Charlotte Shelburne Rotary
Call to order 7:30Pledge Led By Judy Christensen
 
Devotional by Kris Engstrom
 
Breakfast together till 7:40
 
President Judy Christensen announced it is a busy day and asked all members help keep the meeting smooth
 
Judy Introduced Guest speaker Robert Bloch and visiting Rotarian from West Virginia Ginny Jascet
 
Agenda
 
Next week September 14 - Carolyn Siccama and Lara Keenan presenting a program on How to Use Face Book – there are handouts on tables  - “HOW TO GET ON FACEBOOK”.
 
Colleen Haag’s retirement Party is next Thursday the 15th at the Shelburne Museum starting at 4PM
 
The Board voted to approve $1,200 for bench honoring Colleen’s years of service to the town and community if the price is more it is to be split with the veteran’s memorial committee
 
Point of order: as a board quorum was present Judy called on the board to approve the split in cost
A motion was made and seconded.
The motion passed
 
The club meeting was reopened:
The proposal for a $1,200 bench to honor Coleen’s years of service to the town and community was presented to the membership.
The membership approved the proposal
The motion was made a seconded (in that order)
 
Board meeting Tuesday September 20th at the Shelburne Library
            Agenda to include:
                        Halloween Parade
                        Car Raffle
 
Tom Torti – Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce - September 28th
Bill Schubart – Author/Commentator - Oct. 5
Valarie Brosseau  - director of “A New Place” Oct. 19
Committee Meeting – Oct 19th
Frank Bryan- Political Update- Oct. 26th
 
Rick Flood – report on Annual Fund Drive – Aprox. $10,000+/- in already with an expected Tom Glasser annual injection of around $10,000
 
John Dupee - Golf ball drop – everything under control
 
Ric Flood reported on Car Raffle
            Committee consensus to push car raffle off to spring 
            Do it in early Mayas coach barn does not open until May
            After UVM graduation
            A majority Show of Hands supported the committee’s idea
            The car Raffle will be moved to Spring giving the members and community  
            breathing room between fund raisers.
 
Alan Bates reported on the Football Pool 
This year we have 59 people signed up 1 less than last year
            There are some interesting dynamics
            Trafton Crandall gang
            Linda Schiavone gang
            Alan Bates gang
           
            Raises $1475 for club
            Sign up is not limited in any way. People can signup anytime for just $50.
            Got to be in it to win it!
 
Bob Sanders  38th Annual Harvest Festival is September 17th
            Charlotte Shelburne Rotary has enjoyed assisting with the parking for years
            Sign up sheets are available  
            Need 6 parkers for morning
            Need 6 parkers for evening
 
            Judy remembered Ray Sofer, who got this going.  What a guy.
 
 
Linda Gilbert - Meals on Wheels – Drop off food plan – drivers – Joan Lenes heading up efforts
 
Charlie Koffman - Light up the Night Walk - funds lifesaving research and support for people battling cancer. Takes place Friday, September 30th - meet at 6 PM  starts at 7 PM Town Center Mall. We would like to get some walkers and sign up sheets passed around
 
Had Rotary team few years ago Judy has volunteered to represent our club’s team this year
 
https://www.evensi.us/light-the-night-burlington-vt-walk-2016-burlington-town/169959748
 
Carol Obuchowski and Mike Clapp are fielding a Get out to Vote challenge  
Mike and Carol are meeting to get up to speed after today’s
If you want to get involved contact Mike or Carol.
 
George Schiavone   announced the at through the efforts of Dave Rice the fire department lunch service ended up not costing the club any money. Just volunteered time.   Thanks Dave Rice.
 
Lara Keenan – Tuesday 29th  Architects meeting on Municipal Complex meeting 6PM-8PM 
 
Sargent at Arms  Stand In John Dupee
 
Judy Christensen for John Dupee, Light the Night, and Colleen’s bench
Jane McKnight - 15 day vacation
Ric  Flood - happy to be here - going to Florida
Sam Feitelberg - Colleens bench  which btw is already installed
Terrell  Titus - a wonderful trip to the Southwest and an upcoming visit to Mass.
Charlie  Koffman -Bob Bloch
Carol Obuchoski -Short story about rotary club song – e-mailed after meeting…
 
"I love the Lions in the morning,
The Exchange Club at night, I love the  Y's men in the evening, 
And Kiwanis are all right.... 
 
I love the Optimists in the springtime,
The Ad Club in the fall
But each day - and in every way -
I love Rotary best of all...
 
This is supposed to be sung to "Last Night on the Back Porch".  I copied Richard on this since he is the only one I know in the Club who can sing and may actually know the melody to Last Night on the Back Porch.
 
This was part of a short story by George Milburne called the "Apostate" and published in the New York in 1937.  Its a very Sinclair Lewis Babbit kind of story.
 
