No Club Meeting This Friday! Our next Rotary club meeting at the Elk’s in Portland is Friday September 5, at 12:15 PM. The program speaker is Chris Timms, the executive director of the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. Enjoy the Labor Day Weekend!
BITS AND PIECES: | By Tom Nickerson
President John Thompson welcomed us on this perfect Summer Day.
Penny Harris led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Cyrus Hagge gave the Thought of the Day. Cyrus reflected on all the things we are grateful for and shared his version of the Kinks Sunny Afternoon: Cyrus then led us in a rousing shout out of the 4 Way Test (and to have fun!)
PRESIDENTIAL CHANGE-UP: President John shared bittersweet news that he needs to step down as President because he has an excellent business opportunity in New Jersey and will be moving in early September. John announced that he formed a special nominating committee to select an interim president and that the board approved our first co-presidents: Laura Young and Bowen Depke. The club gave John a standing ovation goodbye and a hardy hello (and thank you) to Laura and Bowen. (Photo)
WELCOME: Brian Nickerson turned to our hosts do the introductions: Bill Millikin brought his friend Brenda; Patty Byers welcomed Peggy for a second visit; Laura Young shared the meal with her college roommate Mary; and Ian Nagle’s sister Katherine was back for a second time.
RAFFLE: Bill Millikin ran the raffle. Jan Chapman earned the chance to win the prize, but lucky for us, Jan pulled the wrong card so the pot grows!
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE! Patty Byers announced that Rotary International has awarded us the Club Excellence Award for 2024-2025. This is the most significant award a Rotary club can achieve, recognizing clubs for achieving goals that align with RI’s values and mission. The award encourages clubs to strengthen Rotary, improve operations, engage members, support The Rotary Foundation, and increase their community impact by successfully completing at least half of their annual goals. We successfully completed 17 of our 18 goals last year - that’s an impressive 94% completion rate. Thanks to all of you, we are making a difference in the lives of many - and having a lot of fun doing good in the world.
GET YOUR CLAWS READY: Bill Millikin gave an update on the Lobster Raffle. The schedule is nearing completion and we are looking for member sign-ups. If each member commits to 2 shifts we will have the event covered. Bill reminded us how much fun it is work with our fellow Rotarians.
Bill sent out an email this past Tuesday with details on the sales booth operations. We definitely need a majority of club members to participate = More Hands Make Light Work! Remember these are the funds that allow our club to do the things we do in our community.
LOCKER PROJECT: Amy Chipman announced that we are partnering with the Locker Project and Lamey Wellehan to distribute sneakers and backpacks at the Boys and Girls Club on Tuesday September 9th. We will hold a backpack stuffing party after the meeting on September 5th. All are invited to help. (Photo)
OVERSEAS: Roger Fagan provided an International Service update on the January 2026 trip to the Dominican Republic. If you are interested in joining in, the group is meeting on September 12th to go over the details. (Photo)
HAPPY: The first part of the meeting ended with a Happy Dollars Lightening Round. Many family accomplishments and Charlie Frair earning a free ice cream were celebrated.
BACKPACKS FILLED: The Blue Man Group? Zach Newell reported this past Sat 8/23, a community-focused backpack filling event was held at the Maine Mall. The initiative aimed to provide essential school supplies to 150 children in need. Rotarians Liz and Roger Fagan, and Katharine and Jerry Wall, worked an efficient assembly line, packing donated supplies into backpacks. This was in front of the public, intended to engage the community – Rotarians At Work!
LAST WEEK'S SPEAKER: GREGG FRAME, Avoiding Litigation in Employment Matters | by Justin Lamontagne
At last week’s Rotary meeting, we were treated to both laughter and valuable insights thanks to attorney Gregg Frame, of Taylor, McCormack & Frame, who presented on the tricky subject of employee terminations and employment law. With humor and candor, Gregg reminded us just how easily business owners can stumble into costly mistakes if proper procedures are not followed. He shared a series of entertaining personal stories that underscored his point: employment laws are complex, and missteps can quickly lead to litigation.
Throughout the discussion, Gregg highlighted the importance of documentation, training supervisors, and engaging with employees openly. He also stressed that relying solely on “at-will” employment as a catch-all for terminations is risky at best. Questions from the audience touched on key distinctions between W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, how to structure incentive plans and job descriptions, and why non-disclosure agreements, harassment policies, and annual trainings are essential safeguards.
By blending serious cautionary tales with humor, Gregg managed to both scare and entertain us—driving home the lesson that proactive attention to compliance can save businesses time, money, and reputation. Members walked away not only more informed, but also more mindful of the many pitfalls employers must navigate in 2025.
Speaker Schedule
September 5 - Chris Timm, Executive Director, Maine Maritime Museum
September 12 - Emma Bodwell, District Governor
September 18 - Thursday Night Social TBD
September 19 - No Meeting
September 26 - Bonita Thompkins - Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
October 3- TBD
October 10- Dr. Jacqueline Edmondson, President, Univ. Southern Maine
Club Executives
President John Thompson President Elect Justin Lamontagne Vice President Jake Bourdeau TreasurerDick Hall Secretary Juliana L'Heureux Board of Directors Dick Hall, Patty Byers,
Art Howe, Niki Merrill, Bill Milliken, Bruce Moore
Sergeant-At-ArmsZach Newell
The Windjammer is published online by
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine.
At last week’s Rotary meeting, we were treated to both laughter and valuable insights thanks to attorney Gregg Frame, of Taylor, McCormack & Frame, who presented on the tricky subject of employee terminations and employment law. With humor and candor, Gregg reminded us just how easily business owners can stumble into costly mistakes if proper procedures are not followed. He shared a series of entertaining personal stories that underscored his point: employment laws are complex, and missteps can quickly lead to litigation.