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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 D E C E M B E R 9 , 2 0 1 9 F O C U S WO R K F O R C E D E V E L O P M E N T named one of the top restaurants in its area. While the Texas recidivism rate is 50%, the rate for the 800 young men and women between the ages of 15 and 19, who've worked at Café Momentum is 5.2%, he said. Crisis as motivation Houser's mother-in-law lives in Damariscotta, and that was Hewins' hook to get Houser to address this year's hospitality summit and help introduce the new partnership. Houser told those at the Maine summit that Texas has saved an esti- mated $34 million in tax money by not returning those people to prison. At the end of his talk, he told those who'd been served by Erickson and the four others, "you've changed five lives today." e crowd gave the servers a standing ovation, but Hewins says the stigma associated with their incarcer- ation will be an issue as the program moves forward. Still, he's optimistic. "ere's nothing like a crisis to motivate people," and the hospitality industry is notoriously "the industry of second chances." Liberty, at the summit, stressed that those in the state's prison system are not much different from those eating lunch at the conference. "We've all fallen short, we've all asked for forgiveness and we all believe in redemption, when it applies to us," he says. "is partnership isn't about taking a chance on someone, it's about standing beside someone wor- thy of redemption." Building a stronger industry e program is the first time an indus- try organization has partnered with the department on an apprentice program. rough the program inmates can work as culinary apprentices while they prepare for their release, when they will be encouraged to continue their training. DOC Deputy Commissioner Ryan ornell said in a news release that the department is working with the Department of Labor to track employ- ment post-release, "something that hasn't been done before in Maine." It's one of several workforce efforts HospitalityMaine is making. Hayes was hired for the newly cre- ated workforce development position in March. e organization last month announced a $44,000 grant from Maine Career Centers that will pro- vide free academic training to 125 peo- ple in its hospitality apprentice pro- gram, a partnership with Washington County Community College that also includes a robust online learning aspect that makes it more accessible to everyone in the state. Programs that will help bridge the language barrier with new Americans and more outreach to students, including those younger than high school age are also in the works. A HospitalityMaine study done by the University of Maine shows the industry accounts for one in 10 jobs in Maine and, with multipliers included, generated $6.9 billion in taxable sales in 2018. While it's the largest private-sector employer in the state, workforce issues have been hard to nail down because it's so fragmented, with mostly small, inde- pendently owned businesses. With the partnership with the cor- rections department, and other work- force programs, "we're trying to build a stronger industry, a more sustainable one," he says. A life changed When Erickson started at David's 388, few aside from her employer knew that she was coming there from the pre-entry center. When people found out, they didn't judge her or treat her any differently She now feels like she's a member of that support system she needed so much when she first arrived at Windham. "It's given me a sense of purpose," she says. "It opened my mind. It changed my life." She was one of the first signed up for the apprentice program last month, a continuation of what she was already doing. When she's released in the coming months, she plans to keep working at David 388. Besides looking forward to a future in the food industry, she also hopes to become an advocate for helping better diagnose and treat people with mental health challenges. While she regrets the actions that put her in Windham, she doesn't think she'd be where she is if it weren't for the year-plus she's spent there. "I had no faith in myself," she said. She attributes her newfound confi- dence and awareness "to jumping into the culinary experience and the help and support I got." Erickson credits Liberty as well as Okerholm, who supported her and saw her potential. It was Okerholm who originally suggested to David Turin, owner of David's 388, that he hire women from the culinary arts program in Windham. Turin says he was initially resistant. "I didn't want anything to do with it," he says. He had a preconceived idea of what people in the corrections system would be like and he was concerned about the safety of his employees and business. But he toured the center and met the people. "My preconceived notions were proven wrong at every turn," he says. "We all have stories where you set up half a dozen interviews and no one shows up. [ose in the program] have to show up. It's in their best interest and there's a real downside if they don't." Maureen Milliken, Mainebiz senior editor, can be reached at mmilliken @ mainebiz.biz 22.9% Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food: $10.78 17.4% Waiters and waitresses: $13.25 9.2% Cooks, restaurant: $13.84 5.8% First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers: $18.63 3.8% Bartenders: $14.09 3.4% Cooks, fast food: $11.40 3.4% Food preparation workers: $12.35 3.4% Maids and housekeeping cleaners: $12.06 3.2% Dishwashers: $11.20 2.9% Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop: $11.39 2.8% Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers: $12.05 2.8% Cashiers: $11.15 2.2% Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop: $11.08 NEW EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATION will have significant impact on most businesses • What effect will these new laws have on your business? • What do you need to do to prepare? • Are your employment policies consistent with these changes? Our experienced attorneys can help. Contact us today. 207.947.4501 rudmanwinchell.com KEY HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY JOBS Listed by percentage of the industry with average hourly wage

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