Around the Chamber - January, 2024

AROUND THE CHAMBER January, 2024

In This Issue 5- Chamber Briefs 12 - Behind the Scenes (Barbara Harding) 19 - Member Spotlight (Age Well) 23 - Best Practices ( Using Artificial Intelligence ) PLUS EDUCATIONAL WEBINAR AND MIXER SCHEDULES!

Connect With Us!!

Friday, January 19 7:30 PM Sunday, January 21 2:00 PM

Takács Quartet

Mahaney Arts Center, Robison Hall

Tickets: $25/20/10/5 802-443-MIDD (6433)

Around the Chamber

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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 52% open rate with an average read time of 8:32 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. 2024, All Rights Reserved

CHAMBER BRIEFS Visitor Center Surpasses 2,000 Visitors The Addison County Visitor Center which opened its doors to the public on April 24, 2023 welcomed our 2,000th visitor on January 2nd! In just 8 months, the Visitor Center surpassed the Chamber’s initial estimate of 2,000 visitors in our first 12 months. We now estimate that 2024 will see over 3,000 visitors to our new home!

Chamber members are taking advantage of member discounts on advertising at the Visitor Center with print and video positions filling fast.

The Middlebury Performing Arts Series and Berkshire Hathaway Home Services-The Vermont Realty Group are the latest advertisers to take advantage of reaching thousands of visitors in 2024! For more information, see page 22.

Thank you to the members supporting the Visitor Center in 2024 as of January 8th.

Addison County

CHAMBER

of Commerce

After NETWORKING MIXERS Hours Attention Members!

Sign up to host a 2024 Networking Mixer Dates will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

For details and to register go HERE

s e n e c S e h t Behind with rding Barbara Ha

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 Barbara Harding, Owner of Otter Creek Used Books in Middlebury

Where did you grow up?

Cornwall is where I live and have for over 40 years in a house with the best front porch for reading and rocking.

Where did you go to school?

I graduated from MUHS and traveled down the road to Castleton State College where I graduated in 1978.

First ever job?

My very first job was through the work-study program at Castleton where I was the Monitor in the Listening Room within the college’s Music Department. I also had the task of organizing their music album collection. Little did I know that skill would come in handy many years down the road.

‘One album at a time’ became ‘one book at a time’.

Who was your greatest inspiration growing up?

My greatest inspiration was a character found in a book, Anne Shirley, of Anne of Green Gables. I had the honor of reading the series in its first editions. I learned from Anne that I was not alone in my thoughts and understanding of myself. I had a kindred spirit. Thank you, L.M. Montgomery.

Barbara Harding

Who do you most admire?

I’m a huge U. S. Grant fan for multiple reasons: his love of family, an honorable man who didn’t see faults in others, and his life values. Of course, his determination during the Civil War helped to not only win battles but become a confidant of President Lincoln. His memoirs will always serve as a lasting testimony.

Favorite Vacation Spot?

When I was younger, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia were my favorite destinations. I was able to visit the Maritimes a handful of times. Since owning the bookstore, Portsmouth, NH has become my go-to. Off-season I travel south stopping in at used bookstores along the way enjoying a shopping spree for my store and talking shop with the owners. I’ll get a few pages read In tea shops, parked in the Nubble Lighthouse parking lot, or sitting on or along the beach. Days of used bookshop shopping and reading, what could be better?

enes c S e h t d n i Beh with rding Barbara Ha

What's the greatest career risk you have taken?

Favorite movie, TV Show?

All Alfred HItchcock movies are my favorites.. I watch them over and over again and still I’ll notice something I hadn’t noticed before. I watch beyond the actors, onto the sets and scenery.

He was a very clever director with plot twists, visual storytelling, using music as actors, and overall cinematography.

Favorite type of music?

I’m a 70’s gal. Everyone that comes into my shop will hear my music: CSN&Y, together and separately, Van Morrison to Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Stevens to the ultimate, Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac. Biggest Career Challenge?

Being a used bookstore owner was not within my career headlights. I had no idea. Originally, I was to be an elementary teacher but then I found tourism while working at the front desk at the Middlebury Inn and Vermont tourism became my career. I did take time out to be a full-time mom but eventually made it back to tourism through the ACCOC and serving the role as Travel & Marketing Director. I enjoyed serving the state and Chamber members representing them at the statehouse, VDTM, and other state agencies. Regional Marketing Organizations, a new initiative by then Governor Dean, and developing a pilot program based on North Carolina’s HandMade in America for Addison County would be considered a challenge but with a change of governors, the programs ended and the challenge became to accept the end to our hard work.

