Around the Chamber - June, 2024

AROUND THE CHAMBER June, 2024

In This Issue 4 - State Chamber News 8 - Behind the Scenes ( Kelly Flynn of BMP ) 17 - Chamber Briefs (BMP Summer Market/New Members) 22 -Focus on Non-Profits (Lake Champlain Maritime Museum) 33 - Board News

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Around the Chamber

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s e n e c S e h t Behind with Kelly Flynn

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 Kelly Flynn, Co Executive Director of the Better Middlebury Partnership What is your hometown?

I grew up in Western Connecticut, in a city called Danbury, wherein it’s ‘claim to fame’ is being the national hat manufacturing center during the nineteenth century. In 2009, I moved to Vermont from New York City, to join my (now) husband who already living up here. I was motivated by the idea of living in a small rural state and am not surprised that I continue to love living here.

Where did you go to school?

Photo by:Caleb Kenna

Kelly Flynn

Who was your greatest inspiration growing up?

My greatest inspiration growing up is certainly my mother. She was a working mother who handled it all with grace, even during trying times. She provided me and my siblings a stable foundation to have the confidence to take risks as adults.

Who do you most admire?

After high school graduation in Connecticut, I obtained my undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. After which I headed to law school at Pace Law School in New York where I earned my Juris Doctor.

First ever job?

My first ever job as a teenage was working in a toy store. I worked with a lot of my friends, and we just had a lot of fun!

Those I admire most are people who value and act in the benefit of community. Vermont is a place where an individual can make a visible impact through day-to-day actions in our community, whether you have the capacity for large-scale community work or looking out for a neighbor. I have found an always present spirit of collaboration, sense of belonging and welcoming in my community; which continues if we all actively perpetuate it.

s e n e c S e h t Behind with

Kelly Flynn Favorite Vacation Spot?

Typical work week?

Just recently my extended family took a well needed and once in a lifetime vacation to St. Croix. It was fantastic to have the ability to relax in a beautiful spot with the people I love!

In my current roles, I am finding that there is no ‘typical’ work week. A few months ago, I expanded my career to include the position of Executive Director of the Better Middlebury Partnership, with which I share with my CoDirector, Kathryn Torres. I am also still representing clients through my law practice.

Both jobs are rewarding in different (and sometimes similar!) ways, but neither job has a regular 9-5 schedule.

Favorite movie, TV Show?

I love the experience of a movie in a theater, l always drag my kids to every age appropriate showing. One of the best birthday gifts I give myself is going to the movies, alone, in the middle of the day. Currently, I love going to the Middlebury Marquis free Saturday afternoon kids’ movie, where my family can have lunch and have a free classic kids’ movie. My point is, there are too many movies to choose from and a movie is best watched in a theater!

Favorite type of music?

My favorite type of music would be the music I grew up listening to, my parents’ favorite music. It feels ingrained in me as part of my childhood, they loved the Beatles, Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan and the Drifters to name a few!

Biggest Career Challenge?

Prior to living in Vermont and for my first ten years in Vermont I worked in corporate law. My biggest career challenge was realizing that my career does not have to a straight path. Learning that just because I have education, experience and enjoyment in one field, does not preclude me from professional enjoyment in a very separate field! It was a great lesson that life does not have to be static.

What's the greatest career risk you have taken?

The biggest risk I took in my career was to leave my corporate job in 2019. It was a challenging position and I had truly wonderful colleagues, but I knew I wanted to do something local that had an impact on my community. It felt risky to leave a stable and secure job, but I am very glad I took the leap. These past few years I have meet so many wonderful people and feel so connected with my community.

What's the one thing you would like to see change in your business/industry?

One thing I would change about my industry, either as co-director of the Better Middlebury Partnership and as a lawyer, is the inclination not to reach out for assistance. Too many times I have seen others struggle to find answers that others in our community can assist with, I am guilty of this and often remind myself that collaboration and shared resources are available if you ask.

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CHAMBER BRIEFS

Welcome New Members!

Dan Freeman’s Leatherworks

CHAMBER BRIEFS Better Middlebury Partnership Launches “Summer Market” BMP’s “Summer Market” launched this month and is now held twice per week. BMP is welcoming visitors from all over Addison County to come out and enjoy music, food and farm & craft vendors.

Wednesdays: 4 - 8pm and Saturdays: 9am-12pm

2024 COMMUNITY EVENT SPONSORSHIPSle Thank you to the organizations below that have already secured their sponsor positions for 2024!

Vergennes Day Vermont Gas Systems Gaines Insurance Porter Medical Center Kennedy Brothers Grand Senior Living Bristol Harvest Festival Mountain Community Health Vermont Gas Systems Bristol Financial Waitsfield Telecom Porter Medical Center Middlebury Car Show & Fall Festival Stone Motors IPJ Real Estate Silver Maple Construction Vermont Gas Systems Cambio Roasters Porter Medical Center National Bank of Middlebury Sweet Cecily Champlain Valley Equipment

Promote your organization and support our community events in 2024! Sponsorships are still available but moving fast. Click on the icon above to learn more!

