Introducing Jeff Bell, a dedicated Financial Advisor at Edward Jones and valued member of the Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Club. Jeff's Rotary journey began in 2008, and in 2016, he joined BBRC with the support of his sponsors, Roger Allred and Mike Stepanovich. Jeff brings a wealth of experience, having served as club president twice in his previous Rotary club and achieving distinctions including Paul Harris Fellow +4, nine years as an Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) contributor, and seven years as a Sustaining Member and TRG giver.
With a career launched in 1999 after earning a finance degree from BYU, Jeff has built a lasting partnership with his Branch Office Administrator, Nellie Mesa, since 2000. Together, they assist individuals, families, and small business owners in defining and pursuing their financial priorities.
Jeff and his wife, Amy, who he’s known since childhood, have been happily married for 27 years and are proud parents of five children and one granddaughter. Jeff also brings a unique global perspective to Rotary, having served a two-year mission in Brazil, where he gained fluency in Portuguese and an adventurous spirit. Jeff even has a wild story about fishing, catching, and cooking a piranha!
For Jeff, Rotary represents a meaningful opportunity to connect with inspiring people and make a positive impact on communities locally and worldwide.
Jeff and Amy with daughter Alyssa then, and now from Alyssa's recent wedding
Mike and Nancy Turnipseed celebrated 46 years of marriage on November 11.
Dale and JoAnne Bender beat them by celebrating 47 years on November 16. They shared their happiness by donating $1000 to the Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Foundation (BBRF) to help with recovery from the 1000 Flags theft. Thank you! Past President Pat Thompson was happy to see Jo
Denise Haynes celebrated nineteen years in BBRC on November 16. Congratulations!
Recognitions
$20 and a gift from Fritz’s Restaurant in KC. Jeff Haynes is back from a visit to his daughter and son-in-law in Kansas City. His SIL is stationed at Fort Leavenworth.
$20 to BBRC and $125 to BBRF and a little bottle of Monk-made coffee cream liqueur from Kay Pitts to celebrate returning from a river cruise on the Rhine.
Announcements
Robert Provencio announced the Master Chorale 2024-2025 schedule. More information and tickets are available at www. Bakersfieldmasterchorale.org.
The remaining concerts this season are:
December 17, A Master Chorale Christmas
March 29, 2025, Mozart & Beethoven with the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra
May 31, 2025, Irish & Americana Concert with Wrenwood Sessions.
Upcoming Events and Rotary Activities
The 1000 flags trailer and most of the flags are safely home. The rebar stakes are history. Chevron and Rain 4 Rent have offered help to get the program back on track. Past President David Spalinger has offered his business, Skyline Cabinet and Millworks to help cut the replace rebar. Past President Denise Haynes, President Elect Nominee Sandra Parnell, John Guerard, President David Lari and others worked with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office to recover the flags from a homeless encampment.
November is Foundation Giving Month. You should have received an email with the Foundation Pledge sheet. Please fill this out and return to BBRF President Mindy Wilmot this month!!
November 14 –Fireside chat on Rotary Basics. A follow-up session with other topics of interest is possible in January. Contact Membership Director John Guerard for more information or to let him know of your interest.
December 18 – BBRC Christmas party for SEAL Center students (Social, Emotional, Academic Learning) at Rafer Johnson Elementary School. Contact Denise Haynes for more information.
March 15, 2025 – SAVE THE DATE KernYES (Youth Empowerment Summit) will be held at the Kern High School Career & Technical Education Center (CTEC). Volunteers are needed throughout the day and evening. This is a wonderful opportunity to serve and help change the lives of our youth. (KernYES.org) BBRCYouth Service Director, Willie Gordon can provide more information in the next few months.
May 23-26, 2025 – Thousand Flags event chair, Denise Haynes noted that all club members are needed over the Memorial Day weekend to help set up, staff, and take down the event. Thousand Flags is our only event fundraiser this year for BBRF.
The Speaker: Greg Bielli, President and CEO of Tejon Ranch
Greg Bielli is looking forward to his retirement at the end of this year. He shared the Ranch’s history, current plans for the ranch and some of the challenges. The 270,000-acre parcel was pulled together from Mexican land grants 180 years ago by the Beale family.
It passed through the Chandler family and went public after the depression. It was ultimately listed 25 years ago on the New York Stock Exchange.
CEQA
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) was designed to “inform government decisionmakers and the public about the potential environmental effects and to reduce those environmental impacts to the extent feasible.” (lci.ca.gov)
A few organizations have weaponized CEQA. It now is used to significantly impact up to stopping road, housing and any other project through lawsuits.
Kern County is a great place to do business and is very supportive as is Antelope Valley. Los Angeles County is less so.
The outlet mall opened in August 2014 and is 91% occupied.
Commerce Center
They have been building spec logistics facilities in the adjacent commerce center. That has been successful also.
The commerce center has 4000-5000 jobs.
The current development next to the outlet is the Terra Vista apartment complex. It should open in April or May 2025.
Tejon is still a working ranch with oil, gas, minerals, film, hunting, farming operations. They have their own waster bank, the Tejon-Castac Water District. (It really is Castac, not Castaic.)
and JoAnne Bender beat them by celebrating 47 years on November 16. They shared their happiness by donating $1000 to the Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Foundation (BBRF) to help with recovery from the 1000 Flags theft. Thank you! Past President Pat Thompson was happy to see Jo
vent. Thousand Flags is our only event fundraiser this year for BBRF.
looking forward to his retirement at the end of this year. He shared the Ranch’s history, current plans for the ranch and some of the challenges. The 270,000-acre parcel was pulled together from Mexican land grants 180 years ago by the Beale family..png)
