Tom Torti recently stepped down as President of the Lake Champlain Chamber. Sara Byers’ commentary on Tom's work at the Chamber follows:
by Sara Byers In our lives, each of us has been influenced, changed and inspired by remarkable individuals around us. Each of us can look back with gratitude for the faces and choices that lifted us up to where we are today. In my case, I truly never dreamed of being involved in many of the things I am part of today. I never dreamed I would have the chance to speak publicly about my experiences or serve on a board of directors or influence change in our community. However, when you have that one stalwart person with belief in you, you begin to climb mountains you never imagined.
While I had hoped to give a proper sendoff to one of my most important mentors, a sendoff filled with fanfare he wouldn’t want and a whole lot of roasting, Covid has made this impossible. Thus, I must do my best here to adequately communicate how my life was changed because of Tom Torti, the outgoing President of the Lake Champlain Chamber.
Now, Tom would deny he had any part to play in my success. In fact, he has denied it vehemently. He insists that I was already equipped with the attributes of a leader. However even if this were true, it didn’t quite matter because I didn’t believe it to be true. In fact, if you don’t see yourself as a leader, you intentionally avoid situations where your inadequacy could be illuminated. However, Tom offered me, a completely unknown young professional, such grandiose opportunities, it was impossible to say no. I vividly remember the first time Tom asked me to speak publicly - a Chamber legislative reception at Dynapower. I remember being extremely nervous for days prior, but finding this surge of fortitude at the podium. I remember walking off the stage and heading back to my seat when Tom whispered, “Where did THAT come from?” It is clear even he didn’t know what he was unleashing. After all, I was quiet and thoughtful to my core. I was not someone who enjoyed walking up to strangers at a cocktail party and introducing myself, but to Tom that didn’t seem to matter. Tom believed in cultivating the next generation of leaders. He believed in providing opportunities for people to shine. Tom saw something in me that made him believe that I could stand up in front of a room without reserve. He believed that I had something valuable to say. He believed that I was someone who should be heard.
Tom’s accomplishments during his tenure as Chamber President are too numerous to outline here. His intelligence, tenacity, diplomacy and fearlessness are only shrouded by his genuine interest in doing what he believes is right. Yes, he pushes boundaries but it is always for a greater purpose and in alignment with his moral compass. He is someone to whom our community holds a monstrous debt of gratitude. Whether you agreed with all of his positions or not, you knew where Tom stood and you knew he was unwavering. His positions were cultivated with intense thinking, innumerable conversations with stakeholders and keen instinct. However, I believe his most camouflaged impact is his commitment to people, people like me. People who, today, are in elevated positions because he gave them a chance, because he believed in them, because he was committed to ensuring our community remained strong after he passed the torch. Tom’s successor, Cathy Davis, is one of the best examples of this commitment. Strong, brilliant and abundantly capable in her own right, Tom believed wholeheartedly in Cathy, and our community is better off for it. It is clear the Lake Champlain Chamber is poised for an exciting future and in incredibly worthy hands.
So Tom, on behalf of all of us who have had the privilege of working with you, thank you. We will miss running to a dictionary every time we receive one of your emails, we will miss your sense of frugality and do-it-yourself projects around the Chamber, we will miss the expletives that fly out of your mouth when you are truly passionate about something. But most of all, we will miss your heart. Your belief in us has changed our lives forever. The doors you opened, the opportunities you knew we could handle, the people you knew we needed to meet, set the stage for who we are today. As you embark on your next chapter, notably still a bit tethered to the Chamber desk, I thank you for helping to make me the person I am today. Since I know this is probably one of the first times your 6’5”ish frame is withering to the ground with embarrassment, I will end here. But please know, we are buoyed by having known you and filled with immeasurable gratitude for the legacy you leave behind.
Sara Byers is a co-owner and president of her family’s business, Leonardo’s Pizza, with locations in Vermont and Maine. She serves on multiple boards, and is a past board chair of the Lund, Lake Champlain Chamber and the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. She is also an appointee to Vermont’s Capital Debt Affordability Advisory Committee. Sara is honored to have received numerous community awards including an Honorary Doctorate of Commerce Degree from Champlain College, the Catherine McAuley Award from Mercy Connections, a Health Building Block Award from the United Way of Northwestern VT, and the Rising Star Award from the Lake Champlain Chamber.