banner
Aug 12, 2015
Club Information
Rotary Club of Tucson (Tel: 520-623-2281)
Tucson
Service Above Self
WEDNESDAYS, 12:00 NOON - 1:20 PM
DoubleTree Hotel
445 S Alvernon Way
Tucson, AZ  85711
United States
DistrictSiteIcon
District Site
 
VenueMap
Venue Map
Stories
Dick Gruentzel will give an update about the latest news at Tucson International Airport.  Among other things, hear about new air service and efforts to attract more flights, the impact of airline mergers, the impact of Phoenix Sky Harbor on TIA, major terminal and airfield projects and the new air traffic control tower.
 
Biography
 
Richard “Dick” Gruentzel, Vice President Administration and Finance and CFO, Tucson Airport Authority
 
Dick joined TAA in November of 2004. In addition to finance and accounting, Dick is responsible for Procurement, Human Resources, Information Technology and Business Development. He also oversees airline relations, air service development, property leasing, ground transportation and concessions.
 
Dick is a CPA and has over 30 years of experience in both public accounting and private industry. Prior to joining TAA he was Chief Financial Officer for Lisa Frank, Inc. 
 
A native of Wisconsin, he attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison where he received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting. He moved to Tucson in 1997 with his wife and two children.
 
Dick is also Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of Visit Tucson.
 
I think we’ve had some pretty interesting programs during the last several weeks. So when I saw a discussion by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), I figured we were in for a dry and possibly boring subject. Boy was I wrong! I was very intrigued with the presentation and had no idea that BLM public lands covered nearly 1/8th of the US. In the state of Arizona, the 6th largest state, the BLM administers over 12 million square miles of land. Pretty amazing when you stop to consider. We had plenty of questions following the program, so I think I wasn’t the only person in the room who found this topic interesting.
 
Only one Birthday this week, Happy Birthday to JERRY SULLIVAN, who regaled us with a few (in his words) “stupid jokes.” My favorite: A man is sitting alone in a bar. After a beer or two, he hears a voice talking to him. “That’s really a nice tie.” “You look nice today.” “I love the color of that shirt.” The man looks around but doesn’t see anyone else except the bar tender, so he asks: “I keep hearing voices, but I don’t think I’ve had that much to drink!” The bar tender replies: “Oh, don’t worry, that’s only the peanuts… They’re complimentary.” Needless to say JERRY got both a few laughs and a few groans from that one!
 
We have a new addition to the RCOT family. CONGRATULATIONS to Kathleen Hudson-Wicks and her family on the recent birth of their son – Walker Hudson-Wicks.
 
ELLIE PATTERSON provided an announcement that should make every Rotarian proud: Nigeria has now gone one full year without any new cases of polio! Let’s continue to support the Ride to End Polio so we can help keep this streak intact!
 
In closing, I can’t help but quote JERRY SULLIVAN once again: “What do you call a cracked window???  A PAIN IN THE GLASS!”
 
Have a great week!
 
“Waddiya Mean I Can’t Get Program Time Two Wednesdays From Now?”
 
The job of scheduling our weekly programs is much more difficult than it might first seem. Rotarians want “high-quality” programs. No matter how one approaches the task, there is the unavoidable fact that one member's great program can be another's lousy program. In confronting that challenge, each administration – and particularly each program committee - has the prerogative to devise its own solution.
 
It is easy to understand that some of the poor quality programs in the past were due to taking something - anything - to occupy a spot that had to be filled pronto. It was perhaps the only way out for the program committees, admittedly all volunteers, to grab whatever was readily available. And there are dozens of quick programs, particularly charities looking to make a pitch (direct or indirect) to our members. It is a fact that we could fill every program every year featuring local non-profits. Nearly all those groups are not "official" RCOT-supported organizations. But isn’t there a danger that too many (fill in your satisfaction level) of these type programs make members reluctant to attend and/or feeling overloaded with pleas for dollars?
 
Part of maintaining quality is not being in the position of having gaps in the near future that have to be filled in a matter of hours. But there is another, incompatible, side to the job.
 
Sadly, absolutely wonderful topics come up on relatively short notice. If they are "too good to pass up" (which is a subjective call in itself), we do the delicate dance of asking a scheduled speaker to yield. In an admittedly extreme example, we would obviously call a presenter to say we have to bump his/her program because the President of the United States is available to speak. It's a matter of judgment and trying to be fair to those we have previously agreed to put on the Wednesday podium.
 
