Rotary Club of Kent meeting minutes
Zoom Meeting on April 28, 2020
President Roger Sidoti welcomed the group.
Patriotic song God Bless America was arranged by Daivd Dix.
Roger Sidoti led the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Invocation was offered by Lee Higgins.
Brian Bialik handling Rotareminder duties.
Visiting Rotarians
None.
Guests
None.
Announcements
- President-Elect Randy will be distributing a member survey to all members that may be completed online.
- President Roger Thanked all members for voting in favor of new program-chair David Myers.
- Roger Kramer shared with the group that Rotary Board and Kent Rotary Foundation minutes soon may be found on the Club Runner site.Roger is in the process of providing a link to access this.
- President Roger thanked David Dix and David Myers for reaching out to certain members who have been unable to attend Zoom meetings.
- The DuBois Foundation, named after late member Fred DuBois, is looking for volunteers to collect Personal Protection Equipment (PPE).See Roger for more details.
- The Kent Area Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Kent and the City of Kent have cancelled all downtown public events through and including August 1, 2020, in response to the pandemic.
Speaker
Program Chair Kathy Myers introduced our speaker and fellow Rotarian, Matt French.
Matt is a 1990 Heidelberg College graduate born and raised in Wooster, Ohio. He also earned an MBA from KSU (’98). Currently, he oversees the Advanced Motion Solutions division of Ametek, an international company whose corporate headquarters are located in Kent, Ohio.
AMETEK, Inc. is a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with annual sales of approximately $5 billion.
AMETEK has 18,000 colleagues at more than 150 operating locations, and a global network of sales, service and support locations in 30 countries around the world.
AMETEK consists of two operating groups, both with highly-differentiated technology and leading positions in niche markets:
- Electronic Instruments - a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of advanced analytical, test and measurement instrumentation for the energy, aerospace, power, research, medical and industrial markets.
- Electromechanical - a differentiated supplier of automation and precision motion control solutions, and highly engineered electrical interconnects, specialty metals and thermal management systems.
Delivering on high-tech solutions related to Advanced Motion, specialty metals, or measurement solutions, is a daunting task. With its fourteen plants around the world (five in North America; four in Europe; three in China; and one in South America), Ametek is able to leverage physical and intellectual resources that makes it a leader in various niche markets.
Today, Ametek has fully engaged in helping address the needs and workable solutions in response to the pandemic. Some examples of how they have impacted the world primarily centers on the health care business. They have ramped up the design and assembly of ventilator and breathing-assist devices; produced lab testing equipment designed to confirm diagnosis of the corona virus, as well as support anti-body testing; and have engaged in miscellaneous applications such as bio-chemical disinfectant sprays for fogging agents, negative pressure shelters to maintain sterilization, DNA analyzers, dialysis machines and tests for body fluids.
One of the notions that Ametek prides itself on is that of working collaboratively with other countries such as Germany, Serbia, Italy, etc., in matters of shared technologies. Some examples include ideas for temperature testing, face shield design, distancing behavior guidelines, masks, and hands-free door handles - all consistent with their commitment to a shared humanity.
Dr. Sunny Sharma summed up Ametek’s corporate culture nicely when he opined that…”a shared humanity needs no language, just like love, which knows no boundaries…it’s as simple as that”…a notion that has served Ametek well for nearly a century.
Shawn Gordon provided the club’s response.
Respectfully submitted,
Brian K Bialik
