Category: Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the October 11, 2018, Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Ernest Ladd IV at 12:15 PM. Ken Niemeyer offered the invocation and Tommy Blankenship led the group in song accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer. Jeff Zoghby welcomed visiting Rotarians and members’ guests.
Announcements:
• Ernest Ladd, reminded members that the annual Rotary Gala is scheduled for Wednesday, November 7th at Cotton Hall on Dauphin Street. There will not be a luncheon meeting on November 8.
Student Guest: Jeff Luther introduced Dominque Taylor, a senior at Blount High School who discussed her experiences of service. She plans on majoring in Criminal Justice.
Program: James E. Jewell -FBI
Claire McCarron introduced James Jewell, Special Agent in Charge of the Mobile Division of the FBI.
After some difficulties with the hotel’s equipment, Special Agent Jewell presented a power point program and discussed the history of the agency from G-Men and cross state kidnappings in 1934 to terrorist threats in the age of 9/11.
He explained that the agency’s goal is to identify a threat and prevent a crime before it actually takes place. The agency must identify a wide array of threats in an ever changing world of new technology. One of the most important areas is protecting large gatherings such as football games and beach festivals, from becoming the target of terrorists – home grown or from abroad.
He also discussed the importance of battling public corruption and white collar crimes. Jewell explained that if Americans cannot trust their elected officials to be honest the entire system of our government is at risk. The agency also battles foreign spies who seek to obtain trade secrets – a great potential risk in cities like Mobile with its aviation and ship building as well as Huntsville.
After answering a number of questions, Ernest Ladd thanked Special Agent Jewell for speaking and presented him with a certificate noting that a donation in his honor has been made to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
The meeting adjourned at 1:10 PM.
Tom McGehee

10/4/18 Minutes
Submitted by Tommy Fulton, Contributing Editor
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Ernest Ladd.
Richard Franklin gave the invocation, followed by Larry Sindel, who led us in song and the Pledge.
Introduction of Guests & Visitors: Jeff Zoghby introduced our guests along with visiting Rotarians.
Student Guest: Jeff Luther introduced Brandi Trenier from B. C. Rain High School as our Student of the Week.
Announcements: Rotary Gala will be Wednesday, Nov. 7th @ Cotton Hall.
Mobile West Rotary is hosting an “End Polio” event on Tues., Oct 9th @ Bonefish Grill.
Rotary Club of Mobile made a donation to the Wilmington, NC club for Hurricane Florence.
Program: Casi Callaway introduced our speaker, Craig Perciavalle, President of Austal, USA.
Mr. Perciavalle began the program with a video about the Mobile operation, which began in 1999. They manufactured ferrys in the beginning.
Austal USA has invested more than $418 million in the Mobile operations. The State of Alabama, Mobile County and the City of Mobile combined to help our community win the facility. Now the facility concentrates on building Navy ships including the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and the Expeditionary Fast Transport Ships (EPF). At this moment Austal has six LCS and 2 EPF ships in various stages of construction, with orders stretching out for several years into the future.
Austal will also be building a more lethal version of Frigates for the U. S. Navy. In the future, they hope to build Medical Ships, Command and Control Ships, Autonomous Ships, and Mother Ships designed to retrieve the Autonomous models.
Mr. Perciavalle said Austal USA is bidding on twenty more ships in 2020. Austal uses suppliers from 47 states, 700 from the State of Alabama, and 550 from the Mobile/Baldwin county area. They are recognized as the 5th largest shipbuilder in the United States.
The Navy is committed to growing the U. S. fleet from around 275 ships to 355 ships.
During the question & answer period, Mr. Perciavalle mentioned that the useful life of an LCS is about 25 years. Because they are made of aluminum, they required much lower maintenance. Another interesting tidbit…their ships are powered by “jet-ski” technology rather than propellers.
After a question and answer session, Ernest Ladd thanked Mr. Perciavalle for his presentation and presented a certificate to him, noting that a donation in his honor had been made to the Rotary International Foundation.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 pm.

