Business Pledge

Dear Friend, Our Pledge to You Throughout 2015, the Franklin County Regional Chamber of Commerce pledges to promote your business or organization to the best of our ability. We pledge to represent you at all of the regional meetings and conferences we are invited to attend. We pledge to keep you informed of what we hear and how it might impact you and your bottom line. We pledge to deliver your voice to Montpelier. And, we pledge to come to work every day with the expressed purpose of making Franklin County a better place to work and live. That is our pledge. Our Request of You  We are a not-for-profit, membership organization. As such, we receive the majority of our funding from you - our members. We have no outside source for funding except for a few minor stipends to represent stakeholders in county and regional activities (think Health Connect and Champlain Valley Nation Heritage Partners).  Half of our funding comes from your membership dues and the other half from your sponsorship support in our three annual fund raisers. Our Annual Dinner, the Great Race Triathlon and the St. Albans Raid Half-Marathon are recognized as integral parts of the culture and promotion of our county. We are not here to make money and all that we take in goes right back into the business community in the form of education, business development, programming and charity. But, we must pay our staff and keep our office open and we can't do that without you. So, our request is that you not only renew your membership but that you also consider adding at least one additional package to your renewal. We have sponsorship and advertising packages to meet every need. We have added packaging incentives in the form of discounts if you bundle everything today. We will be happy to talk to each individual to help build a package where you will see tremendous return and value.       Our Thanks to You Over the next couple of weeks you will be receiving an envelope from the Franklin County Regional Chamber of Commerce. Please take a moment to read our offer, complete your registration form and submit your payment. This year we are even prepared to accept monthly installments if that helps with your cash flow. We thank you for your support and encouragement for all that we were able to do in 2014. Our job is not done, we need your strong support in 2015 so that we can continue to serve you. Please contribute generously.

Did You Know? The SS Savannah was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. It carried the name Savannah at the demand of the shipbuilder to support his city and the Chamber of Commerce that so willingly supported him.

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

Dave Southwick

Letter to Santa

Dear Santa, Naughty or Nice? Santa, as we look back on 2014, IMHO, I think that, all in all, we have been pretty nice this year - with only a hint of naughty. As you know, I did get those two parking tickets, I forgot to put that orange permit on the dashboard (you know how that goes). The police department has forgiven me, I hope you can as well. For Lisamarie  Please give Lisamarie time to rest and get in that perfect shape to be able to take on all we have planned for 2015. She has been a great girl this year Santa. The Facebook page is brimming with awesome pictures and great stories about our great members. Likes and Visits are at all-time high. Mixers went off without a hitch and she even managed to feature several of our not-for-profit agencies as special guests. She was able to make time to meet with new customers to help them with their marketing efforts and has helped open a new business in town with a "Big-Scissors" ribbon cutting. News releases, on-camera appearances and a weekly newsletter have all helped keep Franklin County in the know. Maybe you would throw in that special software package she has been asking for. That would really make her day. For Chamber Members May you fill their stockings with the gift of prosperity. You know how hard they have worked to keep their shops open, to make their employees feel loved and appreciated and that extra effort they put forward to make Franklin County something special. Give them a bonus gift of relief this year as they lobby so diligently to balance their books against rising taxes, healthcare bills and the burden of permitting. Some have even asked for a baby brother or sister to fill those vacant storefronts. Santa - these people deserve the best. As for me... Well Santa, I only want one thing. Please bless Franklin County with an abundance of love and kindness for all of those we work with, those who visit our area and those who we meet on the streets. May Franklin County be known as the friendliest place on earth. Thank you, Santa, I hope you and the reindeer have a safe flight. You'll find the cookies on my desk.

Did You Know? The New York City Chamber of Commerce helped deliver a tax plan for Macy's Department store employees, helping them keep their jobs in 1941. The gesture was describe as being as big as one of their "Macy's Day Parade balloons."

