HospitalityMaine (HM) has announced their new board members and the names include Mark Osborn, owner of Topside Inn in Boothbay Harbor.

“I was honored to be asked to join the board” said Osborn, “HospitalityMaine’s staff and board members have been a tremendous help to our business over the years, especially in the past 12 months during COVID-19. The pandemic has impacted all hospitality businesses in the state of Maine and having such a well-informed and engaged organization to assist us as we navigated the waters of the Paycheck Protection Program, SBA loans, various grants, as well as keeping us updated on the latest state regulations, cleaning requirements and guest service protocols has been invaluable to our business.”

HM helped dispense scores of Maine Restaurant Recovery grants this past summer and fall and advocated for other grants aimed at assisting all small businesses in the hospitality industry in the state of Maine. A number of businesses in the Boothbay region were among those who received the grants, including Topside Inn.

Osborn said, “We have made it our mission this past year to pass on as much knowledge on these topics we have gained from HM to other business in our community, many of which were able to benefit from the same grants”.

HM was created by the merger of the Maine Restaurant Association and the Maine Innkeepers Association. HM’s mission is to improve, promote, protect, and educate the lodging, restaurant, and hospitality. The HospitalityMaine Education Foundation, which strives to support the next generation of hospitality leaders through partnerships with Maine's community colleges. The foundation is working on a customer service online training program to launch this spring. HM awards scholarships each year to Maine students pursuing a career in food and beverage and lodging. This helps fuel interest and strengthen hospitality as a vocation.

HM celebrates the sector every year through hospitality awards that recognize leading lights in the industry. In 2020, Osborn and his husband Buzz Makarewicz were named innkeepers of the year. "A member for many years, the Topside Inn continues to uphold the association's mission of enhancing the industry by elevating the guest experience," said Kathleen Pierce, director of member experience for HM. "They outdo themselves every season, keeping visitors coming back year after year." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKyX1Lxsak4

Among other responsibilities, Osborn is very interested in growing the membership of the state’s only non-profit trade group in Maine focused on hospitality.

“HM has a seat at the table when critical decisions that impact the industry are made and the more members we have, who are engaged and informed, the better off our industry in Maine will be,” Osborn said. “Having experienced the benefits of a HM membership first hand, I am one of the organizations biggest fans and can endorse becoming a member without any reservations.”

Information on HospitalityMaine, including membership benefits and joining the organization can be found online at HospitalityMaine.com. If you have general questions or would like information about joining HM Mark Osborn can be reached at innkeeper@topsideinn.com