// Business Connections // JUNE 2025 1 JUNE 2025 • VOLUME 14 • I S SUE 3 The Future Is Calling With Hosted IP Phone Service 3 Spotlight: West Bolton Golf Club 4 // Best Practices for Preventing Cyberattacks 6 WCVT in the Community 7 BUS I NESS connections www.wcvt.com West Bolton Golf Club Is Beautifully Fun to Play
2 JUNE 2025 connections BUSINESS PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER Do some of your business meetings take place on a golf course? If so, you’re no doubt thrilled that summer is here. I can appreciate the appeal of building stronger business relationships while enjoying friendly competition and amazing Vermont landscapes. I have golf courses on my mind due to this issue’s Business Spotlight on West Bolton Golf Club in Jericho. Like Waitsfield and Champlain Valley (WCVT), West Bolton Golf Club is a family business that prides itself on excellent customer service. Check out pages 4 and 5 to learn what makes West Bolton Golf Club unique as well as its experience as a long-time WCVT customer. This June ‘25 issue of Business Connections also includes The Future Is Calling With Hosted IP Phone Service on page 3. This service is popular with many of our business customers, and you’ll learn why after reading the article. Don’t miss Tech Talk With Richard Pitonyak on page 6, which shares best practices for preventing cyberattacks. As in every issue, page 7 features WCVT in the Community. This time it includes the description of a recent award given to WCVT from the Lake Champlain Chamber, as well as the community activities we’re looking forward to this summer. Enjoy the coming months, and let us know if you’d like to meet with a member of our Business Sales Team to discuss your communications needs—at your place of business, on the golf course, or wherever. Sincerely, Eric Haskin President & CEO Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom OFFICE LOCATIONS: Waitsfield Business Office 3898 Main Street, Waitsfield Hinesburg Branch Office 14 Thorn Bush Rd, Hinesburg BUSINESS HOURS: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Lobby closes at 4:30.) BUSINESS TEAM: Kris Merchant, Sales Manager 802-496-8554, kmerchant@corp.wcvt.com Kurt Gruendling V.P. Marketing and Business Development 802-496-8305, kgruendling@corp.wcvt.com Business Connections is a publication of Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, electronic, photocopying, recording, mechanical, or otherwise without the prior written permission of Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom. All rights are reserved. Editorial and Circulation Contact: Kurt Gruendling, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom, PO Box 9, Waitsfield, VT 05673, 802-496-8305, kgruendling@corp.wcvt.com All brand names and product names used in this publication are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Additional issues are available on a limited basis while supplies last. Please contact Kurt Gruendling. Copyright© 2025 by Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom and Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc. Postmaster send changes to: Lorraine Keener Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom PO Box 9 Waitsfield, VT 05673
// Business Connections // JUNE 2025 3 MEET OUR HOSTED IP TEAM When your business uses one of WCVT’s Hosted IP products—such as Hosted IP Phone or Business Class Wi-Fi services— you benefit from an expert team behind the advanced technology. The WCVT Hosted IP team includes: • Dan Fuller Business Systems Supervisor • Nick Sterner Business Systems Specialist II • Kris Merchant Sales Manager • Kevin Davis Business Systems Specialist II • Trevor Gaylord Business Systems Specialist II • Jada Munro Business Systems Administrator They’re responsible for the coordination of project resources in support of our Hosted products and wiring installations. They plan all aspects of complex projects from inception to conclusion. This helps to provide excellent customer service by building productive working relationships with WCVT’s customers, suppliers, contractors, and vendors. Have questions or need support for your Hosted IP Phone Service? Email the team at HPBX@corp.wcvt.com or call 802-496-8309. (L to R) Kevin Davis, Dan Fuller, Trevor Gaylord, Nick Sterner, Jada Munro, and Kris Merchant The Future is Calling With Hosted IP Phone Service Is your business using the same traditional phone system you’ve had for years? If so, you may want to consider upgrading to a more cost-efficient and flexible solution that can accommodate your future needs. WCVT’s Hosted IP Phone Service uses Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology that runs on our managed network. VoIP converts the voice signal from your phone into a digital signal that can travel over the internet, enabling you to use one connection for all your internet and phone needs. The many benefits of our Hosted IP Phone Service include: • Reduced Capital Investment – Unlike traditional on-premise phone systems, there’s no huge upfront investment in expensive hardware. • Low, Predictable Costs – WCVT maintains and enhances the service for you, so there are no surprise maintenance, upgrade, or replacement costs. • Easy Self-Management – Users can perform their own Moves, Adds, and Changes (MACs) via an intuitive web portal, eliminating the expense of service calls when you have employee moves or changes. • Flexibility to Meet Your Growing Needs – The infrastructure can grow as your business grows; there are no limits to adding users, sites, and features. • A Secure and Reliable Solution – Our network will automatically handle calls and messages during power outages. In case of disaster, employees can forward calls to home or mobile phones. • Mobility Options for Remote or Home Workers – Employees can easily and seamlessly connect to your Hosted IP Phone Service over their home broadband connection and enjoy the same office features. What’s more, our Hosted IP Phone Service makes sense for businesses of all sizes— from a small “mom and pop” shop all the way up to a large enterprise. To learn more about our Hosted IP Phone Service, including the variety of features and phones available, visit www.wcvt.com/services/telephone/ hosted-ip-phones/.
