Stories

Today's speaker was Jason Lukis.  Jason was a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America for 12 years before becoming involved with the global organization  International Association For Refugees(IAFR), which is headquartered here in the Twin Cities.  IAFR was established in 2009  to create an international Christian nonprofit agency devoted to the mission of helping people survive and recover from forced displacement. They do this in partnership with both local and refugee churches.  There are currently over 82 million people forcibly displaced worldwide and over 40% are children.  4% of them are "Asylum Seekers" meaning they are going through the long legal process of being granted legal asylum in another country.  Jason focused his comments on this group.  Asylum seekers in the U.S. are not here illegally but are working through the legal process, which takes years and does not always end with asylum being granted.  During this time these people are not eligible for government aid and are not allowed to work.  There are currently 3000 asylum seekers in Minnesota.  IAFR has created and staffs Jonathon House here in the Twin Cities which houses 9 people.  Much help is needed for Minnesota asylum seekers and Jason referred us to the following sites for more information on how we might help:  www.mnasylumnetwork.com, www.asylumsponsorshipproject.org, and jonathonhouse.org/donate.

 

 

 

 

 

Today we heard from newest member Anoop Mathur, who was accompanied by his wife Preeti.  Both of the Mathurs have Masters Degrees - Anoop's in Chemical Engineering from the University of MN, and Preeti's in Journalism.  Anoop had a long career at Honeywell before leaving to start a new venture, Terrafore Technologies LLC, a development company active in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy with a specific focus on Thermal Energy Storage.  During his time at Honeywell, Anoop was awarded 28 U.S. patents and made technology contributions in many areas:  advanced sensors and controls, advanced materials, neural networks and A.I., wireless sensors and solar technologies.  He also donates his time to a number of volunteer activities, including the Science Museum of MN, the local Indian American Organization, the Sehgel Foundation and F.A.T.H.E.R., a group which helps with adult education to allow individuals to obtain their GEDs.  He and Preeti are the proud grandparents of two little ones, who reside in London with their daughter and son-in-law.  They also have a son in the Twin Cities.  We are so pleased to have this very busy and accomplished man as part of our Arden Hills/Shoreview Rotary!  Thanks to Mark Stange for his recruiting effort, which followed a chance meeting to return Preeti's lost cell phone, which Mark had found in the middle of the road!

Our speaker today was Mark McCabe, Director of Ramsey County Parks and Recreation.  This department covers a wide scope within our county - both county and regional parks, trails, beaches, golf courses, nature centers, and ice arenas.  There are also organized activities at some locations such as log rolling at Tony Schmidt Park and "Cops and Bobbers" at Long Lake Regional Park.  And, of course, more traditional activities such as cross-country skiing, bird watching, geocaching and orienteering.  In total there are about 5 million visitors to these locations each year.  McCabe addressed audience questions about the local problem of the flooded/closed Snail Lake beach and trails.  He acknowledged the community frustration this situation has caused but noted that the past 10 years have been the wettest in recorded history.  The high water mark on Snail Lake just keeps getting higher.  He noted that there are a number of parties studying this issue and predicted that, within two years, there will be action of some sort taken to allow the beach to re-open.

Members and guests will meet on June 4 at the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis for a tour arranged by Colleen Lavin.  The WaPo and NYT report that anonymous sources have indicated attendees will receive free samples from the bank.  Bonanza or fake news?  Come and see.  Mark Stange has arranged for Director Mark McCabe to talk to the club about Ramsey County's parks and recreation programs on June 11.  The club's newest member, Anoop Mather, will make his classification talk and tell members about his role as chief technology officer at Terrafore Technologies on June 18.  There will be no morning meeting on June 25.  Instead members will gather at 5 pm on Wednesday, June 26, at the Shoreview Community Center to participate in the Rotary Club's Visioning Process.

 

We were honored today to have former MN Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, Tom Landwehr, as our speaker.  Tom's time in that role ended with the 2018 change from Mark Dayton to Tim Waltz as governor of MN and he is now serving as Executive Director of "Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness", an organization of residents in and around Ely, Minnesota, who are dedicated to creating a national movement to protect the clean water, clean air and forest landscape of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and its watershed.  The name of the current campaign is "Save The Boundary Waters" and is directed at the efforts by a Chilean Mining Company to begin mining copper, nickel and other metals from sulfide-bearing ore at a location in the BWCA.  Pollution from this mine would flow directly into the heart of the Boundary Waters.  Even conservative models show that waterways would carry contaminants into the Wilderness and that a single mine would pollute this wilderness area for at least 500 years.

