"General Motor's Future and the Fairfax Assembly Plant Component"

Rex Blackwell, Plant Manager, General Motors Fairfax Plant

CPR/AED DUTY SCHEDULE

      May 6, 2010
1. Leader - Rick Halterman
2. Compress - John Davis
3. Defib - Terry DeFraties

UPCOMING SPEAKERS & EVENTS:

Centennial Celebration May 20th at Union Station

Plan to attend the Club 13 Centennial Celebration on May 20th at Union Station. You will not want to miss this historic and grand event! Club 13 has a long, rich tradition of service in Kansas City and through the years has had an impact on the community. Club 13 has also impacted the Rotary world directly sponsoring 11 clubs who in turn sponsored other clubs with a total today of 80 active clubs. What an achievement! The 37 clubs in greater Kansas City are joining Club 13 on May 20th to celebrate 100 years of Rotary Service in Kansas City.

The Celebration will be at Noon in the historic Union Station, Kansas City, Missouri. There will be a Parade of Clubs and Rotary International President John Kenny will be the keynote speaker. Immediately following lunch, there will be a commemorative group photo taken in front of Union Station.



We are honoring the 100 years of service with a service project and are collecting canned and paper goods for the Rotary Youth Camp. All attendees are asked to bring items from the following list: Del Monte Green Beans or Whole Kernel Corn 101 oz.; Doritos Nacho Cheesier or Lays Classic Potato Chips 50 / 1 oz. .; Kellogg's Assorted Cereal Fun Pack.; Bottled Water ; Liquid Dial Gold Antimicrobial Soap 1 Gallon. Volunteers will deliver the goods to the Rotary Youth Camp.

The lunch will begin at Noon and cost is $30. Contact Janet in the Rotary Office to register. For details on the celebration or service project, see www.rotary13.org/centennial.
 

Centennial Moment–submitted by Steve Dicus

CARL E. BOLTE, SR.–A TRUE ROTARY EXEMPLAR

Retrospection is an important element of Club 13's continuing celebration of its Centennial. It is appropriate to recognize and pay homage to members who demonstrated strong leadership and contributed greatly to the success of Rotary in Kansas City during the past century. (Webster defines exemplar as "one that serves as a model or example¸ especially an ideal model.") From that distinguished group¸ the name Carl E. Bolte, Sr. comes to mind. Thirty-two years after founding the Slater Rotary Club and serving as its first President¸ Carl was tapped as President of Club 13 for 1958-59. His qualifications were impressive. He was a successful businessman who was respected by his peers for his integrity and obvious leadership ability. He had served as President of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce¸ and in Rotary he had already been a District Governor and Director and Vice President of Rotary International. During his term¸ membership of Club 13 achieved an all-time high: 521 (with proposals for 26 new members in process when he turned over the gavel to his successor). The Club contributed 1¸200 books to help start a library in Cyprus and helped neighboring clubs by providing programs. Carl was mindful of strong leaders in Rotary International who preceded him and felt that a club as old and big as the Kansas City Rotary Club had definite obligations and responsibilities: first–"to set a good example for other clubs in this district¸ this country and the world to follow" and second: "to give leadership." He certainly practiced what he preached. He must have "bled Rotary¸" as his sons Carl¸ Jr. and Denny have honored their father by continuing to pay forward his legacy by their leadership and commitment of many years of exceptional "service above self." As Rotary in Kansas City heads into its second century with strong leadership and an active membership¸ Carl¸ Sr. must be smiling down on the Heart of America today with much pride and satisfaction, knowing that he would be sincere in repeating his often-made statement: "This is the finest Rotary Club I have ever seen anywhere."