4 JUNE 2025 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT West Bolton Golf Club, located in Jericho, Vermont, is a family business that goes back for generations. Xenephon and Irene Wheeler owned the property as “homesteaders,” and Xenephon wanted to keep its beauty and openness intact. So, he decided to put in a golf course with the help of some friends in the area. In 1983, he started work on building the original 9 holes of West Bolton Golf Club. In 1985, he recruited his grandson, Jeff Brown, to take part in transforming the land to an 18-hole public golf course. Jeff and his wife Mary Brown are now the owners. Fun and Rewarding The course’s unique design manages to help new players relax while also challenging veteran golfers. It boasts beautiful mountain views in a quiet, natural landscape, and is a “hidden gem” golf course that offers an enjoyable sense of discovery to golfers, making them want to return again and again. How does West Bolton Golf Club compare with other golf courses in the area? Jeff Brown replied, “West Bolton Golf Club is driven by hard work and strong family values, and it compares very favorably with other local public, family-owned, golf courses. We pride ourselves in offering friendly and helpful customer service, great course conditions, and fabulous views. Plus, our prices are competitive and reasonable for the area. We strive to make it a fun and rewarding experience for all.” Variety of Ages and Events To help foster an interest in golf among young people in Vermont, West Bolton Golf Club puts a large emphasis on growing junior golf. Each year, it hosts junior camps and also serves as home to the Mount Mansfield High School Golf Team. Brown said, “We offer two week-long junior camps that include 24 campers in each session. We frequently have customers tell us they got their start in one of our junior camps years ago and have grown to love the sport. That’s always great to hear.” West Bolton Golf Club This golf course is designed to help you relax and have fun
// Business Connections // JUNE 2025 5 To cater to the needs of different golfers, West Bolton Golf Club offers a wide variety of membership options, as well as a Pro Shop and a restaurant called The Shack. The property also hosts events including: • Golf Tournaments • Fundraisers • Wedding Parties • Corporate Outings • Bridal and Baby Showers • Family Reunions Pleased With WCVT Given all of its activities, West Bolton Golf Club needs to stay connected with reliable communications services. That’s where WCVT comes into play. West Bolton Golf Club has been a WCVT customer for many years and uses our voice and fiber internet services. “We have had a great experience withWCVT’s services. They’re extremely reliable,” said Brown. He added, “Over the years, I have dealt with WCVT’s customer service and tech support many times and under different circumstances — nights, weekends, first thing Monday mornings, during power outages and electricity disruptions, etc. I have never been disappointed in WCVT and have always been satisfied with the help I get and the ease of access to their team. Their customer service and tech support are well done!” We pride ourselves in offering friendly and helpful customer service, great course conditions, and fabulous views. Plus, our prices are competitive and reasonable for the area. We strive to make it a fun and rewarding experience for all.” — JEFF BROWN, OWNER, WEST BOLTON GOLF CLUB HAVE YOU HEARD OF AI HALLUCINATIONS? AI (artificial intelligence) tools can help your business improve efficiency and reduce costs. However, they also present challenges including AI hallucinations, the term used when misleading, inaccurate, or nonsensical results are generated. Why do AI hallucinations occur? Sometimes AI algorithms produce outputs that are not based on training data, are incorrectly decoded by the transformer, or do not follow any identifiable pattern. In other words, they “hallucinate” the response. This can even extend to fabricating links to webpages that never existed or fabricating information entirely. Famous examples of AI hallucinations include: • Google’s Bard chatbot incorrectly claimed the James Webb Space Telescope had captured the world’s first images of a planet outside our solar system. • Microsoft’s chat AI, Sydney, admitted to falling in love with users and spying on Bing employees. This phenomenon explains why the outputs of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT need to be reviewed or fact-checked by humans to ensure their relevance and accuracy. Just because the content appears plausible, doesn’t mean it’s true. Mary and Jeff Brown, Owners
