May 14, 2024 -CLUB DAY Member Fireside Chat hosted by Joan Posivy
The May 14th Rotary Club of Vancouver meeting will be a special business leader fireside chat. Joan Posivy will be acting as host to four (4) business leaders -- Mindy Tulsi-Ingram, Malcolm Hunter, Ryan Crean, and Paul Martin. Each hails from a different industry adding to the fullness of experience they offer.
Mindy Tulsi-Ingram is the Founder and Savvy Marketer for Green and Green, Gifts with Flair. A company she started in 1993. Mindy is "a marketer with a double major in Economics and Communications from Simon Fraser University, Mindy has perfected the art of strengthening business relationships through the supremacy of appreciation."
Malcolm Hunter is the past President and Co-Owner of Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada. He held the position of President from 1976 until his recent retirement. Malcolm is a graduate of the Simon Fraser University Economics and Commerce Department, the Queen’s University Executive MBA Program and the Wharton School of Business Advanced Management Program and achieved his Institute of Corporate Directors ICD Designation in 2013. Under his guidance, Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada earned the prestigious 50 Best-Managed Companies in Canada designation for eighteen consecutive years, earning the organization Platinum Club status. Other awards included being named to the roster of the Top 40 Employers in B.C. and Canada’s Top 100 Employers.
Ryan Crean is the CEO of Kearney Funeral Services, a family owned business since 1908. Kearney Funeral Services, with the Crean's at the helm (Ryan is the 4th generation), has built their business by always emphasizing the philosophy that it is the relationships that are built which are key and most valuable.
Paul Martin founded and held the position of CEO, at DTM Systems Corp. from 1986 until DTM sold to Quadbridge Inc. in 2021. At the time, DTM was considered one of western Canada's leading professional IT services companies.
Bring your most pressing questions, whether it be in the area of human resources, business growth, or any other topic. Whatever your pressing business issue is, chances are one or more of these 4 business leaders can offer suggestions and advice to help.
This would be an excellent meeting to invite friends and colleagues to so they get a taste of the depth and breadth of business experience and expertise held by the members of the Rotary Club of Vancouver.
What is it and why do we need one? Per Rotary International: The world today is not the same as it was when Rotary began in 1905. Demographics have shifted, the pace of change has accelerated, and technology has created new opportunities for connection and service. What hasn't changed is a need for the values that define Rotary: fellowship, integrity, diversity, service, and leadership. The Action Plan honors our past and embraces our future. It is meant to help evolve Rotary as an organization to not only keep us relevant but thriving. Rotary's Action Plan is our path to achieving our vision of bringing even more people together to create lasting and positive change in an evolving world.
There are four priorities,
Increase our impact
Expand our reach
Enhance participant engagement
Increase our ability to adapt
All club members can be involved to ensure our club meets expectations and creates an action plan. To read more CLICK HERE.
The District is hosting a learning seminar hosted by Ardath Paxton-Mann and Marni Fraser. All Rotarians are welcome to join.
Topic: Rotary Action Plan Session
Time: May 22, 2024 7:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
A Rotarian from the Rotary Bergh in the Netherlands has asked if there is anyone needing a graphic designer here in Vancouver. His cousin, Romy van Zetten, has moved to Vancouver and is looking for a full time position. She comes "Armed with a post-secondary degree in graphic design and over four years of hands-on experience, I've honed my skills in Adobe Creative Suite, encompassing InDesign, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and Photoshop. Design isn't just a job for me; it's a lifelong passion..." For more info contact Carolyn, admin@rotaryvancouver.org.
* come in person to celebrate your birthday with Purdy's chocolates!!
Last Meeting May 07, 2024
Catherine Darley, Secretary, chaired the meeting and gave the invocation.
Sam Shorter, Secretary Elect, hosted ZOOM
Jim Evans, Sergeant at Arms, introduced guests
Chair’s Announcements:
Welcome to our guests, new and returning, as well as our own members who have taken time out of busy schedules to attend. We are grateful to see new faces, remember guests are ALWAYS welcome at our meetings.
