Abe L. Harper Jr.
Harper Technologies, LLC
Abe Harper is the President and CEO of Harper Technologies, LLC – a “Concierge Culture” IT
Service Provider based in Mobile, AL. Harper Technologies specializes in Managed IT,
Infrastructure Services, and Data Services. As a business in a fast-paced industry, Harper
Technologies, employs the latest industry tools, knowledge, and methodologies to solve
clients’ problems. Every procedure and tool are consistently evaluated to ensure that they
embody the company slogan, “Today’s Company, Tomorrow’s Technology”
Abe, a native of Daphne, AL, is an alumnus of the Alabama School of Math and Science. He also
attended Florida A&M University and the University of South Alabama where he met his wife
Audra. They have been married for just over 15 years, and have two princesses (Natalie and
Erin),one prince (Abe Harper III) , and one puppy (AJ Harper).
Aside from being an entrepreneur, husband, and a father, Abe has a specific passion for the
local and regional community. His desire is to help create better future opportunities for the
generations to follow. Abe is very active in the regional community serving in several
organizations, including the following:
Merchants and Marine Bank – Board of Directors
Alabama Innovation Corporation –Corporation Member
Prichard Preparatory School – Chairman, Board of Directors
CityHope Church – Elder
Alabama Small Business Development Center Network – Advisory Director
Aside from work and community activities, Abe also has a few hobbies and tries to indulge
when things are quiet. He loves travelling and is also private pilot. Additionally, he enjoys
fishing, photography, and saltwater aquariums.
Mar. 24, 22–Courtney McBride / Pilots for Christ
Courtney McBride is from Brewton and has recently joined the PFC team as the public speaking coordinator. She visits churches, venues, and civic groups speaking about this life giving ministry. But the main goal is to point lost souls to the cross and grow the kingdom. She has also been sharing the life altering message of Jesus to churches, ladies groups and youth groups for the last several years.
She is the principal at Flomaton Elem and has been in education for 23 years. She has been married and has three boys.
Mar. 23, 22 (Wednesday) Rotary New Member Orientation @ Rotary Rehab Center / Mobile Infirmary Campus
Mar. 17, 22–Jo Bonner / President, University of South Alabama
President Jo Bonner
Jo Bonner is the fourth president of the University of South Alabama.
Previously, he served as chief of staff to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. He joined the Ivey Administration in December 2018, as the governor’s senior advisor. Before joining the governor’s office, he served as Vice Chancellor for Economic Development at The University of Alabama System from 2013 to 2018. During his final year at UAS, he was an executive on loan, serving as Interim Executive Director of the Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority.
For more than a decade, he represented Alabama’s First District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was first elected to the 108th Congress in November 2002 and was reelected to five additional terms. As a student at The University of Alabama, he worked on Capitol Hill as an intern for Congressman Jack Edwards. After graduation, he returned to Washington as press secretary and later chief of staff to Congressman Sonny Callahan.
In Congress, he earned a reputation as a respected and influential voice of reason in both Alabama and Washington. He was a member of the House Appropriations Committee, where he served on three key subcommittees, as well as the House Ethics Committee. Widely respected on both sides of the aisle, he was selected by House Speaker John Boehner to serve as chairman of Ethics during the 112th Congress. His crowning Congressional accomplishment came in 2012 when Airbus announced plans to build their first U.S. Final Assembly Line in Mobile. Over the years, Congressman Bonner developed friendships and strategic partnerships with the top corporate leaders at Airbus, one of the world’s largest aerospace and defense companies. The Airbus project has resulted in more than $1 billion being invested in Alabama, creating thousands of new jobs in the aerospace industry and putting Mobile on track to become the fourth largest commercial aviation city in the world.
