Greetings fellow Rotarians! Today’s speaker was Peter Edelmann who spoke to us about his plans to reconfigure the T-Rex cinema and the shopping area surrounding it.  Peter has co-owned and operated the Essex outlets, the movie theater and The Essex for several years.  He has also served as a project consultant for similar operations across the country. Through this experience, he has seen first hand how the market is forcing retail operations to change the way they do business. With that in mind, he is looking to reconfigure his facilities in ways that will make that shopping center a true destination for people in and around Chittenden County.  Peter stated that consumers are looking for “experiential shopping” which means that they are looking for experiences beyond the traditional brick and mortar retail operations that are commonly associated with shopping centers.  Peter envisions the transformation of the T-Rex theater into a world-class performing arts center and feels that this will be the centerpiece of the newly configured operation. He is also proposing to build at least one skating rink, an outdoor performance area and a space that will feature several food trucks. He also reported that Mad Taco will be opening a restaurant in this facility.  Peter suggested that retail stores will still be an important part of this center, but that he is attempting to offer more than just shopping.  Ultimately, he envisions this part of Essex as an area where people in the community can congregate. 

 

 

            As we draw closer to the end of the Rotary year, it is time to nominate individuals for our Club’s end of the year awards. We are currently looking for nominations for Rookie of the Year, Rotarian of the Year, and Unsung Hero of the year. Please submit your nominations and your reasons behind your nominations by e-mailing them to Sharon Dettenrieder at sharon.dettenrieder@gmail.com   The awards committee is looking to make decisions soon, so please have your nominations in to Sharon by our next meeting.

 

            Next week, several Rotarians will celebrate “Ride your Bike to Work Week” by riding their bikes to our next Rotary meeting. Any and all are welcome to participate.  For those who recently purchased biking jerseys, this will be a great opportunity to model your new gear!

 

            The next opportunities to cover shifts at the Food Shelf will be on Monday, May 14^th from 5:30 to 7:30; Thursday, May 24^th from 3:30 to 6:30; Monday, June 11^th from 5:30 to 7:30; and Thursday, June 21^st from 3:30 to 6:30. Please let Sharon Dettenrieder know if you are able to fill any of these shifts.

 

Upcoming Meeting Schedule:  Wednesday, May 16, 2018 – Our speaker will be Allison Levy, who will discuss the Alpha Delta Kappa Haiti Project.

 

For the complete list of upcoming speakers and information about the Club, please go to our website at www.essexrotary.org   Be sure to also follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EssexVermontRotary , on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/essexvermontrotary/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/essex_rotary

 

 

       Yours in Rotary,

 

Jason Ruwet