Secretary's announcements:
reminders of upcoming events/meetings (see above)
birthdays, member club anniversaries, wedding anniversaries (see above)
Members' moments and special presentations:
John Bathurst on behalf of the Youth Services Committee presented Principal, Gurpaul Sohal & Counsellor, Caitlin Davie, from Gladstone Secondary School with a cheque for $25,000. The payment is for the RCoV Stay in School Scholarships for 2024. It was noted by Caitlin and Gurpaul that these scholarships are life-changing amounts of money for their students. Everyone is incredibly grateful for the support of the Gladstone students.
Franz Gehriger & Parisa Adrangi promoted the Ride for Hearing. This is the largest fundraiser our club hosts annually. Please sign up to help now, whether it be to ride, to pledge, to fundraise, or to volunteer - we need a lot of volunteers. Parisa spoke about her visits to Rotary Clubs in Portland when she was recently there. She promoted our ride, sharing our pamphlets and talking about the purpose of the fundraiser. The reception she received was great. Really exciting that the clubs are planning on participating! All of our members are encouraged to visit other clubs in their home neighbourhoods to promote and encourage them to participate. Spread the word to drum up as much participation as possible.
Adriana Zylmans spoke about the 2024 Dutch-Canada Remembrance Day activities that were held on May 5th. A memorial celebration was held at the Mountainview Cemetary acknowledging the end of WWII in the Netherlands. It is the 79th anniversary this year - 80th next and with it will come bigger celebrations. More information to be found in last week's Rotor Bulletin. If you have any questions Adriana will be pleased to talk to you about it.
Rohan Aurora promoted the evening of elegance and excitement – the President’s Gala Back to Black Dinner Friday May 24th. The early bird draw was made for the gift basket with winner Aaron Lacey (to be received at the event). Thank you to all those who purchased their tickets already. Now, for everyone else, there's only one week left to purchase tickets. Make sure you get yours before the deadline of Friday May 17th. Do it now, all you need to do is CLICK HERE.
Program - SPEAKER:
Rohan Aurora welcomed speakers Barbara & Deborah Peng, co-owners of President Optical in Richmond.
Barbara and Deborah are often asked what is it like being a twin? Conversely, they ask, what is it like to not be a twin. Upon reflection, the connection is truly a gift. A partner in life, someone who’s their all the time.
They told the family story of their parent’s pregnancy and their birth. Their parents wanted the girls to grow up independently, so they were put into different classes. Even so, competition was inevitable. Whether it was in the sports arena or for the best grades they were bent on beating one another. Eventually they realized that they were stronger if they cooperated and helped each other. All things then became more enjoyable.
Their father’s death was life changing for them. It happened while they were in high school. They were by his side through to the end. Making their dad proud become their life’s mission. The family owned an optical business. When their Dad passed away, their Mom took over running the business.
In 2014 they graduated high school. The time was bittersweet. On the family side they were facing some very challenging hurdles. They found out that the landlord where their business had been for many years, wanted to evict them so they could open and run their own optical business, thus becoming stiff competition. The girls helped as best they could. Trying to balance it all – helping mom rescue the business, attend university, and supporting the family, was incredibly difficult. The multiple layers of struggle made it very hard to cope. There were many times when they wanted to simply give up. Given their youth and inexperience, they didn’t have a good understanding of exactly what was going on.
It was when they decided to really leverage their twin power and energy, as they did in junior school, that they were able overcome their obstacles. They decided to make their situation a platform to celebrate the things they truly enjoy in their lives rather than focus on the negativity. Realizing this helped them believe that they can indeed succeed.
They completed university all the while balancing their schedules so one of them would be at the business at all times. Barbara got her optician’s license. Deborah took on the operating role managing the business. Now they are happy and the family business is thriving.
When Barbara looked back at what her father must have endured to succeed as an immigrant with English as a 2nd language, it brought great humility. And pride, pride that he managed to get his optician’s license and run a successful business for so many years.
They participate in activities that fuel their hearts – eyeglasses project. Bringing together opticians and optometrists to support people who cannot otherwise access high quality vision care and glasses. There are two seasons of Twinty Twinty Vision Instagram stories bringing technical info to the public, making it accessible and easy to understand for all.
This year marks 30 years of the business. They expressed that they are challenged to give it new life. They acknowledged their mom, the role she played, the difficult decisions she made along the way, always being the backbone of the family.
Though they don’t know what the future holds, they do know that having a twin will ensure they can overcome anything.
