President Chuck Snyder opened the meeting and Lori Leavitt, in keeping with the recent Thanksgiving holiday, provided an invocation about gratitude.
Not on the agenda, President Chuck called on Don Anderson, who had prepared a special multimedia message, "The Dilemma of the $1 Fine". The presentation kicked off a new club meeting feature, The Personalized I.O.U. Check in with Don (or Dominique) if you have questions or would like some.
Announcements:
Jim Wakefield and Jim Vos, Co-Chairman of the Bell Ringing Committee, thanks everyone who signed up and the schedule was placed on the tables. It will be in tattler in the future.
They also want to remind you that it has been confirmed that all money raised by our bell ringing stays locally.
Members are reminded that using the Membership Roster and Database for any commercial or fundraising purposes not directly connected to the operation of this Rotary Club is expressly prohibited and does not pass The Four-Way Test
President Chuck announced the slate of officers for the 2016-2017 Elections December 14th as follows:
President: Del VandeKerk
President-Elect: Teri Treat
Program Chairman/Vice President: Sandy McIntire
Treasurer: John Holtzheimer
Board Members. (Vote for two)
Paula McCandlis
Arlie Norman
Lisa Saar
Nathan Twining
Major Project
Our goal is nearly three-quarters of the way fulfilled, announced Tom Beaumont. $74,000 has been raised, with 70% of club membership pledging or paying.
Membership Development
We were reminded to bring guests to our meetings by Dominique Zervas, of the Membership Development Committee. Dominique reviewed membership criteria and offered to assist members in discussing Rotary with potential members. She and Paula McCandlis co-chair this committee.
Guest of Rotarians:
Teri Treat introduced Randy Hartnell with Vita choices.
Joe Coons brought Elizabeth Jaffrion with the WWU Library
Dale Kinsley introduced his wife Cheryll
Tim Farris brought Dr. Steve Ban, retired pediatrician
Dominique Zervas introduced Russell Whidbee, Financial Advisor with Waddell & Reed
Presentations:
It was our lucky day, to hear from new member Chris Lyddan (pronounced like "sedan"). In the interest of time (he said) Chris left out many details of his life, and provided just the facts.
He lives in Fairhaven, having come from Richmond, Virginia. His is a blended family with his wife Lori and four children between the two of them; Chris' boys are grown and married. As an Analyst, he often is asked "so, what do you analyze?" In Chris' case, he is an Analyst for timber and timber markets, their current conditions and prices. His home company, RISI, is located in Boston.
Chris was born and raised in Washington, D.C. A fun detail about Chris: as a young boy he sang at the White House for Pat and Richard Nixon. Welcome, Chris, and we look forward to you receiving a blue badge soon.
Pin Presentation
President Chuck presented Joe Coons with a special pin in recognition for having sponsored a new member. Congratulations and thanks, Joe.
Program:
Our program featured Randy Hartnell, Founder and President of Vital Choice Wild Seafood & Organics.
Randy has deep roots in Whatcom County and has held a variety of food-related jobs, from poultry to berries and finally, fishing. Several "disruptive events" led him to develop his company, Vital Choice. Those events included the Boldt decision, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Japanese economic decline and the "industrialization of salmon" by salmon farming.
Inspired by an Omaha Steak commercial, he wondered "why not seafood?" and Vital Choice was born in 2002. The company was profitable within its first year and has grown every year since, with 40-50,000 customers nationwide. Randy explained how perishable and fragile seafood is - and is passionate about the healthful benefits of Omega 3 fats contained in seafood.
Randy described their keys to success:
Industry experience & building relationships
Focus on quality over price strategy
Success in attracting LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health & Sustainability) customers
Hiring great people & taking care of them
Passion for education
Vital Choice primarily sells flash-frozen and canned seafood, but to see the full array of products and to sign up for their newsletter, visit their website at www.vitalchoice.com.
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