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Russell Hampton
National Awards Services Inc.
Sage
ClubRunner
Speakers
Oct 13, 2017
Oct 20, 2017
Oct 27, 2017
Nov 03, 2017
Nov 10, 2017
Nov 17, 2017
Nov 24, 2017
Dec 01, 2017
Dec 08, 2017
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Executives & Directors
President
 
First Vice President
 
Second Vice President
 
Treasurer
 
Secretary
 
Immediate Past President
 
Sergeant-at-Arms
 
Director Term End 2018
 
Director Term End 2018
 
Director Term End 2019
 
Director Term End 2019
 
Community Service Chair
 
International Service Chair
 
Vocational Service Chair
 
Youth Service Chair
 
Rotary Foundation Chair
 
Club Protection Officer
 
Vision Champion
 
Communications-WJ Bulletin Ed
 
Communications-PR External
 
Constitution/ByLaws Chair
 
Fund Raising Chair
 
Good Cheer Chair
 
Invocation Chair
 
Meeting Day Chair
 
Music Committee Chair
 
Program Chair
 
Membership Chair
 
Web Administrator
 
Administrative Coordinator
 
Welcome to the Rotary Club of Portland, Maine!
Portland Rotary
Service Above Self
We meet Fridays at 12:15 PM
Holiday Inn By-the-Bay
88 Spring Street
Portland, ME  04101
United States
DistrictSiteIcon District Site
VenueMap Venue Map
Rotary This Week
 
Portland Rotary
meets October 6, 2017 at the  
Clarion Hotel
1230 Congress Street, Portland
 
*10/06/17 Justin Lamontagne, Grtr Portland Commercial Real Estate Market

Justin Lamontagne, CCIM, joined NAI The Dunham Group in 2011 and was named Partner in 2016. He has worked in commercial real estate since 2006 and has successfully brokered transactions in all sectors of commercial real estate, specializing in industrial, office and investment properties. 

In 2013, he was named the Maine Commercial Association Realtor of the Year. In 2015 he earned the prestigious CCIM accreditation, an international membership comprised of the world’s top commercial real estate professionals. In 2017 he earned the Society of Industrial & Office Realtor’s (SIOR) designation becoming only the 5th broker in the state of Maine to carry both CCIM & SIOR honors. Annually, Justin is the author of NAI The Dunham Group’s Greater Portland Industrial Market Survey, a comprehensive study and inventory of the local industrial market.

Today, Justin is active in several Greater Portland philanthropic and professional organizations. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Maine Commercial Association of Realtors as President-Elect, the Rotary Club of Portland, Town & Country Federal Credit Union and the Portland Community Chamber of Commerce. Justin is also an active member of MEREDA and the CCIM New England chapter. 

He has a degree from the University of Rochester (BA ‘02) and an advanced degree from Boston University (MS ‘04).

In his free time, Justin enjoys staying active and healthy. He is an avid water skier, snow skier, hiker, rock climber and plays organized softball. He lives in Portland with his wife, Marycelina, their children Katherine and William and their dog, Fenway.
 

09/29/17 Carol Coultas, Bus. Ed. Portland Press Herald

“How many of you have tried to hire someone recently?” That was among the first questions from Friday’s speaker, Press Herald Business Editor Carol Coultas. When a number of Rotarians raised their hands, she continued, “How many of you have had problems hiring people?” The same hands, more or less, stayed in the air. The often-described “demographic cliff” is a massive issue for Maine, from Millinocket to Portland. There is also the so-called “Maine Discount” affecting hiring, in which workers here are paid 15%-20% less than in other states. This makes recruitment from other parts of the country difficult, and though the “way life should be” is a powerful lure, the reality of lower salaries is a real challenge.

Carol talked about what she sees as our state’s somewhat scattershot approach to the issue of coordinating available jobs with our educational system. Lots of organizations are trying to solve the problem of workforce, but at this point we simply don’t have the workforce.  We have, for example, a growing veterinary services cluster, but there is no veterinary school in Maine.   

Visa problems are still a massive issue, and one that appears to be worsening under the Trump administration. Tourism business owners, unable to find adequate seasonal help, are finding themselves flipping burgers and snapping sheets in addition to the administrative and managerial duties that they’ve always had.  With an aging native workforce and serious limits on businesses’ ability to bring new people in from abroad, she predicts that many tourism-based businesses will simply be unable to continue.

