MONROE, CT Contractors lined up at Town Hall to submit bids to do work on the renovation and addition to the Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Services headquarters on Jockey Hollow Road.The bidding process officially closed at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

We had nearly 100 bids, said Terry Rooney, chairman of the building committee. It was great.Were really happy with the response. You dont know what to expect.

To keep the cost of the project down, the building committee is bidding every aspect of construction separately. Once all of the bidders are chosen, they will tally the total cost.

That will start a process culminating in a Town Meeting, where residents will vote on the bonding.

Aside from the bonding, the town has a $500,000 Small Town Economic Assistance Program grant to defray the cost of the project.

Right now, the next step is for the building committee to review the bids and select the vendors. A concerted effort will be made, with all things being equal, to hire local contractors.

Well review all the proposals at the next meeting, Rooney said. This building project is Monroe first. Thats what were going to try to do, within reason, pump the money into the local economy.

He said several Monroe companies placed bids.

Rooney said the building committee meets on the second Tuesday of every month. That would make the next meeting March 9.

The impetus behind the project comes from a feasibility study done years ago, before Ken Kellogg was first selectman. The study, led byJacunski Humes Architects, determined the best project, based on location and affordability, was to renovate the Jockey Hollow firehouse at 54 Jockey Hollow Road.

The EMS Building Committee was created about three years ago and its current members are Rooney, John Brenna, Robert Westlund, Domenic Paniccia, Michael Vitello and John Ostaszewski.

Jacunski Humes Architects, which designed the renovation and addition of the Monroe Police Department several years ago, was hired as the project architect for the EMS headquarters through the bidding process and another bid process resulted in Burlington Construction Co. being hired as project manager.

The project has Inland Wetlands approval and the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a municipal referral from the Town Council.

Facility needs

During a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting last year, EMS Chief Donald Smith said the Monroe EMS worked out of the electric room of the police station on Fan Hill Road before moving to Jockey Hollow Firehouse in 2001.

Over the years, Smith said the ambulance service has seen an annual call volume increase, rising from 900 to 1,500 calls.

The EMS, which has between 45 and 50 members, has outgrown its facility. Smith said there is no office space and the classroom, whichdoubles as volunteers dining room, is too small.There is no restroom upstairs and there is an unworkable shower on the lower level, so volunteers have to go home to shower and change, according to Smith.

Rooney said the main issue is that conditions are not suitable for an overnight stay.

The facility has 20 striped parking spaces, which Kellogg said is inadequate. The project would increase the parking lot to 64 spaces.Currently, Kellogg said people are parking on the grass when classes and membership meetings are held, are double parking and parking in front of ambulance bays.

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EMS building project attracts nearly 100 bids - The Monroe Sun

The Gustavus Adolphus College Board of Trustees approved the beginning of construction on an ambitious $60 million expansion and renovation of Lund Center, the Colleges wellness and athletic facility, at the groups winter meeting last week. Gustavus plans to break ground on the project as soon as the soil thaws this spring.

The Lund Center expansion and renovation will give Gustavus one of the top small-college wellness and athletic facilities in the nation and provide a cutting-edge academic home for our Department of Health and Exercise Science and Athletic Training Program, Gustavus President Rebecca Bergman said.

Theres a tremendous sense of excitement among our students, faculty, and staff, Director of Athletics Tom Brown said. We look forward to providing expanded health and wellness facilities for all members of the Gustavus community while also building on the Colleges 120-year tradition of excellence in athletics.

The greenlight to begin construction comes one year after Trustees approved a plan to move forward with the development of construction documents.

The fact that we are able to begin on schedule despite the uncertainty of the last year speaks volumes about the generosity and vision of our donors, the hard work of our planning team, and our valued partnership with BWBR Architects and Kraus-Anderson Construction, Bergman said.

The 12-month Phase I of the expansion and renovation project will focus on a 72,000 square-foot addition that will include fitness facilities utilized by all members of the Gustavus community such as expanded cardio and weight room spaces, locker room renovations, and new office spaces. Phase II is expected to begin immediately afterwards, with the conclusion of the entire project by early 2023. The completed facility will total approximately 330,000 square feet.

Highlights of the multiphase project include:

The Lund Center improvements come on the heels of the Nobel Hall of Science expansion and renovation project, which concluded in August 2020. Both building projects represent major outcomes of Show the World, the Colleges $225 million comprehensive campaign that was announced in September 2019.

The College has already received over $32 million in gifts and commitments that will underwrite the cost of Phase I of the Lund Center project. Fundraising continues as the College seeks to raise a total of $60 million for the expansion and renovation.

The Lund Center project is a testament to the continued momentum at Gustavus, Vice President for Advancement Thomas W. Young 88 said. In collaboration with Gustavus alumni, family, and friends, we are building an even brighter tomorrow for current and future Gusties. We look forward to continuing these partnerships as we complete our fundraising for Phase II.

For more information about the Lund Center expansion and renovation project, visit the Show the World campaign website.

Link:
Lund Center Project to Break Ground This Spring - Gustavus Adolphus College News

Montgomery County expects to spend more than $1.9 million to add two new seats to the County Council, a structural change that voters approved in Novembers election.

The two positions will begin their term in December 2022, creating an 11-member council. A redistricting commission recently began meeting to discuss the plans for how to divide the county into seven districts from its current five.

The council is currently made up of five district members and four at-large. The new council will have seven district seats and four at-large.

Of the more than $1.9 million, $92,000 is currently being considered as a supplemental appropriation for Council Office Building renovations. The funds would come from general obligations bonds.

