On May 24th, The Berkshire Edge Business Monday! held the first in a series of projected webinars to explore opportunities and challenges for businesses in the Berkshires. These webinars are open to anyone curious about what keeps Berkshire businesses going.
This inaugural webinar took a deep dive into the hospitality and restaurant sectors.
Our three insightful panelists were:
- Simon Dewar, General Manager, The Red Lion Inn;
- Vern Kennedy, Restauranteur, owner of No. 10 Castle Street in Great Barrington and Morgan House in Lee; and
- Laura Brennon, Economic Development Program Manager, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.
Our moderator was Bob Braddick, recently retired from a career in management consulting and now active in projects to advance higher education and economic development in the Berkshires. Braddick was able to use his own expertise to tease out interesting answers and observations from our panelists.
Here are some of the surprises that came from the discussion:
- Restaurants and hotels are benefitting from a “COVID dividend”;
- The average age of visitors in the area is trending younger;
- Staffing is tough, but there are ways to recruit and hold onto good staff;
- Vern Kennedy says his biggest competition is the gas station;
- Hospitality leaders are developing new kinds of visitor experiences;
- And more.
If you missed the original conversation, or want to watch it again, we are happy to make a tape available of the entire discussion. Just click on the link below:
Berkshire Edge Business Webinar: Hospitality and Restaurant sectors
This webinar was made possible by generous support from Berkshire Money Management and Lee Bank.
