Quincy Hentzel Discusses What's New with the Portland Maine Regional Chamber of Commerce

Today I have with me Quincy Hensel, who I first interviewed, uh, in 2017 when she was just newly in the role of CEO of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce. And that would be Portland, Maine, cuz we are Radio Maine. And today have the great pleasure to bring her back into the studio with me once again. Thanks for coming here. Thanks for having me. So, I, I asked this question right before we came on air cuz I'm kind of interested five years. That's, that's a long time, especially when you throw a pandemic in there. Some economic challenges. Um, I guess what, what's been going on For you? Oh, wow. Um, a lot I would say. Um, the pandemic, obviously that was a huge experience for everybody but the Chamber, it was incredibly interesting to kind of be at the forefront of what was happening in terms of businesses being able to stay open, having to shut down reopening, just to kind of watch how our communities survived the pandemic. And that was two years of my work at the Chamber. So that was probably the biggest thing that I've had to deal with in my tenure. Um, and outside of that, we've just been doing a lot of work around advocacy for the communities we represent. We've done a lot of, I think, really good work around, um, DEI and racial equity. It's very much ongoing, but bringing the business community together to figure out what we can do collectively to bring about racial equity in the greater Portland business community. And just right now we are just getting back to events, you know, our chamber. I've been really proud of the events we've done in the past. Those pretty much came to a halt for the last two years. We kept up a lot virtually on Zoom, but just bringing those back and that feels really good to bring people back together. One of the initiatives that I read about is called Standing in Solidarity. And I know that that is something that has been important to you and to the Chamber because Portland does really have a diverse community and making it possible for people to bring their businesses out and give them, um, visibility no matter, you know, what, um, part of town they live in or where they're from, I think is really important. Mm-hmm. . So tell me about that. The Standing and Solidarity initiative was something we did in, I believe July of 2021. And it was a statement that we had businesses rally around. We had about 450 businesses sign on to the standing and solidarity statement, which was basically businesses saying that they, um, wanna promote racial equity. They do not stand for discrimination, they wanna promote racial equity within their organizations, within the business community. And then there was a pledge for businesses to actually do something. We wanted to make sure it was more than just a statement people were signing onto, but a pledge to really look internally in their own organizations and figure out what they can do, whether it's around hiring practices or just making their organization a more welcoming organization for people of color. And then out of that initiative came a racial equity strategic plan we did with the business community in Greater Portland. So we had about, I would say 60 to 80 business leaders who came to the table over a 15 month process to really work through what are the things that we as businesses can do to help promote racial equity and greater pool and, and make us a more welcoming community. We can't fix everything, but businesses play a really important role in that. And so we wanted to look at what we could do collectively knowing that it's more powerful to work together than for everybody just to work in their silos. So that was a project that I'm really proud of and I'm incredibly proud of our business community for rallying around that we have the plan and we're now working on the implementation of the plan. So, um, I think that was something that was pretty fantastic that was born out of standing in solidarity and really took place throughout the pandemic when we were all locked down at home. So you talk about this plan that you're starting to implement. What are some of the features of this plan? There's four different pillars of the plan. And you know, the first one I think is, is fairly basic, but something that we just hadn't been doing a really good job of. And that is creating networks of people of color, um, you know, individual organizations and businesses may have a couple people of color who work at that business, but how can we connect all of the businesses together and really grow that community? And through the process, we found that there are organizations that are doing that. So we're partnering with community groups that have already done this and really just trying to like, make the tent bigger and bring everybody together. There's also a pillar that deals with, you know, pipelines for high school students and college students. How do we, how do we get college students here? How do we show them that there are job opportunities for them here? And then how do we keep them here when they graduate? Um, one of the other pillars is just helping businesses find resources to do their own internal DEI and racial equity work. That's gonna be, I think, a bigger piece of this and one that will take building out basically a, a platform and where do we, where do we, we share the information, how do we share the information? Last pillar is just going to be an ongoing pillar, and that is forming, continuing to form relationships with other groups in the community. Like what are the BIPO groups that are doing this work already? How can we align that work? How can we support that work? And continuing just to build relationships with all of the individuals who are doing that important work in Greater Portland. I think it's, it, it's an really important thing that you're describing, um, this idea that it's, it's probably more relevant to people that they are able to find work, that they're able to have a meaningful profession, that they're able to support their families. You know, all of these things, um, are so incredibly foundational to meeting people's needs. Mm-hmm. . And I think the work that the Chamber does is all about kind of the economics of making that happen. So being able to bring together the, the theoretical importance of this with kind of boots on the ground. What, what's the operational meaning of mm-hmm being more inclusive, being more diverse, and really creating that network strategy. Mm-hmm. , I think that's really admirable. Thank you. I mean, it is a huge part of this plan is we have to build our workforce in Maine. Um, and in order to do that, we really do have to be more diverse. We