President Paul called the meeting to order and turned to Mark Knittel to share the sad news that his dear friend and former RCOB member Dale Rings passed away this past Thursday. Mark and former RCOB member Chuck Snyder were able to join Dale’s wife by his bedside in his last two days. Dale had just started hospice care as his heart and kidneys were failing rapidly. There will be a celebration of Dale’s life, probably in Arizona. Sandee will have a card for us to sign on Monday and there will be a eulogy from the podium at a future RCOB meeting. For those who might want to send their sympathies independently, here is contact information for Penny Rings, Dale’s widow.
Paul then returned to his favorite old saw: the impending District Conference and how we should seriously consider attending it. He did his best to point out the activities he thought we might find of interest. Speakers on a variety of topics promise to be very interesting. The band on Friday night and the South Asian dancing on Saturday night sound like they could be nights to remember (bring photos of the dance moves of RCOB members as they take the floor and be sure to bring them back for sharing at a future meeting). The conference is in Surrey. Registration is available online.
Club and Committee Announcements:
Executive Board/Major Awards
RCOB Annual Award Nominations are being accepted now thru April from any RCOB member. Information is on the tables and in the Tattler. Send nominations to the Exec. Board: Paul Grey, Doug Cole, Steve Ban, Peter Theisen and Steve Gray or Sandee
The Board will be voting soon so they ask that you get your nominations in asap.
Vets
The Vietnwm War Vets Annual Antique Car Show will be held July 16. Tom Grinstad will be bringing additional details as the time nears.
Committee Support Needed
Shauna Naf announced that she needs help from Club members with her many Club responsibilities, including staffing the Ski-to-Sea booth at the finish area, Student of the Month program, Members Recognition, and putting on an RCOB public event each month.
2023-24 Programming
John Moffat, our Program Director starting July 1, asks members to contact him with ideas for speakers for the coming Rotary year, including considering themselves as possible speakers.
TULIP TIME
The LaConner Rotary Club will be arriving to sell tulips again this year on April 24th. Bunches will be $6.00 for 10 tulips with payment in cash or credit card.
Volunteering opportunities:
1.APRIL 22:RCOB meal packing event is on Saturday, April 22 from 8:30 to noon at the Assumption gym. We will pack 30,000+meals, each costing only 22 cents, which will be sent to Sierra Leone in West Africa. We have successfully raised $9,000 for the food. Organizers Roland Trenouth and Marty Haines need volunteers to set-up Friday April 21st. Contact Roland at 360-201-1090 if you can help. (Click Here to Register)
2. APRIL 29: April Brews Day is Bellingham's biggest beer festival, with over 65 regional breweries and thousands of attendees turning out to raise funds for Bellingham's Max Higbee Center. This year, April Brews Day will be held at the Downtown Waterfront on Saturday, April 29th, 2023. Volunteers make this event possible by helping with everything from admissions to pouring beer to assisting brewers and guests. There are also some perks to volunteering! Volunteers for the first, second and third shifts will receive free entry into April Brews Day, and volunteers for the fourth shift will receive free entry into the event and a growler of beer at the end of their shift.
You can read more and sign up to volunteer here or contact Ward Naf for more information.
3. MAY 20:Teri Treat announced that the annual Sunnyland Memorial Clean Up is coming up May 20, 2023. Contact Teri Treat at 360-739-6969 to sign up
4. MAY 27 and 28. The annual Memorial Day parade is on May 27 and RCOB will be both a sponsor and participant. Stay tuned for additional information. Shauna Naf needs help staffing the booth Sunday May 28th in Fairhaven.
5. JUNE 3:Ward Naf announced that volunteers are needed to help with the Whatcom Center for Early Learning Gala on Saturday, June 3 at the Four Points by Sheraton. WCEL was the recipient of our Major Project fund raiser this year. Contact Ward if you can help at 360-303-6671. He has shifts from 4:00-6:30pm for Greeters, Registration Helpers, Coat Check and administer Games (needs 20 volunteers) 6:30-9:00pm for Recorders for auction, runners for auction, Data Entry (needs 5 volunteers).