To add to the program committee's challenges, we have club members who have become accustomed to being able to secure a program slot one to six weeks in advance. Nearly all are very good topics, if not “obligatory” topics. Should we hold one or more Wednesday presenter slots "just in case" of such opportunities? Maybe so, but how long do you hold off? Up until one week out? That would be great for flexibility, but terrible for quality in those cases where no adequate program pops up and we then have to get something less than appealing to fill a meeting.
 
In the end, like so much in life, it's a trade-off. One approach is to keep many open slots in the very near future to be able to handle last-minute requests and opportunities. But some of those slots will have to be filled with low-quality programs when nothing good comes up and we are seven days out. The other end of the spectrum is to book way ahead with only (what we judge will be) great programs. While we will rarely then be in the "take whatever we can get situation," we will also miss out on some admittedly better presentations that either arise on short notice or weren't thought about soon enough by the program committee or a club member.
 
There is a third approach: book way ahead while telling all presenters we reserve the right to bump them if need be. It is difficult to think that wouldn't be more harm than good in most cases. Yes, we want our Wednesday slots to be coveted by our presenters; but we also don’t want to get a reputation of regularly reneging on our invitations.
 
We all understand that every program – scheduled well ahead of time or not – will not be a home run. What looks good on paper can turn out to be mediocre or worse. Its human nature to say after the fact "wow, couldn't we have done better than that?" and cite examples which would, in all probability, have been better (at least on that same paper).
 
Such are the challenges of the program committee. Our 2015-16 effort is led by Ken Tucker. Ken and his committee are doing a superb job! The line-up looks outstanding for months to come.
 
Do you know of a program you believe would be well-received by the club? Send your suggestion to Ken. He will consider those as he fills out the schedule through June of next year. He also keeps alternatives in his back pocket in case of programs that cancel (we’ve had one already this year). Plus, he’ll forward the list of potentials to the 2016-17 Program Committee to help that year get underway.
 
Our club offers a premiere platform for speakers covering a huge spectrum of topics – arguably the #1 platform of its type in Tucson. Rotary International’s research revealed that weekly programs are a key factor in member satisfaction. Our club takes these opportunities seriously. We think the results are one part of what makes Rotary valuable to you.
 
Wanietta C. Stuckey M.Ed., a graduate student from Ball State University, is writing a dissertation on Competitive Employment and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The goal is to understand business leaders’ perspectives about individuals with ASD and how this may influence competitive employment. By understanding what employers seek in an employee during the hiring process as well as their views about ASD, program training individuals with ASD can be appropriately designed to increase the likelihood competitive employment will increase for this population.
 
Business leaders are being sought for this research project, which involves completing a 13-question survey taking no more than 5 minutes. The survey is set up so that all responses are confidential (not even Wanietta will know who provided which response). The intended audience is members of Rotary Clubs because of our motto of “Service above Self” which Wanietta believes suggests we might have an interest in learning more about the workplace and people with disabilities.
 
Here is the link to the survey…
 
https://bsu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_bw8MYYKkFXwhV4h
 
Pre-Set Fruit Cup
 
Steak Salad:  Marinated Steak Strips, Cucumbers, Tomatoes over Fresh Greens with Ranch and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing.
 
Bread Basket & Doubletree Cookies Served Family Style, Coffee, Decaf, Iced Tea
 
Vegetarian Option if reserved by Friday Noon:
 
Vegetarian Salad:  Portabella Mushrooms, Garbanzo Beans over Fresh Greens served with Ranch & Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing.
 
Fresh Fruit plate if reserved by Friday noon.  Gluten Free meals also available by advance reservation.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Membership           Scholarship Cups  

 

Active Members 177    
Cash Contributions
$ 69.00
Active Members Attendance Exempt 55    
Quarterly with Dues
 
$
 

247.00

Total Active Members 232     Total Scholarship Cups $

316.00

Honorary Members 19        

 

Meeting Attendance - Aug 5, 2015       Raffle $

270.00

Members 104          
Active Members AE 19     Auction RCOTF $

 

LOA/Honorary Members 1        

 

Total Members Present 124        

 

Guests 6        

 

Guests of the Club 3        

 

Visiting Rotarians 0        

 

Total Meeting Attendance 133        

 

Speakers
Aug 19, 2015
 
Aug 26, 2015
 
Sep 02, 2015
 
Sep 09, 2015
 
Sep 16, 2015
 
Sep 23, 2015
 
Sep 30, 2015
 
Oct 07, 2015
 
View entire list
Executives & Directors
President
 
President Elect
 
Treasurer
 
Secretary
 
Past President
 
Director
 
Director
 
Director
 
Director
 
Director
 
Director
 
Sergeant-At-Arms
 
Executive Director
 
RCT Foundation
 
Sponsors
Interested in being a sponsor?
Download the website sponsorship guide