need to be a welcoming place for everybody and everyone wants to be in more diverse communities, you know, the younger generation, that's what they're looking for. Like, they want to be in communities that are diverse. And so we have to make sure greater Portland and Maine fits that, otherwise we're not going to be able to attract people. So I think, you know, this plan isn't going to fix everything. It's a piece of it. And I think it's just like a foundational block that will bring businesses together and, and get us starting to work collaboratively together to make us a more welcoming community. Other different initiatives and efforts will come out of that, I am sure. But this is just the first step and I think it's a really important step. One of the things that I often ponder is this, this idea that it's important to ask people kind of what they want and need. So if you're talking about, um, people of color, for example, not making an assumption that I would know what they actually think is important, what they need, you know, what they want for their families. And I think sometimes it can be easy to fall into a trap of, um, I dunno, a little bit of a savior complex sometimes perhaps. And I'm calling myself out as a kind of straight up white woman who, you know, has her own set of privileges and biases. So have you learned anything interesting as you've been having conversations with people who are in these various communities about what it it is that they want and need? Yeah, that's a, I mean, it's a great point and it was something that we really were very intentional about as we did this work, we wanted to make sure that we had people of color at the table to tell us what they need. To your point, we assume we think we know what needs to be done to fix the situation, but we just don't. So part of the strategic plan was bringing along different partners, different, um, individuals of color who are in the business world right now, different non-profit groups that are doing work with bi populations. And, you know, we learned a lot of things, but I would say, um, one of the things that we learned, it came right out of the gate and it was definitely a theme, is that a lot of bipo individuals just don't feel like they have a community here. And that became like the focus, and we heard it from Bipo individuals, we heard it from the employers too, because a lot of the employers were at the table saying, you know, we can have mild success attracting people of color, but they don't stay. And when they leave they say, well, they just don't, they didn't feel like they had a community here. There's not people here that look like them. And that really was something that was said multiple times immediately in the process and then carried through the process. So I think our hope with this work is that we do build that community for so many different reasons, but even for the people we're attracting here, they're not staying here. So, and that came directly from the Bipo individuals who were part of the strategic planning process. One of the other things that I know that the Chamber is interested in is affordable housing. And that's been a big issue in the Portland area because obviously it's a great place to live, but it's expensive. What are you doing about that right now? So affordable housing has quickly become the chamber's number one priority. That wasn't always the case. I'm not even sure affordable housing was on our policy priority list four years ago. Things have changed a lot in Portland and greater Portland and really across the country. But what we've discovered, which is probably pretty obvious, if you don't have housing, you can't attract a workforce. So I just was talking about all this work we wanna do around making greater Portland a very welcoming city for everybody and attracting people from far and wide. Well, if we can't house them, all of that work is kind of for nothing. So, you know, we're trying to crack the nut around housing. It's not easy. Um, it's very difficult in, it's difficult to build housing in Portland for a whole host of reasons, separate and apart from why it's difficult to build in South Portland, Falmouth, Cumberland, we've had regulations passed in Portland over the last few years that have made housing and affordable housing just really challenging to build. So part of what we're doing at the Chamber is trying to figure out and think through ways we can change that. Unfortunately, there was a rough random that was passed in 2020 that has just made housing really, really challenging and we can't change it for five years. So we're kind of in a holding pattern with that. The council can't touch it for five years. That's what happens when things pass via referendum in Portland. So, you know, our chamber represents the surrounding communities as well. So we're, we're working in Falmouth and Cape Elizabeth in South Portland, Westbrook trying to really advocate for housing. And a lot of it surrounds education. You know, there's a lot of nimbyism out there where people probably nobody would say, we don't need affordable housing, but whether they want it in their backyard or in their communities, a whole other conversation. So what we do a lot at the chamber is just trying to educate around like the need for housing, why we need more density, why we have to start building up, and we just can't spread and sprawl across our communities. And the thing with housing is we need a lot of it right now, but it's not easy. Even if today we came up with a solution of how we were gonna build 2000 new units, it would take a couple years to do that. So we're just, it's a, it's a pretty, um, challenging situation at the moment. I don't have like a great answer of what we're going to do to fix it, but we are working in all of our communities that we represent, encouraging housing. Some are more open to it than others. Um, and in Portland we don't have a lot that is going to be coming, like coming down the pike, but there is housing being built right now that was all grandfathered in before the referendums passed in 2020. So there are a couple hundred units that are coming on and should be available within the next six to 12 months. So that's promising, but we really do have to figure out housing and we have to make it more affordable or we're just not going to be able to grow the workforce that we need. Yeah, I think about my own children who, um, are, have come back to, I guess one of them never left, but the other one is coming back to the state. And then I have another one who may or may not come back to the state. And you know, you're a young freshly out of college, freshly out of graduate school, you have a lot of loans, you have a lot to give, but there's no