GMA May 2015 Newsletter

Eleanor G. Haskin – 83, passed away in the comfort of her home on Sunday morning, May 3, 2015. Born in Burlington on October 14, 1931, she was the daughter of the late Alton and Eunice F. (Buzzell) Farr. Eleanor was a 1950 graduate of Waitsfield High School and continued her education at the University of Rochester (NY) Eastman School of Music, graduating in 1957.

When her father died in 1940, her mother Eunice became the sole owner of the Waitsfield-Fayston Telephone Co. As a child she helped repair phone lines, while in high school worked in the business office sorting and billing, as well as splitting the Sunday operator shift with her mother so the other operators could have the day off. Eleanor learned the industry and business from its infancy. Eleanor G. Haskin – 83, passed away in the comfort of her home on Sunday morning, May 3, 2015. Born in Burlington on October 14, 1931, she was the daughter of the late Alton and Eunice F. (Buzzell) Farr. Eleanor was a 1950 graduate of Waitsfield High School and continued her education at the University of Rochester (NY) Eastman School of Music, graduating in 1957.

On March 23, 1952, she married Dana L. Haskin in Waitsfield. Eleanor followed her husband’s military career that took them far from the Mad River Valley. With her mother’s health declining, Eleanor and Dana realized that the business was at a critical juncture and made the decision that keeping the business in the family and coming back to the Valley was the only choice. The move ushered in a new era of progress and leadership at the phone company. Eleanor became active in state, regional and national organizations in the independent phone industry, becoming the first woman president of the Telephone Assoc. of New England (TANE) and was the first woman inducted into the TANE Hall of Fame. In addition her voice was being heard on the national level through the Organization for the Preservation and Advancement of Small Telephone Companies. In 1980 she was elected its President, the first woman to lead a national telephone industry association. Today Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom is a progressive and innovative company offering a variety of telecommunication options that is a true testimony to Eleanor’s vision and business acumen.

In recent years Eleanor was able to retire and enjoy her home in East Warren while her sons continue to run the business. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Eleanor is loved and mourned by her husband, Dana L. Haskin of Warren; their sons, Eric S. Haskin and his wife Anna of Waitsfield, Gregg L. Haskin and his wife Roberta of Berlin, and Scott C. Haskin of Hinesburg, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She also leaves her sister-in-law Ann Haskin Ways of Glendale, CA and brother-in-law Father Jay Haskin of Stowe. She was pre-deceased by her loving daughter, Susan Haskin Simms on July 14, 2003 as well as Eleanor’s infant brother, Alton Farr, Jr.

As you may have already heard, Google announced that they are discontinuing the Partner Edition of their Google Apps platform. As a result, Green Mountain Access must move all customer email accounts to a new platform. After extensive research, we have selected Zimbra, a popular email solution trusted by 500 million people. In preparation, we will be making important technical updates over the coming weeks which will impact users of email software (like Outlook and MacMail) and all users of our current webmail system (Gmail). This transition will take place on May 26, 2015.

What’s Staying the Same:

Update Your Email Settings Now
If you use email software like Outlook, MacMail, etc. or access your email via a smartphone or tablet, please update your settings by May 11th. You can make these changes now and we strongly recommend doing this as soon as possible.

Action Required if You Use Google Calendar, Docs and Drive
Outside of email and contacts, content stored within Google for your gmavt.net account (such as files stored in your Google Drive, Calendar events, Picasa photo albums, or YouTube videos) will need to be saved BEFORE the cutover to avoid loss. Google provides this simple tool to create and download your content:

We’re here to Help!
We know how important your email is to you and we are committed to making this transition as seamless as possible. We look forward to keeping you connected with the best tools to manage your communications needs. For more information, visit www.wcvt.com/zimbra.

Each month, we raffle off a prize from a local business, so be sure to enter your name for your chance to win. Congratulations to last month's winner, Linda Emerson who won two tickets to the Red Sox Yankees game at Fenway Park. This month we have another great local prize, a $50 gift certificate to the Martins Hardware in Bristol. To be entered into the raffle, simply click the link below and leave your name and contact information. The drawing will take place on May 20.

Come See us at the Vermont Business Expo

The Vermont Business Expo is scheduled for May 21, with an opening reception at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington, Vermont. EXPO is northern New England's largest business-to-business trade show attracting over 3,000 business leaders and hosting nearly 200 exhibitors. As in previous years, EXPO promises the same great networking events and a fantastic line up of seminars, meal events and award presentations. Once again, Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom will be sponsoring the free networking reception on Wednesday, May 20, at 5 p.m. where you can mingle, meet and relax with your colleagues. Entrance into the tradeshow and reception is free as long as you pre-register on or before May 15. Register online at www.vtexpo.com.

WCVT Employees Volunteer At Williams Woods in Charlotte
WCVT employees volunteered their time with the Nature Conservancy in Williams Woods (Charlotte). We love helping our communities!

Being a local business means that our customers are also our neighbors and friends. At Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom, we feel strongly that community involvement is not just a nice thing to do; it is the right thing to do. If you have a community service project in the making and are looking for help, contact Alan Jones at 496-8328 or via email ajones@wcvt.com to see if we can lend a hand.

And The Winner Of One Free Month Of High-Speed Internet Service Is...

Congratulations Connie Wagner for being this month’s winner of one free month of high-speed Internet service. Connie's name was chosen at random from customers who completed our monthly Green Mountain Access technical support surveys.

Each month, one name is selected at random from customers who complete our online technical support or new user surveys. Survey requests are sent out via e-mail to customers after calling technical support or establishing new service. So be sure to fill out those surveys!