The renovations are to make room for the two additional council members in the building. Interior modifications will be made to add two suits and ancillary spaces.

Adding the two members increases renovations costs to about $500,000. A prior appropriation of $408,000 for renovations will cover the remaining costs.

The excess $408,000 is coming from funding for the existing renovation project for the Council Office Building.

Marlene Michaelson, the executive director of the council, wrote in an email that the new renovations will cost more than $500,000 but there is no final number yet.

The design work provided for in the new renovation appropriation will give us a better idea of the costs that will be involved, she wrote.

Currently, an IT upgrade is being made to the third-floor hearing room. The council clerks work station is also being reconfigured.

Because there isnt enough space on the fifth floor to accommodate two additional council members and their staffs, the two offices will be placed on another floor in the building.

The supplemental appropriation, which was introduced on Jan. 26, is scheduled for a public hearing and vote at 1:30 p.m on March 2.

The current salary for council members is $140,142. Each council member receives the same salary with the exception of Council President Tom Hucker, who receives 10% more.

By law, the council is entitled to a Consumer Price Index increase to their salaries , but has declined the raise this year .

This council elected to give back this 1 percent CPI increase during the budget deliberations, Michaelson wrote.

In addition, benefits for council members are approximately $31,000 each.

A budget of $535,000 is provided to each council member for personnel and benefits costs for staff members, as well as operating costs.

Council members can hire as many staff members as they want within that budget. Each of the current members has about four to five full- and part-time employees.

Of the $535,000, $20,000 is used for operating expenses and about $22,000 is used for benefits for each staff member. The benefits can vary between $20,000 and $40,000, depending on the salary, FICA, benefits selected and retirement eligibility, according to Michaelson.

At this time, we arent expecting additional costs beyond the new council positions and the buildings renovations, Michaelson said.

***

Cost of adding two council members

Salaries: $280,284Benefits: $62,000Staff and operating expenses: $1.07 millionCouncil office improvements: $500,000 with more expected

Total: $1.9 million

Briana Adhikusuma can be reached at briana.adhikusuma@bethesdamagazine.com.

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Adding two County Council members will cost more than $1.9M - BethesdaMagazine.com

ESPN is celebrating the five-year anniversary of its weekday NBA show, The Jump on Thursday, February 18, at 3 p.m. ET. The one-hour show, which airs live Monday through Friday afternoons, made its debut on February 18, 2016 and has since aired more than 1,000 episodes.

Phoenix Suns superstar Chris Paul, who also appeared on the first show in 2016, will join host and journalist Rachel Nichols for a special interview. As part of the interview, Paul will discuss his latest project as an executive producer, Why Not Us: North Carolina Central University Mens Basketball an all-access documentary series streaming exclusively on ESPN+. For more information, visit ESPN Press Room.

Additionally, ESPN NBA analyst Richard Jefferson and senior writer Brian Windhorst a mainstay of The Jump since its debut are scheduled to appear on set. The anniversary episode will also include a look back at highlights from the shows five-year history.

The Jump has since extended its presence to serve as an on-site show at the NBAs highest-profile events, including the NBA Finals, the conference finals, the NBA Playoffs, NBA All-Star, the NBA Draft and the NBA Draft Lottery. The Jump podcast is also available everywhere podcasts are available.

In addition to her role as host, Nichols serves as sideline reporter for ESPN and ABCs marquee NBA game broadcasts, including for its NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC series and for its NBA Finals and conference finals coverage. The February 18, 2016 debut of The Jump marked Nichols return to ESPN after three years. She previously served as an ESPN reporter from 2004 to 2013.

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ESPN Celebrates Five-Year Anniversary of The Jump on February 18 - ESPN Press Room

Big Hit Entertainment is leaving no stone unturned to promote BTS's upcoming studio album, BE (Essential Edition). They have shared pictures, videos and notes by individual band members too. And now, they have been sharing the curated room for ARMY by the BTS boys. After, RM, Suga, Jungkook, Jimin and V, it's time for J-Hope's version. J-Hope adds bottles of scent and a rug into the room. The rug has hearts on it. Explaining his idea, J-Hope said, "I think the best thing for ARMY's room in the winter cold is a rug that can make each moment your feet touch the floor nice and warm. I think an ordinary rug might not be enough to express the warmth I want to send your way, so I put down a rug with hearts all over it to show my love for you. I personally prefer to sit on the floor than on the sofa. I think there might be ARMY out there like me. In that case, a rug is a must, right? I wanted to make sure in ARMY's room a rug that can embrace you full of love and warm like I can." Also Read - BTS: Jin turns a 'professional photobomber' for J-Hope and it's the funniest thing on the net

"I think a scent is the strongest memory that lingers between a person and another. A pleasant memory might fade over time, but a whiff of scent from way back then brings it back like it was yesterday. So, I put in perfume that will make beautiful memories of BTS and ARMY together come alive again. One is for us, one is for ARMY. What's their scent like? Different for each memory with us that you recall in your mind, of course," J-Hope added explaining the presence of scent bottles.

Hey there! BollywoodLife.Com Awards 2021 are back and Nominations Are Now Open!Click Here to Nominate Your Favourites and Stand a Chance to WIN Exciting Prizes.

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BTS: After V and Jimin, J-Hope's heartening addition to ARMY room makes excitement for BE (Essential Edition) - Bollywood Life

'Aidan Avocado' has a new 'pit.'

Feb. 5 was a day of firsts for Aidan Moles.

