties, whether her clients are looking for their first homes or are selling a high-end property. As a resident of Williston, where she lives with her family on land conserved by the Vermont Land Trust, and as a former board member of the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, Betsy is familiar with the area's towns, schools and attractions.

As part of Betsy and Meg's commitment to giving back to Vermont and its residents, the pair donate 10% of their profit to the Vermont Land Trust, a non-profit dedicated to preserving the state's landscapes.