This Week's Speaker: Keram Durdag - Expanding Access To Broadband Internet in Maine
Kerem Durdag is currently President and Chief Operating Officer of GWI, a leading ISP/telco in Maine and was previously the CEO of a start-up leading it to growth and eventual acquisition by a public company. He is also the founder and managing partner of the Indus Fund which works with banks to provide micro-loans to immigrant business owners. A long-time advocate for the inclusion of immigrant and refugee voices in societal conversation and extremely passionate about doing his part to close the economic and digital divide, he also serves on several Boards and is a member of the Maine angel investing community.
BITS AND PIECES | by Tom Talbott
St. VINCENT DE PAUL THANKSGIVING MEAL
"Rotarians At Work" at our annual St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen Thanksgiving meal, Congress Street, Portland, on Wed Nov 23rd. We're trying to ascertain when we started this relationship, and best estimates are that it was very early 80's/late 70's, at least 40 years. Our team worked in 3 shifts, prepping and cooking from 8a-10, serving 10a-12n, and cleaning up 12n-1p. We'll recognize all our wonderful volunteers at our Friday meeting, but here are a few pics to give you a taste! Thank you all!
WINTERFEST MEMORIES 1997-2000
It was the best of times, but it was a very cold, very long....
Ask any club member who joined prior to 2001 if they remember Winterfest, and you’ll get both a warm smile, and then a “whoa boy”. Winterfest was the brainchild of Peter Goffin, who envisioned a winter holiday light display set up by Portland Rotary as fundraising event. He had a connection to a company that rented framed light displays, and after scouting the Portland area, determined that the best bet was parallel to the Narrow Gauge Railroad tracks using the promenade hillside and park areas.
The family-oriented event would run for four seasons, 1997- 2000, basically Thanksgiving through New Years, typically open 32 nights each time. Prepping would take months in advance. Set up included 150 some odd light displays, from small candy canes, reindeer, and elves, to 18 foot tall arches, castles and towers. We built a 75 foot long tunnel of lights that the train traveled through. Tickets were sold to the public, and people of all ages came by the thousands.
We had over 90% club participation in operating the show, and this was back when our club had some 225 club members. Hauling displays up the hillside took scores of able-bodied volunteers. Every display had to be wired and connected to a fleet of high watt portable generators, and here we’d recognize the incredible work of Rotarian John Perry and his Perry Electric crew. Second, Dick Hall, who worked tirelessly to keep the lighting grid working. We kept the generators fueled, replaced broken bulbs, (including one year where young hooligans trashed dozens of displays!) and fortified displays against the prevailing winds. We almost lost Dick one year, when the entrance arch came down, narrowly missing him. Fun!
Club members sold tickets, and there was a lot of money that needed to be escorted to the bank each night. Strong nights would see $10k come through the door. It was a profitable event by every measure. We’d have to go back and review all records, but the high year in 1998 we made a profit of $166,000. We split the money each year 50/50 with the Narrow Gauge Railroad, essentially saving it from going under. Rough memory guesstimate is over the four years we netted a total profit of $450,000.
Founder and 1997 General Manager Peter Goffin, says he had PTSD every time he turned from Congress Street to India Street for a very long time after we finished. Paul Gore, who was the General Manager for the 2000 event says even on a hot July day when he walks the trail these days, he still gets a cold chill up his spine remembering the nights. Tom Talbott who managed it in 1998 and 1999, remembers thawing out while eating very cold pizza in a trailer when the clock reached midnight on December 31, 1999.
Rotarian Fred Thompson, owner of WCSH 6 at the time while also our club President, played a key factor, by providing a huge amount of free advertising on the TV station that drove ticket sales. It also helped bring in sponsors by offering them highly discounted advertising packages.
Peter remembers former Rotarian Mark Rajotte, (though we still hang out with him) who organized all the volunteers for the first season. Staggering effort. Every night we had our team on parking duty, crowd control, organizing the lines to load and unload the train, riding the train, keeping the area clean/ trash, checking the lights - the list goes on. Enlisting a small army every night was no small task. Peter also noted Loretta Rowe, who sadly passed away in 2020, for being a huge “behind the scenes” assistant. Roxane Cole was heavily involved in the vision and launch. So were countless others. It was a massive effort.
Every night also featured local groups who did their own fundraising join us to serve the public. This included scout troops, sports teams, dance schools, all coming to sell refreshments/baked goods to customers. Again, organizational skills were put to the test, making sure they got set up and whatever they needed to be successful.
The event exceeded every expectation, but it also wore us out. After the 4th year, we declined the opportunity to press forward. The Maine Narrow Gauge resurrected the event a number of years later, and now operates the very successful “Maine Polar Express”.
For every bulb that lit the path, there was a story and memory to match. It created an incredible bond between those who took on the task and succeeded. Financially it was huge, Physically, it had its challenges. Emotionally, we were spent. It was something that we look back on with great pride, and then a shiver runs up our backs. Winterfest…brrrrr!
Portland Sunrise Rotary's Gift Drive for
Learning Works Students
Help make the season bright for students at Learning Works Youth Build program! Youth Build helps young people aged 16-24 transition to
adulthood through an alternative education model, preparing them for their current and future careers.
You can help the gift drive by donating items from their wish list, or by making a financial contribution at any level.
Sponsor Levels:
$10 – A pack of winter socks
$25 – Bedding and blankets
$75 – Vocational tools
$125 – Winter Boots or Coat
$200 - Full sponsorship for essentials and a special gift!
FMI, email Quinn Slayton for more ways to get involved!
December 9 - Kevin Stilpen and John Lewis with PATHS-Vocational Training in ME
December 16- Adam Costa with Lone Wolf Media, Documentary Filmmaker
December 23 - No Meeting - Merry Christmas
December 30 - No Meeting - Happy New Year
January 6, 2023 - Club Assembly
Club Executives President Bruce Jones President Elect Dick Hall Vice President Patty Byers Treasurer Dick Hall Secretary Bill Blount Board of Directors Ellen Niewoehner,
Bob Clark, John Thompson, Ben Millick,
Quinn Slayton Sergeant-At-Arms Jake Bourdeau
The Windjammer is published online by
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine.
Contributing Editors Bill Blount, Jake Bourdeau, Dick Hall,
Erik Jorgensen, Julie L’Heureux, Ben Lowry,
Tom Nickerson, Tom Talbott, Laura Young
1st Q Program Chair:Dave Putnam Managing Editor Tom Talbott
Kerem Durdag is currently President and Chief Operating Officer of GWI, a leading ISP/telco in Maine and was previously the CEO of a start-up leading it to growth and eventual acquisition by a public company. He is also the founder and managing partner of the Indus Fund which works with banks to provide micro-loans to immigrant business owners. A long-time advocate for the inclusion of immigrant and refugee voices in societal conversation and extremely passionate about doing his part to close the economic and digital divide, he also serves on several Boards and is a member of the Maine angel investing community.
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