Jim's story for the October 15 Bulletin

 

It was Monday, October 8, 2018, and President Ken Deemer set aside an unusually long time slot for Joel Ruben’s quite intense thought for the day, in which Joel remembered the Las Vegas shooting victims, especially the two from Manhattan Beach, Rachel Parker and Sandy Casey, in whose names we continue to award scholarships……Chris Ullman asked us to post VetFest on our Facebook pages……President Ken is taking upcoming events to still another level, now with visuals, cartoons and videos to accompany the events.  Such events included the November 3 District Foundation dinner at Union Station—contact Ken if you want a place at our club table.

 

Larry Johnson introduced Tamara “Tami” DeVine, a native of Sierra Leone who was orphaned and abandoned and rescued by Christian missionaries.  She is now the President and CEO of the Crown City News Network following a successful career in the television industry.  She showed us a snippet of her upcoming documentary, “Iron Chain: Last Hope.”  Text her at 626-365-3741 if you want to keep in touch.

 

Mark Lipps, with big assists from Chris Ullman and Steve De Baets, led Interact to earnings of $1030 at the Hometown Fair…..Tim Hageman is asking for immediate signups for Richstone, a Tuesday time slot from 3:45 to 5 pm…..Dan Saks’ son is finally engaged to the woman who’s been his girlfriend since their teen days in 2006…..Jim McFarland’s second daughter just married…..Nelson Gray now has his first granddaughter…..Don Jung completed his 41^st consecutive Hometown Fair 10K……Ian Jackson now has his second granddaughter…..Geoff Bremer’s son is now with the Omnicon Media Group in Playa Vista……Jason Hearne treated us to a play-by-play rendition of his son’s one-man Little League double play…..Shannon Ryan avoided 17 blue marbles, found the white one, won $583, and promptly donated it to the club’s permanent fund.

 

Mark Rampolla is the founder of Zico Beverages, a company that produces coconut water, now an $8 billion industry.  A proponent of healthy food and its associated entrepreneurial opportunities, he brought us free copies of his book, High Hanging Fruit, as well as free samples of the products of one of his favorite companies, Beanfield Chips.  Mark started with the Peace Corps in Central America, a place with a whole lot of coconuts, moved on to an MBA and an environmental science degree, did corporate work, and ten years later discovered the benefits of coconut water (high on electrolytes and potassium, low on the bad stuff).  He created Zico and broke through via yoga studios in New York and expanded nationwide. 

 

Mark shared with us his thoughts on success and food.  He described himself as a “9-year overnight success,” the point being that nothing good comes easy.  He repeatedly praised his wife’s sacrifices and commitment to this project.  They now focus on human potential, alternative energy, and health and wellness, especially with food and beverages.  He told us food employs one billion people in the world, but that our food system is unhealthy and unsustainable.  He wants to support young entrepreneurs who care about food, believing that many small fish can swallow the big ones. 

 

Mark Rampolla’s talk was a good fit for this club of entrepreneurs who care about how they impact their world.  He reminded us of his dark times, when he was taking high risks with no return.  His struggles are far from over.  Yes, he has to deal with the monolithic Amazon.  Yes, the food revolution he advocates must be sensitive not to end up exploiting third world countries.  Yes, the initial phase of better food products is expensive.  But overall he showed us another avenue of service that we Rotarians sometimes overlook, by demonstrating exactly how creative and progressive Vocational Service can be.