In-Person Club Meetings are scheduled to begin on March 11th!
See below for all the details!
This Week: Club Assembly - We Need YOU!
President-Elect Bruce Jones will host a Club Assembly this Friday, and is eagerly looking for all members to participate and share their thoughts and visions as we gear up to renew in-person meetings.
"I’m interested in your ideas on how to make the club better." says Bruce. "The agenda will be wide open. It’ll be a listening session where I encourage input, comments and observations from everyone…especially our newer members."
Bruce continued noting, "As you’re thinking about your input, please consider your thoughts related to the "Four Pillars of Rotary", the areas that help strengthen our club: Membership, Service Projects, Fundraising and our Weekly Programs. Social activities could be a fifth pillar!"
Bruce added, "We’re on the cusp of making a major departure from the last two years by going back to in-person meetings on March 11, so this is a prime time to open up discussions. I’m also trying to plan for my year as President beginning on July 1, and I’d love as much input as possible. Thanking you in advance for your participation, ideas and support to help strengthen your club."
In-Person Meetings To Resume on March 11th
Hooray! After a 23 month hiatus, we're getting back together to meet in-person for our meetings! Here are the details.
Location: The Italian Heritage Center, 40 Westland Avenue, Portland
Time: 12:00 noon
Zoom Option: Yes, we will be zooming our meeting.
Mask and Vax: In accordance with Portland city protocols, masks will be optional. You will be asked to confirm that you are fully vaccinated at the door.
Food: Due to "no minimum meals" requirement by the IHC, our club needs to provide an exact number of attendees eating lunch. In other words you need to make a reservation. Email your meal confirmation (along with any nut, gluten or lactose restrictions) by 10am each Wednesday to our club Administrative Assistant, Alice Alexander.
Payment: You can pay by cash, check, or credit card at the door.
Meeting of Feb 18 | Nate Stevens, Boulos Company -
A Closer Look at the Office Marketby Erik Jorgensen
Friday’s speaker was Nate Stevens, who joined us to provide an update on the office market in greater Portland. Nate, a partner at the Boulos Company, specializes in understanding and analyzing the dynamics of this 12.5 million square foot part of our city’s commercial real estate sector. The office market nationwide has been spun on its shell by COVID. Here in Portland what’s happened is a little different – the commutes are lower, people know each other, and our post-COVID office return rate is around 50%, as opposed to 30% nationally.
The current Class A and Class B office vacancy rate is 6.73%, and in a positive sign it fell a bit from 2020. It’s still a tenants’ market: “the tenants are calling the shots” noted Nate. Lease rates are a little lower than last year, but overall, the market is strengthening, with more leases signed in 2021 than in 2020. We are, however, emerging from a 24-year low, so the increase is not surprising. In general, downtown rates have increased, where rents in the suburbs declined a bit.
Are people coming back to the office? Lots of workers have gone hybrid. Every company has a different approach. 60% of companies are doing some hybrid work. The format started as a safety measure then became an employee satisfaction measure.
“If you are all in the office 5 days per week, forget about getting younger employees” said Nate.
Our 6.73 vacancy rate is not as high as it was in the 2008-15 era. If you are a doctor seeking to rent a medical office space, that will be tough, as that type of space is scarce. Portland has a lower vacancy rate than large towns outside of Maine – Unlike in those cities, there’s not much building on spec here. The biggest lease deals in greater Portland are often just a handful per year- the UMaine Law School move, involving 61,000 SF was the largest of 2021.
How will the hybrid work plan affect offices going forward? The trend toward more open space and fewer offices does not seem to be holding – people still want their own space. Office building conversions are also occurring as former workplaces are converting to housing and hospitality. The best example is the Time and Temperature building, which was always 20% or more unrented. Getting that glut of sub-prime offices off the market helps everyone. Hotels and apartments tend to be more lucrative, and the housing crunch is pushing that trend of conversion – especially downtown.
Predictions: Demand for new space will remain low for now, downtown vacancy rates will drop, suburban vacancies will increase. Regional phenomena like the development of the Roux Institute could have a significant effect on the whole office ecosystem, as organizations like that are not only large users of space themselves, but they generate and spawn all sorts of new businesses which can push office demand.
