Golden Opportunity

Dear Friend,  People Care About Franklin County It is not often that you get your county delegates, the Lt. Governor, the Governor and your U.S. Congressman to all show up in your town - without a parade! But that is what is happening in our corner of the state.

This Past Week Governor Shumlin was said to have paid us a visit on Friday and U.S. Congressman Peter Welch held court at The Traveled Cup on Saturday. Indications are that people were able to meet and spend quality time with these leaders. Today This afternoon from 4:00 to 6:00 pm Lt. Governor Phil Scott and his staff will be hosting the "Franklin/Grand Isle Economy Pitch" to be held in the Bliss Room of the St. Albans Historical Society and Museum. You will have the opportunity to hear 15 local businesses and organizations 'pitch' their ideas for boosting our economy. This is free and open to the public plus snacks will be served in a nice warm room. All good reasons to get out there this afternoon and support your neighbors as they share their ideas that will eventually help you. Tomorrow  Tomorrow morning at 11:00 am in One Federal Restaurant, Governor Peter Shumlin will be once again be in town joining the St. Albans City leaders as they hold a press conference to unveil plans for a new Lake Street hotel. You have heard the rumors, now come and hear the real news. Following the press conference, the Governor will then be joining the St. Albans Rotary Club for lunch and another Q&A session. Reservations are requested so that the Rotarians can prepare enough food. You can contact me and I'll get word through. And I Have to Say it Again How fortunate we are to live in a state where we have up close and personal relationships with those who represent us in state and federal government. That is just awesome. The fact that they care enough about us to come to our house and visit face to face is something we should never take for granted. This is our opportunity.  Oh yeah, Dues Please take a few minutes to renew your membership today. We want to be able to continue to support you and your business. Did You Know? On April 7, 1930, the Jersey City Chamber was the first organization to distribute 50 television outlets around town to broadcast local events and programs. Their "feeble broadcast" was the first attempt at bringing their town out of radio and into television. We are very lucky to have Northwest Access TV covering our community.

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

Dave Southwick

Vermont Economy Pitch

Dear Friend,  Did You Say Pitch? To start out the 2015 legislative session, Lt. Gov. Phil Scott hosted an event he called a "Vermont Economy Pitch." And to quote Mr. Scott, "that's with a "P" not a "B." His intend was to create an event where people would have five minutes to pitch their ideas for improving the economy in Vermont.

Now it is Our Turn The Lt. Gov. found a few good nuggets in the first Pitch session that have actually been turned into Bills, so he announced that he would like to take the show on the road and conduct a few more. Today, he will be in Rutland and next Monday, February 16th, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, he will be bringing the show to Franklin/Grand Isle County to hear from you. And yes, I do realize that next Monday is President's Day - scheduling is tight and I think both Washington and Lincoln would be in favor of us using their day to do a bit of Patriotic pitching.    How Does it Work? The session will be dedicated to 5 minute pitches from floor of the Bliss Room in the St. Albans Historical Society and Museum. Mr. Scott, his staff and county legislators from Franklin and Grand Isle counties will be in attendance to just listen and search for those golden morsels that can help make a difference in our economy. No interruptions, no rebuttals, maybe a clarifying question but for the most part this is about you presenting your ideas for consideration. Remember, this is with a "P" not a "B." I Have an Idea - Where Do I Sign Up? We are limited in time to just 15, five minute presenters. If you have an idea and would like to present it to our guests next Monday, click on this link and submit your name, your company, some contact information and a brief description of your idea. All requests will be reviewed and 15 will be chosen to present. We will be looking to avoid overlapping of ideas and a balanced representation of business types. We may even ask similar groups to pool your ideas and present as one group. Whether you have an idea or not, this is another wonderful opportunity to be in close contact with our delegates. You will want to carve out some time to hear your neighbors present their ideas on how we can improve our economy in Vermont. This Week in the Statehouse - click to see the most up to date legislative news. Did You Know? Since 1947, the Loveland, Colorado Chamber of Commerce, the Loveland post office and 60 volunteers have been bringing love, hope and sentiments to people in all 50 states and more than 110 countries with a special cachet stamp and message postmarked from LOVELAND. More than 160,000 valentines get mailed each year from mothers to sons, grandfathers to granddaughters and everyone in between.

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

Dave Southwick