Collaboration

Dear Friend, All Roads Lead to the Summit Over the past two days I have had the opportunity, neigh, the privilege of participating in two very important gatherings on behalf of Franklin County. On Monday, I was in Plattsburgh, NY at the 2014 International Summit of the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership. Tuesday, I went to Burlington, VT to sit in on InnoVaTe 2014, the second annual Economic Development Summit sponsored by the Vermont Department of Economic Development. I left both Summits with a single charge - Collaboration.

CVNHP The Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership is a division of the Lake Champlain Basin Program. In a nutshell, the mission is to conserve our land and preserve our heritage as it relates to Lake Champlain. The FCRCC has been selected as a Regional Stakeholders Group (RSG) coordinator. Our task is to gather people, groups, and opinions that best represent the ideals of Franklin County. A couple times a year, the Franklin County RSG meets to share ideas for conservation and heritage promotion in Franklin County. These ideas are consolidated with other RSGs and presented to the Steering Committee for funding consideration.    2014 was our first year as a RSG and our turnout was sparse but vocal. Several of our ideas are under consideration for grant opportunities in the near future. We can do better. This is our chance to collaborate with RSGs from the rest of Vermont, New York and Quebec and to impact the types of grant opportunities that come back to our area to help us fund the programs we believe will make a difference.   If you are not currently on the CVNHP mailing list and want to be part of the Franklin County Regional Stakeholder Group sign up today.  SIGN UP HERE   Economic Development InnoVaTe 2014 was a celebration of the economic development success in the state of Vermont. And while I will not bore you with the details, I will point out that innovation, collaboration and a positive environment were the clear topics of the day. The majority of the presentations were from young, innovative entrepreneurs who have bravely chosen Vermont as home to their business endeavors. Why? Quality of life? Yes. Social and Environmental Responsibility? Yes. But most importantly, a support system of collaborators and partners willing to take chances on new growth ideas. We must continually look for ways to support the budding ideas in Franklin County.    I have a few growing thoughts on how we can make more of this happen. Keep your eyes open for upcoming forums where we can build on what we already have. But don't wait, if you have an idea today, let's talk.      Did You Know? Local Chambers of Commerce lobbied long and hard to have the new Transcontinental Railroad come through their towns. Their insight into the future of rail travel and commerce helped to transform small villages into thriving business centers.

Thank you for your continued support of the Chamber in your community.

Dave Southwick