The 2-year-old had spent all of his 946 days of existence that's two birthdays, three Thanksgivings and three Christmases within the groundsof the University of Iowa's Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, where he had undergone more than 70 COVID-19 tests, 16 operating room visits, 306 radiologic procedures and one long-awaited kidney transplant.

Typical childhood experiences such as trips to the supermarket, outdoor adventures and day care had been replaced by play mats in his room and stroller rides and gait trainer walksthrough the hospital corridors.His only views of the world outside had been what he could see from the hospital's campus.

But on Feb. 5, Aidan ventured out of the hospital and, for the first time in his life, felt the chilly winter air on his cheeks before takinghis firstcar ride, during which he watched the passing landscape from his car seatbefore dozing off to sleep.

About an hour and a half after leaving the hospital, his mother, Aron Donaldson, was finally able to introduce her sonto their Fort Madison home.

"At first, he was a little apprehensive," Donaldson told The Hawk Eye as Aidanpracticed pulling himself up on living room furniture. "He kind of had a little spot in the living room; he didn't venture far from there."

Donaldson had spent the months preceding Aidan's homecoming preparing his nautical-themed bedroom, but due to the toddler's health conditions, the mother and son have set up camp in the living room.

"I'm worried I'm not going to hear everything" if we're in different rooms," Donaldson said.

The living room and the nest of blankets Donaldson had laid out for him theresuitAidan just fine.He is, after all, used to one-room living. He has yet to venture into other parts of his home, thoughhe has been eyeing the kitchen.

"He kind of kept his little nest and, slowly, he just kind of spread his wings and now he's trying to get into everything," Donaldson said with a laugh.

"He's eating my furniture," she said. "He's wanting to go in the kitchen, but he hasn't really gone out of the living room yet, but he is acting like a toddler for sure."

In addition to testing out his new environment, Aidan's favorite pastimes include watching videos "They finally had to limit his screen time," Donaldson said with a laughof the staff at the children's hospital who have become like family to herand Aidan over the past 2 years as well as being read toand playing with toys, especially his avocado guitar.

Donaldson gave Aidan the guitar as a Christmas gift while he was still in the hospital. He loved it so much thatshe and music therapistKirsten Nelson began to come up with a song. Nelson passed it along to children's songwriterAlastair Moock, who polished it up and added to the lyrics to compose "Aidan Avocado."

"It's about Aidan needing a pit, meaning kidney. When Aidan started getting mobile, he alligator-rolled all the time," Donaldson explained. "It's about living on an island in the sea, rolling around and not a care in the world."

When Aidan's medical team threw him a going-away partyearlier this month, Moock appeared via Zoom to play and sing the song for Aidan, but with a twist.

Moock "sang it for him, but he changed the words around a little bit saying, 'Now he has his pit,'" Donaldson said.

Aidan was born seven weeks ahead of schedule, on July 5, 2018, weighing just 4 pounds, 10 ounces. Neither of his kidneys was working, and he was in end-stage renal disease, requiring dialysis at birth.

"He was born with what's called dysplastic kidneys, so the kidneys just didn't work well early on," said Dr. Lyndsay Harshman,director of the hospital's pediatric kidney transplant program.

Aidan's kidneys hadn't formed properly as babies grow in utero, their kidneys help to form the amniotic fluid that helps to form their lungs, "so it's pretty common that babies with neonatal kidney disease also have cardiac and lung issues," Harshman said.

Thatwas true for Aidan. In addition to renal disease, the newborn also suffered from pulmonary hypertension, meaning the blood vessels coming off his heart toward his lungs were constricted to the point they did not allow adequate blood flow and circulation of oxygen, meaning Aidan also needed long-term support from a ventilator and long-term medications to help decrease the pressure in his heart and lungs.

"Aidan is one of the most complicated kids we've had in a while here because of the cardiac concerns and the ventilator requirements and things," Harshman said.

He spent most of the first year of his life in intensive care, on a ventilator and sedated for several months.

Donaldson, who is Aidan's biological grandmother, was there at every turn, spending any time off from her job at International Eyecare with Aidan while working with the Department of Human Services to adopt him after it became clear his biologicalparents were not prepared to care for him.

"I think he needed me, I needed him, and we just had a good bond, and I knew that I just wanted to take care of him," Donaldson said. "He's such a fighter."

Aidan's condition gradually improved to the point where his heart and lung status were better controlled, as was his dialysis. Then it was on to the inpatient floor.

"Once we were able to get him out of the ICU literally after a year of his life and up to the inpatient floors, that's wherehe started to begin to have more developmental progress," Harshman said. "Because when kids are sick their whole first year of life, they forgo those baby milestones, so he had a lot of catching up to do: learning how to roll over, how to sitall of those things."

Once Aidan's medical team felt his heart and lungs were strong and stable enough to undergo a kidney transplant, he was put on the transplant donor list.

The lifesaving kidney came in November from a deceased donor.

Donaldson had been told to expect Aidan to flourish after his transplant, but she was surprised by how quickly his development took off.

"It was within days," Donaldson said. "It was amazing."

Even Aidan's medical team was surprised by Aidan's progress.

"None of us really expected it, and all of us were cautiously concerned that he would have a rocky course post-transplant and he surprised all of us," Harshman said. "After his transplant, it was really just unbelievable. The kid was standing up more in the crib in the ICU after his transplant within days, and we were like, 'Excuse me? Who is this child?'"

Within a week of getting his transplant, his need for a ventilator, which he was still using at night and occasionally during the day, dropped significantly. Within a month, he no longer needed it at all.

