This issue of the spoke is a bit late due to technical difficulties.
Visitors & Guests
Ken Beurman hosted Nik Boone
Ben Taft hosted Doug Trask
Mel Atkinson hosted Albert Rodriguez
Bryan Schaefer hosted Matt Guinn
Good News & Announcements
Ben Taft encouraged attendance at the September 13 Margarita Party at the Barbich home.
Ben also asked Rotarians to volunteer to host “Hors D’Ouevres Around the Spoke,” small cocktail parties for Rotarians, coming later this year.
President Watson announced that the District Conference will be October 5-6 in Bakersfield.
Ken Secor said the Club Runner photos were almost completed.
Bob Burdette provided the business moment and told the group that his firm, Multi Business Systems had been in existence for 55 years and is transitioning generations for management.
Program
John Guinn, former Shafter City Manager, executive vice president and COO of the Wonderful Company’s real estate division.
Guinn oversees the Wonderful Industrial Park in Shafter, which is an eight million square foot real estate portfolio on Seventh Standard Road and Santa Fe Way. The 1600 acres has 13 businesses and some 5,000 employees. Companies include Ross, Fed X Ground, MRC Global, Baker Hughes and Target, among others. There is 1.6 million square ft. scheduled for build out. Guinn said the park has key access to major population centers in the U.S. with its location close to California ports.
Guinn said warehousing facilities are becoming taller and there is tight competition for labor. Skilled labor is difficult to find in California and many businesses are offering training for employees to move from unskilled to skilled positions. Guinn said the Shafter location is lucky to have a tremendously reliable workforce.
He said the park is ideally suited as a transportation hub, with container exchange programs operating between property holders and the Wonderful Company’s export business which can greatly
reduce transportation mileage.
