Posted by Debra Rosenzweig on Aug 15, 2017
Thank you to Jen Moyse for being our greeter this morning.
Jim Verzino was the speaker for this week, hosted by Josh Traeger.
 
Guests:
Jon Secrest introduced his progeny Alexis Secrest as well as Phil Steckler, classification  - noontime rotarian, and prospective Sunrise Rotarian to great applause. Phil is a business broker and a local dignity. Erin O’Keefe introduced Jocelyn Roderick, an SIT graduate and budding entrepreneur, working on a mobile coffee shack.
Jon Secrest then introduced Jill and her daughter Mesa who fled our club and we miss her dearly.
Josh Traeger introduced John, a former student rotarian, and phenomenal disc player
Debra introduced her progeny, Ava and Shoshana.
Josh’s birthday is on Tuesday 8/15!
The birthday singers crooned beautifully and he was happy.
Rotary anniversaries :
Cindy and Lisa celebrated one year this week. Will has 16 years. Ali and Sandy Ladd and Kevin are all at 22 years!!
 
Cards:
Debra won the pot and didn't notice. She gave it to Ava and Shoshana for their college funds.
Bowl of Life:
 “I was a judge at a children’s beauty contest in Atlantic City.”
Jon Secrest guessed Diane, the 1986 Winter Carnival Queen, who guessed Turner, who guessed Sadie, who guessed Caleb, who guessed Mark who guessed Jon again who guessed Dan Deitz. Finally we found out it was Cindy.
 
Announcements:
Dan Deitz – Sunrise Rotary is cooking at a car show on 8/26, a fundraiser for the club, he needs volunteers as he wont be in the country. It will be at the BUHS parking lot, on Saturday at lunch time
Sandy – Description of Trivia night. Trivia night is always the 2nd Monday of the month, coming up on 9/11 this year, Charity partners each month recruit members and players and they benefit from the admissions, We raise $200-$300 per month, per event!
Ross is question master, KJ is emcee. Sandy needs two volunteers to proofread the questions for Ross.
We need to replace Amelia Farnum for PR, Lissa Weinman agreed to take over.
Ali –  announced about the first rotary romp of the summer, scheduled for 8/28 It will be so much fun. Get a little exercise at your own pace, and a social at the marina after that hour of exercise. Josh requests that it gets put on Band App, Ali said to ask a younger person.
Toni – got the first gift certificate for the dinner raffle, from the Marina, she needs more restaurants
Josh – Disc golf tournament is 10/1, a meeting was scheduled for after the meeting this morning, let Josh know if you would like to be on the committee,
Jim – 50 questions, monkey survey
Dan – Blood Drive 9/6. Please put up posters and sign up to give if you can.
 
Brags:
Jen Moyse – She bragged $17 because it is the tradition to do a dollar for each year you are married! Jen and her husband Josh celebrated this past Saturday by going to a softball team reunion. Very romantic. She said, $17 doesn't even begin to cover it. Aw.
Damon  – They went to Saskatchewan, and Katherine and he went to a reunion from the 1980’s, they missed their flight to Winnipeg because Toyota Rad 4’s get stolen and he wanted to keep his.
Marcy – Her 1-19 is coming up and she has been loving the weather and she is tasting October…
Kevin – one dollar for WKTV’s Latchis Event tomorrow. They will be there from 6am-6pm, for every $10 you give, it will be converted to a bag of groceries for Groundworks Collaborative.
If you will be around to help out, their goal is to fill all 750 seats of the Latchis with grocery bags.
If you can help that would be awesome.
Erin – TINY HOUSE FEST is 25 days away. Pre sale tickets available and posters to put up. Luau is on noon at Saturday 8/26 and everyone is invited. It is an amazing event. She will post on club runner and everyone is invited.
Turner – Jill being here is a delight. For the next 4 nights he is singing at the Yankee male chorus. 730 pm. Please come.
Lissa – We got the big NEH grant, peoples places and words and the history of words in Brattleboro VT and the opening thing is the mobile literary exhibition space called MILES
Great thing for the town. Milesbrattleboroioby Site and make a donation
Ali – looking for a dishwasher for 3 hours a day at the Butcher shop
Sadie – NEYT Twelth Night, Table Manners with Sadie in West Chesterfield and one more. Lots of theater out there to support.
Jill – left a little over a year ago, welcoming visitors. They are doing well. Mesa has just turned two. Selling olive oil at the coop.
Empress Michelle – Lisa put together her parent’s cruise, was very involved and caretaking of Michelle’s typically driving parents. And her daughter Caroline made Law Review!!
Damon – last gasping act of his presidency, Paul Harris Fellowship was awarded to Josh Traeger! Paul Harris Fellows are not strictly Rotarian, can be earned by anyone donating $1000 to the fund but it is probably based on merit too? Josh deserves it.
 
Our Speaker:
Jim Verzino –– Windham Grows. Josh is on the steering committee. It is a food and agriculture business accelerator. They take existing food businesses and help them grow. Jocelyn Roderick, a guest today, has a brewed coffee business idea, could be in it if she were working in the business full time. It is basically a jobs program. The goal is to replace all 600 jobs lost from the Vermont Yankee shutdown. It is a 9 month program – teaching, Sell globally. Spend locally.
Because the pie of money doesn't grow if we only sell to each other. It is a great place to start but the value of Made in Vermont is huge.  Jim knows a Virginian who comes up here and slaps the made in VT label on her product, maple popcorn.
3 legs of the stool: – a rigorous 9 month curriculum, social support and individual consulting.
All part of Strolling of the Heifers, trying to give a place so that young people don't have to leave VT to start a business. Provide access to capital, mentors and markets.
 
First year of graduates are coming out now, Good Body products, True North granola, Whetstone Station Brewery, Tavernier Chocolates, Sweet Basil Food Company, Restless Rooster, and Wonderland Yarns.
Entrepreneurship, starting your own business, basically requires the opposite skills we are taught in school.
In school, the authority figure says deliver me this and you will be rewarded.
In entrepreneurship, you have to figure that all out on your own.
No infrastructure for teaching that. As a result, programs like this are springing up all over the country, being funded by larger companies or venture capital firms.
But no space for someone like a Jocelyn who is just getting out of the gate, starting at the Farmer’s Market and all the hundreds of people starting together.
Career centers are set at this date in high schools. Ross teaches an amazing Visioning course.
Good Questions – Where does the funding come from?
USDA grant, Vermont Yankee settlement funds, and two others.
What is the follow up / accountability?
Employee count is the metric, is tracked for 9 years after the program ends.
 
Empress Michelle ends the meeting with the 4 way test.