Three months later, he was ready to go home.

"When a family is going through such sadness from losing a loved one and they make that decision to donate their loved one's organs or honor that loved one's decision to donate organs, the impact it has can't even be quantified, especially for kids, because they get a chance at life that they wouldn't have had otherwise," Harshman said.

The next six months will be especially critical for Aidan due to the risks that his body might rejecthis new kidney, as well as an increased risk of infection caused by his anti-rejection medications. Harshman hopes his new kidney will last for at least the next 20 years.

"A transplant's not a cure,"she said."It's the bridge to the next transplant."

In the meantime, Donaldson says she's looking forward to warmer weather, so that she and Aidan will be able to enjoy more firsts, including those that can take place only outside, like afirst stroller ride through the park.

You can register to become an organ, eye and tissue donor at the Iowa Donor Network website.

Youalso can mark "yes" authorizing organ donationwhen you get your drivers license renewed or whengetting a hunting, fishing or fur-harvesting license.

By registering, you authorize your organs, eyesand tissues to be donated at the time of your death. If a donated organ, eyeor tissue cannot be used for transplant, an effort will be made to use the donation for research, the website says.

The website saysthe Iowa organ waiting list as of Dec. 1 had485 Iowansawaiting kidneys;heart, 24; lungs, 10; liver, 40; andkidney/pancreas, 6.

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Fort Madison toddler was hospitalized the first 946 days of his life. Then a kidney transplant opened his world. - Burlington Hawk Eye

Spencer Durham|The Daily Telegram

ADRIAN A 2,500-square-foot addition to the Salvation Army's thrift store in Adrian will allow for all donations to be stored safely inside.

Construction began late last summer on a storage and receiving facility. It is attached to the back of the thrift store. The space allows for storing and sorting donations. There's also enough room for the Salvation Army to keep its emergency disaster vehicle inside, safe from the elements.

Salvation Army staff, the Adrian Area Chamber of Commerce and community members were on hand Wednesday morning for a brief dedication ceremony.

"We have been eagerly awaiting this property," said Capt. Jacob Tripp.

Tripp and his wife, Melinda, lead the local Salvation Army, acting as both pastors and administrators. They started this past July.

Additional space had been discussed for years. Longtime volunteers remember when they first heard about the idea years ago.

Tripp said they finally received enough community support and funding to build the $750,000 addition.

"In the long run, it's going to change how the store can operate," he said.

The addition comes at a good time. Despite thrift store sales being down, donations have remained steady. The Salvation Army is now accepting furniture, which will require more space.

The organization is already making use of its new addition, storing bales of clothes. Gone are the days of bales of clothes wrapped in blue tarps were stored outside. This would inevitably lead to some clothes being ruined.

"We can make sure everything can be saved," Tripp said. "This space is really going to help us."

The organization has a machine that packs clothes not sold in the store into large bales. These are then sold to other organizations and developing countries. A semitruck load can fetch $12,000.

"We have been selling good products on the floor and back here," said Tim Schroeder, store consultant.

More storage space for more donations means more revenue for the Salvation Army.

"This is a way to help us do what we do and help us do more in the community," Tripp said.

Donations can be made between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.Monday through Friday at the thrift store, 247 W. Church St., Adrian.

The store accepts a wide range of items, including clothes, belts, furniture and hats. Items must still be useable.

For more information, call 517-263-3650.

Continue reading here:
Adrian Salvation Army adds storage space to thrift store - The Daily Telegram

Editors note: This article has been updated to reflect the correct date of this event

Set to take place virtually through the Chamberlain Student Center Game Room, Rowan University will be hosting its second annual Extra Life Gaming Marathon Saturday, March 20.

A collaboration between the Rowan Gaming Club and the Rowan Honors Extra Life Organization, this virtual event will strive to bring the Rowan community together, in an effort to raise money for local branches of the Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals.

Due to COVID-19 safety precautions and limitations, the event will go on for eight hours this year, rather than the usual 24.

The virtual event will be livestreamed through Twitch, an interactive platform designed for the live viewing and broadcasting of video games. In the days leading up to the gaming marathon, as well as throughout the night of the event, students will be able to interact with the Game Room, ask questions and view the events full itinerary through their Discord link.

Links to both the Twitch and Discord will be provided to students through the events ProfLink page. Ambre McKenna, the assistant director of service areas and inclusion initiatives, discussed how students can get involved.

There are a variety of ways that if individuals are interested in playing, that they can reach out and be featured on our stream For example, well be doing a Jackbox Party-Pack hour, she said. Well have Jackbox playing, so, really, you dont have to be in person to play. Individuals can play virtually with us, if they want to.

The Gaming Club will also be hosting their signature tournament of intensive Chutes and Ladders, in addition to a number of other gaming classics throughout the night. From Call of Duty to Tetris, this event is dedicated to providing all students with a variety of gaming choices, regardless of your previous experience or gaming skill.

McKenna hopes to emphasize how passionately Rowan feels for the Extra Life Organization, as well as her excitement toward the Rowan communitys opportunity to once again take part in this charitable event.

Now more than ever I think our charitable organizations need our support, McKenna said. It was important to us not to give up this opportunity to support them, even though we recognize that it is more challenging in this environment. Certainly, more than ever, children need additional resources so we want to do what we can.

The Extra Life Organization has worked diligently to raise money for ill and injured children since 2008, raising over $70 million worldwide in the last 13 years. During last years marathon, Rowan was able to raise over $4,000 in donations, an achievement that has brought hope and confidence for this years donation goal of $2,500.

