Next Tuesday Speakers Club at FPAC... MARY ALLEN LINDEMANN, founder of Coffee By Design, will be the speaker for the March 18th Second Tuesday Speakers Club, at 7:15 pm in the Freeport Performing Arts Center (FPAC). (We know it's actually the third Tuesday this month. Sometimes you just have to be flexible.) There is no charge for the event which is sponsored by L.L.Bean and Berenson Associates. Mary Allen will be of special importance to those in the business world as she talks about the rise of her own very successful company. Presentation begins at 7:15 pm. Audience conversation with the speaker around 8:00 or 8:15, ending 8:30 to 8:45 pm. Mary Allen Lindemann's pre-program meal is sponsored by Jonas and Kate Werner at the Azure Cafe.
For more info about the Second Tuesday Speakers Club go to www.freeportpac.org
Chocolate Factory Tours... Want to offer your guests and customers a fun thing to do while they're in Freeport? Wilbur's of Maine is having tours of the Chocolate Factory on March 15th from 11 am to 2 pm. Reservations are best. Details are on the FreeportUSA.com Calendar of Events page or you can call Wilburs at 865-4071. Wilbur's often offers this fun adventure. Check with them for future dates, or ask if they can plan a tour for your visitors or special event.
Be sure to check the FMA online Calendar of Events frequently for tours such as this and other events of interest.
AAA Meeting... FMA members recently got to meet representatives of AAA Northern New England at an informational coffee reception hosted by Comfort Suites.
 Two items of particular interest were the AAA Show Your Card & Save Program and the "AAA Member Appreciation Weekend in Freeport, Maine" that will be happening here in May. Both of these programs promote Freeport to the 830,000+ AAA members in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
If you were not able to attend and would like more information on how you can promote your business to this huge market for free through AAA and FMA, please contact the FMA office at 865-1212 or email Alison at awiest@freeportusa.com
LEED House Tour reminder... The House at Cranberry Ridge is one of only a handful of Platinum certified LEED Homes in the country. In a first time event, Freeport becomes the epitome of both environmental stewardship and uncompromising style in a unique designer show house event, beginning March 28th. Click the banner to check out the event page or contact Ruby McDermott at 233-2051 for more info.
Cruise Symposium Update... The 10th Annual Canada/New England Cruise Symposium will take place June 17-19, 2008 in Portland, Maine. Freeport will participate in hosting some of the Symposium activities, including a luncheon at the Harraseeket Inn.
The event will welcome participants involved in the cruise industry from all over New England & Canada. Topics will range from security issues to shore excursion programs, to destination marketing. There will be guest speakers representing the cruise line industry, networking sessions and familiarization tours to Southern and Midcoast Maine.
“We are very excited to host the Cruise Symposium,” said Sandra Needham, Executive Director of Discover Portland and Beyond. “With the completion of Ocean Gateway, this is our opportunity to showcase the new terminal”
“Most of the major cruise line executives will be here and will see first-hand how we offer their cruise lines and passengers a 'first-class' welcome..."
The symposium is organized by Discover Portland and Beyond and it's stakeholders, which include: The Port of Portland, Portland’s Downtown District, The City of Portland, The Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Portland, The Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, Freeport Merchants Association, The Kennebunk / Kennebunkport Chamber of Commerce, and the State of New Hampshire.
Additional DP&B information is available at FreeportUSA.com, on the Members Area page. You will also find the 2008 and 2009 Port of Portland Cruise Ship schedules posted there.
Spa, Knit & Spin results... Participants for the event filled 361 Freeport hotel rooms, with many times that coming to town for the daily events. Attendees reported having an excellent experience, gleefully adding shopping and dining to their activities while in town. Congrats to the Destination Freeport team for achieving great results from this group event!
Look for more news, notes and opportunities in upcoming FMA Bullet Point Updates and Shop Talk Newsletters! If you have an item for the next newsletter, sent it to: dcollins@freeportusa.com |
Executive Directors Message
A Bit of Buzz...
By now most FMA members have received a letter from FMA President Tim Paul announcing my departure as the FMA Executive Director in the near future. (You may read an electronic copy of Tim's letter here)
Since then I've had many calls and emails expressing concern for my health and good wishes. Thanks to all for your caring. I will be fine. Many people have much bigger problems than I, so I really have little to complain about. At any rate, it's made for a bit of a buzz.
More important than mine during a time of change, is the health of FMA, which I would say is somewhere between very good and excellent. The goal for me has always been to build a leadership team of superior quality. There are two things I've learned over the years. 1. The sound of one hand clapping isn't a very impressive noise. 2. The smartest thing you can do is to look for people that are smarter than you. (I will pause here for a moment) Now that those of you who couldn't resist have had the chance to insert the smart remark of your choice, I'll continue.
Tim Paul (L.L.Bean) is a talented, qualified and engaged President. He is well supported by Past President, now Exoficio and Treasurer, Lori Higgins (Anne Klein), and Vice President Jenn Libby (Comfort Suites), who both bring excellent qualifications and management skills.
The FMA Board of Directors includes individuals with remarkable backgrounds in marketing, promotion, and event development. Some of our board members have managed multi-million dollar media campaigns. Others have developed small local businesses into world-class brands that are iconic for fashion and quality. All have a passion for Freeport's success that is equal to their talents.
FMA has an energized and competent office staff that is perfectly able to provide all support the organization requires. Oh, and I'll still be hanging around some, too.
As Tim has said, I will still be fully involved and continuing with all duties as the Executive Director until such time as the right candidate is found as a successor, and thereafter in a different capacity. We continue our usual full-steam-ahead pace at FMA and are very excited about the many opportunities for FMA and Freeport in the rest of 2008.
That buzz you hear is made by busy bees!
The door is always open,
Dick Collins
End of an Era...
As you may know from reading Tim Paul's letter, Paul Kelley has "put down the pencil" as FMA Treasurer. This is truly the end of an era. Paul's involvement and service to FMA has spanned something around a quarter of a century.
Paul was one of a handful of visionaries responsible for Freeport's revitalization. He developed several properties that are landmarks in Freeports current village landscape, including the Polo and the Brooks Brothers buildings.
Though much of Paul's FMA career was occupied with duties as Treasurer, it was not uncommon to find Paul involved in many other wide-ranging tasks. These would often include things like stirring large vats of steaming cocoa for shoppers on sub-freezing Sparkle Weekend days, or putting up shade tents and space markers at 5am for the Fall Art Festival.
Paul has many interests and projects elsewhere these days. And after 25+ years, a person should get to do something else. We offer Paul a sincere thanks and great respect for his contributions to Freeport over the years.
It's not just for visitors...
FreeportUSA.com is one of the most active websites in the destination and tourism industry. It is an important resource for hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, either deciding where to visit or planning their trip to Freeport, Maine.
But it is more than that. FreeportUSA.com is a community website as well. It is designed as a resource for those that live and work in Freeport, as well as a strong promotional voice for the many community organizations of Freeport.
Our Calendar of Events contains happenings everywhere from the FPAC, to the Community Center, to the Historical Society, the Library, Wolfes Neck Farm, the Community Players, FCA, the Schools and more. We encourage all Freeport community organizations to send us their event information so we can share it with everyone.
You'll also find over 160 things to see and do in and a round Freeport on FreeportUSA.com, plus links to the Town and FEDC websites. FreeportUSA.com - it's your community website, too!
Congrats to L.L.Bean...
In a year when things have been admittedly tough for retail, L.L.Bean has announced a solid 5.5% increase in business to $1.62 billion for 2007.
United Business Media's PRNewswire had this quote: "L.L.Bean has performed very well in a challenging retail environment, ending the year with a 5.5% increase in net sales over the prior year," said Chris McCormick, L.L.Bean's President and CEO. "It was a solid team effort deserving of recognition for our employees for their outstanding performance, in a year that we faced stiff headwinds as a result of a weakening economy."
Teamwork among all employees and excellent customer service were given as two of the key reasons for L.L.Bean's success. More than $18 million will be given to employees in recognition of their efforts.
To us, this is absolute proof that as consumers become more conscious of their dollars, they will spend them where they are assured quality, value, service and a rewarding experience in return.
These things are at the core of the Freeport Experience, and the heart of our "Experience Freeport" message.
What do you have to say for yourself?
We are always asking our members to tell us about things they have happening so we can tell the rest of the world, but here's a new opportunity.
We're in the process of developing a new online "press-room" and travel writer / editorial resource for Freeport. This will be an open resource and will be very valuable in telling the Freeport story in, well..., story format. We've already gotten a lot of great input from L.L.Bean and Nancy Marshall Communications, the PR agency for the Maine Office of Tourism.
Here's where you come in. If you have a particular area of interest, knowledge or expertise in some interesting facet of Freeport or the area, let us know. If you have story ideas or a knack for writing, let us know that, too. This will be a fun and rewarding project. Send your inquiries right to dcollins@freeportusa.com. |
