Spoke Correspondent
Jacob Frost grew up in Bakersfield. He runs Sovryn, a company that leverages AI to streamline business processes and deliver more precise marketing strategies. He is happily married to his better half, Gabrielle, and enjoys chasing after his 5-year-old daughter and 1 year old son (Also has the middle name Ken!).
 

Toni Taxes:
I can’t tell if more people are going on vacation or less this presidency. Sure seems like people are glutens for the punishments

Mark Barnes went to Huntington Beach and brought back a Keychain, Koozie, mug, and a bikini shirt

Jon Sampson went to Kansas City and brought back a baseball cap and BBQ sauce (must’ve drank the alcoholic gift)

Clinton Trimmer went to some place fancy and brought back Whiskey bonbons
 

Good News:

Sarah Haggard is having a Rotary social event called Rotary Unraveled (textile aficionados) at Temblor on September 24th

Ambassador Abernathy will be advocating for more food variety from Hodels, and I think she volunteered to cook at an upcoming Thursday!

Mike Willis and Justin Salters gave the “Email Marketing for Dummies” book to Bill Lever. I hope it is a picture book!

Joe Hay announced that Jim Burke Ford and the new dealership Avanza hit a big monthly car sales milestone. I don’t remember the number but I think it had a few zeros in it.

A Meeting of the Kens

Rotary had a meeting of the Kens this week. Can’t wait for the Barbie Meeting! It must be serendipity that Ashley asked me to step in and write The Spoke, since my middle name is Ken.

Ken Beurmann of TERRIO and Ken Keller of Bakersfield Memorial Hospital gave us an insightful look at healthcare from both the outpatient and hospital perspectives. Their lively back-and-forth covered increasingly complex patient needs, missed appointments, rising costs, shrinking reimbursements, and the pressure to provide more care with fewer resources. I am still trying to find the person who cashes my family medical bills because whoever that is could fill most of these voids! 

One issue connected nearly every topic: Kern County needs more healthcare professionals. From primary care physicians to physical, occupational and speech therapists, demand continues to outpace supply. Fortunately, local residency and training programs are helping build a stronger pipeline of professionals who are more likely to remain in our community.

The Kens also reminded us that recruiting is about more than offering someone a job. It is about selling Kern County. Bakersfield’s affordability, central location and family-friendly community can all be major advantages. Ken Beurmann may have even stumbled upon the next dating app: helping new therapists meet someone local so they never leave! (I know a guy who can build apps!)

AI also took center stage (Kern County has the finest AI companies, I hear!). New tools are already helping physicians and therapists spend less time documenting visits and more time caring for patients. AI may also improve diagnosis, treatment and continuity of care, although both speakers emphasized the importance of privacy, cybersecurity and responsible oversight.

Despite the challenges, the conversation left us with plenty of reasons for optimism. Local healthcare leaders are recruiting, training, innovating and partnering to meet the needs of our growing community. Thank you to both Kens for an honest, informative and entertaining conversation, and for everything they and their teams do to care for Kern County.