ATC July 2022

Around the Chamber Addison County Chamber of Commerce E-Magazine

JULY, 2022

IN THIS ISSUE 6 - Directors Cut (All Aboard Amtrak) 9 - Meet the Board (Adam Rainville) 12 - Focus on Non-Profits (UVM Morgan Horse Farm) 17 - Behind the Scenes (Doug DeWitt) 22 - Support Our Business Members 28 - New Member Closeup (Otter Creek Used Books) 31 - Support Our Non-Profit Members 36 - Member Spotlights

Connect With Us!!

Around the Chamber

Have something to say or an idea for this publication? Contact us!

Info@addisoncounty.com

ACCOC publishes Around the Chamber monthly and it reaches thousands of business, non profit leaders and their employees in Addison County and beyond. Around the Chamber boasts an average 46% open rate with an average read time of 7:30 Members are encouraged to supply their announcements and events by emailing phil@addisioncounty.com. For ad availability and rate card email phil@addisoncounty.com.

Addison County Chamber of Commerce. 2022, All Rights Reserved

Director's Cut Phil Summers - ACCOC Executive Director

Amtrak Returns to Addison County Beginning July 29 Over 300 people joined a Zoom informational session held on June 17th and sponsored by the Vermont Agency of Transportation, the Addison County Chamber, ACEDC, ACRPC, BMP and the Vergennes Partnership to announce the return of Amtrak service between NYC and Burlington with stops in Middlebury and Vergennes/Ferrisburgh Stations.

Service begins 7/29 with one northbound and one southbound train daily. Prices as low as $75. For more information and to purchase tickets visit Amtrak.com

Phil Summers is the Executive Director of the Addison County Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to ACCOC, Phil was the Executive Director of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association and earlier held senior marketing positions at the National Football League, Sirius Satellite Radio and MSG Varsity where he was a two time Emmy Award winner (2011 & 2012) and two time Silver Addy Award winner (2013). Phil has also taught undergraduate courses in advertising and marketing at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia.

MFF

Meet the Board Every month "Around the Chamber" will introduce our readers to a member of the Addison County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

In this issue, we introduce you to ACCOC Board Past Chair Adam Rainville of Maple Landmark Inc. How long have you lived and/or worked in Addison County?

I was born and raised in Lincoln. After attending Clarkson University majoring in Engineering and Management, I have been working full time at Maple Landmark for the past 8 years.

Tell us about Maple Landmark.

Maple Landmark has been making wooden toys, games and gifts since 1979. Our shop, now in Middlebury, Vermont, prides itself in being a local company that supports other local companies while distributing our products nationwide.

How long have you volunteered with the Chamber’s Board?

I have been a volunteer on the Chamber’s Board since October of 2016.

ADAM RAINVILLE

In 2022, what do you see as the most challenging issue(s) facing business in Addison County?

Staffing issues are the largest concern I have seen in many businesses. Finding the right skilled labor for open positions has held back many businesses from growing and expanding manufacturing operations.

The Chamber of Commerce’s role in supporting business and non-profits in Addison County is always evolving. In your view, what should be the Chamber’s strategic direction in 2022?

The Chamber has been successful in pivoting to help businesses navigate the increasingly virtual business climate.

Coming out of the pandemic, I see the Chamber increasing tourism support and assisting the many new businesses that have started over the past couple years.

Focus on Non-Profits

Written by, Margot Smithson, Director UVM Morgan Horse Farm

For 140 years, Morgan horses have called this place home.

When traveling down the small back roads in the rural village of Weybridge, visitors are often awestruck when countryside opens up to a verdant, sweeping lawn and the stunning, white Victorian barn. A life-size bronze statue of Figure stands proud before the home of the oldest, continuous Morgan horse breeding farm in the world.

Middlebury, Vermont publisher, Joseph Battell, commissioned the Weybridge Stock Farm in 1878 to house his collection of the era's finest Morgans.

Battell spent years researching and recording Morgan horse lineage, publishing the first Morgan Horse Registry; a document of Morgan bloodlines without which the integrity of the breed would have dissolved over time.

Their reputation as preferred cavalry horses led the US Government to mandate the creation of a Morgan remount program in 1904, and Battell seized the opportunity to continue his breeding program. So, in 1907 it became the US Government Morgan Horse Farm.

Under the USDA, the Government Farm bred Morgans until the 50’s as cavalry mounts. Known for their exceptional athleticism, US Morgans were bred for strength and stamina, competing in 300 and 400 mile trail rides in full cavalry appointments.

