The Rotary Club of Kirkland held its regular weekly meeting online on October 26, 2020.
Attending were James Nevers, Dave Aubry, Joanne Primavera, Steve Shinstrom, Rich Bergdahl, John Pruitt, John Woodbery, Kristin Olson, George Anderson, Rick Walter, Bill Taylor, Amy Mutal, Bella Chaffey, Rick Ostrander, Dave DeBois, Monica Fratiti, Brandon Honcoop, Mike Hunter, Gary Cohn, Don Dicks, and Jim Meneketti. Let me know if I missed anyone.
President James Nevers rang the bell at 6:16 p.m.
John Pruitt recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
Announcements –
Dave Debois reported that there were lots of Rotary dollars donated to Nourishing Network as well as Club money through Community Service.
Dave Aubry reported that the Pavilion kit is scheduled to be delivered this week for our project on the Cross Kirkland Corridor.
Don Dicks reported on World Polio Day activities. We can still donate through the Rotary International website.
Dave Debois will be sending out an email asking for help with on-line shopping for Eastside Bay Corner.
James Nevers reported that he is still working on a return to dinner meetings at the Woodmark Hotel. We need a few more interviewers for Student of the Month.
Happy Dollars –
Rick Walter did Happy Dollars – there were several happy Rotarians: Rick Walter, Rich Bergdahl, James Nevers, John Woodbery, Dave Aubry, and Mike Hunter. Rotarians contributed $300 through Happy Dollars this evening.
Program –
Dave DeBois introduced our speaker, Melissa Acton-Buzard, CEO and founder of Chameleon Technologies, a Kirkland-based staffing company focused mostly on the tech industry. The pandemic has required a lot of flexibility as both her clients and her own company have had to shift how they do business and how their employees work.
Her staff has adjusted well to working at home because they have a tech background. Remote working has caused some problems with the loss of team synergies due to lack of regular personal contact among employees.
The biggest impact has been on the staffing business as clients looked for ways to cut expenses. This has caused some clients to be more open to out-of-country, lower-cost staffing options. She has been able to work with some vendors in Costa Rica to generate more cost-effective solutions for some clients.
Many Rotarians had interesting questions about how Chameleon actually did the development of competitive proposals for her clients. The Costa Rica option, carefully managed, allowed more options than local talent.
She discussed the pandemic’s impact on current primary and secondary school students. The pandemic also motivated her to expand the breadth of the industries she serves.
Before adjourning, Gary Cohn gave us a brief outline of the speaker-themes for the next three months. Check the Club’s website for more information.
We adjourned at about 7:11 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted
David Aubry - Acting Scribe
Respectfully Submitted
David Aubry - Acting Scribe