After Co-President Brad Ruth opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance, Program Host, Scott Miller gave our invocation which was full of meaning.
Brad welcomed our guest, Brian Sullivan, who is our speaker. He also thanked Gail Moseley ad Steve Dunton for welcoming us this morning and checking us in.
CELEBRATIONS:
Rotary Anniversary: Annette Oborn is celebrating 9 years as a Rotarian this week.
Birthday: Dave Christman will celebrate his birthday on the 12th. Carrie Leising led us in singing to him.
50/50 DRAWING:Our speaker, Brian Sullivan drew the wining ticket but Tom Loepp drew the 3 of diamonds, so the total will continue to grow.
HAPPY BUCKS:
Mary Dula reported the arrival of her 15th grandchild. His name is Andrew John. He entered this world at over 9 pounds and was born at home but both Mom and Andrew needed the paramedics. Mary could not thank them enough for the great outcome.
Don Coughlin said that his grandson, Will Holland, is part of an ice hockey team in Alberta, Canada. They won their league championship and had a season of 50 wins and 9 losses.
Brad Ruth said that his family arrived at Cleveland Hopkins about 3:30 a.m. Sunday in a snowstorm after a week in California. Their daughter had to head for Toledo as she had her first anchoring assignment at a television station there for both the 6:00 and 11:00 news that same day.
Scott Miller reported that his son,who will graduate from OSU this spring, has purchased a house in Columbus.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Foodbank: Mary Dula reminded us that this is the day we can volunteer at the Foodbank from 4:30 until 6:30. Anyone is welcome to join the other volunteers.
Golf Outing: Scott Miller said that he appreciates the people who have created sponsorships for the outing. Keep up the efforts. Thanks to Gail Moseley for the system of invoices and receipts that she created. Very soon Scott will send a Save the Date card that can be forwarded to people we want to attract as golfers. Watch your e-mail for that.
Easter Egg Hunt: Steve Dunton reminded us of the Easter Egg Hunt that will be in Silver Springs Park this Saturday, April 9. The first shift goes from 9:00 to 11:00 and the second from 11:00-1:00. The actual hunt is from 10:00-1:00 but the first shift will need to do set-up.
Board Meeting: The board will meet this Friday, April 8 at 7:15 at City Hall. Board members are expected to attend but anyone else is welcome. Minutes of the March meeting are attached to these notes.
Carson Higgins Fundraiser Sue Figler told us that on April 22, at Todaro's Party Center, the Carson Higgins Memorial Foundation will hold their fundraiser to support children fighting cancer and other traumatic issues. Go to carsonstrong.org for ticket information.
Mentoring Program: Brad stated that they are still looking for mentors for work with high school students in our community through their mentoring program. Contact Brad if you can help.
Bulldog Bags: For this month your donations of Ramen noodles, fruit cups and soap would be appreciated. Drop them off in the City Hall lobby by April 13.
Dairy Queen: Next Tuesday, April 12 will be our time to go to Dairy Queen for supper. From 4:00-7:00 go inside the store on Fishcreek, place your order and 20% of your order will go to the club.
PROGRAM:
Program Host, Scott Miller shared what he accomplished during COVID. One thing was that he became better at technology. But he feels that it was also a time for self-reflection and learning to be thankful for simple things. He was also motivated to do new things and to give more to fellow mankind. Part of that was deciding to make time for Rotary in his life.
He introduced Brian J. Sullivan who has been with Lincoln Electric for over 41 years, following in the footsteps of his father who was there for 42 years. He has worked his way up the ladder there until in 2007 he became District Sales Manager. Scott said that he has been a mentor and an inspiration to him. Brian spoke not only about the company but also the needs of manufacturing today. This emphasized the news we heard during Career Tech Month.
Lincoln Electric, based in Euclid, Ohio was founded by brothers John C. and James F. Lincoln in 1895. Over those years, the employees were the beneficiaries of yearly bonuses and profit sharing under the philosophy that the harder you work, the more you make. They are the largest manufacturer of welding products in the world.
A primary concern is the lack of skilled welding tradesmen to handle the demands of the industry in bridges, cars, refrigeration, construction, maintenance, oil rigs and ship builders plus many more. At this point 60% of skilled manufacturing positions go unfilled. This situation will only get worse as Baby Boomers retire. 83% of companies are struggling to find skilled workers.
Companies must do three things to be successful according to Brian. They must have the ability to meet the needs of the customer. They must invest in new technology and they must provide effective customer service. To address these, Lincoln opened an educational center in 2017 and are even training trainers to teach others. They partner with schools globally. As part of their response to the need for improved technology they have classes in robot technology. Interestingly the use of robots does not eliminate positions for people. It enhances the productivity of those positions through "cabots" who are collaborative robots using tablet-based programming.
JOKE: Next Week's Joke will be by Brad Jagger.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Tonight: 4:30-6:30 Volunteer time at the Akron Canton Foodbank.
Friday, April 8 at 7:15 a.m. Board Meeting at City Hall
Saturday, April 9,10:00-1:00 Easter Egg Hunt at Silver Springs Park
Tuesday, April 12, 4:00-7:00 dinner at Dairy Queen
Wednesday, April 13, 7:30 morning meeting at Bellacinos featuring Howard Parr as our speaker on the topic "Akron Civic Theater Refresh.
Wednesday, April 20, 7:30 morning meeting at Bellacinos, Rev. Jeff Kaiser of the Haven of Rest will be our speaker.
Friday and Saturday April 22 and 23, will be our District Conference at Sheraton Suites in Cuyahoga Falls.
Tuesday, April 26, Teammates Art Show at the high school
Saturday, April 30, Buses for Bags event at the high school to benefit Bulldog Bags.
Tuesday, May 3, dinner celebration to honor Interact at the Barn at Silver Springs.
Saturday, May 7, help Interact with the Memorial Gardens at the high school.
Saturday, May 14, Heroes Day
Monday, June 6, Our Golf Outing at Silver Lake Country Club
Wednesday evening, October 12, Reverse Raffle
Thursday evening, December 15, Holiday Helping Hands
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Submitted by Andy Denton
Andrea Denton
330-474-7265
330-414-1934