Dear BBRC Friends,
As we enter the month of April, knowing that we still have weeks of social distancing ahead of us, it’s heartening to remember that we all still have each other to lean on, to laugh with, to learn with, to serve with…and to love!
Week two of “BBRC by Zoom” took place on April 1 (no foolin’!). Once again, more than 40 people joined the meeting, and we even had two visiting Rotarians from afar: John Charbonneau from Vancouver British Columbia, and Sarah Kim from Rotary District 5240’s “sister district” in Korea! Sarah made a lot of friends when she was in Bakersfield for the 2018 District Conference. We hope to see you at the November 6-8 2020 Conference in San Luis Obispo!
Hey everybody, Neil Walker finally “showed up” for a meeting…and we’re glad he did! He led us all in invocation, followed by the flag salute led by Kay Pitts.
Celebrations
Dr. Joe’s birthday is coming up on Friday, April 3. Since 4 of the 5 riskiest jobs (in terms of coronavirus) are related to the dental profession, it’s a good thing Dr. Joe is just handling emergency cases for the time being! Happy celebrating (at home), Dr. Joe!
We also have two BBRCers celebrating club anniversaries. Jeff “Buzz Lightyear” Haynes is celebrating 26 years as a Rotarian (thanks to his sponsor, Dale Bender—or was it Carl Leach???), and David Perkins is celebrating 1 year (thanks to his sponsor, Pres Cheryl—I know a good Rotarian when I see one!). Thanks, gentlemen, for all you do for our club!
Program
Our program for the day was timely and interesting, and even a little encouraging! Richard Chapman, President/CEO of Kern Economic Development Corporation talked about trends in our local economy. Kern EDC is a public-private partnership, and is charged with “cultivating and promoting Kern County’s boundless opportunities for business.” The 2018-19 year was the organization’s most successful, with nine major projects making the decision to expand to or within Kern County including the Amazon fulfilment center, cold storage facility for Walmart, distribution centers for L'Oreal and Hadco and a food processing for Joyride - a cold brew coffee.
For now, of course, everything is on “pause,” but Richard told us that a recent study indicates that Kern County is one of the least vulnerable regions in the nation when it comes to the projected econo
mic impact of COVID-19. This is due to among other characteristics, our diverse economy. The least vulnerable area is Washington DC due to the government presence. Cities that rely heavily on tourism are the most vulnerable. Honolulu came in as the most vulnerable. Las Vegas and Atlantic City were close behind.
mic impact of COVID-19. This is due to among other characteristics, our diverse economy. The least vulnerable area is Washington DC due to the government presence. Cities that rely heavily on tourism are the most vulnerable. Honolulu came in as the most vulnerable. Las Vegas and Atlantic City were close behind.