Rotary International Anniversary - February 23rd!
Raise a glass and toast the 116th Anniversary of Rotary, formed on Feb. 23, 1905. Rotary founder Paul Harris along with Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, and our own Hiram E. Shorey originally from Maine, formed
one of the world’s first service organizations, the Rotary Club of Chicago, a place where professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form lifelong friendships. There are now 33,000 clubs in 250 countries. The Rotary Club of Portland was club #177, starting on September 1, 1915.
Bits and Pieces | by Tom Nickerson
Pre-meeting – Bruce Moore mentioned that Bob Traill is turning 100 in April. Is that a first for our club? There is interest in planning a celebration.
President Bruce opened the meeting at 12:03 with the familiar gong. Dave Putnam, from warm Florida, gave the Pledge of Allegiance. Amy Chipman gave a stirring rendition of “America” (My Country Tis of Thee).
Paul Tully provided the Invocation. He focused on Black History Month by offering a brief overview of the importance of the Abyssian Meeting House, as the third oldest standing African American meeting house in the US. Here is the link to learn more about the Meeting House.
President Bruce recognized Gervin Kah as a visiting Rotarian, soon-to-be Portland Rotarian!
Paul Harris Fellow
Paul Harris Fellow – Patty Byers announced that Jon Young received his 8th Paul Harris Fellow. He received a pin with 2 rubies. In talking with Jon, Patty shared that Jon has been a member for 25 years and greatly values the fellowship and community service opportunities of Rotary. He is looking forward to returning to in-person meetings.
President Bruce highlighted that February is Rotary World Peace and Conflict Resolution month. There will be zoom discussion on February 26 at 6PM, and we are providing the link here: World Peace Zoom ID: 884 4319 7267 Passcode: 546293
President Bruce closed the meeting by thanking the speaker and provision of funds to maintain trees at Rotary Grove.
Bruce's "WDYK" moment this week focused on the number of Rotary programs that help to engage youth: Rotaract, a service club for young adults 18+, RYLA, which is the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program, Interact, the Rotary sponsored youth service group for kids 12-18, and the Rotary Youth Exchange, that allows students 15-19 from more than 100 countries to exchange with a sponsoring family in a different county.
Speaker Schedule
March 4 | Katrina Venhuizen, ecomaine
March 11 | Jack Carr, Maine's Maritime History
President-Elect Bruce Jones will turn over the reins to thesePast President's to guest host the following meetings:March 4th: Amy Chipman • March 25th: Tom Talbott • April 1st: Bill Blount • April 22nd: Larry Gross • April 29th: John Marr • May 20th: Bowen Depke May 27th: Ellen Niewoehner • June 17th: Roxane Cole • June 24: Ben Lowry
Club Executives
President-Elect Bruce Jones
1st VPDick Hall
2nd VP Patty Byers
Treasurer Howie Herodes
SecretaryMichelle DiSotto
Board of DirectorsEllen Niewoehner, Mark Foster, Bob Clark, Roger Fagan, John Thompson
Sergeant-At-Arms Dave Putnam
Club Administrator Alice Alexander
The Windjammer
is published online by
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine.
Contributing Editors
Bill Blount, Jake Bourdeau, Dick Hall,
Erik Jorgensen, Julie L’Heureux, Ben Lowry,
Tom Nickerson, Tom Talbott, Laura Young
3rd Q Program Chair:Justin Lamontagne
4th Q Program Chair:Roxane Cole
Managing Editor Tom Talbott
Co-ProductionAlice Alexander
Thank you North43Bistro, South Portland, for your support!
meetings! Here are the details.
Bruce's "WDYK" moment this week focused on the number of Rotary programs that help to engage youth: Rotaract, a service club for young adults 18+, RYLA, which is the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program, Interact, the Rotary sponsored youth service group for kids 12-18, and the Rotary Youth Exchange, that allows students 15-19 from more than 100 countries to exchange with a sponsoring family in a different county. 
.png)