Gear Up
RCOB apparel,including polo shirts, dress shirts, vests and hats is now available. These are items that every Club member simply must have in his/her wardrobe! Besides looking great, Club members will be contributing to branding for the RCOB as well as supporting our Club's Foundation, which will receive part of the proceeds. Here is the clothing catalogue, with the Order Form on the last page:(Click Here) Fill out the order form, turn it into Vinson Latimore at a meeting or email a scanned copy to embroidery@choicesscrubs.com.
WE MOVED TO THE SYRE STUDENT CENTER - SYRE THEATER AT WHATCOM COMMUNITY COLLEGE. HERE ARE THE DIRECTIONS.
The buildings address is 235 W Kellogg Rd. But this is not where you park. There is no parking off of Kellogg Road. You must enter parking off either Eliza Ave or Cordata Parkway. You are looking for the YELLOW lot (look on light poles for Y2 or Y3).
Enter from Eliza Ave: the driveway between Kellogg Rd and Westerly Rd has a driveway into the campus, follow that about 200 yards until it slopes down, park in the area between the three buildings.
Enter from Cordata Parkway: Just north of the WTA station and Cruisin Coffee before the round about is Orca Lane, take Orca Lane around the first two buildings until you find a large parking lot between three buildings.
You will still receive an email from Sandee each week prior to the Monday 12:30 meeting if you are unable to attend in person (you can start logging in at 12:00 for short socializing) with the link for that privacy-protected meeting. If you have n done so, please download the Zoom app on your computer (you need a camera and microphone on it), iPad or phone. There is no cost to you. If you cannot do either, you can also call in. On the invitation, there are US phone numbers you can call and enter the meeting ID number also indicated on the invitation.
Lunch is $17.00 for soup, salad and bread buffet. We must notify them by Wednesday at NOON the week prior to the Monday meeting as to the number of members attending. We are sending out meeting "Invites" weekly and members are asked to sign-up ASAP. You can also sign-up by going to the event section of our website at bellinghamrotary.org. If you sign up for a meal at the meeting, you will need to pay the $17 even if you don't wind up attending the meeting after the numbers are turned in. If you plan to attend but not eat, PLEASE indicate that on your sign-up so we don't overorder meals and still make sure there is enough seating.
The Club will collect payments prior to the meeting or at the door by Venmo, check or cash.
We urge members of the RCOB to set up a Venmo account for ease in payment of Meeting lunches, Happy Bucks, Minister of Fun, Dues or donations to the club. Our account is @RCOB- Bellingham. If you do not have a Venmo account you can set up an account with your computer then download the app. on your phone (just Google "Venmo" and you will find all the information you need) You then attach it to a debit or credit card (a fee on your end) or attach to your checking account at no cost. Payment will be sent directly to the RCOB checking account. When you use it for the first time it may ask you the last 4 digits of the RCOB phone number which is 0282. Give Sandee a call if you need help. 360-734-5532
Other payment options are to bring a check in the correct amount to the meeting made out to RCOB or cash in the exact amount to speed up the payment process. There is also the option to pay by PayPal. We have a QR Code that you scan and simply click to pay thru paypal.
Website and Phone App instructions:
Here is a tutorial on how to login for the first time. (Click here) Go to belling mrotary.org first. In order to login you need t know your user name and password in your Clubrunner account. The user name is Your first name.Lastname.264 unless you have changed it. Example: Sandra.Lindhout.264 the password is initially set by Clubrunner at 264 unless you have changed it. Sandee can see your Username from her computer but not the password. She can also change your password for you from her computer at your request if you run into problems.
Once you have originally created your User Name and Password you can download the ClubRunner Mobile app on your phone:
Please contact Sandee at 360-734-5532 or rcob@comcast.net if you run into any trouble.
Guests:
Steve Ban introduced today’s featured speaker, Ron Wille, President of All American Marine
Mark Knittel introduced Scott Herman and Bryan Hennessy from the Ferndale Rotary Club.
