PRLA Restaurant & Lodging Matters Winter 2021

4 • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • Winter 2021 INDUSTRY OUTLOOK THIS EDITION OF Restaurant & Lodging Matters is dedicated to legislative affairs, a cornerstone of the PRLA’s activities. No year has better illustrated the impact that the government can have on business than the one we just ended. In this issue, we’ll reflect on the legislative highs and lows over the last two-year session, with much of 2020 in the spotlight. The Legislative Champions feature on page 20 highlights those elected officials who have advanced the wellbeing of the hospitality industry by supporting PRLA initiatives, your businesses, and the nearly one million Pennsylvanians who work in hospitality and travel industries. Additionally, we’ve included a breakdown of how each state legislator voted on PRLA’s priority legislation. PRLA Vice President of Government Affairs Melissa Bova, an expert in working with elected officials at all levels of government, will tell you that any accomplishments we make begin and end with relationships. PRLA is reaffirming its importance by focusing on facilitating connections between our members and legislators to foster long-term relationships. In 1957, Robert Dedman founded the first private club that was owned and operated by a professional company with the establishment of ClubCorp and Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas. Now the largest private club company in the world, ClubCorp’s core principle of “building relationships and enriching the lives of its members” is so vital to its purpose that those words are registered. We know that in business we can’t lead our teams until we first establish meaningful relationships with our team members. In some other cultures, this concept is taken to what we might consider the extreme. When I was asked to coordinate the development of a resort in Cabo San Lucas, I was cautioned by my boss that our Mexican colleagues would not react well to my fast-paced style. My first meeting began at noon, but the first words of business were not spoken until almost 10 hours later, after dinner. Clearly my host understood the importance of relationship building. When I stepped in as Plano’s Mayor, I observed that the city council was a collection of outstanding individuals that formed an average governing body. Lamenting this to my friend, noted author and leadership guru Chip Bell, he quickly responded by asking, “At your council retreat, why don’t you focus on how to work together before you attempt to tackle the people’s business?” That sage advice led to a productive two-day relationship-building exercise and to a highly effective team that was able to successfully move the city forward and serve its citizens. So, a key tenant of PRLA’s work with local, state, and federal elected officials in 2021 will be to greatly expand the relationships that we have already forged by connecting our members and industry leaders across the commonwealth with senators, representatives, and other officials. You can help by letting us know about relationships that you may already enjoy so that we can help you leverage those relationships into positive outcomes for our great industry. • John Longstreet PRLA PRESIDENT & CEO Building Relationships "No year has better illustrated the impact that the government can have on business than the one we just ended."