Join the Addison County organizations below and advertise in 2024 at the Addison County Visitor Center For complete information visit us HERE

FOCUS ON NON-PROFITS

Want to connect with Lake Champlain and local history this summer? Head to Lake Champlain Maritime Museum! The Museum famously eliminated their admission fees in 2021 and is now free for everyone to visit.

The Museum is open daily from 10 am–4 pm with free admission to campus and all exhibits. If you’re looking for something a little more active, check their calendar of events for hands-on programs, activities, and tours. Browse some of their featured events and exhibits here and head to their website for more at www.lcmm.org.

The Museum After Hours Summer Party Friday, July 12 at 5 pm A special evening party at the Museum! Back for its third year, this popular party is a chance to enjoy afterhours access to exhibits with live music, great food and drink, raffle prizes, and good company. Donations from the party support the Museum’s free admission and pay-what-you-can summer camps. Families welcome, kids under 10 are free. Tickets are $50 and include food and a raffle ticket. Get details and tickets at www.lcmm.org/SummerParty.

Shipwreck Tours Thursdays in July-September at 10 am Explore a shipwreck, without getting wet!

Join Museum experts for a boat tour on Lake Champlain to the site of an infamous local shipwreck and watch as we send a remote-operated-vehicle (ROV) to dive down to the wreck and explore as it sends live video back to a monitor on board.

Learn the vessel’s dramatic tale, look for local fish, and then take a scenic trip back.

Tickets are $25 for kids and $40 for adults.

Book a shipwreck tour at www.lcmm.org/ShipwreckTours.

FOCUS ON NON-PROFITS Collections Corner Monthly Saturdays at 11 am This free monthly program offers a chance to see rare artifacts from the Museum’s collection up close and speak with a Museum expert! Each month has a different theme including canal boats, shipwrecks, historic postcards, and the American Revolution. Check the calendar for the next Collections Corner at www.lcmm.org/calendar.

Underwater Archaeology: Diving into Stories of People and Canal Boats on Lake Champlain New Exhibit Opening July 13!

This new exhibit opening on July 13 will share a fresh perspective on the local history of canal boats. Using artifacts recovered from shipwrecks in Lake Champlain by underwater archaeologists, as well as interviews with real people and interactive experiences, the Museum shares the lesser-known local stories of canal boats and the people who worked onboard, providing unexpected points of connection for all with this key era of local history. Immerse yourself in the stories, experience what it’s like to be an underwater archaeologist recovering artifacts, and learn about the unique community that built up around canal boats.

Key to Liberty: The American Revolution in the Champlain Valley Featured Exhibit How are you spending the 4th of July weekend? Mark Independence Day with a trip to the Museum and step into the Key to Liberty exhibit. Research, artifacts, an exploded cannon, and more will guide you through how pivotal events that happened right here on Lake Champlain changed the outcome of the American Revolution.

Hazelett Small Watercraft Center Featured Exhibit Explore the history of boat building! This two-story building documents the evolution and craft of small human-powered watercraft on Lake Champlain. Canoes, guideboats, skiffs, and the towering Storm King ice yacht offer a glimpse into how people have navigated on the lake throughout history.

About the Museum Lake Champlain Maritime Museum connects all people to Lake Champlain, inspiring them to learn from the past, build together in the present, and create a sustainable future. We believe in the power of history and connection, and we seek to inspire and empower people through exhibits and hands-on learning on our 3acre campus, digital engagement, boat building, summer camps and overnight expeditions, underwater archaeology research, and more.

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BOARD NEWS Chamber Welcomes Two New Board Members The Addison County Board of Directors is please to announce the addition of two members to our Section D Designated Board Positions.

Courtney Radford, the Executive Director at Bristol Core and Kathryn Torres, the Co-Executive Director of the Better Middlebury Partnership will represent their organizations on the Chamber Board of Directors.

Welcome, Courtney and Kathryn!

Courtney Radford

Photo by:Caleb Kenna

Kathryn Torres

R O F L L A & C S R O D N S R VE O T I B I H X E

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Officers Robert Feuerstein, Kennedy Brothers (Chair) Megan Mandigo, Marble Trail Financial (Treasurer) Nancy Foster, Champlain Valley Properties (Secretary) Phil Summers, ACCOC (Executive Director) Directors Dickie Austin, Black Sheep Bistro Amy Carlin: Middlebury College Doug Dewitt, Bristol Financial Services Meaghan McLaughlin, National Bank of Middlebury Ned Horton, Otter Creek Bakery and Deli Marty Kulczyk, Robert Frost Mountain Cabins Ben Fuller, The Richards Group Dr. Nicole MacTavish, Hannaford Technical School District Article IV, Section D Designate Directors Kathryn Torres, Better Middlebury Partnership Renny Perry, Addison County Economic Development Corp.

Renny Perry, Vergennes Partnership Bill Sayre, Addison County Regional Planning Commission Courtney Radford- Bristol Core