Minutes of the September 20, 2018 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Ernest Ladd at 12:15 PM. Rebecca Byrne offered the invocation. Larry Sindel led the club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Bill Oppenheimer accompanied on the piano. Jeff Zoghby welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians.
Announcements:
• Ernest announced that the Board meeting is to be held today in the Ashland Suite
• Ernest reminded everyone of the Rotary Gala to be held on Wednesday November 7th at Cotton Hall.
• Garrett Williamson thanked everyone for coming to the after-hours gathering at Five. He also said more outings are being planned.
Program: Judith Adams, VP of Marketing, Ala. State Port Authority
Casi Callaway introduced the speaker
The Port of Mobile is a full service port and is the 10th largest in the nation. The port handles approximately 58million tons of cargo annually. The port has invested over $1billion in infrastructure since 2002. Currently there is a $50million expansion of the container terminal underway and a new $60million automobile terminal to be completed in 2019/2020/. As the economy is doing well, the port is seeing record growth, including 20% growth in containerized cargo in 2017 alone. We are now ranked as the number 2 steel port and the 3rd largest export coal terminal in the US. The port generates $22billion in total economic value.
At the request of Casi Callaway, the speaker centered parts of her presentation on the environmental stewardship at the Port. The Port is known as a Green Marine facility which is the largest voluntary environmental certification program in North America. They received their certification in May 2018. It is designed as a framework for the maritime industry to reduce its environmental footprint. Its guiding principals include corporate leadership, minimal environmental impact, develops and promotes voluntary environmental protection measures, integrates sustainable practices and collaborates with government/public on progressive program implementation. The port has met or exceeded requirements in all four environmental indicators including spill prevention, dry bulk storage and handling, environmental leadership and waste management. Additional initiatives include commuting/ride share, conversion to LED lighting, Three Mile Creek/shoreline trash removal and invasive species removal.
The speaker also discussed consideration of widening and deepening the ship channel in Mobile Bay. If approved, the project would deepen the channel to 50/52 feet, add a three mile long passing lane, ease a ben in the channel and improve the turning basin. Benefits include improved vessel safety and efficiency, as well as, provides economies of scale to shippers. A decision is expected in 2019 with construction to begin in 2020. Will take a minimum of three years to build and cost an estimated $387million. The State of Alabama would pay $143million.
Ernest Ladd thanked the speaker for her informative update on the Port and noted that in her honor a donation has been made to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 1:05 PM.
Rob Diehl

Minutes of the September 13, 2018, Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Ernest Ladd IV at 12:15 PM. Jessica Little offered the invocation and Larry Sindel led the group in song accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer. Jeff Zoghby welcomed visiting Rotarians and members’ guests.
Announcements:
• Douglas Kearley standing in for Garrett Williamson, reminded members that Rotary Happy Hour will take place Tuesday, September 18 at “Five” at 609 Dauphin Street beginning at 5PM.
• Ernest Ladd announced that there will be a board meeting following next week’s meeting on September 20. He also said that Rory Ridgeway who runs the shoe shine station for the Battle House had an accident and broke his hand. If you would like to contribute to assist him while he recovers, please let Peggy know.
Program: Conservation and the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo
Casi Calloway introduced Justin Thompson and Vann Simms of the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo. Vann announced that he is the incoming president and then introduced current president Justin Thompson who gave some background on the world’s largest fishing rodeo.
The event dates to 1929 and was founded by a group led by L. G. Adams. At that time the cost was $5 per participant for the weekend event and included housing on Dauphin Island in former army barracks and all meals. The organization came under the authority of the Mobile Jaycees in 1948.
According to Thompson, one of the most popular features of the weekend is the fish box where children of all ages can learn about the various species of fish in the Gulf. A Young Anglers’ Tournament is also held to encourage children aged 15 and under to learn about deep sea fishing.
A second and very important aspect of the Rodeo said Thompson, was the addition of a number of Catch and Release categories of fish ranging from tarpons to sharks. The Rodeo works closely with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and the USA Department of Marine Sciences to tag these migratory species of fish with tracking devices. He also said that many are surprised sharks are released but explained that they are the most over-fished species of fish in the world.
Thompson told his audience to mark their calendars for the 2019 Rodeo: July 19-21. After answering a number of questions, Ernest Ladd thanked the speakers and presented each with a certificate noting that a donation to the Rotary Children’s Foundation has been made in their names.
The meeting adjourned at 12:50 PM.
Tom McGehee

