Today’s Meeting was in person and no recording is available.
President's Comments
Past-President Adrian welcomed all to our meeting today.
Guests
Greg Moore, guest of JB Moore
Happy Jar
Lumi Mironescu is happy that the Waterloo Collegiate Orchestra, where her daughter has played as first violin, has been named the Number One senior high school orchestra in Canada. They will be playing a concert at WCI on December 7.
Louise Gardiner is pleased that their 6-month old grandson, (from the marriage of their son and the daughter of honouray member Carol Wiebe), is now eating whole foods, as evidenced by the photo she received recently of her grandson chewing on a chicken bone!
Club Announcements
Online Auction
Committee chair, Neil Swayze, reported that our Auction Fundraiser is off to a very good start. We have exceeded our goals for both the number of items and their total value and reaching our overall goal of netting $22,000 is looking very possible. Members are reminded to collect the auction signs they put out within a day or so of the close of the auction this Saturday. Assistance will be needed with the distribution of the items to the winning bidders – Friday November 24 from 1 to 4 and Saturday, November 25 from 9 to 4. An event invitation will be sent out prior to the event.
Easter Seals Celebrity Hockey Tournament
Additional volunteers are still needed for this event. A remainder invitation will be sent and members are asked to please sign up if they are available.
Your Forever Fund
Members are reminded to please consider supporting this campaign to build a permanent fund to help with our support of needy organizations. Right now there is program with Canada Helps and the organizations to which donations are made can be eligible to win a prize of $1,000. Go to CanadaHelps.org, select the category Social Services and enter Kitchener Rotary.
Ukrainian Fundraising Calendar
Our Ukrainian Support Committee has developed a 2024 Calendar with art and wishes from children affected by the war in the Ukraine. These are available on the Rotary Auction site (Item #7532) for the Buy Now price of $24. Members wishing to assist the cause by selling calendars to friends, neighbours, colleagues, etc. should contact Okasna Tereschenko or Elena Shpinel for multiple copies.
Election for Board of Directors for Next Year
Members, who have not yet done so are asked to please vote for next year’s Board of Directors. Click on the link in the email that has been sent and make your selections easily online!
Forest Hill Nutrition Program
Staff at Forest Hill School who run the Nutrition for Learning Program have reached out to us about other programs they run and are looking for volunteers.
Strong Start is an early literacy intervention program where volunteers (who receive training) meet with young children one-on-one to help develop their reading and comprehension skills.
Basketeers are a group of volunteers working to support abused women in our community. They provide baskets to women starting out in supportive housing. The baskets can include basic household items and small appliances such as toasters, frying pans, towel sets, utensils and cooking tools, dish sets, etc. The local group is working to create 50 baskets and are looking for donations of items as well as $15 Food Basics Gift Cards and $10 Tim Horton Gift Cards. To help out or for more information contact April Scida – aprilscida@netscape.net or via 519-580-4232.
Program Highlights
Our speaker today was Rick Baker, founder of Waterloo Intuition & Technology Corporation and spoke on the topic of Riding the Eye of the Tech Hurricane.. He was introduced by Louise Gardiner.
Rick, a Waterloo entrepreneur, and his son Jack created "NeuStyle Software & Systems Corporation”, now rebranded “Waterloo Intuition & Technology Corporation”. Rick is a mechanical engineer and Jack was among Ontario's first professional engineers to obtain a Software P.Eng. designation.
Rick and his son bring big-business experiences and innovative ideas to mid-sized businesses, offering consulting services for technology integration and problem-solving. "Waterloo Intuition & Technology" assists business leaders in planning and optimizing Information Systems, promoting best practices, and enhancing governance and operations. Rick is leading an energy initiative where Ontario’s senior energy leaders are collaborating.
His presentation focused on 5 of 21 current trends in technology but he provided an outline of all 21 which is provided here.
Just as a hurricane gathers strength and momentum from the elements, technological advancement is fueled by human curiosity and innovation. As technology disrupts and changes our world, its ever- increasing power demands wise business choices that yield positive and enduring impacts.
"Riding the Eye of the Tech Hurricane" symbolizes embracing the calm within the tech storm, harnessing the power of technology, and steering through complexity and uncertainty. It’s now crucial for leaders of small to mid-size businesses to capture this energy and use transformative technological forces to drive forward momentum. By doing so, challenges are converted into opportunities for innovation, guaranteeing that small to mid-size businesses not only endure but flourish.
Let's explore practical examples of how this approach can be applied across various sectors. These examples introduce how embracing technological change can lead to significant benefits:
Staffing: Streamline recruitment, enhance employee engagement, and retention efficiently.
AI: Boost decision-making, operational efficiency, and customer personalization competitively.
Energy & Decarbonization: Manage the operating complexities of distributed energy resources.
Cybersecurity: Strengthen defenses, build user trust, and achieve compliance. Implement the three critical; basics steps - 1. 3rd-party review 2. rules training 3. firewalls
Healthcare: Improve care, accessibility, and manage data with telemedicine and AI.
Real Estate: Transform property dealings with VR, AI, and blockchain.
Agriculture: Enhance yields, reduce waste, and farm sustainably with technology.
Logistics: Speed up deliveries, cut costs, and manage inventory accurately.
When we embrace these technological winds of change we transform challenges into opportunities, propelling our businesses into the future of innovation, efficiency, and growth.
Members were reminded to continue encouraging bidding on the auction, to pick up signs on the weekend and to watch for the sign-up for the auction distribution. Also, the Ukraine Committee 2024 Calendars are available and members are asked to help in promoting them in the community.