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

Dave Southwick

Membership Season

Dear Friend, A Question of Value The success of any Chamber lies in its ability to provide value to its membership. Each year, you get to ask the questions; "Should I Invest in The Chamber?" "Is it Worth it to have the Chamber Working for Me?" We understand that you always have a choice so we continually strive to bring you the very best in quality and value. We have had a successful 2014 and we feel equally prepared to deliver again in 2015. We hope you agree. The Season is Upon Us  In December and January you will receive a 2015 Chamber Membership packet. It will look a bit different from past years. We have been listening to your input and we are making adjustments. You will now be offered a basic membership package along with a handful of other package choices that we feel will meet your overall needs. The choice is yours. What Else Is New? You will see all of your Chamber investment choices right up front. Whether you like the sponsorship route or the advertising route, there will be a package for you. And if you don't see it, we'll custom build one for you. Of course, packages imply discounts, resulting in a savings for you. This year we will also be introducing an alternative monthly payment option. Look for pricing to be listed in per month units. Our banks will now offer ACH withdrawals to facilitate monthly bill paying. What to Look Forward to in 2015? We now have the cooperation from other business organizations in the county to roll all of your membership dues into one payment. Networking mixers and education seminars are being scheduled in multiple communities. We will begin conducting business round tables to flesh out success plans. We are expanding our tourism efforts with regional promotions and a large community based event. We will still offer two of the most popular summer events where you can show your community support. And, our voice in Montpelier is growing stronger while communications with our local delegation is on the rise. Where's the Value? In 2014, we put your business in front of 70,000 visitors with Chamber advertising in the NB I-89 Georgia rest area. We saw 9,000 NEW visitors, looking for your services, hit over 24,000 pages on FCRCCVT.com. 500+ of your customers attended mixers while 100+ took at least one seminar. Over 150 enjoyed opportunities to sit down with our county delegates and share their concerns. And well over 200,000 sets of eyes saw our social media posts featuring your events, promotions and business topics. We promise more in 2015.

Did You Know? A group of focused individuals can change a community. The Chamber of Commerce has been making a difference since the 1880s. Help us keep that string alive in 2015.

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

Dave Southwick

The Value of a Meeting

Dear Friends, No Accident It is said that; "We don't meet people by accident, instead we are meant to cross each other's path."   Busy, Busy, Busy  Over the past year, I have had the opportunity and privilege to cross paths with many people. Each one with something different to offer Franklin County in the way of progress, growth, education or support. On the average, I attend between 12 and 15 meetings of one kind or another each month. So far, I have found each one important in some special way.  When Do You Work? Here is the interesting fact about my work - I work for you. After giving this careful thought, I can say that I am one of the few people (outside of your own employees) who comes to work everyday to help you with your business. Attending these meetings is part of my job - it's what I do. These are meetings that you might never attend on your own and in many cases you might not even know exist. Why Is that Important? Funding opportunities, zoning issues, legislative direction, healthcare policy, wellness committees, community partnerships, programming proposals, advertising co-ops, downtown promotions, county planning, cover crops, waste water management, lake water quality, new job creation, generational considerations, young professionals, new business development, recreation activities, brownfield projects, cultural events, job expos, board meetings and sometimes food. I am your eyes and your ears, I look out for your best interests where ever I go. (Except for the food part - that's usually for me!) Your Chamber works for you. Still Time To Make A Difference When it is all said and done, this is still your Chamber. We ask for your input to make sure we continue to deliver what is important to you. Please take this survey (of course it's short!) and let us know how we did this past year and how we can best shape our offering in 2015. Even if you don't belong to our Chamber or any Chamber, we'd still like to hear from you as well. Take The Survey

Did You Know? The Honolulu and San Francisco Chambers were responsible for lifting sugar tariffs between Hawaii and the United States opening the doors toward eventual Statehood for our 50th state.

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

Dave Southwick

How Did We Do?

Dear Friend, December: A Time to Adjust For the next couple of weeks, your Chamber will take time to ponder on the past year. It is a time for us to enter into the process of refining what the Chamber brings to you and your business or organization. A time to adjust and build.   What Next?  With the coming of the new year we can expect three things to be true. Boomers are transitioning control to Gen X'ers, technologies continue to emerge at lightening speeds and the economy will be what it will be. If we stand still, any one (or all three) of these truths will over take us and render us irrelevant. We must adjust and strengthen our offering so that we can continue to serve you and make a difference for your success.   No One Goes it Alone Your Board of Trustees, along with your Chamber staff, have been working on your behalf and have each contributed thoughtful direction and wisdom into our draft strategic plan for 2015. Business people and keepers of important agencies themselves, your Board understands the issues we all face - they face them too.  How Can You Help? This is your Chamber, we come to work everyday with only one purpose, to help you be more successful. We ask for your input to make sure we continue to deliver what is important to you. Please take this survey (of course it's short!) and let us know how we did this past year and how we can best shape our offering in 2015. Even if you don't belong to our Chamber or any Chamber, we'd still like to hear from you as well. Take The Survey   December is Also Membership Month We will be refining our membership value statements and asking for your support again in 2015. We are looking closely at how we package our membership benefits and at our pricing model. If you would like to meet with me to discuss how the Chamber is positioning itself for the upcoming year, please call or email me. I would love the opportunity to learn more about your business and how we can be even a small part of your growth in the coming year.   Final Reminder: Legislative Preview This Thursday, December 4th, we will be hosting a Legislative Preview. This is an opportunity for you to voice what you feel would be in the best interest of your business or organization. That's right, you get to talk. Thursday, December 4th, 7:30 to 9:00 AM in the Green Mountain Room, La Quinta Inn & Suites, St. Albans. Refreshments and light breakfast provided. No fees but please register in advance: REGISTER HERE

Did You Know? Benjamin Franklin once said: "When you're finished changing, you're finished."And, knowing ole Benjamin as I do, I'm pretty sure he said it more than once.