09/6/18 Minutes
Submitted by Tommy Fulton, Contributing Editor
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Ernest Ladd.
President Ladd asked for a moment of silence for the passing of John Morrissette, Jr.
Pratt Paterson gave the invocation, followed by Larry Sindel, who led us in song and the Pledge.
Introduction of Guests & Visitors: Jeff Zoghby introduced our guests along with visiting Rotarians.
Announcements: Rotary Happy Hour will be held on September 18th at Five on Dauphin Street.
Program: Casi Callaway introduced our speaker, Scott Posey, Director of Communications with AM/NS Calvert.
Mr. Posey began by saying that there are several misperceptions about the Steel Industry. Right away, he mentioned the misperception that one’s attire is an indication of a person’s intelligence. As he obviously demonstrated, his “work-ready” clothing was appropriate to his purpose. He mentioned that although the steel industry workforce has declined by 30 percent in the last 40 years, productivity is up by at least 20 percent.
Another misperception is that his industry is not environmentally responsible. He stated that while it may have been true fifty years ago, it certainly was not the case in today’s world. This brought him to another misperception. Stakeholders and environmental groups must necessarily be in an adversarial role against the industry. Mr. Posey described that feeling as he attended various internal environmental committee meetings and saw the real concern from the members regarding the quality of life in their community. These folks loved hunting, fishing and all kinds of recreational activity, which motivated their desire to improve the areas in which they live.
While he was at Thyssenkrupp(TK), there was a perception in the community that the plant was “fast-tracked” to the detriment of the environment. That was not what he saw first-hand. He reached out to Mobile Baykeeper in an effort to improve that perception. He knew that TK was using the latest and greatest technology, unlike so many other plants that had been around for at least fifty years. After all, he had worked at the Chamber of Commerce for six years, and had seen the mistrust between environmental and business groups.
Mr. Posey discussed the challenges as he developed a working relationship with Casi Callaway, the leader of Baykeepers, and how that developed and improved over the last several years. This has led to creating curricula for students and helping with monitoring and teaching the importance of water quality. To date, more than 4,000 students have participated.
Casi closed out the program with positive remarks about the effectiveness of the working relationship, and how it benefitted both groups during a real crisis.
After a question and answer session, Ernest Ladd thanked Scott for his presentation and presented a certificate to him, noting that a donation in his honor had been made to the Rotary International Foundation.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 pm.

Minutes of the August 30, 2018, Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Ernest Ladd IV at 12:15 PM. Cart Blackell offered the invocation and Larry Sindel led the group in song accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer. Jeff Zoghby welcomed visiting Rotarians and members’ guests.
Announcements:
• Ernest Ladd reminded members to pick up a new roster.
• Garrett Williamson announced that a Rotary Happy Hour is scheduled for Tuesday, September 18th at Five Bar and Restaurant located at 609 Dauphin Street. Please invite potential Rotarians to join us.
Program: Dumas Wesley Center: Joni Hendee
Kate Carver introduced Joni Hendee, who is the Marketing and PR Director for the Dumas Wesley Center. Ms. Hendee gave a brief review of the center’s purpose, noting that 260,000 services to date have been provided. She then began describing the work of their Sybil Smith Family Village which offers transitional housing while helping homeless families regain their self-worth and re-enter society.
Ms. Hendee outlined a case where a woman escaping spousal abuse arrived with just two suitcases and her 6 year old son. She was given a home at the Sybil Smith Village and after two years of counseling and training found a new beginning. She went on to full time employment, bought a home and has happily remarried. Ms. Hendee then disclosed that the client she just described was herself – one of over 1076 served to date.
Ms. Hendee told the audience that families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless. She added that the success rate of the Sybil Smith Family Village stands at 85% – an enviable rate far above the national average.
After answering a number of questions, Ernest thanked Ms. Hendree and noted that in her honor a donation has been made to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
The meeting adjourned at 12:45 PM.
Tom McGehee

