WINDJAMMER January 21, 2021 (Jan 22, 2021)

Maine’s Hospitality Industry – The COVID Devastation, and Where We Go from Here

Steve Hewins graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in history. He started

Hewins Travel out of his Munjoy Hill apartment in 1982, and grew it to become Maine’s largest travel agency with 11 offices and 70 employees. He sold the business to AAA Northern New England in 2007 and became the company’s VP of Travel and Branch Operations.

After 7 years in that position, Hewins left AAA to focus more on Maine and became the Executive Director of Portland Downtown. In 2016, he accepted the dual role as President and CEO of both the Maine Restaurant Association and the Maine Innkeepers Association, leading a merger of the two organizations in 2018 to become HospitalityMaine.

Hewins serves on a number of boards including the Maine Economic Growth Council, Maine Tourism Association, VisitPortland, University of Maine Alumni Association, USM Hospitality and Tourism Advisory Board, Husson College Business School Advisory Board and the Board of Trustees for the Maine Historical Society. Steve lives in Falmouth with his wife Kathy.

Jim Vicenzi Awarded Paul Harris Fellow

Amy Chipman delivered an online presentation of a Paul Harris Fellow award to new Portland Rotarian Jim Vicenzi. Jim was a former Rotarian who finished his Paul Harris after joining Portland Rotary. When asked why he donates, Jim answered “the Rotary Foundation punches above its weight, because so much of every dollar gets to its programs.”

Bits and Pieces | by Dick Hall & Tom Talbott

On a rather delightful sunny, semi-balmy Friday in January, 45 people joined our respective “Hollywood Square” Zoom boxes for our weekly meeting. President Ellen Niewoehner welcomed everyone, along with two guests, Maggie McGauley and Brian Battson, both potential members. Kirk Duffy joined from Savannah, Georgia, noting that our meetings are more interesting than his own.

Dave Small provided the Invocation, sharing the Prayer for Inauguration Day from Bread for the World. (Full text here.)

“Give our new president, his administration, and Congress the ability to honor you by doing what is right, fair, and just for all citizens, especially the poor, hungry, and marginalized. We ask that all the people in our nation, irrespective of race, gender, ethnicity, or religious faith be treated with dignity.”

Ellen shared the sad news of the death of former club member, Geoffrey Gattis, who worked at Bath Savings Bank until his recent retirement, and his wife Elizabeth, who both died in a tragic accident this week. Patty Erickson worked with Geoffrey. Our condolences to the family.

Dick Hall reported that the District received another 120,000 masks, with 10,000 provided to Portland, 10,000 to Portland Sunrise and 4,000 to South Portland Cape Elizabeth Rotary clubs. The masks were donated by the Rossi Family Foundation. Children’s masks and KN95 mask will be coming shortly. Our club had originally asked for 5,000 masks, but Dick who was on the scene, was able to secure 10,000. The Portland Sunrise Club also obtained 10k, and Cape/SoPo Club, 4k. Dick says he has an additional 3,800, and requested that any organizations in need of masks to drop him an email.

Jerry Angier thanked the club on behalf of the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad for 200 masks. Leslie Clark, representing the Portland Recovery Community Center was very grateful for a supply of masks, and noted that their associates will shortly be receiving their vaccinations, which will reopen the ability to meet with their clientele.

Dick Hall also reported that District 7780, along with the two other Maine districts 7790, and 7810 provided funds to supply the counties’ emergency medical staff with needed iPads and refrigerators to help with vaccination of all medical first responders. Each of the three EMS units for each county ended up getting all the equipment they needed. The state plans to call on Rotary for the larger vaccination effort, because of the partnerships between the District and the State, and between the clubs and the local EMS.

John Curran announced that the New Mainer Task Force is planning for its next activities now that the Immigrant Welcome Center has selected Reza Jalali as its new Executive Director. Our partnership with the Center’s Business Hub and Entrepreneur Greenhouse programs is a top priority. The Greenhouse utilizes Rotarians as mentors to immigrant entrepreneurs looking to start a business, and a new twist now is that Rotarians can work with immigrant businesses that are up and running. So – we know we will be looking for more Rotarians to get involved! Marketing, finance, business law, networking – those are the kind of skills that would be of great help. It could be a one time “classroom”, or you could partner up as an on-board mentor. Mariella Uwimani has been named Director of the Business Hub program.

John also touched on the Portland Professionals Connection Program, run by the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce. This connects new Mainers with members to discuss career aspirations, and members agree to connect them to three other people in their network. For more information click here.

Jan Chapman told us about the excellent Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) program put on by the district. 25 people were trained to recognize and assist those who have had these experiences. All of these people are now trained to train others and the program will grow over time.

How a Grocer Copes with COVID

Cheryl Hinkson, Director of Operations for Hannaford Supermarkets, provided insight into how the front-line grocery retailer transitioned its operations from the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic through today.

Arthur Hannaford started the company in 1883 as a one-horse produce vendor on the Portland waterfront. In 1902, joined by his brothers, Edward and Howard, the business expanded into a grocery firm known as Hannaford Brothers. Edward Hannaford was a founding member of the Rotary Club of Portland. The company has grown to over 180 locations with a majority of those stores in Maine, and others in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York. In 2000, the Dutch firm Delhaize purchased Hannaford, and in 2016 Ahold and Delhaize merged to form the international company.

Hinkson discussed the early days of the pandemic, its spread throughout the world, and eventually to Maine. Once the pandemic became real, Hannaford realized it had to shift gears from their standard protocols. Hinkson remembered fielding calls from many store managers with concerns about lines down the aisles, product shortages, staffing levels, and confusion. No one knew how long the situation would last.

As Hannaford searched for products for their customers, other companies were also. As vendors ran out of supplies, supply chain considerations quickly became about raw material availability. Hinkson used canned tomatoes as an example: once the canned tomatoes are bought up, the supplier’s warehouse supplies are sold, and all the fresh tomatoes are purchased, everyone has to wait for a tomato crop harvest to create more. It was at that point Hannaford realized they had to do something they never had done before, limit purchases of certain products, so the limited availability could be available to more customers.

While the customers grew nervous about shortages, employees became nervous working in the front-line retail environment. Many questions needed to be answered, but not much was known about the disease early on Hinkson said. Questions included: How does the virus spread? Do I wear a mask, or don’t wear a mask? What Personal Protection Equipment is needed? Am I safe behind Plexiglas? How do we maintain social distancing when a grocery store is not originally designed for it? Some employees elected to take a leave of absence, others were at high risk, or caring for a family member in a high-risk household.

Early on, there were lines outside stores to limit the number of people inside the stores. The one-way aisle flow was implemented, and a renewed vigor towards providing a quicker shopping experience to reduce customer time in the store. Online food purchase options were ramped up, and grocery and prescription curb side pick-ups were initiated. The demand for online purchasing and curb side pickup skyrocketed, and the challenge of finding in stock materials online to complete a meal became difficult at times. Some stores had pre-scheduled pick-up slots filled days in advance. Hinkson noted that it is unlikely that some of these curbside options will go away once the pandemic is over. As Hannaford grows, they want to help their clients shop for groceries in any way they felt most comfortable.

Other challenges Hannaford faced included varying state regulations in their market area, staff shortages and increased staffing requirements to address potential worker quarantines, as well as Hannaford’s strict stay-at-home sick policies. If an employee has a COVID-19 symptom, cough, or cold, Hannaford asks them to stay away from work.

“We’re not medical experts,” Hinkson said. “We just want to sell groceries.”

Moment of Reflection

The Hill We Climb

When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?

The loss we carry. A sea we must wade.

We braved the belly of the beast.

We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.

And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it.

Somehow we do it.

Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.

We, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one.

And, yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine, but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect.

We are striving to forge our union with purpose.

To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.

And so we lift our gaze, not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.

We close the divide because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.

We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another.

We seek harm to none and harmony for all.

Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true.

That even as we grieved, we grew.

That even as we hurt, we hoped.

That even as we tired, we tried.

That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious.

Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division.

Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid.

If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we’ve made.

That is the promise to glade, the hill we climb, if only we dare.

It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit.

It’s the past we step into and how we repair it.

We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation, rather than share it.

Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.

And this effort very nearly succeeded.

But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.

In this truth, in this faith we trust, for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us.

This is the era of just redemption.

We feared at its inception.

We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour.

But within it we found the power to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to ourselves.

So, while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe, now we assert, how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?

We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be: a country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free.

We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation, become the future.

Our blunders become their burdens.

But one thing is certain.

If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright.

So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left.

Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one.

We will rise from the golden hills of the West.

We will rise from the windswept Northeast where our forefathers first realized revolution.

We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the Midwestern states.

We will rise from the sun-baked South.

We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover.

And every known nook of our nation and every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful, will emerge battered and beautiful.

When day comes, we step out of the shade of flame and unafraid.

The new dawn balloons as we free it.

For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.

If only we’re brave enough to be it.

—Amanda Gorman

Delivered at the Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden and Kamala Harris, January 20, 2021

The Windjammer

is published online every week by

The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine.

Contributing Editors

Jake Bourdeau

Dick Hall

Erik Jorgensen

Julie L’Heureux

Ben Lowry

John Marr

Tom Talbott

Managing Editor

Bob Martin

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