6 JUNE 2025 Every business, regardless of size or type, needs to take precautions against cyberattacks. The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends the following: 1. Train your employees. The leading cause of small business data breaches is work-related communications. Train your employees how to spot phishing emails, use good internet browsing practices, avoid suspicious downloads, and protect sensitive vendor and customer information. 2. Secure your networks. Safeguard your internet connection by encrypting information and using a firewall. Also set up your wireless access point or router so it doesn’t broadcast the network name. If you have remote employees, they should use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). 3. Install antivirus software on all of your computers and keep it updated. It’s best to configure your software to install updates automatically. 4. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication. An important security measure, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) verifies someone’s identity by requiring more than a username and password alone. This could be something the user knows (password, phrase, PIN), something the user has (physical token, phone), or something that physically identifies the user (fingerprint, facial recognition). Check with your vendors to see if they offer MFA for your accounts. 5. Monitor and manage Cloud Service Provider (CSP) accounts. Using a CSP to host information and collaboration services adds needed security, especially under a hybrid work model. Softwareas-a-Service (SaaS) providers for email and workplace productivity can help secure data. 6. Secure, protect, and back up sensitive data. Work with your banks or card processors to ensure you are using the most trusted tools and anti-fraud services for payment processing. Prevent access to business computers from unauthorized individuals, and make sure each employee has a separate user account that requires a strong password. Give administrative privileges only to trusted IT staff and key personnel, and perform access audits within your business on a regular basis. Finally, perform data backups to cloud storage on a weekly basis. Tech Talk with Richard Pitonyak Best practices for preventing cyberattacks As Tech Support Supervisor for WCVT, Richard Pitonyak is always on the lookout for content to help educate business customers. This issue’s topic is cyberattacks.
// Business Connections // JUNE 2025 7 Being a local business means that our customers are also our neighbors and friends. Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom feels strongly that community involvement isn’t just a nice thing to do; it’s the right thing to do. WCVT in the Community WCVT to Support Many Local Events This Summer Year after year and season after season, WCVT demonstrates our commitment to the communities we serve through our community relations programs and our support of local events. We’re proud to sponsor the following events this summer: • Addison County Fair & Field Days • Bristol Pocock Rocks Music Festival • Movies in the Park - Bristol • Summer Concerts in the Park - Hinesburg • Warren 4th of July WCVT Named the Lake Champlain Chamber’s Business of the Year Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom (WCVT) is proud to announce that it has been named Business of the Year by the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce. The award was presented during the Chamber’s 114th Annual Gala, held on April 10th in Burlington. This prestigious award recognizes WCVT’s outstanding business success, leadership, and long-standing commitment to the communities it serves throughout Vermont. As a local, fourth generation family-owned telecommunications provider, WCVT continues to invest in the region’s future through the expansion of its fiber-optic network, strong customer service, and community initiatives. “We are honored to receive this recognition from the Lake Champlain Chamber,” said Eric Haskin, President and CEO of WCVT. “This award is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our entire team, and we share it with the customers and communities that have supported us for generations.” The Business of the Year award highlights companies that demonstrate excellence in business practices while making a positive impact on the region. WCVT’s continued investment in rural broadband infrastructure and its support of local organizations and events were key factors in this year’s selection. WELCOME NEW BUSINESSES When you buy local (and dine local, play local, and give local), everyone benefits. It improves our local economy, creates more local jobs and opportunities, and retains the unique character of our local communities. Please support these newcomers. Infinite Edge Learning Waitsfield. .......802-496-5888 Mad River Flowers Waitsfield. ........802-496-6112 River Peaces Bristol. ............. 802-453-6169
Meet Our Business Sales Team WCVT is committed to moving your business forward with a comprehensive line of communications solutions. Our Business Sales Team is ready to discuss your needs and recommend the right combination of services to help increase efficiency and productivity. Call 802-496-3391 to learn more. Kris Merchant Sales Manager kmerchant@corp.wcvt.com 802-496-8554 Dan Fuller Business Systems Supervisor dfuller@corp.wcvt.com 802-496-8590 Jada Munro Business Systems Administrator jmunro@corp.wcvt.com 802-496-8302
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTMzNDE=