Thank you for participating in our Program for the 2022-2023 growing season. We are grateful! You are a member of the largest group of oyster growers (for restoration purposes) in the State of Maryland! We thank you.
Our original delivery date was scheduled for Thursday, September the 29th. Our new Program Manager, Suzanne Anderson, with tremendous assistance from Julie Ashford, our former Program Manager, went to great lengths to ensure that the backbone of our organization – our delivery volunteers – had everything in place that they needed for the seamless delivery of your oysters. They succeeded.
However, the State failed to deliver your oysters to us on the appointed day and time. Our contact person with the state has worked with us every year since we started in 2011. He has all of our cell phone numbers. For the past 12 years, he has seen the lengths to which we go, in both time and money, to make sure that everything goes just right.
The State was scheduled to deliver your oysters to us at 7:30 am, on Thursday the 29th. 7:30 am came and went, as did 8:00, 8:30, 9:00 and 9:30. During this time span – we have his cell phone number, too – we left him repeated voicemails and text messages. There was no response.
Shortly after 9 am., our Financial Planning Company’s Chief Administrative Officer, Chris Gostomski, decided to return to the office to check our corporate email to see if there was any correspondence from the State. She hit the nail on the head! There were 2 emails from our contact person with the State. One arrived just before 5:00 am that morning, indicating that the delivery truck was having brake issues. The second arrived just before 7:00 am, indicating that the problem with the brakes could not be fixed and that they would have to cancel and reschedule our oyster delivery. There were no calls or texts to us. There were no responses to our calls or texts to him. 85 volunteers were left hanging.
So, we told our volunteers what had happened. They were so gracious and understanding. Then, we began to work the problem. Our goal was to deliver your oysters the next day. Failure was not an option.
Our first call when we got back to the office at 10:00 am was to Craig Dyott, owner and operator of Coastal Landscapes Unlimited here in Easton. I knew he had 2 flatbed dump trucks that would be suitable for the job. I called and told him what had happened and asked him if he could meet me at my office at 5:15 am the next day to go with me to Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge to pick up your oysters. He did not hesitate to volunteer!
By the end of the day on Thursday, Suzanne and Julie and the rest of the team here at the office had solved all of the logistical problems to get your oysters to you the next day! Almost 100% of our volunteers committed to delivering the very next day and 30 of the 33 delivery routes were completed. By Wednesday of the next week, the remaining 3 routes were completed. Please let us know if, despite our best efforts, things didn’t meet your expectations. We are constantly looking for ways to improve what we do and how we do it.
By the way, if you ever need a really good landscaper – he’s done all of the landscaping work here at our office – please call Craig Dyott at 410-310-8147. You’ll be glad you did!
Thank you so much for your participation in our Program. Please feel free to call Suzanne Anderson at 410-822-9143 if you need anything!
Yours Most Sincerely,
Scott W. Eglseder, Founder
The Chesapeake Bay “Advance and Protect” Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative