Newsletter - Current  Jan 12, 2021

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Volume 13	Date: January 12, 2021                  Issue 27

Our Next Week's Meeting: Club Assembly 

Last Week's News: 

Guests and Happenings:  

         ~Rotarians -  Crystal Brown, DGE Dick Hall,Josh Holt

         ~ Guests: - Loren Goodridge

Club News:  

Last Thursday, President Maryna, Andy, Pam, and Dave G attended the KRAH meeting where Jeremy Paul, Director of the Kittery Community Center was guest speaker. Jeremy talked about the new skating rink they have just installed, the rink and benches have been paid for by local donations and they are hoping local organizations will hold events there to get people outside and exercising. Rinks are already inplace in Eliot and York.

We also talked about the next phase mask project, Pam and Andy offered to do the pickups for both clubs  and KRAH President Nancy reported on discussions she and Maryna have had on coordinating efforts and activities. 

Meeting:  

Our special guest today joined us at 8 am, prior to that President Maryna briefed the club on two District events coming up. Besides our speaker today we were delighted to have Crystal Brown a member fo a couple of Rotary Clubs and co-worker of Maryna's, Josh Holt of the KRAH Club and past member of our olub, and very glad to see Club Member Rob Varney. We can also pass on that things are getting better for Larry Goff and his family but keep them in your prayers.

 International Cafe meeting this coming Saturday 9-10:30

This will be the District's "Mid-Term Dinner' w/o the dinner part check on the link on the District website

We welcomed Maryna's boss, the CEO of Aroma Joe's, as our guest. Loren talked about how they navigated business in the pandemic

Loren told us about the immediate challenges as the pandemic grew and some of the very difficult decisions that had to be made, They shut down headquarters in Portland and immediately established daily internet meetings to faciltate communications and track actions. As the effect of shutdowns continued they had to work around supply problems as regular distribution routes failed. They moved quickly to acquire masks and shields to protect their employees

Aroma Joe's developed based upon a California approach to coffee sales and founded on "positive vibes" within both the employees and the customer base. They took immediate action to insure their employees would be safe and that the public knew what they were doing to keep the operations safe.

The business approach has been to require franchisees to be deeply connected to their communities, and they built on this approach through the very difficult year, first by setting the standard of supporting first responders and healthcare workers, an effort that continues, but also to students and teachers with continuing Appreciation events. Through 2020 they went from an initial 25% business drop to a 37% business increase, adding stores while other businesses were closing their doors

Loren stressed the positive impact of strong leadership, solid communication within the company and between the franchises and the communities around them. Building employee morale is very important to them. They recognized the impact of the continued controls, they made a video for their people to show them how they were making a difference and how much it was appreciated by the community. A thread that ran through this story, and in Maryna's discussion on their movement on applyin for and getting government support when needed , is the quickness of decison making and action taking, their ability to respond quickly and keep communication flowing rapidly has been a significant strength, as is their commitment to the community.

We are very appreciative of Loren's time with us this morning and

a book will be donated in his name to the school's library

Upcoming Programs and Events:

Jan  16 ~ International Cafe

  Jan  19 ~ Club Assembly

  Jan 25 ~ Leadership Forum

  Jan 26 ~ Students of the Month

  Feb   2 ~ Vitaliy Bezonrodney, Rotary Chidren's Fund

  Feb   9~ Update on Eben Ezer School, Haiti

  Feb  18~ Club Sponsored Red Cross Blood Drive               

Birthdays:  Jan 18 ~ Eric

Club Reminders:

                Happy/Sad Dollars on Student of the Month meetings goes to fund

                  our Third Grade Book Project

                 Happy/Sad dollars during January and February fund Student Recognition  

Do not forget to regularly check the calendar of our Web Site for long term schedules and the photo Album for updates on our Program pictures and Activity pictures.