Living and Working in Burlington Vermont

Winter has finally arrived and the ski areas are open for business. We often forget about these economic engines that do as much for our economy as any other industry in the state. In years gone by it was easy to dismiss ski areas as playgrounds for the rich and famous with the Hollywood stars of the day showing up at Stowe and the political stars going to Sugarbush. While our ski areas still attract the rich and sometimes infamous, they are much more geared to families and groups as anything else. Smuggler’s Notch has secured its position as the most family friendly resort in the east, Bolton Valley caters to the local audience with varied terrain for skiers and boarders alike, and Jay Peak boasts natural snow like none other combined with fantastic snow making. The two big resorts anchoring different ends of the “valley” Sugarbush and Stowe annually refine their world-class offerings of everything from all mountain experiences to fine dining, lodging and general ambience. In the south, Killington offers a diversity of terrains across its mountain peaks that can usually be found only in the West.

If you are thinking about a winter getaway, give Vermont’s ski areas a hard look. Each has its own personality; each has amenities that please singles, families and elders; each welcomes the visitor with Vermont’s own charm and hospitality and, for those in the East, each is just a drive away. It’s much easier and cheaper to drive to Vermont with than to lug all that clothing and gear through an airport on to a plane and back out to the rental car.

Vermont is truly the East’s winter playground.

Image courtesy of Stowe Mountain Resort

I am reminded of the old saying that “fools rush in where others fear to tread” as I begin this piece. Health care reform has risen to the ranks of religion and politics as a subject that is better left unspoken in polite company. However, it is also a topic that a Chamber of Commerce will be expected to weigh in on at some point. A couple of years ago one of the predominant themes coming from our Member Survey was that, but for the escalating cost of health care, business owners would offer a host of other benefits to their employees. Clearly the cost of health care is an issue that we cannot duck.

There are a few fundamental, and somewhat paradoxical, dilemmas that many who engage in this debate need to come to grips with. It seems that we want what we want when we want it and we don’t want it to cost much. We rail against the idea of rationing at the personal level but proclaim its benefit for others; we argue that we want newer and better drugs on the market but demonize the industry that invests in research and development; upon entering the hospital, we demand every conceivable test but publicly argue that doctors order too many unwarranted tests; we want the best, brightest and well trained to provide our care and then we complain that costs of medical education keep driving costs up. Add to it the view that our ‘social contract” demands that every person living in our country is entitled to health care to some degree and the concept of controlled costs and inexpensive health care goes out the window.

Is there an answer? Frankly I know that I’m not smart enough to figure it out but these are some hard decisions that we will have to confront. Here are some ideas to spark a lively debate:

• Everyone is required to “purchase” an insurance plan: it matters not if it is private, public, or a hybrid; if you are over 22 and able-bodied, a portion of your income flow should go to health care. This assumes that there is an entry or basic plan that is readily available.
• Everyone pays something when they show up for care: If you have skin in the game, you’ll think about the choices that you make.
• If you are over ___ (insert an age) years old: no joint replacements.
• If you smoke or engage in other significant negative lifestyle choices: the price that you are required to pay for health insurance is significantly higher than those who lead a healthier lifestyle. Also, you may be denied certain types of treatment.
• If you are over _____ (insert an age): no organ transplants.
• If your liver is shot due to certain lifestyle choices: no liver transplants.

I’m not saying that I am fond of any of these choices. In truth, some would have had an effect on members of my own extended family. However, absent a change in our thinking about what Frank Sinatra called the “autumn of my years” (where about 80% of the costs are incurred) we are not going to be able to significantly affect the rate of cost escalation.

A few events over the last week drove home the point that the Burlington area really is a small region that plays big. We are the 5’10” NBA player that competes in a 6’10” game. Here are a few examples: the Quad events brought in some of the biggest national and international performers for a two-week festival of song, music, dance and theatre; the CVE is hosting Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Bob Dylan followed by Kid Rock; the LCI Derby drew 5500 anglers to the shores of Lake Champlain; and, we still host a major league baseball team. There are a ton more examples but you get my point. There is no way a city of forty thousand should ‘play this big’---but we do.

My belief is that once we attain this level we can ill afford to slide back to ‘B’ class status. These types of events draw tourists, businesses and the curious onlookers to the region as much as the lake and mountains do. If we begin to lose the very fabric of our DNA, the things that differentiate us from other towns of more than thirty thousand with pretty scenery, we will become just another region whose time has passed.

Which leads me to my biggest gripe: how the heck can we afford to let the Lake Monsters leave due to a sub-standard park? While this is clearly not ‘value-added’ business in the traditional sense it is a much a part of whom we are as the myth of Champ. There were real efforts made to save the team and their owner should be congratulated for bending over backwards to make it work. It’s is time for others to step up to the plate and keep a quintessential part of our region in tact.