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

Dave Southwick

Giving Thanks

Dear Friends, Thanksgiving is My Favorite Holiday Food, family, friends, food, football and food - those are a few of my favorite things and they all take place on the same day. No wonder I feel so full and satisfied at the end of Thanksgiving Day. Full? Yes.  When I reflect on the past year in the Chamber, I find that I am also fulfilled in many ways. In a year when change was all around, I am thankful for a Board of Trustees that helped direct course corrections. I am thankful for so many members who have held the faith and continued to trust that the Chamber does make a difference in their business or organization. And, I am thankful for a dedicated staff that comes to work everyday thinking about how they can best serve you. Satisfied? Not Yet. We have made great strides in 2014, yet we still have a lot of work to do in 2015. This new year represents a major change in the way businesses and organizations will relate to membership groups. Choices will have to be made, values will have to be examined and return on investment will be reviewed. The Chamber is prepared to face the shift to a new way of doing business. And as the old saying goes; "We won't be satisfied, until you are satisfied." Whats Next? When you get back from your Thanksgiving celebration, I will meet you on the other side with a short survey to find out how best we can meet your needs. We will take those results (combined with input from our Board), fine tune our programming, evaluate our pricing and packaging, and launch our 2015 membership drive. If I might borrow from our friends at Smugglers' Notch for a minute: "We Want You Back."   Reminder: Legislative Preview On December 4th, we will host a Legislative Preview. This is an opportunity for you to voice what you feel would be in the best interest of your business or organization.  Thursday, December 4th, 7:30 to 9:00 AM in the Green Mountain Room, La Quinta Inn & Suites, St. Albans. Refreshments and light breakfast provided. No fees but please register in advance: REGISTER HERE

Did You Know? Women began to join the Chamber ranks around 1900, far sooner than most other organizations gave them recognition.

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

Dave Southwick

Legislative Preview and More...

Dear Friend, Election Results are In Your votes have been counted, our delegates have been elected (with at least one recount in process) - now it's time to get to work. What Next? During the debate season, you had a chance to see how candidates would respond to your concerns. You took that information and made an informed decision on election day. Now that the 2015-16 delegation has been seated, we have another opportunity to speak our concerns before they head to Montpelier. Legislative Preview On December 4th, several community partners will be collaborating to host a Legislative Preview. This is an opportunity for you to voice what you feel would be in the best interest of your business or organization. In addition, we will hear from two business-centric lobbying groups as they present their legislative agendas to our delegation. I have heard it said in the past that by the time our concerns are heard, it is often too late. Well here is a chance get to them BEFORE they even leave for capital hill.  So, prepare to present your concerns. In fact you can start practicing in the mirror: "It would be a great help to me and my business/organization if our delegation would focus on <insert concern>." Let's keep it positive and give our delegates clear direction as they march on. What Are We Doing? Last week, I attended the Vermont Chamber Executives retreat. We talked about what was important to our constituents and heard our lobbyists make their pitches. We agreed that we might not all see eye to eye on everything but that in general we were for legislation that addressed taxes, looked at cost savings, reduced the burden of the permitting process, took a careful look at our healthcare reform, and continued to build a comprehensive statewide economic development strategy. I noticed that water quality was not on this list so I took the initiative to send out an email to by counterparts in the rest of the state and asked that they support our concern for our lakes and waterways. I am happy to announce that several have responded positively that they would indeed support our position. So, I suggest that if you belong to an organization, let them know how you feel about the issues. Let they know that you understand that they may or may not agree but if they don't have an opinion - take yours! Details Thursday, December 4th, 7:30 to 9:00 AM in the Green Mountain Room, La Quinta Inn & Suites, St. Albans. Refreshments and light breakfast provided. No fees but please register in advance: REGISTER HERE

Did You Know? The San Jose Chamber was instrumental in attracting funding, incubation space, talent and business to form what we know as The Silicon Valley.

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

Dave Southwick