Last year was inspiring when we set our goal, we set a goal of $3,000, and not only did we meet that, but to exceed it by almost $1,500 was incredible. So, to know that we could have that impact just made us want to work even harder this year, McKenna said.

For those looking to donate during the event, all donations can be made online through the universitys official Extra Life donation link, which will also be available through the events ProfLink page.

For comments/questions about this story, email features@thewhitonline.com or tweet @TheWhitOnline.

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Game Room and Gaming Club Partner in Hosting Their Second Annual Extra Life Gaming Marathon - The Whit Online

[co-author: Joanne Saint Louis, Diversity Program Manager]

A podcast from JAMS in celebration of Black History Month, featuring diversity program manager Joanne Saint Louis, and neutrals Otis McGee and Rebekah Ratliff.

In this new podcast from JAMS, neutrals Otis McGee and Rebekah Ratliff and diversity program manager Joanne Saint Louis discuss why increasing diversity in ADR is critical for legal and business communities and the steps JAMS is taking to ensure its own panel is representative of the attorneys and clients that use its ADR services. Otis and Rebekah then discuss the important role diverse neutrals play in ADR and how ADR increases access to justice.

Moderator: [00:00:00] Welcome to this JAMS podcast, where we are celebrating Black History Month with a conversation around diversity in the field of alternative dispute resolution and access to justice. Our guests are three JAMS professionals: Rebekah Ratliff, a former commercial insurance claims professional; now mediator, arbitrator and neutral case analyst specializing in complex insurance disputes based in Atlanta; Otis McGee, a former trial lawyer, who's now an arbitrator, mediator and special master based in San Francisco; and Joanne Saint Louis, a diversity program manager based in Atlanta.

Thank you all so much for your time. Joanne, let me start with you. How would you characterize the progress that the field of ADR has made in bringing more diversity to its ranks in recent years?

Joanne Saint Louis: [00:01:00] I would say if I had to choose one word to characterize that I would say "evident." We are definitely seeing progress made, but it is not enough.

We have seen throughout the years, there have been several initiatives, as well as discussions, that have been made to be able to help increase diversity within the law firms. And we still are not where we need to be within the legal profession, which then makes it even harder to achieve the diversity that we want to see within the dispute resolution. So yes, we've made progress, but we still have a long ways to go.

Moderator: [00:01:30] Okay. And then let's just spell out why is it so crucial to build a diverse pipeline of ADR professionals?

Joanne Saint Louis: [00:01:37] Well, it's definitely important to build a diverse pipeline as well as panels in ADR, because you want the ADR community to represent the population of which we serve. So it's very important that the demographics that we have within the professionals that are handling these cases, as well as neutrals that are overseeing these matters, represent the clients which they serve. I will definitely say that it's important to plant the seed, it's important to have diverse practices that are handling these cases. At some point, these practitioners will become the neutrals that are placed on different panels overseeing these matters, so it's important to make sure that we're continuing the discussion.

I will also say, it's not just important to see it in the practice area. We need to make sure that we're taking a multifaceted approach in how we discuss diversity in ADR. It's not just to see it on the practice area level. We also need to have these discussions with the clients, the in-house counsel, the outside counsel. These are the individuals that are selecting diverse neutrals. So, it's really important to give them the tools that they need and to really educate them on the importance of the selection process and making sure that we have diverse neutrals that are seated, overseeing these cases.

Moderator: [00:02:48] And I know JAMS is involved in building that pipeline. Can you talk a little bit about what the organization has been up to?

Joanne Saint Louis: [00:02:54] Absolutely. We have, as we discussed, a multi-faceted approach that we are taking on, we have initiatives that we've created, we have created different programs in which that we work with organizations and affinity groups to be able to create that pipeline and plant that seed of the practice of ADR; but also making sure that we're giving them the tools that they need to be successful in this space as well.

The other thing that we're looking to do is to create a fellowship program that will assist with the pipeline and making sure that they get the mentorship and sponsorship that they need in order to be fruitful. Also, we have an outreach committee within our diversity committee that is working with outside counsel and discussing with them initiatives that they have to their disposal, to be able to see an increase of utilization of diverse neutrals.

We have what we call here at JAMS, we've created the Inclusion Clause. Within the Inclusion Clause, we have verbiage that you can place within your contract that states that when you have an arbitration case, that you will consider utilizing a diverse neutral. You also have other initiatives that we really like to educate outside counsel and in-house counsel on, which is the ABA Resolution 105 , which also assists with seeing the increase of the selection process.

Now we always say, if you build it, they will come. Yes, as an arbitral institution, we can always increase diversity within our panel, but it's really important to see them get selected, and that creates the inclusion and the equity aspect that's definitely needed, and we need to be able to see within diversity in ADR.

Moderator: [00:04:21] Well thank you, Joanne. And Rebekah, can you talk about your experience in the ADR field? How did you get involved? And did you perceive any structural barriers?

Rebekah Ratliff: [00:04:29] Yes, my background is in insurance. I am a former commercial complex claims professional of 25 years, almost all 50 states and internationally in a bunch of subject matter areas.

So I handled, as an adjuster, cases in medical malpractice, products liability, auto, trucking, almost anything personal injury, commercial premises liability. So I have experience again in a variety of subject matter areas. But even with that, the structural barriers that I experienced were embedded in the insurance industry. Thirty years ago, there were very few people who looked like me in the commercial claim space.

