#819, Club Bulletin, July 26, 2021

#819, Club Bulletin, July 26,2021

 

Recap from the July 26, 2021 Meeting.

 

Invocation:  Scott Ingstad

 

Visitors:  Speaker: Lee Bellfield from Merrill Hotel  

 

Happy News/Announcements:  Rick Gosney moved his son to Washington. Sal LoBianco and his son took their Corvette to a racetrack in Nebraska, had a lot of fun and all made it home safe. John Kuhl is happy the mic is working this week.

 

Club Business:  *3^rd Reading for Mark Roberts with MPW.  *Reminder Thanksgiving in July Food Drive is this week.  We could use more volunteers this Saturday at HyVee to collect bag purchases.  Thank you to those who have already signed up to help.  *Please take a moment to fill out the Programming and Invocation Survey (paper survey or use the link provided https://forms.gle/ywAgprqpSu8StMje8)

 

Program:  Our program today was Lee Bellfield with the Merrill Hotel. Lee came to Muscatine in 2019 with 40 years’ experience in the hospitality business, because he was attracted to the mission and the hotel. 

How did the Merrill respond to and perform during the Covid-19 pandemic?  Lee started in Sept 2019 after transition to Tribute portfolio hotel and transition to new management company.  Then just as he was getting settled the world changed as we knew it.  The first hurtle was the decline in travel, the PPP loan was key in sustaining staff and making it through beginning.  Travel changed drastically and April 2020 saw a few nights of no occupancy but there was a commitment to staying open.  Next Derecho struck Cedar Rapids and the hotel was able to assist with contractor lodging.  Next few months saw procedural changes for safety and regulations.  Updates were made to seating spacing, laundry and cleaning procedures that are keeping people safe and keeping staff busy.  Introduced Air Purifying machines.  Leisure travel returned first and business travel continues to return slowly.  Wedding business is booming. Staffing continues to be one of the major challenges. Thank you Lee for joining us today!

 

Polio Update: The Final Two Polio Endemic Countries:
Pakistan No new Wild Polio cases reported this week. One Wild Polio case reported in 2021.  The most recent case had an onset of paralysis on 1/27/21.  Pakistan reported 84 Wild Polio cases in 2020. No WPV1 & cVDPV2 Positive Environmental Samples were reported this week in Pakistan.  
Afghanistan No new Wild Polio cases reported this week. One Wild Polio case reported in 2021  The most recent case had an onset of paralysis on 1/01/21. Afghanistan reported 56 Wild Polio cases in 2020. No WPV1 & cVDPV2-Positive Environmental Samples were reported this week in Afghanistan. 

 

Please enjoy the Zoom recording from today's meeting:

 

Reminders/Upcoming Meetings: Aug 2^nd- Meet the Rotary scholarship recipients from MHS.  Aug 9^th- Ron Cox: Iowa Workforce