From the CEO

Industry Leaders Make ORLA Go

Your statewide association owes a debt of gratitude to individuals who serve the industry, especially during times full of operational challenges. The hospitality industry is made better by people who contribute their leadership skills by serving on one of the association’s three boards of directors. We would like to take a moment and thank these individuals for being there when the industry needs them most as part of ORLA’s Board of Directors, the Oregon Hospitality Foundation Board, and ORLA’s Member Services Board:

2021-2022 ORLA Board of Directors Slate of Nominees

• Jolee Bancroft, Mo’s Restaurants • Don Crowe, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort • Daryn White Cyrus, Provenance Hotels • Kurt Huffman, ChefStable • Masudur Khan, Seaside Lodging LLC • Tina Patel, ALKO Hotels • Katie Poppe, Blue Star Donuts • George Schweitzer, The Benson Hotel • Jake Vanderveen, McDonald Wholesale Co.

2021-2022 ORLA Member Services Board of Directors Slate of Nominees

• Matt Dalrymple, Atrium Hospitality / Embassy Suites by Hilton • Ken Denfeld, Chair, Godfather’s Pizza • Jim Hall, Independent Restaurant Concepts (IRC) • Chris Hein, Old Spaghetti Factory • Taran Patel, A-1 Hospitality Group • Ed Pfannmuller, Adobe Resort • Katie Poppe, Blue Star Donuts

2021-2022 Oregon Hospitality Foundation Board of Directors Slate of Nominees

• Eric Aebi, MBA, CHBA, Chemeketa Community College Hospitality & Tourism Management Dept. • Marin Arreola III, Advanced Economic Solutions, Inc. • Terry Goldman, Mereté Hotel Management • Ken Henson, Pelican Brewing Company • Steve Moore, Philadelphia’s / 13 Virtues Brewing • Paul Paz, WaitersWorld • Janel Rupp, Performance Reps Northwest • Mark Swenson, Shepherd’s Grain • Cheyenne Terbrueggen, Elephants Delicatessen We have some board members who wrapped up their years of service in September as members of ORLA’s Board of Directors. These individuals chose to serve the broader industry during the most difficult hours of Covid and our industry benefitted directly from their leadership and their work. Thank you Treva Gambs with Gamberetti’s, Buggsi Patel with BHG Hotel Group, Bobbie McDonald with Sysco, Steve Johnson with VIPS Industries, and Mike Daley with Pollin Hotel Group for sharing your time with us.

Our outgoing ORLA Board members join us in acknowledging and celebrating our newcomers to the ORLA Board of Directors. A special thanks to Patrick Nofield with Escape Lodging Company for joining ORLA’s Executive Team and a big welcome to Tina Patel with ALKO Hotels, Kurt Huffman with ChefStable, Jolee Bancroft with Mo’s Restaurants, George Schweitzer with The Benson Hotel, Daryn White Cyrus with Provenance Hotels, and Jake Vanderveen with McDonald Wholesale as new members of ORLA’s Board of Directors.

Our industry has been consumed by challenges for quite some time and the work we do today within our organizations has to bring a new level of sharpness. The professional staff at ORLA deserve the utmost thanks and appreciation for the hours put in and the sleepless nights tallied in an effort to serve a greater purpose – the survival of as many Oregon restaurants and lodging establishments as possible. The role of President & CEO would be near impossible without the skill sets of these individuals and the strengths they bring to the table. If you work as a decision maker in the hospitality industry and you haven’t had the chance yet to engage someone from your state association, look us up. You will find the team working hard on your behalf. And when you have time, make a new contact that can walk alongside you for the road ahead. Find our staff list at Oregonrla.org/orla-staff.

And lastly, it should go without saying that ORLA members make it all possible. Without local restaurant and lodging establishments investing in their own association, the work we get done collectively would not be possible. If you haven’t considered an ORLA membership, there are just under 3,000 restaurant and lodging locations that would love to welcome you to the team. Learn more

at: Oregonrla.org/membership.  JASON BRANDT, PRESIDENT & CEO, ORLA

Jason Brandt serves as the President & CEO of the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. He can be reached via email at JBrandt@oregonrla.org.