Northshore Chapter President Alan Guilbeau's Letter to His Chapter

Dear Northshore Chapter Members,
 
I hope this communication finds you well. Time has flown, and it’s been over six months since we’ve been able to meet with one another in person as a group. I, for one, am desperately missing simple social interactions and imagine the feeling is mutual. It was a welcome treat to catch up with Jake Palmer of Acme – someone outside of my Covid circle - on a recent grocery run to Rouses’s. Until the social side of life returns to normal, I encourage you to find and indulge in a creature comfort to get you through the day. For me, it’s as simple as relaxing and drinking a cup of coffee (or two, maybe three). Even mundane moments of once daily routines can now feel like a luxury.
 
Unfortunately, the pandemic’s effect on our businesses and livelihoods is a different story. On our café side (PJ’s), we were fortunate enough to maintain some level of operation throughout each reopening phase. On the wholesale end, on premise consumption is at significantly reduced levels due to restaurant capacity restrictions. For us, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and we’ve seen positive growth on our CPG (grocery) side as many are likely continuing to work from home and conveniently drink more coffee.
 
I know we are all looking forward to the day when we can reconvene as a group and interact with our peers and colleagues face to face. Until then, please remember there are still countless resources at your disposal - the LRA is there to support you with online resources, webinars, virtual events and even podcasts.
 
If anyone needs to get in touch, my contact info is below.
Thanks, and Happy Halloween!
 
Alan Guilbeau
Alan.guilbeau@ballardbrands.com
985.789.5274