Russ Blodgett -Happy for weather and Motor Cycle riding and making two meeting in row
Lara Keenan -  Notoriety fine
Tod Whitaker - 6 more weeks of Shelburne Farmers Market
Terry Kennaugh - missed running into the skunk this morning
Chris Engstrom - Happy
George Schiavone – Happy for  Light the Night
Bob Sanders - No bugs
Roz  Graham – Family up and sailing everyday
Barabara Comeau - school started
Alan Hathaway – Happy 59 in football pool
Gary Marcotte - weekend in Maine
Ginny-   two weeks visiting out club
John Hammer-  Bob Bloch
Trafton Crandall - Lara may the Swartz be with you
Jane – Kids survived first week College
Linda Gilbert – grandson’s  first soccer game - won 11-0
John  Lowell - vacation with 22 family members and 1 out house
Kris Happy
 
 
John Beal’s number was drawn by Bob- John picked the 9 of Hearts – rollover $225 in pot
 
George Schiavone introduced Bob Bloch
 
The below was taken from www.champlain.edu
“Directing the BYOBiz Program at Champlain is arguably my third career. Upon graduating from Cornell University with a liberal arts degree, I tried to start a magazine business targeting college students. Although the venture failed, I was hooked on a business career. The experience helped me to "know what I didn't know", and I concluded that I needed to fill in a few blank spaces in my business education.
I earned my MBA from Harvard Business School and embarked on a career in the corporate world focusing on marketing. My first job was assistant product manager for the Kool-Aid business at General Foods Corporation, now part of Kraft, Inc. My career seemed to take off when the division president walked by my cube at about 7:30 one evening and noticed that the calculator on which I was pounding away was smoking. "That guy has potential", I heard him mutter as he walked by. That career culminated with a five year stint as the senior marketing and sales executive for Marriott's worldwide hotel business, and being named one of the "Twenty-Five Most Influential People in the Travel Industry" by Business Travel News.
I never lost the entrepreneurial bug during those years in the corporate world. In fact, many of my corporate assignments had a strong entrepreneurial flavor - new products, developing new hotel brands, repositioning existing brands, new technologies (in the early 90's, I secured the URL "Marriott.com" before any of us knew what to do with it).
From Marriott, I embarked on my entrepreneurial career in earnest, co-founding a highly successful satellite services company and several others that were not as successful. Along the way I also made a number of "angel investments" in young companies and served on their boards of directors.
One thing I learned about myself throughout my career was that I consistently derived a great deal of satisfaction from developing and mentoring younger managers, many of whom I still count as friends. That insight made the decision to join Champlain College as the first full time director of its innovative BYOBiz program an easy one.
In BYOBiz, we put the focus on helping student CEOs create and build their businesses while helping them gain confidence making decisions, taking action and leading their companies. We augment and complement classroom learning and help young entrepreneurs apply that learning to their businesses.
BYOBiz students become more adept at assessing and accepting risk, and learning how to "fail quickly and cheaply", a key foundation for entrepreneurial success.
More than anything, we help students develop and nurture their entrepreneurial mindset.
When I am not working with student entrepreneurs, I enjoy spending time with my wife Nancy and my three grown children doing outdoor activities like skiing, hiking and gardening, working on land conservation issues as a board member of my community's land trust, angel investing and working to promote entrepreneurship in Vermont. But most of all I enjoy riding my motorcycles.”
Observations about Entrepreneurship Today
 
Bob went on to speak in depth about entrepreneurism in Vermont
The big picture trends - 2008-2009 down turn and the regaining of momentum going on since then.
 
  • “”A wonderful thing about Chittenden County is its proximity to Vermont”.
  • Kauffman Foundation – in 2015 ranked Vermont
    • #1 among 25 “small states” for small business activity
    • #5 for start up activity (+7 spots)
  • Some recent actions that may help
    • VT crowd sourced funding legislation
      • Milk Money – VT oriented platform
    • Events showcasing and encouraging entrepreneurs
      • LaunchVT, Road Pitch, Makers Faire
  • Issues for VT entrepreneurs
    • Capital
                        Attracting needed talent
 
He spoke to the Boom of Unicorns and how they are starting to slow and how unsexy businesses are on the rise.
 
He spoke to the pros and cons of the proverbial ‘Business Plan’ and what they really are. Today value is found not so much in the plan but in what an entrepreneur can actually sell
 
The big plan is to be prepared to change, ready to experiment, and learn as you go.
 
There are still scars from the melt down
The “you did not build that” and banking regulations, etc…but good things are happening.
 
The 2012 Jobs Act  paved the way for loosening restrictions on how people can invest, new criteria and conditions to invest  freed money previously restricted and Vermont took the lead.
 
Examples:
crowd sourcing, kick starter, indiegogo, gofundme, etc
Vermont has paved the way and Bob reviewed a few success stories….
 
Visit  https://www.milkmoneyvt.com/
 
TomTorti  and the Lake Champlain Chamber started http://www.launchvt.com/
 
One of the toughest things is to attract good talent – Vermont needs growth -
Growth creates opportunity
 
On campus Bob works to mirror national trends
 
Another new source is http://vermonttechnologies.com/
 
Importantly spaces are being developed where entrepreneurs can get together and exchange ideas- collaboration is key
 
Bob wants everyone to be aware of BYOBIZ speaking from experience lecture series. The schedule can be found at this link
 
 
Bob ran out of time but stayed after the meeting to answer questions.
 
Meeting adjourned 8:30AM