President Dave Skinner called the meeting to order on another hot and steamy day in South Florida.
Marcia Brod gave and invocation and Angel Rodriguez led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
Visitors and Guests were introduced by Arlene Terrinoni
George Arias is a VP-Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch. He works a lot with Brazilians – helping them invest in the U.S. He will soon be joining the club as a member;
Rita Merovich is a visiting Rotarian from the Rotary Club Puerto Madero in Argentina;
Rolando Bewsignor is also visiting from Argentina;
Carlos Chavez and Consuelo Baez were visiting today from Colombia. Consuelo is a Rotarian from the Centenario Bogota Club;
Gary Sisler lunched with us today. A former member and special friend – it was great seeing him;
Camille Dircks is an advisor with Coastal Wealth was joining us for a second meeting;
Jasmine Johnson came to the meeting with Camille and is an Asset Manager with S&A Property Investment Services.
Announcements
Diane Landsberg shared that the Miami High Interact Club was coming the Yacht Club for a clean-up day. This community service project will include lunch and a dip in the pool afterwards on Wednesday, July 25. If members are interested in joining the students for lunch – RSVP is required;
Phil Seipp continued to hand out awards. Brian Tschirhart received recognition for 40 years of membership and Tim Ryan received a gift for serving on the board of directors in 2017-18;
A successful board meeting was held. Honorary membership in the club was bestowed upon Randy Jimenez – Interact Club Advisor at Miami High, and Jorge Colina – City of Miami Chief of Police.
Happy $$$$$$$$$$$$$ were collected by Rick Hernandez
Rick Hernandez was happy to be back in town, but will be leaving again for a trip to California that includes 18 holes at Pebble Beach. He hopes to break 100;
Diane Landsberg is glad to have Gary Sisler at today’s meeting. She mentioned that Dave Anderson is celebrating a birthday and posted that instead of gifts, if anyone wishes, he’d like folks to make donations to the Rotary Club of Miami Foundation. Diane was making her contribution;
Dave Skinner was happy that his first board meeting went well and no directors were harmed;
Norby Rudel was excited to hear about Rick’s trip to Pebble Beach and was thrilled to have finally broken 100 on the golf course;
Cory Gittner was proud to see his 25-year old son succeeding in his new business so quickly;
Phil Seipp reported that TBM awards to finalized and are going out to students;
Brian Tschirhart is looking forward to his vacation. He shared a golf story about former member Marshall Phillpit – he consistently shot 90 at age 90 – he would sometimes stop at the 12th hole and other times maybe the 15th.
Today’s Speaker was introduced by Marcos Menendez
Ana Gonzalez is working to deepen 500 Startups presence in Miami. She is passionate about working with great founders, Latin America, social and environmental impact;
500 Startups is convinced that Miami is uniquely poised to become a truly inclusive and global hub for entrepreneurship. That is why they are launching an operation in the heart of Downtown Miami;
Their goal is to connect South Florida, the East Coast, and Latin America to Silicon Valley and their global network, with a key focus on supporting underrepresented founders;
They are aiming to bring their world-class resources, expertise and network to support founders, investors, corporates and the wider entrepreneurial community;
500 Startups is a venture capital firm on a mission to discover and back the world’s most talented entrepreneurs, help them create successful companies at scale, and build thriving global ecosystems. Since its inception in 2010, 500 Startups has invested in over 2,000 companies across more than 60 countries and has mentored thousands of entrepreneurs through its Seed and Series A programs.
50/50 BIG WINNER is Renel Noel!!!! He picked the lucky Ace of Spades and walked away the big $900+ pot. CONGRATULATIONS RENEL!!!!! Just in time for his trip to Haiti.
Scott Richey led everyone in the 4-Way Test of the Things Rotarians Think, Say or Do.