Minutes of the Rotary Meeting
August 23, 2018
By Kathy Miller
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Ernest Ladd at 12:00 p.m. John Pisarkiewicz offered the invocation and Larry Sindel led the Club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Guests: Tommy Blankenship introduced guests and visiting Rotarians.
Announcements: Ernest announced that the rosters for the 2018-2019 Rotary year are ready and asked members to pick one up on the way out.
Program: Claire McCarron introduced Sujin Kim who presented a program about her native country, “Land of Morning Calm (South Korea)”.
Ms. Kim is the founder of KOCAMA Consulting which assists American and Korean companies, institutions and individuals in capitalizing on opportunities for business and economic development in the United States and the Republic of Korea. She also founded Gulf Coast Immigration. She has been a member of The National Unification Advisory Council to the President of South Korea. She is a board member and current Vice President of the Korea Southeast U.S. Chamber of Commerce and has served with various Korean governmental and quasigovernmental entities and Korean trade and industry associations.
Ms. Kim gave a presentation on the geography, language and history of the Korean Peninsula. She summarized the political division between North and South Korea and the extraordinary economic growth of South Korea after the armistice in the Korean War in 1953. She noted that the Peninsula essentially had been reduced to “rubble”, and that all factories were destroyed and national resources were depleted. She outlined the infrastructure that has developed since that time and the drivers of the South Korean economy. She stated that the primary industries in South Korea are semiconductors, ship building and automobiles. She discussed the current state of political relations between North Korea and South Korea. She pointed out that South Korea is one of Alabama’s top trading partners. She also discussed the history of Mobile’s sister city relationship with Pyeongtaek, which is the third largest port in South Korea. At the conclusion of her program, Ernest presented Ms. Kim with a certificate for speaking to the Club.
Adjournment: After announcing members’ birthdays and the program for next week, Ernest adjourned the meeting at 1:00 p.m.

Minutes of the August 16, 2018 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Ernest Ladd at 12:15 PM. Casi Callaway offered the invocation. Larry Sindel led the club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Bill Oppenheimer accompanied on the piano. Bob Chappelle welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians.
Announcements:
• Ernest Ladd announced that the Board meeting is to be held today in the Ashland Suite
• Ernest Ladd recognized Robbie McClure as a Paul Harris Fellow times 2.
• Ernest Ladd reminded everyone to pick up their copy of the annual roster
• Ernest Ladd introduced those members who have had perfect attendance. The list includes twenty-nine members ranging from five with one-year perfect attendance to John Moses with thirty-five years.
Program: Matt Ericksen, Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project
Kate Carver introduced Matt Ericksen, Project Director
The speaker provided a thorough update on the much anticipated Mobile River Bridge addition and complete Bayway replacement. When the George Wallace tunnel was constructed in the 1970s it was built for a capacity of 35,000 vehicles per day. Average daily volume today is 75,000 vehicles. There have been multiple days of volume well in excess of 100,000 vehicles per day. Projections are that without building the new bridge and Bayway, daily traffic in 2030 will be similar to peak summer travel traffic.
The new project will encompass approximately 12 miles beginning at the Broad Street interchange and concluding east of the Eastern Shore interchange. There will be modifications to seven interchanges. The bridge will be three lanes each heading east and west. The Bayway will be four lanes on each side and will be constructed approximately 10 feet higher than the current Bayway which is higher than the 100-year storm surge level. The entire project will be a public/private partnership will tolling going both east and west including the Bayway, River Bridge and Wallace tunnel. Cost is estimated at $2billion. Funding sources will be Private Equity, Public Subsidy, Private Activity Bonds and Federal Loan. Both the Bankhead tunnel and Causeway will continue as toll free.
The bridge will be a cable design very similar to the Cochran bridge and will have a vertical clearance of 215 feet……which is 60 feet higher than the Cochran bridge.
The project is in the industry review stage which includes development of the RFP. Construction is forecast to begin in 2020 and the project to be operational in 2025. More information including an animated video can be located at mobileriverbridge.com.
Ernest Ladd thanked the speaker for his encouraging remarks and update on the project and noted that in his honor a donation has been made to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 12:52 PM.
Rob Diehl