President Bonner has received numerous awards and honors, including a 2020 induction into the Alabama Academy of Honor; the Academy is the state’s premiere recognition of 100 living Alabamians for their outstanding accomplishments and service. In 2016, the Business Council of Alabama (BCA) created the inaugural “Congressman Jo Bonner Spirit of Leadership Award” and honored Bonner as its first recipient. In 2013, he received the Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honor the U.S. Navy bestows on a civilian. He also received the 2012 “Governor Bob Riley Building a Better Alabama Award” by the BCA.
Bonner earned a B.A. degree in Journalism from The University of Alabama in 1982. He is married to the former Janée Lambert, of Mobile, and they are the parents of a daughter, Lee, and a son, Robins.
Mar. 10, 22–Garrett Williamson / President, Personal Edge Fitness “The Lie of Food”
Born in Mobile, Garrett is a graduate of UMS Preparatory School where he was a 2014 athletic hall of fame inductee. Garrett earned a bachelors degree from the University of Georgia where he was a pole-vaulter on the varsity track team. Upon graduation Garrett went on to complete his Master’s Degree in Fitness Management (M.S.S) at United States Sports Academy. During his studies at the Academy, Garrett interned at the Siegfried health center at St. Johns Medical facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the Cooper Institute in Dallas Texas.
After personal training for eight years in different facilities in Georgia, Oklahoma and Alabama, Garrett opened Personal Edge Fitness, Inc. in 2000. With the most qualified staff in the southeast, Personal Edge offers s personal training in all facets of fitness and sport including weight loss, rehabilitation, senior training, balance, and athletic development. Garrett can be heard weekly as the Host of the “Personal Edge Fitness” podcast, dispelling myths about health, fitness and wellness.
In 2010 Garrett re-entered the competitive athletic field in Sprint Triathlon. In August of that year Garrett, qualified for TEAM USA and his first World Championships in Beijing, China. In Beijing Garrett finished 15th in the world and was the top American finisher in his division. Since 2011 he has competed for Team USA in 8 world championships in Sprint Triathlon, Aquabike and Aquathlon. Garrett has just qualified for his ninth time to represent TEAM USA, in November, at the Aquabike world championships in Abu Dhabi, UAE .
He is married to Stephanie Jane Eads from Jasper, Alabama. They are both very active with Save-a-Stray and their K-9 foster and adoption programs. They are the proud parents of five dogs and provide a temporary home to many fosters.
Mar. 3, 22–NO MEETING – Happy Mardi Gras!
Mar. 3, 2022–NO MEETING / Mardi Gras Holiday
Feb. 24, 2022–NO LUNCH MEETING / Mardi Gras Event @ Carnival Museum
Jan. 20, 22
Minutes of the January 20, 2022 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
GREETING The meeting was called to order by Elizabeth Stevens at 12:15 PM.
Moment of Silence: Dr. Stephen Ford Dill who passed away January 14, 2022
INVOCATION Frank Harkins offered the invocation. Tommy Blankenship led the Pledge of Allegiance and introduced the meeting guests.
NEW MEMBERS:
John Driscoll, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Alabama State Port Authority. Introduced by Elizabeth Stevens.
Presentation of Excellence in Scholarship Certificate
Milligan Grinstead, McGill Toolen High School
ANNOUNCEMENTS
*** Next Rain Barrel Installation Event – Feb. 18th– 8AM-Noon
*** Member Bdays: Jan. 20 Gerry Robbins, Jan 21 Don Foose, Russell Steiner, Jan 24 Kate Carver and Jan 25 Hawk Sindel
***District Mid-Year Conference this weekend
*** Board meeting today in Leinkauf Suite
*** Rotary Club of Mobile named beneficiary in the will of the Samuel P. Marshall Family Trust
***Birthday contributions to Rotary Children’s Foundation or Scholarship Fund, Billy Cassady
PROGRAM Will Edmonds / Barton Academy and former Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. Introduced by Frank Harkins.
