Category: Past Speakers

As President of Port City Industrial, I lead a team committed to helping
businesses run smarter, safer, and more efficiently by delivering end-toend warehouse equipment solutions. From material handling and
storage systems to dock and door equipment, we support our
customers with sales, installation, and service designed to keep
operations moving.
With a background that combines business acumen and a dedication to
customer service, I oversee the day-to-day operations of PCI, ensuring
the company delivers customized solutions that optimize warehouse
space and improve operational efficiency. I’m passionate about building
lasting partnerships, growing our regional impact, and helping our
clients succeed in an evolving industrial landscape.
Beyond the business, I’m a mother of four and deeply invested in my
local community in Mobile, Alabama. I believe leadership means
showing up, listening well, and doing the work-with integrity,
accountability, and heart.

A native of Mobile, Alabama, Garrett grew up in the family business that was founded by his father, Michael. He began working with his father as a child and came into the business full-time in 2011 as a project manager and accountant. Within a few years, he began to handle business development and took on the role of Chief Financial Officer. In 2020, he became President of Master Boat Builders and now oversees the day-to-day operations of the business.

Garrett revels in the challenges presented by the shipbuilding industry from engineering to planning and accounting to human resources. More importantly, he values the legacy his father left him by growing a small mom-and-pop shop into a world-renowned work boat shipyard. As President, Garrett serves on the Boards of Directors for the Offshore Marine Service Association and as the Vice-Chairman the Shipbuilders Council of America.

Prior to joining the family business full time, Garrett worked in sales at a valve automation shop in Birmingham, Alabama where he gained experience in fluid systems and engineering. He also worked in the athletics department at Samford University as the Director of the Athletics Department’s annual giving program.

Garrett received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Samford University.

 

Speaker Today

Tom McGehee has been Museum Director for Bellingrath Gardens and Home since 1994, and has researched the history of Mobile for more than 40 years.  He is a past president of this club and was named Rotarian of the Year in 2012.

He is married to the former Ceil Smith of Monroeville and has a daughter, Megan, living in Athens, Greece.

Today’s Program:  Life Before Air-Conditioning

The first air conditioning did not come to Mobile until the completion of the Saenger Theatre in 1927 and it would be another 25 years before affordable residential units arrived.  How did our ancestors survive life before air-conditioning?

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Bob Cochran was born at Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada. His family tradition is that it was an awfully cold winter that year or he wouldn’t be here today! He grew up in Montgomery, Alabama where he graduated from Lanier High School. He then attended Auburn University where he graduated in 1974 and was commissioned into the U.S. Navy from the Auburn University Naval ROTC program. He attended Navy flight school and received his Naval Aviator wings of gold in 1975. He served in several Navy aviation squadrons, aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy, graduated from the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama; served as the Commanding Officer of U.S. Naval Facility Brawdy, Wales, and finished his Navy career as a member of the faculty of the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He retired from the U.S. Navy as a Commander in 1994.

After the Navy he attended the Cumberland School of Law of Samford University and started his own law practice in Auburn, Alabama. In 2005 he received a call from Auburn University to teach their Business Law course in the Harbert College of Business, which allowed him to become a full-time faculty member teaching Business Law and Aviation Law to over 20,000 students during his 20+ years of university teaching.

In 1998 he bumped into an old Navy buddy living in Auburn who invited him to lunch, which turned out to be an Auburn Rotary Club meeting. He was in that club until 2011 when a meeting day change forced him to transfer his membership to the Lee County Sunrise Rotary Club. He has served as Treasurer and President of the Lee County Sunrise club and as an Assistant Governor before his selection as District Governor.

Bob and his wife Karen live here in Auburn and are empty nesters. They have three children, Christy, Kelly and Clint, son-in-law Steve, and their first grandchild, Ellie.

Ross Roberts, is a certified Maxwell Leadership speaker, sharing his inspiring message on “Living from the Inside Out.”

Ross’s insights on leadership, personal growth, and intentional living challenged us to lead with authenticity and purpose. With a rich background—including service in the Army during the Vietnam War and owning Salon D’Artistes in the Village of Spring Hill—his wisdom left a lasting impression.

Hosea London, leader and manager of the Excelsior Band, is a graduate
of Mississippi Valley State University with a B. S. in Music Education. He
pursued additional studies at Delta State University. Mr. London retired
from the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental
Retardation and the Moss Point (MS) School System as a band teacher.
He has taught private music lessons in Mobile and Huntsville, AL, grant
programs in Pensacola, FL and the Memphis (TN) City School System.
He is currently the music director for The Jazz Studio, a bi-weekly
program teaching and exposing youth to jazz from the Greater Mobile
area. Hosea’s total existence is related to his love for music. He has
played along the Gulf Coast and Southeast United States. He has been
a member consistently since 1975.

Don Comeaux – Executive Director, Exploreum Science Center

Don Comeaux is the Executive Director of the Exploreum Science Center in Mobile, Alabama, where he has served in leadership roles since 2011. A native of New Orleans, Don brings more than three decades of experience in science education, leadership, and innovation. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Nicholls State University, where he conducted research in botany, marine science, and genetics, and earned his teaching certification from the University of New Orleans.

Before joining the Exploreum, Don spent nearly 20 years teaching high school and middle school science, where he developed specialized courses in forensics, environmental science, and career-pathway programs. His pioneering work in forensic science education earned him the Coroners of Louisiana Educator Award and the American Stars of Teaching Award.

A former SSGT in the Louisiana Air National Guard, Don led a fuel system repair crew for F-15 and F-4 fighter jets. His career has been defined by a passion for hands-on science learning, career readiness, and community impact. He is a graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy and served on Alabama’s Governor’s Advisory Council on Excellence in STEM.

Don’s leadership philosophy is rooted in creating meaningful, inspiring moments while staying grounded in lifelong learning. His personal motto—“Fill the PITS, avoid the POTHOLES, and create PEAK moments!”—reflects his dynamic approach to education and leadership.

 

Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi

Most Reverend Thomas J. Rodi, a native of New Orleans, graduated from De La Salle High School in 1967 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University in 1971. He returned to New Orleans where he earned a law degree from Tulane University Law School in 1974, and then entered  Notre   Dame Seminary in New Orleans, where he received a master of divinity degree in 1978.

Archbishop Rodi was ordained to the priesthood on May 20, 1978, and served as associate pastor at St. Ann and St. Christopher the Martyr Parishes in Metairie, pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Jefferson, and pastor of St. Rita Parish in New Orleans.

In 1983 he was appointed judge for the Archdiocese of New Orleans Metropolitan Tribunal. He earned a licentiate in canon law from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., in 1986, and served as professor of canon law at Notre Dame Seminary from 1986 to 1995.

Archbishop Rodi served in New Orleans as director of the Office of Religious Education from 1988 to 1989, and as executive director of the Department of Pastoral Services from 1989 to 1996.

In addition to his other duties, Archbishop Rodi was Chancellor for the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 1992, and in 1996, he was named Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia.

In 1992, he was named a prelate of honor (a monsignor) by Pope John Paul II.

He was ordained a bishop and installed as Bishop of Biloxi on July 2, 2001.

He was appointed Archbishop of Mobile on April, 2008 and installed on June 6, 2008.