Mark your calendars for Rotary Camp Golf Classic on June 7, 2010

We're excited to announce the 22nd annual Rotary Youth Camp Golf Classic. It will be held at Lakewood Oaks Golf Club, Monday, June 7,  11:00 a.m. shotgun start. Registration starts at 10:00 a.m. Lunch, drinks and a silent auction will be provided at the course with a fabulous steak dinner at the camp immediately following golf. This is the second largest fund raiser for our camp so we need your help to make this a great success. Hole sponsorships and corporate sponsorships are available. We are also seeking donations for hole prizes, auction items, and giveaways. Call the Rotary office or a member of your golf committee if you have any questions. The cost is $150 per golfer, $600 for a team of four, please make your reservation early as there are limited spaces available and we will be opening registration to other rotary clubs and potential members. We'll be distributing flyers as well so watch the Buzz Saw for further information. We look forward to seeing you for a wonderful day of fun and fellowship!

Club 13 has had the privilege of hosting Rotary Youth Exchange student "Bo" Onjira Sriphaiboon for this school year. She arrived in Kansas City in August 2009 and will return to Thailand in early June. She is attending Notre Dame De Sion and through the year has stayed with three host families including the family of Rotarian Larry Taft.
Bo is an accomplished flute player and plays in the Sion School orchestra as well as the Kansas City Youth Symphony. She received a top rating at the district music competition and participated in the Missouri State Music Festival on April 30 in Columbia.
Bo has truly enjoyed her time in Kansas City and plans to return next year on her own to attend Sion for her senior year. After graduating, Bo plans to attend college in the United States. She's not sure what she will study in college, but music and international business seem to be the leading options.
The Rotary Youth Exchange program is an outstanding program for students to experience another culture and each year nearly 7,000 students participate. Through the immersion in a different culture, they form international friendships and act as an ambassador for their country. Bo would like to thank Rotary Club 13 for the wonderful experiences she has had this past year.


Pictured left is Rotarian Larry Taft,
Hannah Taft (15), Emily Taft (17),
Bo Sriphaiboon and Trina Taft.





Bo is surprised with a birthday cake at the April 8th Rotary luncheon meeting.

Downtown Committee recognizes JE Dunn Construction
On Tuesday, April 20, Downtown Committee Chair Evie Craig along with President Matt Meyer, presented an award to JE Dunn Construction Group for their continued support of Downtown.
Rotarian Pat Dunn accepted the award with Rick Beyer on behalf of JE Dunn.
Following the presentation 50 Rotarians and guests enjoyed a wonderful wine tasting event at the new JE Dunn Headquarters located at 1001 Locust Street, Kansas City, MO.
A special thanks to Pat Dunn for hosting the event and allowing a tour of the new facility. A fun time was had by all.

Rotarians Dick Retrum and Chuck Eddy enjoyed a glass of wine. In the background Carol Retrum is visiting with Mardie and Tom Kirkwood. (pictured left)

Rotarian Gene Freeman and other Rotarians take part in the wine tasting event.

Rummaging for Rotary Camp

The weather is finally warm and spring cleaning time is here! This year as you rummage through your basements, attics and garages keep the Rotary Youth Camp in mind. There will be a Rummage Sale at the Camp on September 10th and 11th this year to help raise money for the Camp. We will begin collecting items after August 17th (the last day for summer campers). You can bring your donations by the Camp or call Laurie, our Camp Superintendent to arrange for a pick up.

We will also be looking for volunteers to help set up before the event, "man" the area during the event and clean up afterwards.

BOWLING ... by Dick Retrum         (April 21, 2010)

                          
 Norm Waters, Dave Boone, Rick Crouch and Susan Prestia, also known as the Off-N-On's played a three game title match today against Marilyn Lager, Mary Tikwart, Phyllis Brennan and Barbara Martin aka the Glitzy Gals. The Gals won the first game by 44 pins which certainly added pressure and excitement in this championship drama. But the Gals had trouble picking up spares in the second match and lost by 93 pins. It all came down to the third game. Again the ladies struggled with splits and not marking when it counted. They lost the third game by 62 pins. They put up a good fight against a powerful team and certainly deserve to be honored with a second place trophy.

The Off-N-On's are the 2010 Rotary Club Bowling League 1st Place Champions. They earned this one. As a team they knocked down more pins than any other team, a total of 54,458 pins. This years awards banquet will honor individual achievements on this team as well as their number one status. You’ve seen their names listed in the "high game" stats all season. Congratulations.

