Spring 2023 Newsletter

Sponsored by:

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President's Letter
By Kurt Leisure

Our 2023 annual conference is behind us and I have had a couple weeks to reflect on this event.  I am so proud of the hard work put into this conference by the many people that followed our vision of taking everything that NRRDA does to the next level of excellence.  Thank you to our NRRDA board, our many committees, our speakers, our sponsors, and to the Celtic Team that executed our best conference ever.  The networking and session content were absolutely amazing.  The feedback from our golfers and those that assisted with our service project was also extremely positive; it’s so exciting to see that we are again operating at our highest levels in every aspect.  NRRDA seeks to deliver an experience that cannot be found anywhere else, and there is no question this event demonstrated this so well.

As we look ahead, we are actively planning our Lighthouse Seminar scheduled for October 25th and 26th in Louisville, Kentucky.  As you may have heard, we had a sellout response for our annual conference with 40 people on the waiting list.  Since the Lighthouse Seminar is intended to be a more intimate gathering with very limited capacity, we will undoubtedly sell out this event, so please register early if you plan to attend Lighthouse.  More to follow on this highly anticipated gathering.

We are finding more ways to connect with you, our valued members, so look for more content on our webpage and LinkedIn.  There is a lot going on within NRRDA and we are excited to share all that we are doing with you all.  If you have any suggestions, please reach out to us as we are open to your feedback and want to stay relevant. 
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Finally, I would like to welcome our new board members, LaToya Lee from Raising Cain’s Chicken Fingers, Lloyd Brown from Wawa and Robert Luskin from Chartwell Law.  We are so happy to have you on our board.  

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2023 NRRDA Service Award Recipient - 
Domenic DallaRiva, SEA Ltd.

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Nuclear Verdicts and the Retail and Restaurant Industry​
By: Ian Neil Matthes, Esq., Vernis & Bowling

By now we have all received a barrage of news regarding “nuclear verdicts.” These are generally thought of as verdicts of $10 million or more, or those significantly above what anyone expected.  They usually refer to causes of action arising outside of the mass tort arena and class actions.  Click ​here to read more.

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Cyber Security & Business Interruption: Foundations for Prevention and Mitigation
By: Jessica Eldridge and Ron J. Yearwood, Jr.,  JS Held

The modern security ecosystem is diverse and ever-changing, a place where cyber risk is top of mind for leaders at all levels, and threats to information / data security and privacy evolve at the speed of the technical innovations driving progress. Within this dynamic ecosystem, we are increasingly connected across the globe, where organizations and individuals equally face the ever-present threat from cyber-attack. No one is immune, the potential impact of a successful digital attack on your assets can affect operations, reputation, customer goodwill, and so much more. Click here to read more.

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Is your brand being served? Five tips to strengthen post-COVID-19 restaurant staffing and labor.
By: Jay Gates, Gallagher

​The aftermath of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown affected industries across the globe, but none more so than the restaurant business. The National Restaurant Association (NRA) estimates 90,000 restaurants were shuttered either temporarily or permanently because of COVID-19. While Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) were better positioned to weather the storm by offering takeout and delivery, sit-down and fine dining establishments in particular struggled with staffing. Moreover, the hiring crunch continues to linger post-COVID-19. Here are five considerations
for restaurants dealing with hiring challenge. Click here to read more.

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Measuring Slip Resistance
By: Sam Kodsi, J.S. Held’s Accident Reconstruction Practice

When investigating a slip and fall incident, forensic experts are often asked to comment on how slippery a surface would have been under certain conditions and whether a typical person would have slipped in that situation. In order to answer these two questions, experts conduct slip testing to determine the frictional properties between the floor and the surface of an object contacting the floor (i.e. the sole of a shoe). There are two major challenges to conducting scientifically accurate slip testing: accurately replicating the floor condition and accurately simulating the human gait, especially the heel strike. Click here to read more.

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Creating a Safe and Inclusive Work Environment
By: Holly Wilson, Reminger Co., LPA

Retail and hospitality providers have always strived to create welcoming and inclusive environments for their customers. Yet as recent events demonstrate, customers are increasingly interested in how the businesses they frequent treat another group of individuals – their employees. In fact, a growing number of retail and hospitality customers purposefully seek out establishments that demonstrate a commitment toward equality and inclusivity of all groups in its workforce, including those in the LGBTQ+ community. Interested employers should be aware of this trend and adopt policies and procedures that reflect a commitment toward an inclusive work environment for all potential workers, including members of the LGBTQ+ community. Click here to read more.

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Scenes from #NRRDA23 #NRRDAeducation #NRRDAnetworking #NRRDAfriends #NRRDAfriends