President Chuck Snyder opened the meeting at 12:30pm, followed by the song, God Bless America accompanied by Don “Fingers” Anderson. President Snyder offered a trivia question by asking which famous composer was born today, March 21. Answer: Johann Sebastian Bach in 1685.
Paul Grey provided the invocation.
Announcements:
Major Project Selection Committee - Peter Theisen and John Griggs, Co-Chairs
Reminder that the Major Project committee is taking applications for next year’s major project. March 30 is the cutoff date. Application forms procedures may be found on the Club’s website or attached (Click Here)
The annual event, “Guess who’s coming to Dinner?” is coming up on Friday, April 1. It was noted that there are sufficient hosts but not enough guests, and so Rotarians were encouraged to contact Nathan to sign up.
President Snyder will be on travel next week to Colorado and so Del V. will be covering in his absence.
A new projector was purchased for the weekly meetings.Rotarians responsible for AV support are encouraged to become familiar with it.The A/V Committee is scheduled to meet at the end of the day.
Guest of Rotarians:
Teri Treat introduced our Speakers, Jeninne Duncan and Stephen Mitchell with Birch Equipment Rental & Sales
Tim Farris introduced Andy Day with The Bellingham Fire Department
Presentations:
New Member Talk: Steve Ban
Steve began his talk by noting how welcomed he felt by our Rotary members. A retired pediatrician, he is now easing into what he calls an “emerging road-bike fanatic” lifestyle. He noted that he could sum up his introduction in one sentence: “I am the son of Noemi Ban. Period.” His mother is the well-known survivor of the Holocaust, currently residing in the local area. He briefly shared a few highlights of his childhood which included immigrating to America at 9 years old, from Hungary, and living the classic American dream. He earned a medical degree from Northwestern University and later completed residency at the University of Wisconsin, where he met his wife. He and his wife have three daughters. As a child, he described how his family, living under the communist regime, escaped from Hungary by hiding inside a large truck carrying large bales of wool. They successfully crossed the border, boarded a navy ship, and eventually made it to America in 1957. During his childhood years, he noted that his parents didn’t inform of his Jewish heritage. Later, however, he participated in a Bar Mitzvah, a Jewish custom. Steve ended his remarks by quoting Ralph Rinne, “Thanks for listening.”
Program:
Birch Equipment, by Jeninne Duncan and Stephen Mitchell
Jeninne and Stephen, employees of Birch Equipment (BE) for 13 years each, gave a detailed overview of their successful business, which is led by the mission statement: “How we do anything is how we do everything.”Established in 1972, BE is a women-owned business with businesses located in Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Anacortes and Everett.
Now the 92nd largest rental company in the US, and the largest in the Pacific NW, BE has a wide array of rental equipment designed for areas such as, but not limited to, construction, maintenance, manufacturing and home improvement.BE also provides equipment repair and operator training that involve forklifts, boom lifts, scissor lifts, and more.
Jeninne and Stephen mentioned that the success and growth of the company is directly tied to its emphasis on building strong teams through development and training, by focusing on continuous improvement, meeting the needs of a diverse customer base, and prioritizing safety and compliance.
Today, BE consists of 80 employees and makes annual contributions of a $100,000 to local communities and non-profits such as the Hospice House.BE has an upcoming Demo Days event scheduled for March 24, 11am to 2pm.It should be noted that BE generously provided $20 gift cards as part of their presentation.
Final announcements:
President Snyder reminded everyone that the A/V Committee meeting is scheduled at the end of the meeting.
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