This Is Not Just Another Annual Meeting

Every year, the Mad River Valley Chamber holds an Annual Meeting. We share the financials, report on membership, elect trustees and talk about the work ahead. But this year cannot simply be another Annual Meeting.

The Chamber has reached an inflection point. I am asking our members—and everyone who cares about the economic and community vitality of the Mad River Valley—to show up and help us determine what comes next.

This isn’t just about attending a meeting. It is about buying into a larger vision for the Chamber and taking some ownership of its future.

What Makes the Mad River Valley Different?

When I took this job seven years ago, I already believed deeply in this place. After 24 years at Mad River Glen, I understood that the Mad River Valley wasn’t special because we did things the way everybody else did.

It was special because we didn’t.

We have always followed our own path here. That path can be a little crooked, inefficient and occasionally messy. It depends heavily on relationships, collaboration and people willing to roll up their sleeves.

But it has also protected something increasingly rare: a real community with a palpable sense of place.

For years, people have described the Mad River Valley by saying that we are “not Stowe.” I understand what they mean, but it is time to stop defining ourselves by what we are not.

We are authentic. We are independent. We are real.

Authenticity. Community. Independence. Collaboration. Place.

Those words get to the heart of what makes the Mad River Valley different.

Our greatest competitive advantage is our authenticity. And that authenticity exists because generations of people and businesses have chosen community and collaboration over conformity and individual self-interest.

We are not a manufactured version of Vermont or simply a collection of businesses, each looking out for itself. We are a living, breathing community made stronger by the people who choose to participate in it.

That is the vision I believe our Chamber must represent.

A Different Kind of Chamber

Just as the Mad River Valley is unlike other communities, our Chamber should not look or act like every other Chamber.

The Chamber cannot simply be a business directory, a marketing organization or a collection of transactional member benefits. Those things matter—but they are tools, not the purpose.

At its best, the Chamber is a convener, a connector and a catalyst.

It brings together people who might not otherwise find themselves at the same table. It helps turn good ideas into action. It advocates for our businesses while recognizing that a strong local economy, a healthy community and the stewardship of this remarkable place are inseparable.

You can see that spirit in stewardMRV, the Round-Up Revival, the Recreation Hub, our transportation advocacy, the Women in Business group, Stand Up for Safety, the Short-Term Rental Collaborative, Mad Mingles and the countless conversations and collaborations happening quietly behind the scenes.

These efforts bring people together and carry important messages throughout the community. We also carry that spirit into every interaction we have with Valley visitors.

But none of this belongs to me or solely to the Board.

It belongs to all of us.

We Have a Path Forward

Through our work with membership consultant Cathi Hight, we have already done much of the difficult thinking about the Chamber’s future.

We have examined our purpose, membership structure and the changing needs of our business community. We have developed a path forward based not only on our own instincts, but also on industry research into where successful Chambers are heading.

That research confirms that we are moving in the right direction.

The challenge is that we have not yet fully implemented the plan and seen it through.

A plan sitting on a shelf will not change anything. Neither will another round of discussion that ends without ownership, action and follow-through.

We need to push through.

We need to clearly demonstrate what the Chamber is, why its work matters and why membership is an investment in something larger than any individual business.

It is an investment in the economic health, community vitality and authentic character of the Mad River Valley.

An Honest Look at Where We Stand

I would like to tell you that everything is peachy on the financial front. But I would not be doing my job if I did.

The truth is that the Chamber is not financially sustainable at its current membership level.

We ended the past year with a loss of approximately $25,000. Thankfully, we had reserves to carry us through, but those reserves have now fallen to about $15,000.

Our annual operating budget is approximately $145,000, with roughly $125,000 expected to come from membership investments. Our expenses are basic: labor, rent, utilities, the website and the subscriptions necessary to operate the organization. There is no large discretionary marketing fund tucked away somewhere. There simply isn’t much fat to trim.

Membership currently stands at approximately 158, compared with about 185 when I started. Our new budget will require us to increase membership investment revenue by approximately 10–15 percent.

We cannot afford another year like the one we just completed.

I don’t say that to be alarmist. I say it because our members deserve an honest picture of where we stand.

We either rebuild membership and broaden the base of businesses and individuals investing in the Chamber, or we will have to reconsider what the organization can realistically accomplish and where it must pull back.

This Is a Call to Participate

This is not simply a call for more membership dollars.

It is a call for more ownership.

Ask questions. Share an idea. Challenge us when we need challenging. Volunteer. Join a conversation. Consider serving on the Board or a committee. Introduce us to a business that ought to be part of the Chamber.

Most importantly, show up.

Our Annual Meeting will be held Tuesday, September 15, at the 1824 House Inn & Barn. Cocktails begin at 5:30 pm, with the program starting at 6 pm.

We will speak candidly about the Chamber’s finances, membership and future. We will elect members of the Board of Trustees. We will also welcome Vermont Tourism Commissioner Heather Pelham, who will discuss Vermont’s evolving statewide story and where the Mad River Valley fits within it.

That conversation could not come at a better time.

As Vermont considers how it presents itself to the world, we must consider the same question here at home—not how we become something different, but how we tell our story more clearly while remaining true to ourselves.

The meeting is free and open to Chamber members, their employees and anyone interested in becoming part of the organization. A family-style dinner prepared by the 1824 House will follow. Dinner is $35 per person and requires advance registration.

I know everyone is busy. But this is not the year to assume someone else will attend, someone else will step forward or someone else will figure it out.

Communities—and Chambers—do not remain strong by accident. They remain strong because people care enough to participate.

This is your Chamber.

This is your community.

And what comes next is something we must build together.

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