Ms. Coultas ended her presentation early in hopes of answering the flood of questions and comments from Rotarians who were eager to discuss Maine business issues while also offering possible story leads. It was a lively conversation that ranged from the changing role of classified advertising to prosthetic hands.

 

(Photo L-R: Bob Martin, Carol Coultas and President Don Zillman.)

 

09/29/17 Bits & Pieces

President Don Zillman welcomed 48 members, 4 guests and 1 visiting Rotarian to our Friday meeting. Past President Tom Talbott (at right) gave the invocation and in it he selected the theme of "time." He quoted Einstein, Shakespeare and shared many other time-related concepts and anecdotes. Past President John Marr led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Gracie Johnston led us in “God Bless America.”  

President Don thanked those members responsible for setting up and helping run the meeting. 

When Gracie Johnston was asked to lead us in song, she acknowledged that we didn’t have our song books while we are on the road, so she led us acapella with a song most everyone knows: “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.”


1st Vice President John Curran noted that guests were here from Kosovo and the Yarmouth Rotary Club to help on the prosthetic device outreach in Kosovo. John showed us a new model of prosthetic hand which will be shipped to an 18-yr. old in Kosovo, in advance of the Rotary trip to help her with college sooner.

(Photo above L-R: 1st VP John Curran, Dr. Gani Abazi (from Kosovo) and Yarmouth Club Rotarian, Bill Dunn.)
 


Gus Karlsen (left) brought the man-of-the-sea and champion sailor, Merle Hallett, as his guest. Merle is a considering being a Rotarian and was instrumental in organizing the MS Regatta, which morphed into the MS Harbor Fest. 

 


(Photo at right: Tom Nickerson and Dr. Roger Fagan.)
Tom Nickerson led the raffle this week and the speaker picked “3H” out of the holding vessel of tickets. On behalf of 3H, Roger Fagan selected a red 2 from the deck, which lets the Queen of Hearts rest for another week. The pot is getting bigger, so join us next week for a shot at over $900.


President Don apologized for the bowling alley meeting issues on 9/22, where Erik Jorgensen presented a program on being a State Representative. President Don voiced his appreciation for everyone’s patience and tolerance. Erik was asked to return for an encore presentation (with updates) in the near future. 


Mark Millar will be leaving for Colorado, but don’t worry, he plans to return in May 2018.


Community Service Chair, Gracie Johnston (left) thanked those who participated in the club's volunteer night at Preble Street: Jim Willey, Mike Robinson, Ron Bennett and four volunteers from the Portland school department. The next volunteer night will be on October 25th, so mark your calendars and sign up, if you have time to volunteer (and watch your emails for more information).  


Paul Tully (right) provided us an update on the Third Annual Veterans’ Appreciation Lunch, which is scheduled as our weekly meeting at 12 noon on November 10th, 2017 at the Italian Heritage Center. Paul encourages you to register soon for the lunch or as a volunteer. On tap is a great program.....more volunteers and table sponsors are needed. It is $500 to sponsor a table, and this provides you with two seats at a table. To register, please contact Past President Loretta Rowe (lrowe@maine.rr.com) or Elise Hodgkins (portlandrotary@maine.rr.com). Please register early, and if you are a Veteran, please contact Loretta and let her know. Please also check portlandrotary.org for more information. 


Portland Rotary has been sponsoring donations to the relief efforts for those areas impacted by the recent hurricanes, including those in Houston, Florida, and Puerto Rico. District Governor Dave Underhill is shaping a response to that effort, and we appreciate the support of the District. 


The upcoming Rotary celebration to end Polio is being held in Seattle, and a thoughtful donor has offered a chance to win round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations to those that donate to the event with a $25 pledge through the Rotary foundation. The deadline to enter into the drawing was September 30th, 2017.   


(Photo L-R: Safa Mohammed, Aisha Mukhtar and Glenn Nerbak.)

Glenn Nerbak introduced two Portland High School (PHS) students who attended the RYLA Camp with support from the Portland Rotary. They are: Safa Mohammed and Aisha Mukhtar. They  spoke about their experiences, explaining how their participation changed their lives for the better, making them feel more confident in their lives. They plan to continue to pursue paths to bring their fellow students and the community together in a positive manner by participating in the Interact Club that was formed at PHS. 
 

