July 6, 2016 Newsletter
By John Hammer
Charlotte Shelburne Rotary
 
Wednesday, July 6, 2016, 7:15 a.m.
Trinity Episcopal Church Community Room
Welcome
President Judy Christiansen opened the meeting (This her second meeting) with the Pledge. Kris Engstrom followed with the devotional.
Guests: Walter and Patty White, Guests of Jane McIntyre. She a high school friend and he, a 26-year member of the Quincy, MA Rotary Club
Leslie Graham, Guest of Roz Graham
Dick Hess - Speaker
Upcoming:
July 13 – Ron Court – Booker T. Washington
July 20 – Leader, Richard – Club Assembly
July 27 – Leader, Trafton – Ken Albert, Shelburne Vineyards
August 3 – Leader, Steve – Jane Swift, Former Massachusetts Governor
August 10 – Leader Lara – Tom Torti, President of the Lake Champlain Regional                  Chamber of Commerce
August 17 – Judy Returns – Committee Meetings
August 24 – RYLA Report/Presentation
August 30 – Al Getler, President/Publisher of Burlington Free Press and Free Press Media
Announcements
Dues
A reminder – Dues are due before the end of the month. Active Members - $150. Active 85ers - $147.
Thank You Letters - Received from The Visiting Nurses Association for the club’s $500 donation.
Shelburne Pocket Park Thanks – President Judy thanked the following Rotarians for their part in cleaning out the park’s pond: Michael Clapp, Howard Seaver, Bill Root, Linda Gilbert, and the ever-present Denny Bowen.
Shelburne Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD) – The Shelburne Volunteer Fire Department will celebrate their 75th birthday on August 27th. The club will provide the food services. George Schiavone will chair a committee to provide the service. As yet we are awaiting information from the SVFD committee.
Annual Fundraising Letter – Ric Flood handed out the new annual fund-raising letters. They are dated for this coming Friday. Members are encouraged to include a return, self-addressed envelope. John Hammer made note that ye-movement professionals have determined that the first glance of a person opening letters is in the upper right hand corner (known as the Johnson Square). {Unfortunately in preparing for this newsletter, John Googled Johnson and couldn’t find it, however, he did learn that a P.S. is the second eye movement after the signature {{which should be a large signature}}}.
Sergeant at Arms – Bill Root - presiding. Bill easily moved into the role by designating the Jeez’um Crow as the Vermont State Bird. He told the story about Vince Lombardi, who was telling his team about going back to the basics. When he began describing a football, he was stopped by one player who asked him to slow down.
A lot of Happy Fines were paid in recognition of the visits by Dick Hess and the Whites.
Ric Flood - Happy that the flurry of getting the fund-raising letters out was over.
The Whites - Happy to be visiting and for the warm hospitality.
President Judy - For being president of such a great club and the fund-raising letters.
Linda Barker - For the long Fourth of July weekend.
John Hammer - Thankful for the last week in Chautauqua where he attended 35 events, lessons and concerts.
Kris Engstrom - Happy for the perfect Fourth of July and coming visit from grandkids.
Erik Kolomazink - Happy that his son has been accepted for his second year at the Schoolhouse School.
Jon Lowell - Loved the Shelburne Museum/VSO fireworks
Lara Keenan - The Comedy Night at the library was a rousing success.
Linda Gilbert - Swam in the lake. It was cold but nevertheless refreshing.
Trafton Crandall - Happy to be the past president
Carol Obuchowski - Happy for visit by granddaughter.
George Schiavone - Gave a dollar to avoid the hassle.
Bob Sanders - Was very complimentary of the fund-raising letter.
Steve Dates - Thanks to Ric for the fund-raising letter and congratulations to President Judy on her assumption of power.
Charlie Kofman - Just returned from 3 weeks in Alaska. Encouraged everyone to attend this Friday’s Lake Monsters game, as it is Cancer Awareness Night.
Howard Seaver - Congratulations to President Judy.
Bob Sanders won the draw. Two of Diamonds. Rollover the $140 pot.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Speaker. Dick Hess, past owner of Archie’s Restaurant.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
             Dick Hess receives book from President Judy
 
Dick’s father, Archie, was a very hard working farmer and general handy man in Arlington, VT. The family had nine children and his father featured in several of Norman Rockwell’s paintings. The most famous one was Freedom of Speech. Archie and Dick were always heavily involved in local affairs.
Dick began his professional life as a bellboy in a single-storied hotel. It was his dream to enter the restaurant business since he was 19. By the age of 20 he was running a full bar and he was entering into as many professional experiences as he could hope to learn. By 1987, he was working for a beer and wine distributor after which he was asked then to be a working partner in the Queen City Tavern in Burlington. He ran it during the period 1990-1994 and after being a victim of some bad business partners left to be a househusband. He was very much complementary of the banker, Dudley Davis, who was known as the handshake banker. Davis used to ask him to report his feelings on how the business was going, without looking at the financials. He has met all his business failures “head on” and considered them all valuable learning exercises. 
Queen City Tavern was followed by eleven years in the food service industry where he learned by observing all aspects of the food and restaurant trade. “It greatly expanded his knowledge and was an eye-opener.” After a very brief span in office equipment sales at the age of 60, he combined with the landlord of the property that was to become Archie’s to renovate the building with the advice of Trafton Crandall. He fully set up the internal architecture to optimize the line and worked hard in developing an efficient operation. His comment was that the most important part of setting up the facility was the hiring.
He financed the enterprise with a unique C corporation structure using funding based on his (401)k savings. He worked every day for two years building community support and concentrated on the kids, as “they brought their parents.” He gave out a free hamburger for every team sport photo he received that drew the teams’ families in to see the pictures. He pointed out that he was able to glean a lot of good tips from observing how MacDonald’s treated their customers. His secret was to bond with the kids.
Dick’s dealings with the Shelburne bureaucracy were tendentious, especially with respect to the sale to Dunkin Donuts. The fellow who bought Archie's out was very nice and enthusiastic about not shaking things up. He bought Dick out because Dick had been diagnosed with cancer and had to stop work. He really misses his customers.  His relationships with the town, being there, and being able to give to the town were the interests that drove him on.