Elkhart Rotary Club Meeting September 16, 2019

Welcome to the Elkhart Rotary Club Meeting on September 16, 2019; Today we welcomed Richard Pfeil of Pfeil Innovation Center, as he presented "Demographics of our Population at the National, State, and Local levels projected through 2050"
 
 

President Candy Yoder opened the meeting and introduced Jim Rieckhoff who shared thoughtful words, led the Pledge, and Four-Way Test.  

Guests were introduced by Ashley Bowen, including Honorary Rotarians Art Decio and Jenny Nolan, visiting Rotarian Dick Pfeil (our presenter) from South Bend Club, and guests of Rotarians Allie Canniff (Brad Canniff), Tom Labozienski (Anthony Hunt), Greg Conrad (Scott Puckett), and Kristen Frino (Moe Jacobson). Welcome to ALL, we hope you can all join us again some other time!

NEW MEMBER INTRODUCTION: Dr. Larry Knight was inducted to the club today by Aileac Deegan and Larry's sponsor, Jack Cittadine. He may be the first new member to bring a prop to his induction, a gorgeous lotus flower from Larry's own water garden, one of his personal hobbies. Welcome, Larry!

 

Announcements for September 16:

  • Julie Cotton announced that RSVPs are still being taken for our Monday, September 30 - - the FIFTH MONDAY - - Rotary Dinner at Matterhorn, a special event in lieu of our regular Monday luncheon. Drinks and happy hour begin at 5:30 p.m. Musical entertainment provided generously by Steve Gruber, featuring songs of remembrance from our past. RSVP to Julie Cotton, along with your song requests and photos from the past for a special slideshow. Cost is $25 per person.
  • Erin Wagler announced that the Marketing Committee is attempting to update member contact info, please send your updates to Erin Wagler or Eric Garton directly, they'll get your info updated in Clubrunner. This update is an effort to meet our strategic planning goals that include our efforts to receive presidential citation.
  • Terri Rickel announced...
    • Next week, there is NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION at 11 a.m. on September 23 at Matterhorn before our regular meeting.
    • Membership Committee and Board of Directors members should attend a luncheon at Perkins at 12 p.m. on Monday, September 13 to learn about district membership recruitment efforts and training.
  • Kathy Sears announced that she has raffle tickets for the October 19 Boys and Girls Club of Elkhart County Fundraiser: 2019 Bet on Success. Contact Kathy if you'd like raffle tickets for great prizes; they're $30 each or 4 for $100. 
  • Don Stohler is planning a memorial bike ride for past club members Larry Roberts and Bob Lindahl; if you're interested contact Don.
  • Candy announced our planned October 14 Mayoral Candidate Forum with Dave Miller and Rod Roberson - - if you have questions for consideration please send them to moderator Jim Rieckhoff by October 7.
  • REMINDERS: There are still A FEW TICKETS LEFT to the October 4 Dionne Warwick concert at the Lerner; if you're interested, contact Julie Cotton directly. Billing will be done through your account.
Today's Sergeant was Brad Canniff, who offered valuable nutritional information and poked some good-natured fun at members for their recent, mild transgressions worthy of a few bucks. Of course there was the obligatory Unicycle Tax - - Brad's preferred mode of transportation to the podium when Sergeant-ing. Nice job of FUNdraising today, Brad! Rotary fines are collected weekly and are pooled into a fund throughout the year. In the spring more than $10,000 is distributed as grants to not for profit organizations around our county. Thanks, All, for your contributions!
 
Today's speaker, Dick Pfeil was introduced by club member Sarah Rice. A fellow Rotarian from the South Bend Club, Dick is a South Bend resident who has been involved in community and public service in our region for many years including his current role as St. Joseph County Council Member and serves on the Board of Trustees for Ivy Tech. Dick received his bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University followed by his MBA at Indiana University. Dick owns Koontz-Wagner Electric, established in 1921 and will be inducted into the South Bend Hall of Fame later this year. Today, Dick presented "Demographics of our Population at the National, State, and Local levels projected through 2050"
 
Dick provided an overview of human population on early since the year 1800, when there were approximatley 1 billion people on earth and the life expectancy was 35 years old. In 1900 the earth's population had reached 1.6 billion, but took a HUGE leap in the 20th century and now in 2019 we're at approximatley 7.7 billion people on planet earth!
 
He then interpreted slides repsresenting age groups, ethnicity, even religious affiliations, and what we can expect those shifts to represent in our workforce. From the Indiana Manufacturers Association President Brian Burton: "The numbers are clear. Nationally there will be a need for 10 million new skilled workers by 2020. Currently, 600,000 skilled jobs are going unfilled. According to a recent survey by 'U.S. Skills Gap', 83% of companies report a moderate to severe shortage of skilled workers. And 69% expect the shortage to worsen over the next three to five years."
 
Slow growth in population is also a factor, particularly in Indiana. "The US population is currently near 330 million with Indiana's population in 2019 at 6.7 million. Indiana's current growth rate is approximately 0.4%, which is about HALF of the US average." (Indiana Manufacturing Association publication, 3rd Quarter 2019)
 
 
 
If you'd like more information or to discuss the information provided by Dick, please feel free to contact him, he welcomed the interaction. For a full set of the handouts Dick provided at the presentation, SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE to view.
 
Thanks, Dick, for a very entertaining and informative presentation at our Rotary Club!
 
About Rotary:
Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, community leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and act to create lasting change – across the globe, in our local communities, and in ourselves. The Elkhart Rotary Club was founded in 1917 and serves its community through volunteerism, providing grants to not-for-profit organizations, sponsoring, and participating in service projects such as ringing bells for the Salvation Army, roadside trash collection, and are the originators and sustainers of Wellfield Botanic Gardens. Elkhart Rotary Club’s membership consists of approximately 150 dedicated individuals from various professional backgrounds and diverse interests. Membership in the Elkhart Rotary Club is by invitation. We welcome guests to attend any of our meetings and hear from our great lineup of weekly presenters.
For more information on the Elkhart Rotary Club, visit elkhartrotary.org or email elkhartnoonrotary@gmail.com. Like and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook/ElkhartRotaryClub to stay current on meetings, upcoming events or speakers, and initiatives in the community.
 
Upcoming Meetings and Programs:
Join us for our next meeting:
All meetings are at noon on Mondays at the Matterhorn Banquet and Conference Center, 2041 Cassopolis St. in Elkhart IN, 46514. In months that include a FIFTH Monday, the Elkhart Rotary Club holds an alternative meeting or activity.