Just A Thought! We all have the opportunity to sell our communities that we live in!

Association of Business and Industry — Tue, 02 Dec 2008

The Greater Burlington Partnership recently received correspondence from a New Zealand couple who had traveled across the United States by bus and train. They spent an afternoon in Greater Burlington while waiting to continue the next leg of their journey. What they had to say in their email should be instructive to all of us.

Twice in their first hour in town the couple was told by representatives of community businesses that “there is nothing to do in Burlington.” One of the businesses was helpful to the couple in finding ground transportation, but the other business representative was not at all helpful, on top of being negative about the community.

Fortunately, the story does not end there! After finding their way to the flooded out Welcome Center, the couple noticed The Drake across the street and went in for lunch. This they referred to in their email as the “saving grace.” They wrote that “the staff was friendly” and “the food was fantastic.” They stated that the meal was the best they had in the USA. The staff at The Drake referred the couple to the temporary Welcome Center on Jefferson Street, where they were able to drop their back packs and move freely around the downtown area for a few hours.

The couple writes that they enjoyed their time in Greater Burlington and wished that they had scheduled more time here. They stated that the community gave them a wonderful glimpse of small town America. They were so completely pleased with their Snake Alley experience that they did not even bother to go to Lombard Street in San Francisco later in their trip.

This is what you and I can learn from this letter from New Zealand. We all have opportunities over the course of a year to be tour guides, ambassadors and salespeople for the communities that we live in. If we are courteous, helpful, informed and positive we can impact impressions of our community that will last a lifetime and undoubtedly be shared with dozens of others who may visit, relocate or open a business here. It’s one more way that you and I can make a difference!

Brenda Wischmeier

Just A Thought! We all have the opportunity to sell our communities that we live in!