Sara Maloney introduced Erin Malone a director at the Whatcom Center for Early Learning
Tim Villhauer and his wife visited from the Passport Rotary Club. They will be joining us for Meal Packing Day! Given the Passport Club is a virtual club they are interested in joining us for some of our service projects.
Zoom attendee members: Loch Trimingham, Fred Kaiser, Marty Haines, Dominique Zervas, Ken Marzocco, Dick Tucker and Friend of Rotary, Scott Wallace.
Presentation:
Erin Malone, communications director, accepted a big check from RCOB for the Whatcom Early Learning Center. When all the pledges have been honored, the gift will total $85,017. Erin thanked RCOB for a history of giving to their organization and for honoring them as recipient of the major project gift in 2022. Erin explained the needs we’re addressing stem from their facility: a vintage home that requires lots of attention to maintain access and services for their clients. Erin mentioned there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the fall and opportunities for hands-on work at the Center once the warm weather arrives.
Program:
Ron Wille, President of All American Marine, updated us on their business and innovations in the industry.
Ron has spent most of his life working in the shipping industry on the West coast of the U.S. (e.g. working in Alaska with tug boats and in tourism business development). Throughout his career, Ron acknowledged he had been a big customer of All American Marine (AAM) and so was pleased to join them as an employee and then later as President in 2021. Steve is an outdoors person who loves summering in Alaska.
AAM is on the web here and on Roeder Ave. in Bellingham. They used to be housed in Fairhaven, but the cramped facilities there limited their capacity. Now with the strong support of The Port of Bellingham, they moved to a much larger and modern facility and now build and service boats at the Port for customers across the U.S. from Hawaii and the east coast.
AAM began as a producer of small commercial fishing boats and broadened its focus in the 1990s to include larger boats for the tourism industry, many of which we see carrying people around the Puget Sound regularly or in Alaska waters doing glacier and wildlife tours. AAM also has built research vessels, ferries, and pilot and patrol boats. About 70 in all. They build four at a time, using innovative, patented hull and foil designs, always balancing customers’ needs for fuel efficiency and speed. Ron showed photos of the inside of their facility and welcomed us to watch for the send-off of a ship currently under construction that will launch in May. (He gave no specifics on the date and time so it may not be a serious invitation. The Tattler staff will send out the investigative reporting team to learn more.)
The Sea Change boat is an example of AAM's innovations in hydrogen fuel cells, similar to hybrid bus technologies. The Sea Change is operational in San Francisco with zero carbon emissions. Getting it to San Francisco necessitated navigating many concerns of the Coast Guard about the highly combustible hydrogen fuel. AAM is also exploring ways to reduce the weight of the heavy hydrogen tanks.
Ron was pleased to say AAM is ahead of the curve on technologies to support fuel efficiency. He helped us to understand their approach with an analogy to a Prius car engine which delighted the Prius owners in our midst. AAM is also a leader in hybrid technology, winning an award recently for the Enhydra-600 passenger ship that has a completely all-electrical system accompanied by an all-diesel backup. (Hope I got this latter detail right. Sounds super expensive.)
Ron described their well-known catamaran-style design, which he heralded for its speed and relative fuel efficiency.
The two recently launched Puget Sound Express boats are examples of their successful hydrofoil design that allows both speed and efficiency. They’ve also been sought out to build boats that do not generate wakes and have accomplished that in two Kitsap transit boats.
The homes of research vessels built by AAM are widespread and supporting for example marine research in Hawaii, NOAA investigations on the east coast, and studies of the Pacific Ocean floor in preparation for running cables from wind towers back to land.
In response to members’ questions, Ron shared:
They’re not building car ferries.
A comparison of water jet versus propeller propulsion systems (e.g., speed, sound transmission, water displacement)
AAM has a 25-year lease with the Port. Since moving to the new facility, AAM has doubled its workforce and workspace with the move to Bham. There are currently 65 employees who are well paid, but even with industry-competitive wages, they struggle with the cost and availability of housing in Bellingham.
Closing:
President Paul thanked those members who assisted with today's meeting and rang us to adjournment at 1:35 PM.