And so I worked through a lot of microaggressions, and again, we know that microaggressions are generally based on unconscious bias in our industries, and really there's an intersectionality with regard to unconscious bias or implicit bias. But that was just the reality, and you keep your head down and you do your work, and you achieve success in the industry by showing rather than reacting. And so a mentor told me that I was living beneath my skillsets a few years ago and that I should consider mediation given my expertise in case evaluation and negotiation. And so I considered that as an option. And that's the way I got into ADR. I understand dispute resolution from the perspective of the payer, which makes me an effective dispute resolution professional.

Moderator: [00:05:53] Thank you, Rebekah. Otis, can you talk about how your career led you to ADR?

Otis McGee: [00:05:57] Over the 40 plus years that I served as a litigator and trial attorney, I was involved in any number of ADR procedures, mediations, in particular with JAMS. And during a lull in one of those mediations, the person who was serving as a mediator suggested that with my background, as a trial attorney, I might want to consider moving into ADR at some point in my career. So I began looking at potential opportunities 10 or 15 years ago, and gradually as my career as a trial attorney was reaching the point that I was thinking about hanging up on my spurs, I decided to look into ADR and came to JAMS a year and a half or so ago.

Moderator: [00:06:46] And, Otis, what do you think has helped spur on more diversity in the ADR profession?

Otis McGee: [00:06:50] Without a doubt, one of the significant matters that gave rise to a sensitivity to the need for having more diverse panels by ADR providers was the Jay Z litigation. Jay Z,being a rapper - very well-known, very prominent - who had a business of clothing and was in a $200 million dispute with a company that was involved in the production of his clothing line. And when the dispute arose, the company demanded that this dispute be resolved with binding arbitration being provided by one of our competitors, and Jay Z resisted a continuing in the arbitration because that provider only had three minorities, three arbitrators of color, on its panel to handle complex, high exposure, commercial matters. And one of those three had a conflict, so Jay Z refused to go through with that arbitration until that provider came up with a more significant and diverse panel of prospective arbitrators that he could choose from. Jay Z's words were "there's nobody on this panel that looks like me and I don't feel comfortable arbitrating this $200 million dispute with folks that don't look anything like me." So that was in 2018, a case that I think sent shivers, if not a shockwave through the arbitration community of the need to more significantly diversify their panel.

Moderator: [00:08:31] So a case that really brought home the importance of diversity in the ADR professional

Otis McGee: [00:08:36] The diversity in ADR brings to the table, brings to the forefront, individuals who look like the parties in litigation. And as well as the users of litigation, they bring individuals before it, to the table, that can add some degree of comfort to individuals who are going through the process because they want to, many individuals want to see somebody in the room, particularly someone who's involved in a significant aspect of the proceeding who looks like them, who has an appreciation for what they've been going through.

Moderator: [00:09:17] Rebekah, what do you think can be done to increase the visibility of diverse ADR professionals?

Rebekah Ratliff: [00:09:22] Affinity relationships in ADR are a great way to give visibility to diverse neutrals, and Joanne mentioned Resolution 105 -- that's an effort in the American Bar Association, but also the national bar association has a certified list of mediators and arbitrators that are National Bar Association trained. And, so, if every entity is doing their part, then the visibility of diverse neutrals increase.

Moderator: [00:09:50] Otis and Rebekah, as Black ADR professionals, can you both talk about the value of bringing your authentic self to each dispute you handled. Rebekah, I'll start with you.

Rebekah Ratliff: [00:10:00] Trust, we know, is an essential pillar of mediation. And, so, it's important for every mediator to bring their authentic self to mediation, arbitration. That is the only way that you can really relate to the people in the room, and my philosophy has always been, everybody else is already taken, might as well be myself, and I bring my humanness to the room. And the patience that is needed in a hearing is one way to establish trust, in addition to maybe paying a compliment or just establishing something in common.

It's important to understand, and I handled, again, civil tort cases. So, it's important to understand the human condition and be discerning about what people really mean. Sometimes, people don't say what they really mean. They are not able to articulate it sometimes for various reasons. Sometimes emotions are high, so it's important for me to use the skills that I have authentically in order to enable them. And I say all the time, I'm the daughter of a pastor and a nurse, I have a psychology degree, and I was a claims adjuster for 25 years. And so my background demonstrates that I care about people.

Moderator: [00:11:05] And, Otis, what about you? How do you talk about the value of bringing your authentic self to the disputes that you handle?

Otis McGee: [00:11:11] Well, I think that's one of the values that we as diverse neutrals bring to specific situations. We often will read facts and read situations differently based on life experiences that we've each endured.

And if I can give you an example related to a mediation that I handled fairly recently, it was an employment dispute that arose from the termination of a long-term employee by the owner of the company who was an elderly African-American woman, a very accomplished woman, who was very proud of her achievements and the support that she provided in the form of scholarships, for example, to the members of the minority community. And she had heard from other employees that one of her long-term employees, the plaintiff in this action, had been saying things that were detrimental to the company, detrimental to her as the owner, and spreading rumors that the owner of the company hadn't been doing, as donors were expecting in terms of the handling of donations for scholarships. So the owner of the company, this elderly woman, terminated the employee and following some very contentious litigation, the company prevailed in the litigation. Thereafter, the owner of the company sued the former employee for malicious prosecution and the employee turned around and filed a anti SLAPP action against the owner of the company. So, there was all this litigation taking place. All of it was being funded by the parties. There was no insurance involved. So the owner of the company, as well as this former employee has spent all of this money in a fight with each other. When I got the mediation, I had a pre-mediation meeting with the parties, and I learned during that pre-mediation meeting that neither side had ever sat down with the other to find out what their particular story was.