The Government Morgans are one of the four main families of Morgan horses, and their impact on the breed is immense. Of the Morgans living today, an incredible percentage of their pedigrees can be traced back to the US Morgan Horse Farm.

Time marches on, and as automobiles replaced draft animals, Morgans were no longer used as cavalry mounts. In 1951 the USDA concluded its remount program in Weybridge and disbursed the herd to several land grant universities. The University of Vermont became the steward of the Morgan Horse Farm.

Focus on Non-Profits

Morgan horses continue to be excellent teachers.

University of Vermont, (UVM), students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences have worked with the Morgans from Weybridge since the ‘50s, studying equine management, reproduction, and genetics. The now “UVM” Morgan herd is one of the highest regarded in the Morgan world, known for conformity in type and confirmation. The farm offers horses for sale, stallions at stud, and breeding services.

The renowned Apprenticeship Program began in 1973 and to date over 225 people have completed this integrated educational program in equine management. In addition, the creation of an internship for matriculated undergraduate students provides the opportunity to live and work on the historic farm, learning firsthand what it takes to care for 40 Morgan horses.

The farm opened to the public as a tourism destination in the 1970’s and thousands of people flock annually to this one-of-a-kind attraction. In a world where people grow increasingly distant from agriculture, the Morgan Horse Farm offers a chance to experience the beauty and power of a horse first hand in such a picturesque Vermont setting.

Visitors are welcome and experience guided tours are available between May and October. A small admission fee directly benefits the operations, and educational events are hosted several times throughout the year. A robust network of philanthropic Friends of the Farm contribute to the success of this important institution, one dedicated to the preservation of the Morgan horse—an American treasure.

“But perhaps the greatest tribute of all is a living one. In the tiny Vermont village of Weybridge, the United States Department of Agriculture has a Morgan Horse Farm. In all America it is the only farm founded so that one breed of horses shall live forever.” – From “Justin Morgan Had a Horse,” Marguerite Henry.

s e n e c S e h t Behind with itt Doug DeW

Each month, "Behind the Scenes" features an interview with a leader in our community designed to provide readers a glimpse into his/her interests and passions inside and outside of the workplace

This month, "Behind the Scenes" sat down with Doug DeWitt of Bristol Financial Services Where did you grow up?

San Marino, California

Where did you go to college?

California State University at Long Beach

Doug Dewitt

Greatest inspiration growing up?

The space program during the 60s & 70s was a big inspiration.

First ever job?

Summers at the family’s manufacturing company. First paying job was as a lifeguard at Huntington & Bolsa Chica State Beaches in Southern California.

Who do you most admire?

Teachers like my wife for all the hard work they do during these trying times.

When I was growing up, the great baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan was playing for The California Angels and of course I wanted to emulate him, that is until a line drive came at me, and I decided there were safer positions to play.

Biggest career challenge?

With insurance, it’s all the about reducing risk, but the biggest challenge I find is to be up to date on available products and be able to explain them to clients.

s e n e c S e h t Behind with itt Doug DeW

Greatest risk taken in your career?

Both my wife and I moved to Vermont without any job prospects. When I look back, that was probably the biggest risk, financially, but it turned out to be the best decision we have ever made.

Favorite vacation spot??

Since living here, my favorite spot is anywhere along the Maine coastline, but previously I loved the hiking in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Typical work week?

Educating people about all things insurance: Life, Medicare, Long Term Care, Disability Income Insurance. Hopefully there’s a sale that goes along with it, but most of the week is helping people understand either what they already have or what they are interested in.

Favorite TV Show/Movie?

I like a good British mystery.

Favorite type of music?

Nothing you would generally hear on the radio, but I confess my music is stuck in the 80s & 90s with my tastes centered on post-punk and alternative singer songwriters like Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Billy Bragg, and Kate Bush (I’ll mention her since she’s popular again.)

What's the one thing you would change about your industry/mission?

I haven’t been doing this for very long to give an educated remark. All I know is there’re a lot of regulations and compliance rules that agents must follow because of people in the past taking advantage of others, I wish that wasn’t the case, but it is.

Support Our Business Members!

Each month we select a new group of members for recognition and encourage our readers to support Chamber members

Carroll, Boe, Pell & Kite, P.C. 64 Court Street, Middlebury, Vermont (802) 388-6711

Addison County

CHAMBER of Commerce

After Hours

NETWORKING MIXERS

May - The Vergennes Opera House

June - The Counseling Service of Addison County

Thank you!

Thank you!

ACCOC would like to thank the following organizations who renewed their 2022 memberships this month.

