Invocation: Bob Burdette
Flag Salute: Mark Pafford
Song: Ken Secor
Good News & announcements
- Ken Secor is in charge of gathering info for the club runner and encouraged us to login and update our profiles, including adding a photo!
- Pat Collins conducted some Rotary board business including announcing the next three upcoming presidents, which are Ray Watson Jr., Colleen McGauley and Garro Ellis.
- Speaking of Garro Ellis, he announced this year's recipient for the Waterman Solar Grant, congratulations to the Mission of Bakersfield.
Program:
Today we had a roundtable discussion (not literally round) with four Bakersfield legacy businesses. Multi-generational businesses that have been around for decades. The businesses and the folks behind them are:
Started by in 1935, McKenny's soon hit it big with a government contract in Las Vegas. In 1983 Dave took over the day to day operations and bought McKenny out in 1994. He's never been one to need to advertise, rather their good reputation and attention to detail have kept them going all these years.
Tracy is the second generation owner of H Walker. Herb Walker bought the business from the Sill family in 1973. The business has always been a family affair, Tracy was 3 at the time. She literally grew up there, in the basement of their store they had a dedicated room set up so she and her siblings could do homework, play and be near their parents. As the kids got older, they helped out around the store. Herb moved the store around to several locations but finally brought it back downtown in 1998. She never intended to take over the business, but as fate would have it she did. And since doing so she has been a big proponent of downtown and the redevelopment happening there.
Ben Stinson, Sr. made Bakersfield his home in 1916 and started Stinson’s Grocery Co. Following in his father’s entrepreneurial footsteps, Ben Jr. opened Stinson Stationers in 1947. The new business quickly became a local solution for office products in Kern County. Early on Ben Jr. recognized the importance of delivery—delivering orders on his lunch break and on his way home from work. In less than five years, Stinson’s outgrew their original space and moved to a new location that included a warehouse and delivery facility.
In 1981, Ben III took over as president at a time when the industry and market began dramatic changes.
With Ben's usual flair for self-promotion he did a asked some trivia questions and gave out prizes.
A few tidbits:
- Stinson's sells 22,000 cases of toilet paper a year
- Recycled 96,000 laser jet cartridges (and kept them out of landfills)
- The total miles all of their delivery trucks travels is 200,000 miles!
Dan talked about his other legacy businesses he and his brother are in. Including owning and selling downtown property so that they could buy farm land. In 1972 they started sheep and cattle farming.
The Jim Burke dealerships began in 1964 when Jim Burke acquired Haberfelde Ford after being employed there since 1948 in various management capacities. Haberfelde Ford, established in 1913, was then located downtown before being moved to the present 20 acre site on Oak Street in 1977. At that time the dealership name was changed to Jim Burke Ford. Today, it is one of the biggest Ford dealerships in the nation.
Dan, Jim Burke's son-in-law, serves as President and attributes the company's success to the employees who have built lasting relationships through great customer service.
Visitors & Guests
Myles guest of Mike McCoy
Mikie Hay guest of Dan Hay
