PRLA Restaurant & Lodging Matters Winter 2020

6  • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • Winter 2020 Tim Zugger, GM, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Pittsburgh Downtown CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE HAPPY NEW YEAR. I am honored to be taking over this year as 2020 chairman of the board. As we start a new year, I wanted to begin by thanking everyone for their support of PRLA, especially 2019 Chairman Jim Fris who helped bring our association to a new level. Jim’s focus on expanding our footprint in Philadelphia and continuing to grow our legislative efforts has made us stronger. It is my goal to fill the big shoes of our past successful leaders. The chairman’s job is made easier by the group of industry leaders that make up our board of directors. This dedicated group of professionals commits their time and stays involved in helping PRLA be the well- respected association that it is today. With our state board and our chapter leaders we have about 150 of the best minds in our industry focused on PRLA’s success. Additionally, we have, in my opinion, the finest staff in Harrisburg led by John Longstreet. Our team is dedicated and focused on serving our members every day. We have improved our sales results, increased the effectiveness of our communications, and expanded our legislative efforts. Our professional team is positioned to again make our association even stronger in 2020. Increase Involvement One of my goals for 2020 is to keep PRLA growing by getting more people involved in our great organization. We had some awesome events in 2019. The events were great, but the attendance was just okay. All who attended our events came away with meaningful interactions, useful knowledge, and a strong impression of PRLA. How can we get more people involved? How do we get more professionals to participate? How do we get more people to understand PRLA’s great value? I would like to find ways this year to grow our footprint not just in membership but in participation. Getting more people to our annual meeting. Getting more attendance at our chapter meetings. We are members of Pennsylvania’s premier hospitality association (also considered by many as one of the best in the nation). Let’s work together to get more people to benefit from time well spent with our peers and the professional team we have at PRLA. Youth Leaders A second area of focus this year will be on workforce development for the industry. We all recognize how difficult 2019 was in finding employees who have a long-term focus on our industry. This is a growing problem not only for the restaurants and hotels, but for all business today. How can PRLA help us? How can we communicate with our youth at an earlier age to get them interested in a career in hospitality? How can we grow the positive impact of the scholarships we offer? How can we get today’s youth involved with PRLA’s leadership? Legislative Focus As we know, 2020 is an election year and, as we move into this important time for our nation, we expect to see political officials continue to push forward agenda items. We know minimum wage and other key initiatives will be a focus of our state and local governments this year. Our staff at PRLA will remain diligent in communicating our message to legislatures as we defend “This year we must continue to protect the value of our industry both as an economic driver for the Commonwealth and as a provider of career opportunities for its citizens.” our industry. This past year we lost a long battle for paid time off in Pittsburgh and have seen several difficult issues pass in Philadelphia. Our legislative team led by Melissa Bova will represent us well and work hard to ensure that we are not the target of additional regulations. This year we must continue to protect the value of our industry both as an economic driver for the Commonwealth and as a provider of career opportunities for its citizens. We should engage more with our elected officials on a state and local level. We need to work hard this year to protect what we have and find new ways to grow value for our future. Again, I am privileged to be your chairman for 2020 and I look forward to working with all of you to make our industry and PRLA stronger this year. •