I watched the press conference as Major General Dubie announced the deployment of over 1500 Vermont National Guard soldiers to Afghanistan and others to Iraq. While we had all expected the news, it is nonetheless sobering to hear it formalized. These wars are unlike others that our country fought in Europe and even in Vietnam. Although there are news stories on a regular basis, the conflicts often lose their immediacy in our everyday lives—unless of course you have a family member, loved one or friend that is serving. As the memory 0f 9/11 fades, the sense of our collective connection to the conflict fades as well --- until 1500 of are called up and leave.

Make no mistake, 1500 working men and women will be missed. Businesses will have to adapt and figure out ways to accomplish their mission with fewer staff or how to back fill in critical areas. But, at the end of the day, whether you run a non-profit, a Fortune 500 company or a small business, our role in the war on terrorism is to ensure that those we send to fight have a job when they return. No soldier should have to worry that they will not be able to provide for their families or themselves after their tour of duty is done.

The Vermont National Guard does a fantastic job of supporting families up to and throughout deployment. In the greatest Vermont tradition, they make sure that their own are taken care of. We should all join with the Guard and go the extra mile to make sure that the little peace of mind that we can give goes with our soldiers to the front.

The Lake Champlain International (LCI) recently concluded its 28th annual Father’s Day Fishing Tournament. More than 5500 anglers from Vermont and around the country participated in the event that awarded prizes in the thousands of dollars. Once again, the LCI reinforced Lake Champlain as one of the best Bass fisheries in the country and, this year, heralded its re-emergence as a premier cold water fishery thanks to our successful treatment for sea lamprey. Lake Champlain is being written up in national magazines and angler blogs across the country.

It has been well documented that anglers spend the most per capita while visiting Vermont. Importantly, they spend their money across all sectors of our economy and in places where other tourists often miss. Just travel through the Champlain Islands, along Route 7, through Addison County, or along West Lakeshore Drive in Malletts Bay and check out the small motels, ‘mom and pop’ restaurants, and bait and tackle shops. There you’ll see the boats and trailers and family entourages that make up the folks who come to fish in the Father’s Day tournament.

While it is true that we cannot expect fishing and other outdoor sports to fully support Vermont’s need for tax revenue, it is a source that is fairly consistent and one that needs to be better marketed. For one, I am surprised that Vermont’s flagship publication has never done a story about the LCI Derby. Twenty-eight years and a quintessential Vermont pastime that rings that state cash register surely warrant a story. As we look to grow and shore up our tourism base we need to recognize the gems that already exist and promote them more widely. Establishments need to be open during the ‘shoulder seasons’ to accommodate not only anglers but duck hunters and ice fishermen. These are clean and green opportunities that need focus and attention from business owners, tourism promoters and the state.

During World War II the enduring image of 'can do' America was that now iconic image of Rosie the Riveter. As their men went off to fight the war, thousands of "Rosies" suited up and went off to build armaments and materiel for the war efforts. Their efforts contributed as much as any man to our success and, in retrospect, began to cement the view that women are as capable as men in blue and white collar worlds.

A little-heralded gem that emerged ten years ago in Vermont is a program, run by Vermont Works for Women, called Rosie's Girls. The program takes middle school girls and introduces them to what those of us old enough to remember "shop class" call the trades. These are non-traditional areas of employment for women like welding, masonry, carpentry and the like. Over the past years, it has expanded to ten sites within Vermont and has been exported to 4 other states. It takes only a peek under the hood to realize the multiple levels of value in this program.

It is great that the program opens up areas of employment that many girls would not usually consider but that, in reality, pay an honest wage for an honest day's work. It opens up jobs that have a true value in our computerized, web-enabled, 4-nanosecond world. Just ask anyone who has a burst pipe in the winter, a plugged toilet, a wall outlet that needs to be re-wired, or a car that just won't start whom the most important person is to them at that moment!

More importantly, I think it does something even greater. Despite all the advances that we have made in pushing for gender equality, there is still a belief that girls just can't compete in certain avenues. Rosie's Girls works with girls who are at the point of becoming young women: a time that is often rife with all sorts of 'growing-up issues.' It meets them where they are at and teaches them that they can do and be anything that they put their mind to. The program breaks stereotypes and erases self-doubt. As Vermont and this country look for people to confidently lead us in the future, we need programs like Rosie's Girls not only for the tangible skills that it teaches but for the intangibles that it infuses. Congratulations to Tiff Bluemle and the staff at Vermont Works for Women for ten years of building skilled workers and strong Vermonters.