WITH GRATITUDE Looking Back and Forward...Together
McMenamins White Eagle Saloon & Hotel COURTESY OF MCMENAMINS
"S
uccess is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill
AMAZING! Though pandemic challenges continue, I have been in awe of our industry partners and how you have not only ‘pivoted’ but also swiveled, spun, and inverted in order to innovate and rise above them. In the midst of all this, I feel especially grateful to the many who have given volunteer time, energy, and funding so that the Oregon Hospitality Foundation could innovate workforce, training, and philanthropy programs to help support those challenges. Looking back over the past 17 months, below are a few highlights of what we have accomplished together so far (you can also watch our short video at bit.ly/OHFweR):
workforce needs of the industry in those regions. Read more at bit.ly/OHFwbpr. • Increased the number of Prostart schools in Oregon, resulting in 4,000 high-school students who are involved in our culinary and management program as they explore industry career opportunities. Throughout the year we supported program educator’s needs for virtual and career exploration resources. Read more at Oregonrla.org/prostart. TRAINING • Created video-based online training segments that offer best practices for handling four of the specific pandemic related guest service challenges restaurant and lodging teams are facing. Each segment is less than ten minutes, and all are available in English and Spanish.
WORKFORCE • Validated and earned recognition of the importance of our industry to Oregon’s economy with my Governor’s appointment to serve as a board member representing the hospitality industry on the state’s Workforce and Talent Development Board (WTDB). The organization is “the overall advisory board to the Governor on workforce matters, including developing a strategic plan for Oregon's Workforce Development System.” According to WTDB’s Director Todd Nell, this is the first time the hospitality industry has been represented on the board and I was honored by the appointment.
• Facilitated webinars that included a feature on workforce recruitment and retention tactics / best practices (watch webinar recording here: bit.ly/webinar052521).
• Succeeded in gaining the support of Northwest Oregon Works, a workforce board encompassing five counties, to identify Leisure & Hospitality as major economic segment. This designation comes with tremendous strategic and expert support for the
• Promoted #DineLocal by purchasing $8,000 of gift cards and promoting their award to entries from throughout the state in order to refocus attention on local support needs.
PHILANTHROPY • Raised over $115,000 to support restaurants who were feeding those with food insecurity. • Leveraged Travel Oregon’s “Gift of Oregon” campaign to promote hotel gift card purchases for the holidays, while also raising money for the foundation.
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