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The meeting was delayed while this correspondent wandered vainly along Hartz Avenue looking for the Growler, which is, of course, on San Ramon Valley Boulevard. My apologies to all who were inconvenienced and especially President Terry Koehne, “Show Time,” who tap-danced his way into the hearts of all. He called the meeting to order with a makeshift gavel and bell and reminded us that R.I. President Shekhar Mehta has proclaimed the theme “Serve to Change Lives.” We’re working on it, Shekhar. The Greeter was Ed Duarte who led the Salute and shared the hard-won wisdom that you work eight hours a day to be successful and become a boss so you can work twelve hours a day. Ed shared that he and Linda were expecting their first great-grand child. He has been a member of the club for 34 years. This was followed by Show Time’s new Welcome Song: “Arriba, Abajo, El Centro, Endentro, Bienvenidos.” Despite the clever use of Hispanic-themed assonance and alliteration, the performance needs work. Good Times (Fine Free) included Dr. Bill’s announcement that he and the Sergeant had spent a week traveling to Oregon and had not come to blows once. Chris Gayler reminded us (especially the one Dodgers’ fan) that the Giants lead the Majors and that Brandon Belt had just come off the Injury List. Geoff Disch had a great fishing trip to Alaska and flew back with 17 cases of fresh fish. (They had their own seat.) Announcements: * The District Conference is still open. About ten from our club are signed up. * There was no interest in attending the Concert in the Park; thanks anyway to Karen McNamara for trying. * Terry announced that we will be meeting at our new permanent location, the Terrace Room at the Civic Center beginning August 19. At that time every one attending must be vaccinated. Those not vaccinated may meet in the parking lot. * To ensure an accurate count for the caterer beginning 8/19, Karen McNamara is establishing a RSVP system. She will announce details soon. Program: Stewart Bambino, the CEO of the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce, gave us an update on the local business community. He has headed the Chamber since 2010. Stewart explained that he works with a Board of about 20 local leaders representing different segments of the community. (Many of those present had served in the past.) The Chamber survived the pandemic by remaining open and using Zoom meetings extensively. In general, Stewart observed, the larger companies had weathered the challenges, but many of the smaller outfits had failed. In his experience there are many vacant offices in Bishop Ranch. The Chamber office has historically been housed in Bishop Ranch 6, but that complex is being torn down and replaced by 400 proposed housing units, and in August the Chamber will move to Bishop Ranch 1. Meanwhile, the City Center mall seems to be doing well. During the pandemic the Chamber had to cancel some events, such as the Business Expo, which usually draws about 350 attendees. They hope to have it back soon. The Chamber assisted members seeking funds for PPE loans. During the emergency the Chamber lost members and now has about 350. Stewart foresees a tough slog building the membership back up. Mayor Dave Hudson recently did the State of the City address again, a good sign. We did pick up some interesting tidbits. Glen Weber told how Alex Mehren funded the first fireworks show for the City years ago, after Glen made a small initial donation. The proposed Costco gas station is back in court. The plan for adding housing to the Market Place with its questionable design choices is on hold. Judy Lewis won the Greeter’s Gift and made money on the day. Chris Gallagher drew the blue marble, much to the disappointment of his many friends. |
