PRLA Restaurant & Lodging Matters Winter 2020

4  • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • Winter 2020 INDUSTRY OUTLOOK AS WE RING in a new year and a new decade, it causes me to reflect on how good things are. For me, I get to work with a fabulous team in Harrisburg made up of talented caring folks who are fun to be around. For the PRLA, we have enjoyed a decade of significance, not the least of which is becoming one of five associations nationwide to represent the entire hospitality industry— restaurants, lodging, travel, and tourism. We have a strong balance sheet, a wonderful home office building (that we own), and outstanding volunteer leaders in every corner of the state. We have a healthy educational foundation and a strong advocacy fund. We have dedicated and generous sponsors who help us to maintain our first-rate programming and advocacy. And of course, we have a growing membership base. We have excellent national partners like the National Restaurant Association, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and the Asian American Hotel Owners Association. We are blessed to live in one of the most beautiful states in the Union with incredible resources. One of those is Fred Rogers. Personally, I am thankful that he walked this earth and did so not far from Pittsburgh. As one who helped raise a family “on” Mister Rogers, it is heartening to see the current national embrace of Mister Rogers and his axioms. Considering the first Mister Rogers Neighborhood aired in 1968 and the last show ran in 2001, it’s incredible that his memory and his teachings live on so strongly. Perhaps it is that his simple, home-spun wisdom strikes a chord, especially in today’s divisive society. Tyler Bradshaw, associate director at Miami University of Ohio, says that Rogers exhibited four core behaviors that all emotionally developed adults should strive to exude. These are authenticity, vulnerability, civility, and curiosity. The 2018 documentary “Won’t you be my Neighbor” and this year’s “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (starring Tom Hanks) should be required viewing. If you prefer print, pick up Chris Rodell’s Growing Up in the Real Mister Rogers Neighborhood . Chris’s book became my Thanksgiving holiday treat this year. If we take to heart the philosophies of Fred Rogers, the 2020s could be the best decade of the century. • John Longstreet The Decade of Rogers We are blessed to live in one of the most beautiful states in the Union with incredible resources.