The day I left my job and paycheck at the ACCOC to have faith Otter Creek Used Books was going to make it and start paying its way was my biggest career risk.

Then when the store started to really make money and I was proud of the inventory I built I moved from its Main Street location to its current home in the HIstoric MarbleWorks. I wanted the store to be established before work began on the railroad tracks and the Main Street overpass. I knew the building would come down and frankly, it was time. Moving off of Main Street is never an option to think of lightly but moving into the MarbleWorks was a right fit for this used bookstore. Here I am twelve years later and seventeen years owning OCUB. Typical work week?

The store has been open Tues-Sat since COVID. Sundays were always ‘by chance’, and Mondays became a day for me. It is always a happy moment to unlock my store, walk around, turn on lights, fill holes on shelves, stream music, close out the day before sales, and go through boxes and bags: sorting, cleaning, shelving. Assisting customers who wander in to see what is up on the shelves, direct them to sections and/or a comfy chair. Enjoying pleasant conversations with all.

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

I’ve always kept to my mission of providing quality used/antiquarian books in my shop. I feel my store is a safe haven. Books, especially used, offer comfort, respect, and companionship. Though my store isn’t how I envisioned it: no rolling ladders, aisles overflowing with boxes and/or stacks of books, it has become what it is. Try as I might to make changes, it always comes back to what it is. What you see today.

Any day. Every day.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

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

Best Practices "Best Practices" is our new recurring feature designed to give your organization helpful advice for maintaining efficient operations

How Small Organizations Can Use AI

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a machine’s ability to perform tasks that we commonly associate with the human mind, including, perceiving, reasoning, and learning. AI can seem scary and overwhelming, especially with the speed at which it is being developed. However, it can also drive growth in your small business. Currently, there are two different types of AI that have been developed and are commonly used. The first is limited memory. Machines with limited memory monitor specific objects or situations over time, so their actions are performed based on both present and past data. Self-driving cars are an example of machines that use limited memory AI. The second type of AI is referred to as reactive machines. This type of AI is the most common, and “reacts” to customer data to deliver customized recommendations. Reactive machines, especially, can be very powerful tools for business and can result in saved time and increased accuracy.

Benefits of AI Analysis: AI feeds off data and can provide quick and accurate analyses. These analyses can be descriptive, demonstrating customer needs, or they can be predictive, helping your business with sales forecasting and personalized marketing.

Customer Care: AI can understand data such as questions presented by a customer and answer them immediately.

They can even be customized to the specific business needs to provide the best customer care possible.

Best Practices How Small Organizations Can Use AI Marketing: AI can benefit marketing efforts in numerous ways. Not only can AI push certain recommendations to customers, but it can also help with content creation. AI can help create blog posts, newsletter inserts, and more in mere seconds. Even while AI generated content should have a human proofread before publication, it can greatly increase efficiency by cutting down the time needed to create content.

How to Incorporate AI For analysis, conduct a survey: AI technologies can not only design an attractive and thorough survey, but they can also analyze the resulting data, which can be used to understand customer needs and identify potential product or service development opportunities.

For customer care, use an AI Chatbot: Provide customers with immediate answers to their questions. By adding an AI Chatbot to your website, you can help engage customers and increase communication, making for an overall more satisfied customer base, and better business for you.

For marketing, use AI market research tools: You can use machine learning to analyze social media conversations, online reviews, and other sources of customer feedback. This can help you to understand consumer sentiment, identify trends, and track brand performance, leading to informed decision making.

AI can seem intimidating or untrustworthy, especially as it is constantly changing and developing. However, it is important to understand how it works and how it can prove beneficial for your small business. Incorporating AI into your business can drive growth through improving customer relations, saving time, and increasing efficiency and accuracy.

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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 Article IV, Section D Designate Directors Open, Better Middlebury Partnership Renny Perry, Addison County Economic Development Corp.

Renny Perry, Vergennes Partnership Bill Sayre, Addison County Regional Planning Commission Alicia Standridge - Bristol Core