08/2/18 Minutes
Submitted by Tommy Fulton, Contributing Editor
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Ernest Ladd.
Tommy Fulton gave the invocation, followed by Tommy Blankenship, who led us in song and the Pledge.
Introduction of Guests & Visitors: Tommy Blankenship introduced our guests along with visiting Rotarians.
Announcements: Sumter McGowin was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow.
Program: Ken Robinson introduced our speaker, Sam Adams, our District Governor for Rotary District #6880.
Sam began by describing several posters and banners he had placed around the room. These represented so many who were inspirational leaders. The goal was to help non-Rotarians understand the kind of work and accomplishments of the Rotary Clubs. He explained the Rotary battle against polio from an historic standpoint.
One of his inspirations was Sam Owori, who had been elected as president of Rotary International. He had chartered eighty Rotary Clubs in Uganda, but passed away shortly after his election. He was truly an amazing leader, who had worked to instill the 4-way test throughout his home country. Sam Adams has pledged to charter three new Rotary Chapters in our district as a testimony to Sam Owori.
Sam mentioned that he and Ken Robinson had run two miles just prior to our meeting. In fact, he does this before all Rotary meetings he attends. There was a method to this effort. There are still a few cases of polio left in the world despite heroic efforts aided by Rotary. Sam asked that our members donate at least two dollars to the polio campaign, which he said would be matched 2 for 1 by Bill and Melinda Gates.
Polio touched Sam’s family personally, as his brother had fought polio. Famous people directly affected included Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer’s father, Alan Alda and Francis Ford Coppola. There are 15 cases of polio known to be in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Sam then discussed the different delivery methods for the polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin. It was the Sabin oral vaccine which was tested in Cuba, the first Western Hemisphere effort in 1916-17, which was supported by the Cuba Rotary Clubs. Before Castro, there were 60 Rotary Clubs in Cuba. Sam hopes to see the relationship renewed during the upcoming celebration of Havana’s 500th anniversary.
After a question and answer session, Ernest Ladd thanked Sam for his presentation and presented a certificate to him, noting that a donation in his honor had been made to the Rotary International Foundation.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 pm.

Minutes of the Rotary Meeting
July 19, 2018
By Kathy Miller
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Ernest Ladd at 12:00 p.m. Richard Franklin offered the invocation and Larry Sindel led the Club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. He was accompanied by Les Greer.
Guests: Jeff Zoghby introduced guests and visitors.
New Members: Scott Fenn was introduced by Robby McClure.
Announcements: Ernest announced that there would be a board meeting today in the Ashland Suite. He reminded members of the Tarpon Tournament on Saturday, July 28 and the Captain’s Reception on July 26 at Ruth’s Chris.
Program: Claire McCarron introduced Ryan Hankins, Executive Director of the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA). PARCA was formed in 1988 under the leadership of former governor Albert Brewer for the purpose of compiling and providing objective data to better inform policymakers in government. PARCA is a nonprofit funded by contributions and seeks to establish sound facts to be used to make sound, objective decisions. Mr. Hankins gave members examples of the projects and research in which PARCA has been involved. He discussed at length PARCA’s recent research about the priorities of Alabama voters. The purpose of the study was determined what issues were the most important to Alabamians. He discussed the methodology of the survey and the distribution of responses. The top ten issues or priorities PARCA identified were K-12 education, healthcare, government corruption and ethics, mental health and substance abuse, poverty and homelessness, jobs and the economy, crime and public safety, job training and workforce development, improving the state’s image, and tax reform.
Adjournment: After announcing members’ birthdays and reminding members of the Tarpon Tournament Captain’s Reception next week at Ruth’s Chris at 6:00, Ernest adjourned the meeting at 1:00 p.m.