Have you seen the "Pivot?"

Today, like many, was an especially sad day. The weather is finally beautiful in Vermont, and in years past, this would have been a day filled with so much joy and hope. Instead, I listened to our Governor, Phil Scott, who has done a great job managing this crisis, explain the state of this small state. Today, reality hit home!

Vermont farmers and dairy farmers are in trouble and our tourism industry, which supports so many of our local businesses, will be very compromised this season. I heard a stat, early on, that for every restaurant that has closed and can’t reopen, a 100 other businesses will be effected. The wounds are deep in Vermont, where agriculture and tourism are so important to our economy. It was heartbreaking to listen to our governor. Those 100 businesses are my neighbors and one of those businesses is a company, UniFirst, where I work. We truly are all in this together!

Our retail landscape will never be the same. Many businesses remain closed, while others are struggling to hold on. There is something exciting happening with many of the businesses, who have stuck it out, and remained open. Have you seen it, “The Pivot?” Overnight, these small and mighty businesses, have changed their business plans, adapted to our new needs, and are looking like they will be coming through this stronger, endeared by their customers, and in good shape.

We’ve all experienced, ordering our “take away” dinner with a cocktail, driving up to the restaurant and having the order placed in the popped trunk. I’m really enjoying shopping on line and then driving to the store to have my purchases brought out to my car. Friends, who previously couldn’t navigate around the kitchen, are all of a sudden, gourmet chefs. How wonderful to be able to buy a locally sourced meal kit from their favorite restaurants. Panera, McDonalds and Costco have been training us for this day with their dreadful, ordering Kiosks. Now, our local retailers have jumped into the game. Someone told me that even Heinz is selling Ketchup on its website. Big or small, everyone is quickly pivoting to our new normal.

We all need to learn to “Pivot “so that we can help each other get through this. I've pivoted out of my comfort zone, in hospitality, to finding solutions for those in the medical field needing PPE to reopen practices. As challenging as these times are, I'm happy to still be able to find solutions and help others. A very smart person once told me that smiling makes challenges easier. I hope we are all smiling soon!