A few other bowlers finished the regular season on a high note. Peter Ho rolled a 200 and Norm Waters a 220. Wesley Gill picked up the 5-7 split and Joyce Sildon picked up the 6-7 split. Very nice.

This column will end next week with the results of the annual match between Club 13 and Club 11 (St. Louis) in Columbia, Missouri. After that, will be moving into commission sales and marketing for the Buzz Saw. This space will be available for business advertising shortly. When can I call on you?

Last Thursday - April 22, 2010  by Jim Holmberg

Since both speakers hold black and gold bachelor's and master's credentials from the oldest public university west of the Mississippi river I expected last Thursday's presentation on commercial real estate to the be excellent, and it was. Past President Myron Sildon introduced Olen Monsees and Tom Turner as men with "the finest of professional reputations" and commercial real estate experts.

Monsees took the podium first and told us he is going to stop reading real estate trade journals because of the gloom and doom they report. He said industrial real estate is "soft", however, the KC market is fairing better than many.

Talking specifically about industrial real estate Monsees said the national vacancy rate is around 10.5 percent. The Dallas and Chicago areas both have a 12 percent vacancy while Kansas City industrial space is about 7 percent vacant. He continued to say if you look at the Class A space, our vacancy rate is only about 4 percent.

If Monsees were grading KC's industrial real estate market our grade has risen from a D- last fall to a C+ today. Although it's a tenant's market and business remains "soft" he says it is getting better.

Tom Turner was singing from the same hymnal. He postulated that "maybe a real good scare is better than good advice" adding "we've had a real good scare". The current market has reminded people "that real estate does not always go up".

Turner points back to 2007 as the beginning of the downturn saying lenient, aggressive lending is at the core of the problem just as in residential real estate. He said the good news is that in 2009 most people kept up with their payments for industrial real estate. The bad news is the economic problems are "coming home to roost" currently with about a 5.5 percent delinquency rate.

Turner said "we have available money" for industrial real estate. On the flip side you have to have substantial cash in hand to get it.

Both men agreed that the strength and conservative policies of major KC banks have been a stabilizing influence to KC industrial properties. Fortunately KC has little "spec" industrial real estate.

The Greeting/Meeting Arrangements Committee appropriately welcomed us to lunch in Royal Hall. Down the steps, President Matt Meyer called us to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Piano man Carl Bolte and song meister Charlie Huffman led us in singing. Karl Roscoe gave thanks for "the opportunity to serve" and Rick Kappa welcomed eight guests and two visiting Rotarians.

Marla Dean Svoboda took a Member Minute to tell about her career with non-profits, her early experience with Hallmark Cards and the tribulations and expense of being a mom to two teen age daughters. She's been a Rotarian for eight years, first in Independence and now with the true downtown Club.

President Matt reported that Debra Shultz has joined Jim Shultz, Chuck Fowler, George Bittner and Ed Corley in recovery bay. All would appreciated a card or note from fellow Rotarians. He continued to congratulate the Entertainment Committee for the successful wine tasting at the JE Dunn Construction Headquarters. At the event Evie Craig and the Downtown Committee presented JE Dunn with an award for their support of downtown.

Attending the Centennial lunch at Union Station on May 20th will obviously be a "once in a lifetime opportunity". Jane Lee reminded us we have until May 15 to make reservations. This lunch does carry a special $30 fee plus a canned good (for the youth camp) for admission.

Speaking of the camp, May 8th and May 15th are scheduled as work mornings to prepare the camp for the upcoming season. You can sign up or more importantly show up to help. The annual Golf Classic that benefits the camp operating fund is set for June 7th at Lakewood Oaks. Lest you be accused of procrastination by President Matt, the time to enroll yourself or your foursome is now.

Remember, "the Future of Rotary is in Your Hands". See you next Thursday for another weekly luncheon meeting of the worlds greatest Rotary Club.