In 1995 Will Edmonds was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar out of our Mobile Rotary Club, which is how he was later able to study in Belgium. He graduated from the University of Mobile in 1997 with a double major in French and International business. While in college, he studied in FRANCE, at the Institut de Tourraine, and in BELGIUM, at the Universite Catholique Centre des Langues. In 2007, he completed a Master of Education with a concentration in French at the University of South Alabama. In 2009, he achieved National Board Certification in World Languages, and successfully renewed that certification in 2018. Will taught French 1, 2, 3, and IB 4 for 20 years at Davidson High School in Mobile. He is now teaching French at Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies.
Mr Edmonds started by noting that this was his fourth time as speaker at the Rotary Club of Mobile. He then began his remarks by recalling a letter of appreciation that he received from a student about how important “building communities matters” that Mr Edmonds teaches as part of his curriculum. He used that theme to link his ambassadorial scholarship with the importance of Rotary and how he tries to live his life and teach his students. He began his professional life overseas living with a host family and related some of the experiences thereof. He now teaches French at Barton Academy and has been a teacher for 24 years. He told about beginning and Interact Club at Barton. Will is the leader. He stated that beginning the club was actually suggested by Elizabeth Stevens with the motto of “Service Above Self”. He attempts to incorporate the Rotary ideals into his various programs on a regular basis. He noted that he teaches the French language to a conversational level in order for the students to be able to at least convey concepts in French. In fact, he takes his students on a foreign trip approximately every other year, covid aside.
SPEAKER CERTIFICATE President Stevens thanked Mr Edmonds for his presentation and noted that, in his honor, a donation had been made by the club to the History Museum of Mobile that will provide transportation and admission to eight classes at Title I schools in the area.
NEXT WEEK Wiley Blankenship / Executive Director, Coastal 150 “Advancing Coastal Alabama’s Priorities in Montgomery”.
The meeting adjourned at 12:59 PM.
Jan. 13, 22
Minutes of the January 13, 2022 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Elizabeth Stevens, at 12:15 PM. John Garrett came forward to offer the invocation. Tommy Blankenship led the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. There were no visiting Rotarians or guests of members to welcome.
Student Guest: Garret Powe introduced Abigail Murray, a senior at Mary G. Montgomery High School who spoke on her volunteer work and concluded that those positive experiences have influenced her to want to continue to volunteer throughout her life. She will be attending Mississippi State.
Announcements – Elizabeth announced:
- Rotary Youth Leadership Conference has been canceled.
- The Mid-Year District Conference is to be held in Dothan the weekend of January 21-22, but a Zoom option will be a less expensive alternative to anyone wishing to attend.
- The installation of rain barrels discussed last week will take place on Friday, January 14. Please let Elizabeth know if you can assist.
- A city volunteer clean-up will be held on Saturday, January 15. Please contact Casi Callaway if you can help.
- Our members celebrating upcoming birthdays.
Program: Bill Tobin, Rotary Relations Manager for ShelterBox, USA
Bill Tobin spoke via remote from his home in California regarding the ShelterBox Project which was founded by British Rotarians in Cornwall in 2000. The original idea was to create boxes which would hold items to assist survivors of natural disasters. The program has now grown to an international scale and Rotary is a partner in the project which to date has assisted 2 million people around the world recovering not only from natural disasters but those trying to survive in war-torn areas, such as Syria.
The boxes are fitted with items chosen depending on the area where the survivors are located. In a cold climate such as northern Syria the boxes have blankets, rugs and warm outerwear for children and adults. In areas struck by hurricanes the box will have tarps to help with shelter as well as basic tools to rebuild. In the fall the Rotary Club of Mobile contributed $500 to the project to assist Haitians struck by an earthquake followed by flooding.
Mr. Tobin said that the organization would like to grow in the Gulf Coast region and would welcome local volunteers. Please go to shelterboxusa.org/volunteer for further information.
Elizabeth thanked the speaker and explained that a donation to the History Museum here in Mobile has been made in his honor.
The meeting adjourned at 12:55 PM.
Tom McGehee