Birthdays and Rotary Anniversaries

NOTABLE DATES FOR MEMBERS IN OCTOBER:

Member Birthdays
  3rd - Bob Clark
  4th - Russ Burleigh
10th - Nan Hyeald
10th - Michel Kanyambo
10th - Ogy Nickolic
13th - Dave Putnam
14th - Loretta Rowe
16th - Tiel Duncan
19th - Tom Talbott
23rd - Leonard Scott
24th - Roxane Cole
30th - Erik Jorgensen 
 

Date-Joined-Rotary Anniversaries
  2nd - 2 years - Ben Delcort
  2nd - 2 years - Linda Varrell
  3rd  - 9 years - Kathy Grammer
  9th  - 2 years - Jean Murachanian
  9th  - 2 years - Travis Parker
14th  - 1 year   - John Lock

 
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!
 

This Week's Duty Assignments

Invocation:  Paul Tully
Program Reporter:  Julie L'Heureux
Bits & Pieces Reporter:  Tom Talbott
Registration/Greeter:  Jean Murachanian
Sell Meal Tickets:  Jake Bourdeau
Raffle:  Terri St Angelo
Badge Box:  None
Collect Meal Tickets:  Matt Tassey
*
Song Leader:  Ron Bennett
Keyboard Player:  None
Sgt-at-Arms (Setup):  Travis Parker
Sgt-at-Arms (Take Down):  Charlie Frair

*if hotel staff is unavailable

 

Rotary Meeting Locations

If you would like to mark your calendars,
we are scheduled at the following locations
through December 2017:

2017
Oct   6 - The Clarion
Oct 13 - Gateway Community Service

Oct 20 - Holiday Inn By-the-Bay
Oct 27 - Gateway Community Service

Nov  3 - Gateway Community Service
Nov 10 - Italian Heritage Center (Veterans' Lunch)

Nov 17 - Holiday Inn By-the-Bay
Nov 24 - NO MEETING - HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Dec 01 - Holiday Inn By-the-Bay
Dec 08 - Holiday Inn By-the-Bay

Dec 15 - Holiday Inn By-the-Bay
Dec 22 - NO MEETING - HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Dec 29 - Holiday Inn By-the-Bay

Blue BOLD dates are scheduled Board meeting days.

Any questions, please contact Loretta at: lrowe@maine.rr.com
 

Volunteer Opportunities
Following is a list of our Club's volunteer projects. If you know of other opportunities, please contact Loretta: lrowe@maine.rr.com
 

                          When
Project              Who to Contact


Preble Street        4th Wednesday ea month
Resource Ctr        4-6:30 pm
Soup Kitchen        Gracie Johnston
                           gracie.johnston@wcsh6.com


Game Night         3rd Tuesday ea month
Long Creek          Mike Fortunato
Youth Center        michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com
                           or Jim Willey
                           jimandbarbarawilley@gmail.com

Item Donations Needed
The following items are needed on an on-going basis. Please feel free to bring them to a meeting where we will collect and distribute them.
 
Crutches4Africa - Crutches, canes, folding walkers and wheelchairs to be shipped to Africa.
 
Toiletries for the Shelters - Collect those tiny bottles of toiletries you are paying for during your next hotel visit and bring them home for members of our society who find themselves staying at a shelter and in need of personal hygiene products.
From The World of Tennis

ROTARY DOUBLES TENNIS LEAGUE
Fall/Winter Session 2017 

The season is well under way for this session of the Rotary Doubles Tennis League.

Teams 5 and 6 have had two byes - everyone else has had just one, but there is a pattern emerging that everyone other than the members of team 3 ought to be concerned about. Or to put it another way, congratulations to team 3 for waxing the floor with the rest of the league so far. But it's still early and a big week next week could even things out. 

For information, contact Tennis Commissioner, Erik Jorgensen or Bill Blount.

Here are the standing after week four:

TEAM 1TEAM 2TEAM 3TEAM 4TEAM 5TEAM 6
LowryBarnsBourdeauBlakeslee
Seddon
Gross
NoyesBlountPullenMooreHallNickerson
IngramHerodesPutnamYoungAschChipman
Grammer
St Hilaire
MillickCarrJorgensenBowker
649255