PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Economic Development is the Key!
First, I want to thank all of you who made our District Governor’s visit full of FUN and FELLOWSHIP. It is simply amazing to step back and see all of the great work being done by Roswell Rotarians in Roswell and around the world! Congratulations to this club for a great job! And, we are not done yet!
On Saturday, Dave Wash led a Roswell Rotary team, including Kathy Igou, Dave McCleary and Luba Bilentschuk, in support of the Veterans Empowerment Organization by walking with them and carrying the VEO banner at the Veterans Day parade, by delivering much needed supplies, and building relationships with our American Heros! It was a wonderful day to hear the stories of these men and women and how VEO has given them hope and a place to call home. I challenge each of you to ask Dave how you can get involved and help our Heros! There is much to do (Dave has a list!) and we can do it!
As we all know, Roswell and Georgia are great places to do business! This week, Craig Lesser will update us on the economic developments in Georgia. Craig is Managing Partner of the Pendleton Group, which provides governmental affairs, economic development and strategic communications counsel to governments and businesses. He served as Georgia’s Commissioner of Economic Development from 2004 to 2007. This is sure to be an interesting and informative program as Georgia’s economic development activities impact all of us. As I was thinking about this week’s topic, I watched an excellent Ted Talk about How We Can Help Young People Build a Better Future by Henrietta Fore with UNICEF. Check it out at https://www.ted.com/talks/henrietta_fore_how_we_can_help_young_people_build_a_better_future She posits that young people are 25% of our population, but they are 100% of our future. Helping them build their and our future is incumbent upon each one of us, so look for a way to mentor a young person (keep in mind—that young person might be over 40!) and give them an opportunity to learn from you…and maybe Hal Coleman.
One great opportunity to help our economy and our young people is to sign-up entrepreneurs and entrepreneur-wannabes for the Entrepreneur’s Workshop led by Hal Coleman, sponsored by Roswell Rotary and Roswell Inc. and held at Century 21 Connect Realty’s offices in February and March! The details are below. Small business is the lifeblood of our economy and we want to help them succeed. Our future depends on their success!
President Becky
This Week's Speaker
Craig Lesser,
Craig Lesser provides advice, connectivity and strategic planning services to corporations, institutions and government entities in the areas of economic development and governmental affairs.
He served as Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development from 2004 to 2007.
As chief marketing officer for the State, he led efforts to recruit new businesses and industries to Georgia and expand global trade and tourism. During his tenure as Commissioner, Georgia announced nearly 500 new investments and business expansions, which totaled more than $8 billion and created more than 40,000 new jobs.
Lesser led expansion of Georgia’s international presence by adding representatives in Germany, Chile, Brazil, China, and France, which were additions to existing representation in other international offices. He also served as president of Hemisphere, Inc., a public-private partnership that brought the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas Secretariat to Atlanta. He was recently named to the advisory board of Georgia Tech’s Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.
Prior to founding Pendleton Atlanta, Lesser served as managing director of McKenna Long & Aldridge where he headed International Affairs consulting services. He served as vice president of governmental and regulatory affairs for Georgia Power Company; president and CEO of Mirant, New York; and senior vice president of external affairs for Mirant Americas.
He is chairman of the board of CIFAL Atlanta, a UN-based initiative that provides training to local officials, most frequently in Latin America, on governance, economic development, women’s and health issues.
Lesser was named to the Carter Center Board of Councilors in 2017, and currently serves on Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s Marketing Task Force for Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, as well as the advisory committee of the J.W. Fanning Institute of the University of Georgia, and the board of directors of Public Broadcasting of Atlanta, and the Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta Cultural Center.
He has served as chairman of Georgia Public Broadcasting, the board of the World Trade Center Atlanta, and Atlanta Regional Commission’s Economic Competitiveness Initiative.
He has served on the Boards of Visitors of Emory University and the University of Georgia, the World Trade Center Atlanta, the Georgia Chamber International and bi-National Committees, and the Georgia Municipal Association’s Downtown Cities Task Force.
Lesser provides consulting services through the Pendleton Group, the JEL Consulting Group and the Saffron Group.
Georgia Trend Magazine once again named Lesser to its list of the 100 Most Influential Georgians in 2017. He has been honored for his work in the international sector and the arts by a number of organizations and has been asked to speak on international business and economic development at universities and seminars around the world, including China, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, England, Honduras and El Salvador. Recently, he spoke on public private partnerships at a UN conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
He received his B.A. from the
State University of New York College at Oneonta and is a graduate of the
Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School, Leadership Georgia and
the Regional
Leadership Institute.
He and his wife, Nancy, live in
Sandy Springs. His oldest daughter is a graduate of the University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill; and his youngest recently graduated from the University
of Georgia.
Charity Spotlight
Hope Roswell
Mission:
To unify and mobilize the Roswell church as the active instrument of Godly transformation in our community.
Fast Facts:
- Founded in 2010, Hope Roswell serves the Roswell community by partnering with local churches, Rotarians, businesses, and organizations to provide basic needs and services to underprivileged neighborhoods.
- Hope Roswell is unique because it is one of few church mobilizing networks in the United States that is completely church led.
- The annual Day of Hope event provides over 2,000 residents with a day of family fun as well as much needed food and health services.
- Over 1,500 pairs of tennis shoes are distributed to residents in need at the annual Day of Hope.
- Last year, Hope Roswell provided high school students with over $2,000 in gift cards to assist in purchasing back to school supplies.
- Hope Roswell assists in bringing awareness to the community of the need for foster care and assists in finding and training new foster parents.
- Hope Roswell recently started a phonetics program to assist preschoolers in learning the alphabet, numbers, colors, and shapes.
Find out more:
TIME TO REGISTER!
HOLIDAY PARTY TIME!
The Roswell Rotary Holiday Party will be Friday, December 14th at 6:30pm at the Roswell Country Club. We will once again be dancing to the tunes of the Fly Betty band. It's a great time of fun and fellowship! Tickets are $50.00 per person. Reserve your spot with Alicia Hughes or go to https://roswellrotary.club/v2/event/3545 to register and pay!
ENTREPRENEUR'S WORKSHOP
INVITE AN ENTREPRENEUR!
How To Start A Business, Make It Grow And Turn It Into A FUN, THRIVING…and PROFITABLE Future!
This 6 week workshop led by Hal Coleman is for those individuals who either already own a small business and want to know how to make it grow faster…or dream of someday owning their own business but don’t know how to get started!
WHEN: February 7, 14, 21, 28 and March 7 and 14 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Century 21 Connect Realty, 880 Holcomb Bridge Road, Suite 150, Roswell, GA (Next to Brookwood Grill)
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Go to http://halcoleman.com/entrepreneursworkshop/
TIME TO REGISTER!
DISTRICT CONFERENCE AT SANDESTIN!
After an inspirational message from District Governor Court, Big Wheels, Margaritas and a visit from our own Roswell Rotary Parrot, We are Ready to Sign-up for District Conference! The Rotary Bandit is racing to SanDestin arriving April 25 - 28, 2019 singing:
We are Sandestin bound and down, loaded up and truckin',
We're gonna do what they say can't be done.
We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there.
We are Sandestin bound, just watch ol' "Rotary Bandit" run.
District Conference registration is now open.
Current prices are good until December 31. They will go up on January 1, so reserve now - and be eligible for Early Bird prize drawings!
https://rotary6900.org/ and then click on the gold District Conference button.
See you there for Adult Spring Break!
Last Week at Rotary
