40 Mile Circle

Dear Friend,  Sphere of Influence  Take a map and draw a circle around your business or organization, let's say a circle with a radius of 40 miles. Notice something about that circle? Sure it reaches into most of Franklin and Grand Isle counties and a good chunk of Lamoille and Chittenden counties as well. But a good third of that circle is cut off by the US-Canadian border (another big chunk is in the lake and NY). So without a passport or an enhanced driver's license a large part of your sphere of influence goes untapped.

One New Friend I may have mentioned this before so forgive me, but I made it a goal that as soon as the snow and ice cleared in 2016 I was going to make one new friend north of the border. I was going to wander across and find one person I could have lunch with. Why? Because as enticing as having great cross border relationships with Montreal might sound - it is a far reach. Why not meet a next door neighbor? Good News For the past month or so, a team of Franklin County folks have been reaching across the border and making new friends. To date we have had four home and away visits and we are making friends one handshake at a time. The good news, I now have at least 20 new friends I can can call by name. And we all agree that this is a good thing for businesses on both sides of the border. We are working on bringing our new friends to town so that you can meet them and so they can see what you are up to. Ne Parle Pas Francais? Neither do I. Big deal. Can you say Bonjour or Merci? You have got a great start. I have found that if you just make one small effort - Bingo - the doors swing wide open. Want to learn more? Well good thing, cause that is how this county rocks. CCV is offering a French class for people who want to learn conversational French in a business or tourism setting. I mean how cool, not to mention, timely? I will now be able to say something a bit more relevant than "Ma mere est dans la cuisine." Sign Up Today 40 Mile Circle My 40 mile circle is starting to fill out. Join me in the adventure. Did You Know? The Canada-United States border (French: Frontière entre le Canada et les États-Unis), officially known as the International Boundary, is the longest international border in the world. Established by no less than nine international treaties, it is commonly referred to as the world's longest undefended border. Just try crossing it without reporting and you'll see just how undefended it is!

Dave Southwick