Solace in the Mountains
By Jack Davidson
Christopher Cassidy, our President & CEO, announced in our last newsletter that although now retired I will again start writing my “colorful quarterly newsletter articles.” Chris reminisced in that newsletter about his temporary internship with the Trust Company of Vermont (TCV): “That summer, I had a little rolltop desk right next to Jack’s desk….” Odd as it might sound, this article will focus on office space.
My parents migrated from upstate New York to Long Island, and I lived many years in a new house with no views. My infrequent visits upstate instilled in me the love of old houses and mountain views. I migrated in the other direction from Wall Street, where I was briefly employed by Chase Manhattan Bank in their Trust Department, to Vermont, where I could find old houses and mountain views.
When I became head of the Trust Department at Vermont National Bank (VNB) in 1975, I may have been considered a bit young. I hired older staff with very good skill levels, including a very well-educated investment manager who was 20 years my senior. I embraced collaboration rather than a hierarchical work environment, and to avoid the appearance of being head honcho, I did not take the best office.
TCV started in Brattleboro in 1999 in a historic brick building, formerly one of the oldest banks in town. The landlord, Senator Robert Gannett, occupied the second floor and we rented the first and third floors. We chose this location because of its visibility and cost. The conference room on the third floor was one of most impressive I have ever seen. The eight founders embraced a collaborative culture rather than the typical corporate hierarchical culture and often met there. To preserve the character of the room I built a bookcase to hide the three desks that housed me, Chris Cassidy, and our now retired Chris Chapman.
After the young Mr. Cassidy’s temporary internship at TCV, I followed his academic path. Quoting him once again, “I was all set to start a job in the financial district of Boston when Jack called out of the blue. He informed me that Trust Company of Vermont was buying a building in Burlington, and he wanted to offer me a job as an investment officer in that office.”
Before our purchase of the building on College Street in Burlington, we occupied a nearby rental unit on Battery Street. I traveled from Brattleboro to Burlington on a regular basis and stayed for two days. After our clients and staff left for the day, I would set up a blow-up bed in one of the offices. By 8:00 am the next morning when the staff arrived, the deflated blow-up bed was hidden in the closet.
As our company started to grow we needed more office space. Then I discovered the house on College Street, which resonated with my desire to live in old houses. I convinced my colleagues to make the purchase for two reasons: I loved the majestic old house and, importantly, it included a private room with a bed. When Chris Cassidy officially joined our company, I gave him a very nice office with a view.
Years later, following Chris’s appointment as CEO, I discovered the unintended consequences of not promoting the best offices for those higher up in the hierarchy. As the staff expanded, our CEO moved his office to a closet with a window that gave him a nice view of a parking lot.
When I recently learned that we were moving from College Street to 463 Mountain View Drive in Colchester, I was devastated because I so loved our regal old building. When I visited our new location, however, it was evident that CEO Cassidy and his collaborators had made the right decision. The fourth-floor location, with easy access and parking, has incredible mountain views! It houses fourteen windowed offices with mountain views and three hallway offices. Staying true to our collaborative culture, our CEO chose one of the three small hallway offices.
Perhaps he did not realize that, when I was CEO, my office on the third floor at Linden Street in Brattleboro, although only 6 feet wide and 12 feet long, had a window with a wonderful view of Mount Wantastiquet. The solace of the mountains stirred my creativity and sustained me during uncertain or challenging times.
So, my suggestion to Mr. Cassidy: please choose one of the offices with a window and a wonderful mountain view, regardless of size. The view of the mountains is inspirational and dependable and comforting.
“Chris, you have been too much on the road lately. You need to zoom more from Burlington, and you might consider the train as well. You used to drive me from College Street to the Essex Junction train station to catch the train home to Brattleboro. I would gladly return the favor and pick you up at the train station in Brattleboro.”
—Jack