Politicians and Great Food

Dear Friend,  Politicians and Great Food Really? In the same breath? Yep, now stick with me cause this might take some concentration. Here we go. You can read about politicians and their position on the issues and you can read about great food and how wonderful the critic claims the dish might have been. You can even listen to the same exchange on a radio station or watch it live on the television. But until you are in the same room with either one, you will never get a true read on what is in front of you.

Political Candidates Last week, I had my first opportunity to meet the five candidates running for the open seat of Vermont Governor. I sat in on an Economic Summit at ECHO - four were there in person and the fifth was televised. Each was given an opportunity to make a short presentation on their position regarding the issue and then the four that were in the room participated in a Q&A round robin. All quite civil, informative and well run by the host VTDigger.com. Had I just read the transcript of the evening, I would have been fed the sterile script of each response. But by actually being in the room with the candidates for a couple of hours, I gleaned much more than just their responses. How did they treat the people around them? How approachable were they? Did they present a different persona when chatting with a prospective voter than they did at the podium? In fact, did they use the podium or did they work the room? What did it feel like to shake their hand, look them in their eyes or hear their response to an invitation to visit Franklin County?  We are so fortunate in Vermont to have the incredible access to our political candidates. Therefore, it is imperative that each voter get out and meet the candidates face to face. I want to make some analogy to squeezing fruit and vegetables but I like my job.          Great Food  I bet you can see where I am going with this. If you want to really enjoy great food, you have to get out there and squeeze it, savor it, inspect it and taste it. You just can't take someone else's word for it, you have got to experience it for yourself. Kristen Hughes is the Healthy Roots Coordinate for Franklin and Grand Isle counties and has been working hard to facilitate access to locally sourced foods. Tomorrow afternoon (11/10) from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in the Hideaway at the Northwest Technical Center on the BFA St. Albans Campus, Kristen is hosting a Vermont Chefs and Farmer Forum where the "...intent is to open up a dialogue between local chefs and local farmers, in an attempt to promote the use of more local ingredients in your menus." Here is a chance for anyone involved in the food service industry to meet the local food producers and influence their plans for the 2016 growing season. Now I can say it, you can literally squeeze...  Contact Kristen at khughes@nmcinc.org to let her know you're coming. She will be thrilled to see you.   Did You Know? On Sept 26, 1960, Massachusetts Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy and Republican Vice President Richard M. Nixon face each other in the first nationally televised presidential debate. Kennedy arrived looking well-groomed and confident, while his opponent Nixon, who had just been released from the hospital after two weeks recuperating from a badly injured knee, appeared haggard and was sporting a "5 o'clock shadow" or light beard. Although he arrived in a wrinkled suit and appeared underweight and had a grayish pallor, Nixon refused the assistance of a makeup artist, a decision he likely later regretted. Kennedy clearly "won" the debate, a fact attributable to both his superior comfort level with the new communication medium and his "telegenic" good looks.

Please make a Chamber membership part of your success strategy. Join Today. Thank you for your continued support of the Chamber in your community.

Dave Southwick

We Need Your Help

Dear Friend,  The Hardest Part is Asking We have reached that point where we need your help. In order for us to grow our Chamber outreach and programming we need to strengthen our membership numbers. And, we need your help to make that happen. Please take a minute and think of one business or organization that you feel would benefit from being a member of the Chamber and invite them to our Member Social this coming Thursday. We need your help.

Memberships Drive the Chamber Fact, the Regional Chamber of Commerce is one of the few organizations that exists with the single focus to promote the business, tourism and culture in our County. We have no other agenda - Lisamarie and I come to work each day to support you, period. Fact, I attend between 12-15 gatherings a month just to represent the best interest of the Chamber membership and to build relationships at meetings that members themselves cannot attend. Fact, the Chamber is funded completely by member dues and member sponsorship. We receive no outside funding. Fact, without you, there is no Chamber.      Is Membership Worth It?  Good question. All social research shows that membership in community organizations is driven by perceived value. For the past two years, our team has been working diligently to build a Chamber presence throughout the county that brings definite value to the membership. We divide our time into the critical areas that, in some way, meet the needs of every business and organization. Networking, education, legislation, community investment, communications and business promotion. Value? Yes, the Chamber IS working for you.     I Need Your Support Thursday night, 5:30 pm, in the Bliss Room - we will be hosting a Member/Guest Social to answer questions and share more about the value we being to the table. Free food, cash bar, sign ups and referral incentives. Please come, bring a friend, we want to keep building on a good thing. RSVPs Requested Did You Know? Society as a whole benefits enormously from the social ties forged by those who choose connective strategies in pursuit of their particular goals. We know from many studies that social capital can have what economists call "positive externalities." That is, quite apart from their utility in solving the immediate problem, interpersonal ties are useful for many other purposes. (Better Together, Robert Putnam)

Please make a Chamber membership part of your success strategy. Thank you for your continued support of the Chamber in your community.

Dave Southwick