President Sunny Singh (Financial Services: Advising | PK Wealth Management) called today's meeting to order at 12:15 PM and welcomed those online and those attending in person at the Anzu Restaurant in the Hotel Nikko.
Today's Guests
We welcomed Shamrina Oshana, Maria Pechurina, and Danbee Song from the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce who accompanied today's speaker - Rodney Fong. Margaret Miley (Hospitality: Hotels | Retired) introduced her guest - Antal Runneboom. Lynn Luckow (Development | LikeMinded.org) introduced his guest - David Schleifer-Lee. Dan Joraanstad (Financial Services: Advising | Retired) introduced his guest - Sal Baglieri.
Visiting Another Rotary Club
Ozan Yasavur (Engineering: Mechanical | Bioforcetech Corporation) shared his experience visiting the Rotary Club of Summersville West Virginia.
Support for Nancy Graydon
JT Forbus (Accounting | Bogdan & Frasco) called for the collection of funds to provide Nancy Graydon (Development | Glaucoma Research Foundation) with meal delivery services (e.g., Factor, DoorDash) so that she can order meals at her convenience. This is the best way to support Nancy as she mourns the passing of her husband.
New Members Inducted
President Sunny and Vice President of Membership Margaret Miley welcomed and inducted three new members: Ronald Bolden Jr. (Medical and Life Insurance | Freeman Insurance Services), Paul Vazquez (Nonprofit Administration | Alliance for Smiles), and Paul Yep (University Administration | Academy of Art University). Each shared a little about their background and their interest and plans in Rotary. A warm welcome to Ronald, Paul Vazquez, and Paul Yep! When you see any of them at one of our meetings or events, please introduce yourself to them.
Paul Vazquez, Paul Yep, and Ronald Bolden Jr.
Red Badge CompletedStephen Geisheker (Technology Support | Retired) and Bridget Mahoney (Nonprofit Administration | Catholic Charities SF) completed their Red Badge requirements and were relieved of the red ribbon on their name badge. Congratulations to both!
Thank You
Thank you to Jim Patrick (Retail: Office Supplies | Patrick & Co.) for providing his office rooftop to host a happy hour. Thank you also goes to Alisha Marfatia (Information Technology: E-Commerce | EvolveWare) for organizing this social. A good time was had by all who attended.
Memorial for John Mathers
John Mathers' (Management Consulting | Mathers Associates) service will be held this Saturday, September 23, 2023. See details here.
August 2023 Rotarian of the Month
President Sunny announced that Gary Dales (Accounting | Fly Leasing) is the Rotarian of the Month for August 2023. Gary was recognized for his longtime dedication as our Club's Treasurer and for his help to update our Club's Bylaws. Congratulations and thank you to Gary!
Membership Moment
Dan Joraanstad talked about how we can help grow our Club. He challenged everyone to invite one person per month to attend a Rotary meeting, social event, or project. We can invite co-workers, business owners whom we know, friends, or relatives. See full story here.
Nominating Committee
President-Elect Bob Hermann (Information Technology: Administration | Retired UCSF) called for five Club members to serve on the 2023 Nominating Committee to select candidates for the 2024-2025 Board of Directors. If you are interested, please contact Bob.
Emergency Services Day
Matt Madsen (Nonprofit Management | The Salvation Army) will be the Chair of the next Emergency Services Day. He invited any members who have an interest in helping with this event to contact him.
Annual Holiday Party
Christopher Wiseman (Nonprofit Management | Glaucoma Research Foundation) is looking for individuals who are interested in helping to put together the December 12 Annual Holiday Party. If you are interested, please contact Christopher.
Blue Angels Viewing Party
Mary Liu (Real Estate: Sales | JM Real Estate Group) is organizing this event and is seeking sponsors as well as volunteers to help at the event. See here for details for the party, and contact Mary if you have questions or would like to help.
Club Events for Rotarians
Club Events: Check the Club's calendar for upcoming Committee meetings and service projects.
Share Your Good News ($20 for Twenty Seconds)
Here are today's donors:
- Scott Plakun (Management Consulting | The Plakun Group) donated to express appreciation for the support and concern that Club members have shown to him while his husband Milton is recovering from an accident.
- Maureen O’Shea (Governmental Relations | Retired) donated to thank those who have been promoting the Glitz & Glamour Fashion Show.
- Angelina Preza (Sales: Travel | Aquarium of the Bay) donated to share that her company is partnering with the California coastal clean-up. Volunteers will get free admission to the Aquarium of the Bay.
- Christopher Wiseman donated toward meal delivery services for Nancy Graydon and to share that he ran the Berlin Marathon.
- Heidi Kuhn (Peace Building | Roots of Peace) donated to invite us to celebrate the UN International Day of Peace and 26 years of Roots of Peace at her home on September 21, 2023.
Guest SpeakerPresident Sunny introduced today's speaker - Rodney Fong who is President and CEO at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Fong provided a San Francisco Business Update and discussed downtown revitalization.
San Francisco Business Update: Mr. Fong spoke about many positive things happening in San Francisco and noted the success of Dream Force and how good the City looked for visitors. The Tech Crunch will bring in new visitors when it opens. In November 2023, San Francisco will host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting where the leaders of 21 Pacific Rim countries will meet in the City. More good news is that Governor Gavin Newsom has allocated $17 million to San Francisco to pay overtime for police officers.
Downtown Revitalization: Mr. Fong talked about how business leaders in the City are reimagining what the downtown core should look like and how we should be using the space available. He mentioned the possibility of converting the Westfield Mall into a soccer facility. He talked about creating an environment with art and cultural endeavors, residential space, food services, and academic opportunities. Some of this environment would be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
President Sunny thanked Rodney and announced that 100 children would be inoculated against polio in his name.
The meeting concluded at 1:30 PM.
Meeting Volunteers
President Sunny thanked today's meeting volunteers: David Dye (Management Consulting | Retired) for serving as scribe; Jim Patrick for serving as photographer; Wendy Shew (Nonprofit Administration | Building Education) for managing the microphone; Kirt Burdick of the Academy of Art University for managing the audio-visual equipment during our in-person meeting; Robin Azevedo (Retail: Mattresses | Retired, McRoskey Mattress Company) for serving as greeter; and Ozan Yasavur for doing check-in at the Hotel Nikko.