Mark your calendars, tell your friends, ask how you can support, sponsor a table, come hungry, bring your checkbook and an extra $20 per person for a knee slapping, tail grabbing, head touching, auction bidding, item winning, dinner eating, friend meeting, network outing evening with the comedy stylings of Steve Mittleman. 

 

Fall into Comedy is Thiensville-Mequon Rotary's largest annual fundraiser and supports the club and its community projects such as the Mequon-Thiensville Gateway Promenade, the Student of the Month Scholarship Program, and many other projects that make being a Rotarian something we are all truly proud of.  

 

How can you support?  Here's a few suggestions: 1. buy a ticket, 2. tell your friends to buy tickets, 3. sponsor a table (includes 10 tickets), 4. donate an item for the silent auction (talk to Rob Kos or Pam Koch), 5. tell your friends to donate silent auction items, 6. tell your table of 10 to donate silent auction items, 7. bid on silent auction items, 8. tell your friends to bid on silent auction items, 9. tell your table of 10 to bid on auction items. 

 

On a serious note (there is no serious note, it's a comedy show). 

 

If you've been to Fall into Comedy in the past you know it's a great time.  If you have not, you should find out exactly how great of a time it is. Hope to see everyone there! 

1. No Meeting Tuesday. Happy Labor Day. Meetings will resume September 11, 2018

 

2. Only one reported Rotarian spotted driving past Rotary Park before Tuesday's meeting which marked the first day back at Ozaukee Country Club. 

 

3. Reminder that if you would like to sit at a table with fellow afternoon Rotarians for the AM Club's Lobsterfest fundraiser, you should have talked to Rob Kos prior to now... However you may still be able to get in there to support the AM Club and enjoy some fresh lobster, or steak, or the vegetarian option.

 

4. Mark your calendars for Operation Highway Clean-Up, which is scheduled for Saturday, November 10, 2018 (probably 9 AM).  More information will follow as the date draws nearer. 

 

5. Rotary exchange student Elisabeth would like to raise funds for the Tennis Team.  Any Rotarians wishing to contribute can make a check to Homestead High School with "Support Tennis Team" in the memo line. Checks can be delivered to Ellen. 

 

6. On September 8 from noon to 9 PM, Rotary will have a tent out for Taste of Mequon.  The tent will need volunteers to sit under it, talk to people, and promote Rotary. We are looking for people who can volunteer for 2 hour windows as well as people who can assist with erecting the tent prior to the event.  If you are able to help you should contact Stan Smith.   

 

7. We have encountered some concerns that all Rotary Foundation donations may not be being accounted for.  I will be attempting to privately track contributions to confirm that contributors are being adequately awarded and recognized.  I am therefore requesting that if you make a contribution to the Rotary Foundation you send me a confidential email to sazinger@willmslaw.com with the amount of the contribution and date the contribution was made.  I'm pretty sure my email server will be able to handle to tidal wave of emails I will be receiving this week.    

 

Rotary sponsored exchange student Elisabeth Burschel joined the other Homestead exchange students for an AFS sponsored gathering this week. 

 

Rotarian and State Representative Jim Ott for spoke to the Club at Tuesday's meeting.  Representative Ott gave a few of the highlights from the last years legislative session, including the Foxconn deal, the education bill, closing the loophole for ignition interlock requirements for drunk drivers, and the passing of a structured settlement law. 

 

Representative Ott serves as the Representative for the 23rd Assembly District and where he is the Chair for the Committee on Judiciary, co-Chair on the Law Revision Committee, and also sits on the Committee for Review of Administrative Rules, Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules, Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, and Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs. Sporting an I Voted sticker, Jim Ott was unopposed in the August Primary and learned later Tuesday evening that he would be facing off in the General Election against Democrat Liz Sumner in November.

 

Speaking of November, Ott provided a very interesting history on the November elections, and how the partisan election came to take place on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November.     

 

MEQUON, WI, August 27 - Vertz Marketing and Concordia University Wisconsin are excited to announce the creation of the Vertz Marketing Rotary Small Business Innovation Center at Concordia University Wisconsin.

Starting in the fall semester, there will be openings for up to 10 Mequon-Thiensville businesses to become a part of this innovative marketing and business mentoring program.

The Vertz Marketing Rotary Small Business Innovation Center at Concordia University partners with select Mequon-Thiensville businesses to provide marketing and business development service to foster economic development in the region.

The Batterman School of Business at Concordia University Wisconsin, Vertz Marketing and Rotary International have combined their forces to share their business expertise with the Mequon-Thiensville Business Community. These entities will provide FREE digital marketing and business development planning to ten qualified area businesses each semester.

 

“We are proud to be a part in creating the Vertz Marketing Rotary Small Business Innovation Center at Concordia University and help give back to our local community,” said Tim Vertz, founder and CEO of Vertz Marketing.

 

Young, growing businesses in the Mequon-Thiensville community are encouraged to apply for the fall 2018 program. Each business will be assigned up to three Concordia University student interns for the semester under the direction of Concordia University and Vertz Marketing.

 

“We had a lot of success in the spring 2018 semester testing this concept with Thiensville area businesses and we’re very excited to expand this into Mequon and our new partnership with Vertz Marketing to serve the community,” said Dr. Daniel Sem, Dean of the Batterman School of Business at Concordia University Wisconsin.

 

Organizations including the Mequon-Thiensville Chamber of Commerce, Thiensville Business Association, Thiensville-Mequon Rotary and Ozaukee Economic Development are signed on as business association sponsors to help recruit businesses to take part in the Vertz Marketing Rotary Small Business Innovation Center program.

 

“This is a great service for up and coming businesses in the Mequon-Thiensville community. With all of the economic growth in Mequon-Thiensville and many new businesses coming to the area, the Vertz Marketing Rotary Small Business Innovation Center is a great community service. We appreciate the commitment of Vertz Marketing and Concordia University Wisconsin in our community,” said Tina Schwantes, Executive Director of the Mequon-Thiensville Chamber of Commerce.

 

Businesses can apply now for fall, 2018 programs at
https://vertzmarketing.com/concordia

For more information about the Vertz Marketing Rotary Small Business Innovation Center,
please contact:
Tim Vertz | timv@vertzmarketing.com | 414-379-1677
Dr. Daniel Sem | daniel.sem@cuw.edu | 262-243-2778
 

Thiensville Village President Van Mobley and Administrator Dianne Robertson, both fellow Rotarians provide an update on the things that are happening in Thiensville.  A need for volunteer firefighters, an expiring TIF, and a visit from a member of President Trump's cabinet. The quote of the week from the off the cuff Village President is "send us money and we will spend it wisely." Thanks Van and Dianne for a very informative discussion about what's happening in Thiensville. 

Rotary loves welcoming new members with the character necessary to be a Rotarian.  Kathleen Schneider is a physician working in hospice and palliative care and also serves the City of Mequon as the Alderperson for the 7th District.  We welcome Kathleen and look forward to getting to know her better. Featured with Rotarian Dan Gannon and President Tim Vertz.

Rotary welcomes Elisabeth Bu, Rotary sponsored foreign exchange studied from Germany.  We look forward to getting to know Elisabeth over the course of the next year.  Thank you to Bob Blazich from the AM club (and so much more) for bringing Elisabeth to the meeting.