 

 Today's speaker was John Linc Stine, Director of the local Freshwater Society.  This is a role he has recently taken on upon retiring from the paid work force.  His work career included 40 years in Minnesota State government - at the Pollution Control Agency, and the Department of Natural Resources.  The overriding message of John's presentation was this:  "Everything we do on the land impacts water".  Examples are endless but include paving of roads and disposing of trash.  We learned that in Ramsey County, our trash is incinerated, while in most of outstate MN, trash goes to landfills.  We were encouraged to "think before we buy" as a way to minimize the ever growing problem our trash presents.  There are success stories with some of our rivers in MN:  The Mississippi is now home to walleye and can be readily fished.  And the St. Croix River is relatively pristine.  Phosphorus is no longer the problem it once was as it is largely gone from soap and fertilizer.  The Minnesota River is a more problematic case because it runs through large stretches of farmland, where it picks up a lot of nitrogen from fertilizers.  Higher water levels have caused much river bank erosion, also, so that the Minnesota River water is brown with soil run-off.  As for lakes, 94% of MN area lakes are the same or cleaner than they were in 1980.  Only 6% are in worse shape.  In fact it was noted that the reason walleye have become so scarce in Lake Millacs is that the water is clearer than it used to be, causing the walleye's natural enemies to see them more easily!  We are fortunate to live in a state with as much good news as bad, when it comes to our precious water resources!

Shannon Brumbaugh and Kimberly Alexander-Susens from Midwest Special Services were our speakers today.  This organization has been providing services for physically and developmentally challenged adults in the Twin Cities for 70 years.  Shannon serves as development director and Kim is the site manager for one of their six sites, which happens to be in Shoreview, just a hop and a skip from our meeting location at Shore96.  MSS provides day programs and work opportunities for their clients.  They are well known for their arts program and, in fact, have a gallery in Lowertown St. Paul which features works by their clients.  The Shoreview location has begun an innovative program in bee keeping, thanks in part to a grant they received last year from the Shoreview Community Foundation.  This venture has been a good fit for several reasons.  It helps support the bee population in our area which has been under threat due to many environmental factors.  And it provides an opportunity for MSS clients to do something which most of us don't have the opportunity or bravery to tackle.  These individuals are normally not able to participate in activities which might be considered "dangerous" and so this is a rare thing for which they can feel justifiably proud.  

 

Today's meeting was an interesting off-site visit to the new Loden S.V. apartment complex in Shoreview.  Josh Brandsted from Greco Real Estate Development spoke with us about the history of the project.  Discussions began in September of 2017 as the city looked for a way to address the commercial building that had sat there unoccupied for 7 years after Deluxe Corporation had faced downsizing.  Greco had not done any business in the Shoreview/Arden Hills area before but was quickly taken with the opportunity, impressed by the plethora of local trails, parks and lakes, as well as the convenience of the location.  The first phase, which includes 200 units, opened in July 2018 and is currently 95% leased.  The second phase, which will be another 200 units, will be started in the fall.  We were all impressed with our tour of the facility and its many amenities.  Some were expected - large, lovely communal gathering areas, fitness area, screening room and underground parking.  Others were a surprise - a dog washing facility, a bike room which included space and tools for bike repair, a small dog park and a pickleball court!  The average age of occupants is 31 and 40% are pet owners.   65% of the units are studio/1 bedroom with the remainder being primarily 2 bedroom units.  Rents range from $1,200 to $2,200 plus utilities.  It appears this project is a huge success.  Terry Schwerm spoke highly of Greco as a business partner and the high occupancy rate speaks to the fact that Loden is delivering what folks are looking for these days.

