News Briefs

Happenings From Around the Industry

Protecting People, Property & Guests

Guardian Group, a valued partner with ORLA, has been working hard to help stop human trafficking in the U.S. Their Guardian Seal® Training is the nation’s most effective, actionable human trafficking training for the hospitality industry. Guardian Group has extended access to this training at no cost to hospitality members through October. The online training is self-paced, completed in 30 minutes on average, and once completed, employees can print their certificate. For more information visit GuardianGroup.org or email contact@guardiangroup.org. Training can be found online at GuardianGroup.org/course/hotel-training-2.

Return to Work Incentives

Given the current workforce challenges, ORLA conducted a survey of hospitality industry members around the state to see if and what they may be offering in the way of return-to-work incentives for prospective employees to accept job offers. 37% of respondents said they’d need to increase staff members by 20-30% to be fully staffed, and just of 30% said they’d need to increase staff by 30-40% in order to be fully staffed. ORLA is continuing its conversations with the Oregon Employment Department to discuss Unemployment Insurance benefit eligibility criteria and explore any opportunities to create return to work incentives. To view the full survey results, visit bit.ly/orlartw21.

New Allied Member Tiers Coming Soon

Allied members will soon have the opportunity to further tailor their membership to best fit their goals. Our allied industry partners lead the way and make lasting connections with restaurant owners, lodging operators, and community leaders while strengthening our industry. The new allied member tiers will be in five levels; Supporter, Enthusiast, Champion, Leader, and Icon. Each level is paired with deliverables that offset the annual investment and give visibility and exclusive member-only access. For questions contact ORLA’s Director of Business Development, Marla McColly at MMcColly@OregonRLA.org or 503.428.8694.

Cheers to Your Support!

As the nonprofit dedicated to supporting the workforce, training and philanthropic needs of Oregon’s restaurants, hotels and tourism industry, the Oregon Hospitality Foundation (OHF) relies on contributions and support from industry partners as well as individual donors. Recently, Widmer Brothers Brewing celebrated their Hefe beer’s “Birthday” by donating a dollar from every pint sold during May 15-31 to the Foundation. On a similar front, Bulleit / DIAGEO will donate two dollars for every 750ML or larger bottle of Bulleit Bourbon Whiskey and Bulleit Rye Whiskey sold between May 1 and November 1, 2021. This donation is on top a $4,000 contribution to kick-off Bulleit’s “Let’s Keep Our Bartender’s Pouring” campaign. Cheers to these two industry’s partners for their proactive fundraising!

Hospitality Recognized as Major Sector of Economy

NW Oregon Works, one of nine regional workforce boards in the state, is the first to identify the hospitality industry as a major sector of their regional economy. This is significant because the board makes strategic funding and priority decisions based on employers’ workforce needs and positive outcomes an industry can contribute. The state’s workforce boards are entrusted with state and federal dollars to connect job seekers with training and certifications to meet industry demands. Read more at bit.ly/OHFwbpr.

We Want to Hear from You

ORLA values the opinions of our members and industry readers as we strive to provide the most relevant information and intelligence regarding Oregon’s hospitality industry. We are conducting an online survey to solicit your feedback on the effectiveness of our communication channels, including this quarterly magazine. Visit bit.ly/orlacomm21 or scan the QR code to complete the survey by July 16, 2021. No longer want to receive the magazine? Please let us know by emailing the subscriber’s company name and address to info@oregonrla.org.