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W O R K F O R M E / S P R I N G 2 0 2 1 36 learned the ropes of the industry on summer breaks back in her home state of Maine working at a hotel in Portland's Old Port. "The lack of interaction is hard on staff also, who are so eager to help create memorable mo- ments and look forward to that part of their job." Dining, brewing Restaurants and breweries also felt big changes. Maine brewer- ies and tap rooms, which make up a growing portion of the state's tourism industry, found themselves getting creative and relying heavily on curbside and delivery options, which don't seem to be going away any time soon, creating new sales and staffing opportunities for the growing industry, says Sean Sullivan, executive director of Maine Brewers' Guild. For Kelsey O'Brien, who start- ed in the industry when she was 18 and is a server at Sebago Brewing Co. in Gorham, she was both excited and nervous to re- turn to work when restaurants were allowed to reopen. "I wasn't sure if people would still go out to eat or be willing to comply with the new set of rules and guidelines we were respon- sible for following/enforcing," says the Scarborough native who has a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Southern Maine. "Not only are people still go- ing out to eat but they are just as happy to see us as we are to see them." O'Brien, who has worked at Sebago for 11 years, says she never expected to stay in the industry this long but has had "some of the most rewarding, humbling, and frustrating expe- riences of my life." Her training in communications helped her not only as a server but to take on expanded roles at the brew- H o s p i t a l i t y / R e t a i l « C O N T I N U E D F R O M P R E V I O U S PA G E G e t t i n g s ta r t e d i n h o s p i ta l i t y Education Maine's universi- ties and colleges have many great programs geared toward the hospital- ity industry. Hands-on experience Take a page from Canopy by Hilton General Manager Ginny Petrovak's playbook and use your sum- mer breaks to get a head start in the industry. She has great memories starting out a hotel in Portland's Old Port. Apply within Industry jobs can be found on all the general job boards like Indeed.com or jobsinme.com as well as industry-specific sites like Hcareers.com. Lockwood Hotel and Front & Main Gen- eral Manager Justin Rowan said they also went old- school in advertising for open positions from posting on Craigslist to putting a Help Wanted sign in the window. Brewing with ambition If it's a job in Maine's growing brewing industry you're after Maine Brewers' Guild Execu- tive Director Sean Sullivan recommends getting your feet wet in a tasting room or choosing educational opportunities with strong brewing industry partner- ships like Kennebec Valley Community College, South- ern Maine Community Col- lege or, for the science of brewing, USM's chemistry department. Kelsey O'Brien, a waitress at Sebago Brewpub, at the Scarborough restaurant ery, like its weekly employee newsletter, helping with events and marketing and social media. "I certainly encourage any- one and everyone to work in this industry," she says. "I certainly cannot imagine what my life would be like without it … the people I have met and the things that I have learned because of this line of work could not have come from anywhere else." n P H O T O / T I M G R E E N W A Y Not only are people still going out to eat but they are just as happy to see us as we are to see them. — Kelsey O'Brien Sebago Brewing Co.