Our speaker today was Ed Marek who is Rotary District 5960 Governor Nominee.  He will step into that role for the 2020-2021 Rotary year.  Currently Ed heads the district committee on ethics and his presentation today focused on the importance and relevance of Rotary's 4-Way Test.  He pointed out that Rotary's 4-Way Test makes it the only major service club that is grounded on ethical principles.  Given the current climate of political divisiveness in our country, the district's ethics committee has looked for ways to build more focus and recognition about this unique aspect of Rotary.   Ed hails from the St. Paul Sunrise Club, and showed a video from one of their club meetings in which individual members spoke to how the 4-Way Test has helped them in their professional lives.  The video also went on to cover other ways in which clubs might work to bring focus to the 4-Way Test in their local communities.  Clubs in Northfield and Eagan have held ethics workshops for local high schools.  Other clubs have conducted school essay contests and anti-bullying videos.  These are all practical ideas that could have a great dual purpose - publicizing the good work of Rotary in a way which directly benefits the local community.

    

Ken Hola has arranged three interesting speakers and an off-site meeting for March.  Marvin Sims is the equity coordinator and founder of the STRIPES program for the Mounds View School District.  On March 5 Marvin Sim's program will highlight the STRIPES Program and the equity promise of the school district.  Minnesota has the largest disparity in the U.S. on standardized tests between white students and students of color.  Mr. Sims will explain how the Mounds View District is trying to eliminate that disparity.

Tom responded to questions about the current unemployment rate and loss of manufacturing and other jobs in certain segments of the economy. He noted that markets will always have volatility, which is why having some type of balanced investment portfolio that also includes bonds is important. 

We had a good group gathered on this freezing cold January morning, including frequent visiting Rotarian Ron Hughes from the Excelsior club.  Our speaker was Bob Selden, who serves as President of the Volunteer Committee for the Fort Snelling National Cemetery.  Fort Snelling's cemetery is one of 136 national cemeteries in the country and is the fourth busiest; it was dedicated in 1939 and now spans 450 acres.  There are 5,300 interments per year; currently 62% of those interments are cremation vs. 38% burials.  Only 10 years ago, this ratio was reversed.  There are a total of 232,700 interments at the cemetery.  291 of those are unknown graves from the civil war and prior.  The volunteer committee that Bob leads was created to obtain funds to maintain the cemetery.  They are currently planning to petition the National Cemetery Agency to create a new, permanent monument to the "Unknown", which is estimated will cost about $300k.  Most of the committee members also serve on the volunteer rifle squad, which provides military honors each day to veterans being interred that day.  Bob serves on the "Friday" squad, as does our own Joe Ziskovsky.  Anyone who has visited Fort Snelling knows this is a beautifully maintained, lovely place.  It has been recognized as such as it is now listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Today's speaker was Kim Crockett, Vice President, Senior Policy Fellow and General Counsel of the Center of the American Experiment, a conservative "think tank" based in Golden Valley.  Her presentation was entitled "Pulling in Minnesota's Welcome Mat" and argues that our state is being harmed by generous welfare benefits that have made it a much favored destination for immigrants and refugees.  At the heart of this discussion lays difficult questions like, "What is our moral obligation to refugees?", "What constitutes genuine humanitarian assistance for refugees?", "How many refugees can Minnesota successfully absorb?", "How will Islam affect our culture, law and freedom?".  The process of resettling refugees is complicated.  The federal government decides where to place refugees, often in concert with local Voluntary Agencies (VOLAGs), like Lutheran Social Services.  The federal government provides some up-front funding to state programs, but usually this ends within three months of a refugee's stay in the country.  After that a refugee's major needs are covered by state benefits.  Congress has not addressed the ever-increasing pressures related to global immigration trends, as evidenced by the current battle being waged in Washington and the resulting partial government shutdown, hence this presentation was timely.

Our presenter at this, our first meeting of 2019, was Chad Latour, from the investment firm of Lord Abbett.  His objective was to provide an overview of the performance of financial markets in 2018 as well as to share the firm's thinking on expectations for 2019.  This was well-timed, given the significant decline in market valuations in the last quarter of 2018.  The net result was that both the Dow and S&P indexes were down about 7% for the year.  Virtually every category of investment lost ground in 2018.  This was as compared to 2017 in which every asset category made money and despite the fact that corporate earnings were widely up in 2018.  Why?  Letour attributed most of the market decline to fear that the Fed would raise interest rates substantially in 2019.  After the strong market reaction late in 2018, the Fed did back off its plan to raise rates, which has helped the market recover somewhat in the early days of 2019.  Lord Abbett projects that the S&P will improve by about 8% in 2019.  Inflation is expected to continue at the relatively low rate of just over 2%.  There is some fear that global growth rates will slow during the year, driven greatly by expectations for a slowdown in China's economic growth.