inventory and you don't have a ton of money. You don't have a lot to actually spend on a mortgage. So I think that that is a problem that we're gonna have to solve if we're ever going to want to attract the people who grew up here to come back in addition to other people who did not grow up Here. Oh, we, I hear that a lot from people that their children have gone away for college and maybe did a couple of years, Boston, New York, and now wanna come back and they can't. And that, I mean, that is just a real issue right now. Same with students that are here for college. I think I mentioned earlier, part of what we really wanna focus on is, you know, we've already gotten young people here to go to school. How do we keep them here? It's the same problem they have. They can't find an affordable place to live. And not everybody can live in downtown Portland. I get that. But people also, you know, they wanna work in downtown Portland and live within like a, a decent commute. They don't wanna move 45 minutes away. Not that housing's anymore, readily available 45 minutes away, but it's a challenge and it's something, again, it's like the number one issue on our priority list. There are a lot of really smart people who this is also their number one issue on their priority list. So I have no doubt we will figure it out. But again, it's gonna be a little bit of a long play because even if we come up with the best idea tomorrow, you've gotta build it. Well, and this is all very interesting to me because in my other job currently I work in a health system that's, you know, an hour up the road from Portland and we have a lot of medical staff who can't actually find anything in our area who then commute up from Portland. So it's funny that we it's actually become a more of a statewide problem. Mm-hmm. and you'd think, oh, well you live in a, you work in a rural area, so your hospital system, there must be plenty of farmland that you can just, you know, I don't know, throw up a few condo sites. But you're right. I mean, even if that is to happen, that requires time. And so it really, it's an interesting thing to be in a rural state outside of the Portland area and still have issues with housing. I know, and it's the main legislature, last session, I won't go into the details of it, but they passed legislation that really gets to how do we build more housing across the entire state. And it's the first time that I, I can remember or that maybe it's ever happened where the legislature has taken action on housing. Usually that's very much a municipality focused decision and it's left to the municipalities. But I think the state was seeing like the issues we were having across the entire state with housing, we feel it more acutely in Portland just because there's more people in Portland, but every community's dealing with it. So to me that's a really good sign. It's a great sign that the legislature identified the issues we were facing and they took action on something that they've really never touched before. And I, I, my hope is that what they did was like a starting place and that they'll be able to do more to really encourage municipalities to build more housing, to add more density. So again, I feel like we're at that crisis point where everyone's eyes are on this problem. So I know we'll be able to fix it. It's just gonna take a little bit of time. So I'm gonna gonna ask you a question that I hope is not too uncomfortable. It's not about your personal life, don't worry . Um, and that is during c um, there was quite a bit of push and pull between keeping people safe, like health wise, but also keeping businesses open and enabling, you know, families to continue to earn a living. And in Portland, this was very intense and I know the Portland Art Gallery had its own version of this and for a while a hundred percent virtual, that sort of thing. Chamber, it sounds like kind of similar. How do you navigate that as the CEO of the Portland Regional Chamber where you're Yes, of course we want people to be safe. Of course we know this is a virus we don't yet have a vaccine for. And also shutting down businesses, it, the, the money's, you know, it evaporates. Uh, great question. Um, you know, this was, gosh, it was everybody's first global pandemic, so I always like try to keep it into perspective. It was incredibly challenging. I mean, I don't need to say that to anybody. We all know it was incredibly challenging and we were all trying to figure out collectively together, what do we do? And being a chamber, you know, the administration did a really fantastic job engaging chambers of commerce. There's chambers all across the state and engaged us in thinking through how to best handle businesses. Um, you know, did it all shake out the way I would've ideally liked it to? No, but I can say that sitting here now, like two years out from when we, more than two years out from when we shut down, it was really hard. And, you know, we were at the table advocating for businesses, but also like keeping a very keen eye that it's like the health of the people of Maine that we were most concerned about. And I think back to having these conversations and like April May of 2020 and then where I sit now and just like the lack of information we had then, like we were all focused on hand sanitizers. Like we weren't even wearing masks. Nobody even thought about it. So we were all kind of learning about the virus and the pandemic at the same time as we were trying to figure out what is the best way to keep people safe, but also not shut down the economy entirely. And I think in the end, like we did a pretty decent job at it. Um, there were points there, you know, where we were shutting businesses down and then reopening, but then like shutting down again that for a business was far from ideal, but at the same time, like we were all going through it the first time. I think we now kind of have a handbook. I'm hoping we never need that handbook again. But, you know, all in all, I think it ended up, it ended up okay and at the end I think the health of Mainers was the utmost important and we, we did okay. Like we were one of I think the better states, um, in terms of, you know, just c and Covid deaths and it took a toll on businesses for sure. But I am just so happy we are coming out the other side of that. Yeah, and I think, and I think you're right, I think Maine did a pretty good job and obviously hindsight only gets us so far, . So kind of rehashing potentially the things that we did were frustrating at the time, uh, wasn't as important as what lessons do we learn moving forward into the future. Mm-hmm. . But I think it's such an interesting thing for me in healthcare because sure, you can keep people alive through covid,