Sycamore Rotary heard from its newest member, Garrett Payton Merboth, this week and during his Classification Speech learned about his introduction to Rotary as a youth along with his commitment to active club participation by being elected to the Board of Directors the same day. And yes, his middle name is in honor of Chicago Bears star Walter Payton. Merboth is the son of a Rotarian and was a student Rotarian honoree while in high school in LaSalle. In high school, Merboth said he had a chance to attend a leadership conference in Washington, D.C., which instilled a focus on principles that align with those of Rotary.
After graduating from high school in 2020, Merboth said he considered pursuing an interest in aviation at the Air Force Academy but ended up going to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. However, he concluded that aviation engineering was not the career path he wanted and came to Northern Illinois University (NIU) to pursue a major in business. He was part of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity which Merboth says helped him focus on character and philanthropy. Merboth also demonstrated his strong work ethic by taking on a full-time job at the Floor-to-Ceiling remodeling store while going to school. Since graduating from college in 2025, Merboth has stayed with Floor-to-Ceiling and is now a manager with sales, projects, and marketing responsibilities.
Merboth says outside of work he enjoys time with his fiancée. He also takes part in shooting range activities and is still interested in aviation as part of a local flight club. At some point Merboth says he hopes to own rental units to be part of his income portfolio. Welcome Garrett Merboth to Sycamore Rotary!