Unable to hold its community events during the pandemic and responding to the financial toll COVID-19 took on Gorham businesses, the Board of the Gorham Business Exchange (GBE) voted to eliminate both membership dues and the paid executive director position. The nonprofit organization will continue to advocate for local businesses and is planning to resume public activities later this summer.

“We are still here,” said Ethan Johnson, GBE board president and account executive for Chalmers Insurance Group. “But the pandemic leveled us. We did not feel right asking for dues from our hard-hit businesses, and state guidelines forced us to cancel Marketplace in 2020 and again this year.”

Nearly 30 years old, the GBE currently has just over 100 members who have been paying annual dues of $95 which primarily funded the executive director’s salary. With the reorganization, Suzanne Phillips, who held that position, joined the volunteer board. “We are keeping the phone number and the e-mail blasts,” she said, “and since we changed the dues policy I have had calls from ten potential members.”

Since the GBE was founded in 1994, others in Gorham such as Kevin Jensen, Gorham director of economic development, and the Gorham Village Alliance have joined in the effort to promote local commercial interests. “We see our role as advocating for all business owners. The GBE lobbied the state legislature not to tax federal COVID relief for businesses,” Johnson said.

“Marketplace, for example, is an opportunity for businesses to interact directly with the community,” he added.

The GBE will continue to offer scholarships and will be announcing the 2021 Business Person of the Year in late August or early September.

Board members have become more of a working group. According to Phillips one person will head up the work for each event. The annual Golf Scramble was held in June, and the Cornhole Tournament will be held in October. These fundraising events support the scholarship program.

Marketplace, which prior to the pandemic drew between one and two thousand people each year to the USM Gymnasium, will return in March 2022.