So I did something unusual in that case, and that was to get the attorneys to agree that I could talk to the parties without having the attorneys present. And in the course of doing so, I learned that everything that led to the termination was information that the owner of the company had received secondhand. None of it was information that she had any firsthand knowledge about . And as a result of sorting through the issues that gave rise to this termination, I was able to get the parties to agree, to dismiss the matter for a waiver of costs as to each claim, and they left the arbitration shaking hands and making friends again, as they had been during the long term of the employment relationship between the two of them.

So I think I read that situation differently than others. Basically, it was kind of a, he- said- she said spat and we were able to get it resolved with a waiver of costs.

Moderator: [00:14:24] And also just additionally, how do you leverage, Otis, language and culture to help parties find resolution? In addition to being able to read the room?

Otis McGee: [00:14:32] Well, being able to pick up on nuances, with being able to pick up on jargon and different language that you won't necessarily find when you pick up Webster's dictionary, you won't find out how terms are being used, but they are sometimes occasionally used some vernacular between the parties and it's helpful to be able to understand the meaning of that terminology and different mannerisms of parties that don't become apparent. It's not something that you necessarily picked up in law school or in the course of a litigation practice over the years.

Moderator: [00:15:11] And, Rebekah, how do you go about building trust in the ADR process with frankly, some people who have generally viewed our justice system with skepticism and cynicism?

Rebekah Ratliff: [00:15:20] The ADR process is just that, it's a process. And so, you have to use patience and active listening skills. In order to determine what the interests are in the room. And sometimes as I mentioned a little earlier, finding a common thread without self-disclosure, because people, when they're telling you their problems, they don't want to hear about yours. They don't want you to tell them yours too. And so it's important to listen and to understand what really the interests are, and also be creative in crafting ways to convey accurate messaging to the other room.

But you can express a desire to understand. What happens in our community, what we know is, litigation is not a trusted process. ADR mitigates the inequality in the litigation system. It's less stress, it's less cost, less time. And so one of the things that we have to do is educate our communities about the benefits of resolving cases and moving on with their lives in ADR, or at least mediation you control the outcome. Mediation is self determining, and what better way to be heard and make your own decisions about what resolution looks like. And arbitration, it's not as formal as trial and you can present your information in a less intimidating situation than trial. And so it really, I think, comes down to education.

Moderator: [00:16:42] And, Otis, how do you see the benefits of ADR?

Otis McGee: [00:16:45] ADR can bring a number of things to the forefront. One is certainty. By going to an ADR organization, parties can select the individuals who are going to be the decision-makers in their cases. They can do so in a more expeditious fashion because the court says everybody's recognized. Particularly with COVID, you can't get cases resolved as quickly and expeditiously as you can through the ADR process. You can't do so in the court system with any expectation that a particular person is going to be the decision-maker on the case, whereas you can do that in the ADR process. So the certainty, the expeditious nature of it, because of the calendars and availability of neutrals in an ADR organization, may be much more predictable than they are in the court system, which is now getting a tremendous backlog of matters having, in large part, been impacted upon by COVID for the last year.

Moderator: [00:17:54] What makes you hopeful that ADR can continue to live up to its promise to bring more access to justice? Rebekah?

Rebekah Ratliff: [00:18:01] Otis just said it, as a matter of fact, I was thinking it as he was saying it. COVID-19 has forced us into the option of ADR. It's a good thing for us, and it's unfortunate that people are in dispute, but since they are, and there's inaccessibility to the court system. Disputes will continue to arise from issues derivative of COVID 19 and what I call the overlapping pandemics- world-wide epidemics like the housing crisis and weather events, the economic downturn, civil unrest. There are different issues that will give rise to ADR cases, and we will facilitate those compromises.

Moderator: [00:18:37] And, Otis, are you hopeful that ADR can bring more justice to more people?

Otis McGee: [00:18:42] I absolutely do, I believe that's the case. And I think that among the things that we as ADR neutrals have learned over the course of the last year was the efficiencies that can be gained by the use of the virtual process. I mean, for the last year, the vast share of the work that I've done, both in mediations and in arbitrations has been in a virtual mechanism. And aware as I had reservations and many clients had reservations early on in this process, as we've become more and more familiar with Zoom and other technologies, we've found that it's a mechanism that even when we return to a more normal workplace, I think we fully expect to use those virtual technologies, because they are so efficient and in many respects, economical that we intend to continue using them. I handled a very large arbitration that went on for over a month with witnesses and parties all over the country, and we were able to handle that in a very efficient manner by doing so in Zoom, and I certainly intend to continue using that process when we return to a normal workplace.

Moderator: [00:20:02] The return to normal, that's a hopeful way to end this. Thank you, both Rebekah and Otis. And thank you, Joanne, for a great conversation.

You've been listening to a special podcast from JAMS, the world largest private alternative dispute resolution provider. Our guests have been: Rebekah Ratliff, mediator, arbitrator, and neutral case analyst specializing in complex insurance disputes based in Atlanta; Otis McGee, arbitrator, mediator, and special master based in San Francisco; and Joanne Saint Louis, diversity program manager based in Atlanta.

Thank you for listening to this podcast from JAMS.

Continue reading here:
[PODCAST] Diversity in ADR and Creating Access to Justice - JD Supra

Kelly Byer|The Repository

There's no storefront for Outlaw Burger. No dining room for Monster Mac. No servers at Crave Burger.

The menu items for all three restaurants are made in the kitchen of Crave in downtown Akron. The upscale eatery partners with Nextbite, a company with a dozen delivery-only brands, in a setup commonly referred to as a virtual or ghost kitchen.

"None of these brands have an actual brick-and-mortar," Crave's General Manager Jeff Kucko said.

The business models and terms might differ from one place to the next, but the common thread is a restaurant without a physical location and a menu designed for delivery through third-party apps,such as DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats.

Some restaurants have partnered with delivery-focused companies to serve their virtual brands, other restaurants are working with brands developed by their parent companies, and then there are commercial or shared kitchen spaces available for restaurants to rent.

Crave's arrangement keeps Nextbite's more "affordable" brands one of which coincidentally included the name "Crave" separate while keeping existing kitchen staff busy and rotating food, thereby making it fresher for customers. Crave also makes 45% to 50% of the profits.

"We did this to hopefully tap into some of the University of Akron market, the younger people especially," he said.

Before the pandemic, the "destination restaurant" catered to workers out for lunch on weekdays and event-goers on weekends. Kucko said Crave now is considering its own secondary brand to meet the demand for a variety of local options with the convenience of delivery.

In the nearly two months Crave has worked with Nextbite, delivery orders have accounted for about 7% to 10% of sales. Kucko said that amounts to about 4% of the restaurant's profit each month.

"This keeps a little more money coming in," he said.

The delivery-only concept is not new but experienced a boost in popularity as customers shifted to delivery over dine-in this past year. Virtual restaurant companies such as Nextbite and Reef Kitchens expanded their locations and brands.

Nextbite reported an increase from three virtual brands to 12 and from a few markets to sites in 40 states this past year. Reef, which calls its sites "neighborhood kitchens," added partnerships with Nathan's Famous and BurgerFi to its offerings in 2020.

Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC) is another growing venture founded in 2019 by Robert Earl, chairman of Earl Enterprises the parent company of Bravo Italian Kitchen and several other traditional restaurants. VDC's delivery-only Wing Squad, MrBeast Burger and Mariah's Cookies operate from the Belden Village location.

The virtual company, which already has a series of celebrity brands, also is in the midst of a nationwide soft launch for Guy Fieri's Flavortown Kitchen, according to a company spokesperson.

It was among this month's new local offerings on the DoorDash delivery app, which also featured Tender Shack (connected to Carrabbas Italian Grill parent company Bloomin' Brands Inc.), Conviction Chicken (connected to TGI Friday's parent company) and The Burger Den (connected to Denny's).

Chuck E. Cheese and its secondary brand for delivery made news last spring and drew social media attention to the practice when a customer shared the realization that Pasqually's Pizza and Wings was not a new, local option.

Brian Bailey, president and CEO of the Ichor Restaurant Group, said virtual brands are more than a name change.

"It's new food," he said. "It's different offerings."

Bailey started Street Craft, a modern Mexican restaurant, in early 2019 "out of the back" of an Old Carolina Barbecue Co. A small, secondary kitchen already existed to serve 1899 Indoor Golf, and he thought the restaurant's smoked meats wouldbe suited totacos.

"It didn't take off," he said.

Virtual kitchens and delivery appswere more popular in big cities.Bailey saiddelivery drivers would be confused when they arrived at Old Carolina and some customers became upset when they saw food online not available for pickup.

That operation ended about a month before the pandemic hit. Then the state shuttered restaurant dining rooms as part of its response to COVID-19 and takeout or delivery were the only options.

The Ichor Restaurant Group tried again in early May with PJ's Legendary Hot Chicken, which began out of Smokethe Burger Joint in Jackson Township. It has since expanded to Old Carolina restaurants in Rocky River and Strongsville.

Bailey said he refers to PJ's as a "ghost kitchen" or part of the "food court in the sky."

"I don't think the industry has settled on any one term," he said.

The model for PJ's involves large signs for delivery drivers and food that can be ordered via delivery apps for pickup or from a separate menu at Smoke and Old Carolina. The kitchen staff use available ingredients, with the addition of mac 'n cheese and "authentic Nashville" oil for the chicken, and existing equipment, with the addition of a few tabletop warmers, for the new menu items.

Bailey said PJ's sales have increased the restaurant group's revenue by 10%.

The Ichor Restaurant Group plans to launch its second ghost kitchen, Shmack 'n Cheese, by the end of March.

"And another one could be coming soon after," Bailey said.

Shmack's gourmet mac 'n cheese bowls will build upon the side dish from PJ's with burger toppings, such as bacon and vegetables. Bailey said potential menu items might include tomato-basil-mozzarella bowls, Mediterranean bowls and Nashville hot chicken bowls.

The Ichor group also is investing in new online ordering technology. Bailey expects restaurants to build smaller dining rooms in the future and focus on "ease of pickup" instead.

Kuko predicted that Crave's delivery-only options also would continue well into the future. He expects delivery orders to decrease when the pandemic subsides but still be stronger than before.

"I think there's been innovation and evolution with things, and I think customer habits have kind of evolved to that," he said.

Julie Carpinelli, associate manager of the Tri-County Restaurant Association that serves Stark, Carroll and Tuscarawas counties, said she had little knowledge or involvement in virtual endeavors by members but supports anything that aids area restaurants.

"I like the creativity," she said. "I like that they're trying to survive in a really difficult world right now for restaurateurs."

Virtual kitchens and corresponding restaurants

See more here:
New to the menu during COVID-19: Virtual eateries - Akron Beacon Journal