THIS WEEK'S SPEAKER: Robert Twyman, Grocery Market Environment, Portland Food Co-Op
Rob’s food roots were planted back in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s working for such natural food innovators as Bread & Circus Natural Foods in Boston, The Odwalla Juice Company in Santa Cruz, California, and his own business, Kinetic Lunch, an early initiative to bring natural and organic foods to the fast-food space.
Rob worked for Whole Foods Market for 28 years, starting as deli clerk and working his way up to the EVP of Global Operations, where he led operations throughout the US, Canada, and the UK. More recently, Rob served as CEO of Daily Table, a non-profit grocery chain dedicated to providing affordable nutrition to underserved communities.
Rob is committed to and actively engaged in supporting the future of quality food and sustainable agriculture. He has served on multiple non-profit and for-profit boards. He currently advises emerging retail and CPG brands, and volunteers at the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs as a mentor for their Cultivator and Accelerator programs.
Rob’s work is guided by a mission to build and nurture community health and wellness by making fresh, healthy foods accessible to everyone. He is an avid cyclist, cook, and Francophile, with a particular passion for artisan coffee, cheese, and bread.
BITS AND PIECES | by Tom Talbott
TAKING IT TO THE STREETS! Leading up to the international World Polio Day on October 24th, Portland Rotarians took “Walk For Polio” tour of downtown Portland, waving banners and talking with passer-bys. Rotary in concert with the World Health Organization is thumb and index finger “this close” to ending Polio in the world, and there can be no let up. Awareness is key, so made as much noise as we could! L-R, Jake Bourdeau, Scott Gorneau, our District Governor Michele Bois-Gilbody, Katharine Wall, Club President Justin Lamontagne, Jerry Wall, and backing them up Tom Talbott.
…AFTER THE WALK…The group retired to Brickyard Hollow for pizza and refreshments, meeting up with other Rotarians Ben Lowry, Bill Ross and his wife Paula, Jan Chapman and Bruce Moore, and Jerry and Katharine Wall's daughter. Time for some serious Trivia! Not only was it high level trivia with tricky spin on the questions, but apparently it brings in a crowd of serious players. Cheers to The “Rotary Rocks” Team, the upstarts in bright red “End Polio Now” shirts came in 2nd Place, earning $25! Well done!
FLAG YOUR CALENDAR! It's a ways off, but we're going to start building our team of flag and sign bearors to present “Flags For Heroes” at the Maine Celtics game on Friday, January 29th, 7pm. Be ready for a quick rehearsal at the Portland Expo after our regular Friday 1/29 club meeting from 2-230PM. Tickets will be $18. Rotarians, familiy, and friends welcome! Flags, signs, plus 2-3 on the 50/50 raffle = 35 people. We do have 42 tix. Online sign ups coming soon. Those who participated last year had an absolute blast - We get the crowd going!
CHOP CHOP: The Preble Street Kitchen is looking for volunteers.
Portland Rotary Shows Up Big for District Foundation Celebration!
Portland Rotary supported the District 7780 Foundation Celebration on October 17 with a great showing of members and a $1,000 donation toward the District grant to provide companion dogs for veterans!
18 club members were on hand and helping! Jerry Wall, Laura Young, Jake Bourdeau, Amy Chipman, Brian Nickerson, Dick Hall, Bill Milliken, Art Howe, Paul Gore, Roxane Cole, Charlie Frair, Niki Merrill, Roger Fagan, Justin Lamontagne, Mike Fortunato, Larry Gross, Reggie Groff, and Tom Talbott.
The event, held inside an aircraft hangar at Port City Air in Portsmouth, was a sellout! Our first-ever District-wide Foundation Grant grew from a $4,000 seed to $32,500, thanks to contributions from clubs and individuals throughout the District. The result? Five specially trained companion dogs from Hero Pups in Stratham, NH, for five veterans dealing with service-related psychological issues. Hero Pups is an all-volunteer organization that trains each dog for over a year. Now THAT is Rotary making a difference!
Another highlight was the presentation of 10 Paul Harris Fellows, including Portland Rotary's own recognition of Wally Camp Jr. We heard remarkable stories from the honorees, along with inspiring presentations from Hero Pups founder Laura Barker, Revolution Fitness founder Bill Merchant, Rotary International Zone Director Marty Helman, and Mike McGovern, who spoke about the fight to end polio.
Then came the grand finale! Rotarians collectively held high 250 American flags in tribute to our nation's 250th anniversary, our veterans, and all who serve. When it came time to organize the flags, Portland Rotary's experience from previous events paid off! A big thank-you to Charlie Frair for stepping up and leading the lineup!
Event co-chair Tom Talbott especially appreciated Charlie's help, the club's generous donation, and the terrific support from so many fellow Portland Rotarians.
Great fellowship, a great cause, and a whole lot of Rotary spirit! Way to go, Portland Rotary! More Photos on our Facebook page!
How does a Rotarian enroll in Rotary Direct? You have three easy options:
• Online at my.rotary.org/rotary-direct: Enrolling online with a credit or debit card is the easiest and most secure way.
• By mail: Use one of the Foundation’s contribution forms, such as The Rotary Foundation Contribution Form (123) or the Rotary Direct enrollment form.
• By phone: Rotary Support Center at +1-866-976-8279.
Speaker Schedule
Oct 30 - Robert Twyman, Grocery Market Environment, Portland Food Co-Op
Nov 6 - Chad Mullen, Exec. Director, Habitat For Humanity, Greater Portland
Nov 13 - Tony Zeli, Publisher/Editor, West End News
Nov 19 - Thursday Night Club Social
Nov 20 - No Meeting
Nov 27- No Meeting - Happy Thanksgiving!
Dec 4 - Fred Thompson, Former Past Pres, Portland Rotary
Dec 11- No Meeting
Club Executives President Justin Lamontagne President Elect Jake Bourdeau Vice President Bill Milliken Treasurer Ian Nagle Secretary Niki Merrill Board of Directors Bruce Moore, Laura Young, Mary Pat Donnelon, David Patterson Sergeant-At-Arms Zach Newell
The Windjammer is published online by The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine. Contributing Editors