Welcome! NEW MEMBERS Schmetterling Wine Shop

Thank You! RENEWING MEMBERS! Anthony J. Neri Rental Properties Basin Harbor Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, The Landmark Group Counseling Service of Addison County, Inc. House to Home, LLC Keeping Good Company Interior Design Middlebury Jazzercise Omya Sunrise Orchards, Inc. SymQuest Vergennes Residential Care Vermont Frames & Foam Laminates of Vermont Vermont Gas Systems Each month in "Around the Chamber" we will recognize new and renewing members for their support in helping ACCOC enhance and improve the business and non-profit communities in Addison County.

RESERVE YOUR FREE BENEFITS HERE

LEARN MORE AT BIT.LY/3Q7AQHI

New Member Closeup Every month, New Member Closeup features a recent addition to the Addison County Chamber of Commerce

Otter Creek Used Books Otter Creek Used Books. A time to pause, look around, pick up a book, sit and discover. The cover. The illustrations. The shelves. And yes, the smells. The collective aroma of used books shelved together. That’s what you will find in Otter Creek Used Books.

This store was never in my life plan. Books, yes.

Used bookstores, yes. Owning? No. But here I am, fifteen years of owning one. Even when I sit surrounded by stacks of books, boxes full of books ready to be sorted, cleaned, priced, and shelved.

How did I get to own this store? I was once the Travel & Marketing Director at ACCOC and under a deadline. I needed to clear my head so out the door, down the hill (ACCOC was then at 2 Court Street) and as I walked by the old Lazarus building, I noted a sign on the patio, “Used bookstore for sale. Inquire within.” I hiked back up the hill, called my husband, “I’m buying a used bookstore.

After five years in the Lazarus Building, I moved the store into the Historic MarbleWorks preemptive of the construction.

It was the best move I could have made. I love the quirkiness of the rooms. I have been in this location for over ten years. By the time work on the tracks began I was settled with faithful customers easily finding the store.

I view and advertise Otter Creek Used Books as being eclectic. Offering hard cover to paperbacks. Fiction, non-fiction, and everything in-between. Bookends. Lamps.

Globes. Hard-to find, rare to almost current books. A great mix.

New Member Closeup Otter Creek Used Books What is my favorite book of all time? ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, by L.M. Montgomery.

With hundreds right behind it. What am I currently reading? YOUNG HEMINGWAY, by Michael Reynolds. As well as GELLHORN: A TWENTIETH-CENTURY LIFE, written by Caroline Moorehead. I’ve been on a Hemingway kick. And a few others. Do people only read one book at a time?

You will find the store is for exploring and discovering your own treasures and favorites.

Customers are invited to browse and settle into one of the comfy chairs found scattered about. It’s a place to leave the world behind.

Pop in and discover!

“There’s no such thing as a used book. Or there’s no such thing as a book if it’s not being used.”

- Deborah Meyler, THE BOOKSTORE

Support Our Non-Profit Members!

Each month we select a new group of non profit members for recognition and encourage our readers to support them

Elderly Services Inc.

enjoy a meal out!!

22 Merchant's Row Middlebury 802-989-7376

161 Main St. Vergennes 802-877-9962

HERE

HERE

Member Spotlights

Member Since 2013 Member Since 2019

Member Since 2003

Member Since 1999

Member Since 2015 Member Since 2007 Every month "Around the Chamber" features six ACCOC members for recognition.

Members who would like to be considered for future issues should contact Executive Director Phil Summers at phil@addisoncounty.com

Officers Robert Feuerstein, Kennedy Brothers (Chair) Bethany Dever, Dever Accounting Services (Treasurer) Meaghan McLaughlin, National Bank of Middlebury (Secretary) Adam Rainville, Maple Landmark (Past Chair) Phil Summers, ACCOC (Executive Director) Directors Dickie Austin, Black Sheep Bistro Amy Carlin: Middlebury College Gretchen Cotell, Hannaford Career Center Nancy Foster, Champlain Valley Properties Judson Hescock, Putnam & Menard, PLC Ned Horton, Otter Creek Bakery and Deli Marty Kulczyk, Robert Frost Mountain Cabins Megan Mandigo, Marble Trail Financial Article IV, Section D Designate Directors Karen Duguay, Better Middlebury Partnership Kate Bentley, Bristol Core Renny Perry, Addison County Economic Development Corp.

Renny Perry, Vergennes Partnership Bill Sayre, Addison County Regional Planning Commission

Coming Next Month

- Behind the Scenes - Meet the Board - Focus on Non-Profits - New Member Closeup - Member Buzz - Community/Member Highlights - and more!!