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 SOUTHSIDE BUSINESS MEN'S CLUB NEWSLETTER

Jacksonville Florida's Oldest Business and Civic Organization Founded in 1932

The Newsletter of the Southside Business Men's Club Volume 83, Issue 11,  March 15, 2015
In This Issue
 


 
  
Spotlight Speakers


March 18-
Rose Jackson

March 25-
Jennifer Arnold

April 1-
Walter Smith

April 8-
Jeanne Maron



 
 


 


 

Happy Birthday


Jeff Cramer, 3/16
Pete Sherrill, 3/16
Jim Jubran, 3/17
Rick Thompson, 3/17
Leon Mathis, 3/18
A.J. Pionessa, 3/19
Phil Rosebrock, 3/19
Michael Richardson, 3/20
Mark Manship, 3/21
Paul Renner, 3/21
Susan Shakca, 3/21



 


 

  

  

  

   Prizes & Raffles        

 

Attendance Award,

Sponsored by

$20
No Winner Last Week
Charlie Templeton



 

     

Woody Cooper Award

Sponsored by:  Marlin Technology

$100.00

Name Drawn Last Week: Crump Kirby


  

  

50/50  

Gene Bushor
Tom McLenahan
 
 
 
  Next Meeting 

March 18, 2015 

 

San Jose Country Club

7529 San Jose Blvd

Jacksonville, FL

Lunch Buffet 12:00 pm

$20 Members

$25 for Guests 

  

 

Invite a Guest  

  

  Find us on Facebook  

Linked In   

UPCOMING PROGRAMS 

3/18 Paul Ghiotto, Jacksonville Maritime Heritage Center

   

UpcomingPrograms:
3/25  Mel Gotlieb, HeartSmart
4/1    Peter Rummel, Healthy Town
4/8    Steven Grossman, Jax Aviation Authority

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
 
Tim Howe, President
Southside Business Men's Club 
(904) 813-8950

Last Thursday afternoon, the SBMC Political Action Committee (of which I chair) agreed to endorse Bill Bishop for Mayor.

 

 We did this for a number of reasons:                                                                          

 --the committee would endorse Bill if he were one of the two candidates in the runoff (based on his knowledge/experience with city government, and his opinions on the direction this City needs to take).                                                          

--the committee would support Bill whether he was a member of SBMC, or not.  

 ---It is the purpose of this committee to make it known to our members, and this community, who the best candidates are that are the best equipped to lead this city's future.

 

Bill Bishop has proven he can lead this city. He is a true architect by profession and demeanor. He is a planner and a builder for improving existing states of affairs. He reaches out to all Jacksonvillians, regardless of their political, religious, economic, or social beliefs.

 

Bill knows that the single biggest hindrance to Jacksonville's future is the Police and Fire pension fund issue. The issue was first raised in 2008, when the city owed about $798 million toward this debt. This expense has now more than doubled and it HAS to be paid. It is so huge that Jacksonville will have to fund the equivalent of the entire Better Jacksonville Plan...and not reap ANY of the benefit. There is no more 'kicking the can' down to the next administration. This has to be rectified now. Bishop is the only candidate who identifies the logical way out; our city government will have to raise taxes.

 

Bill knows that for Jacksonville to be a thriving community, we need to focus on every part of the community. He even has a plan for economic redevelopment on the northwest side...for this he has the support of that community and its religious leaders.

 

Bill knows that for Jacksonville to become a truly great city, we need to abandon many longstanding policies of the past and catch up with the rest of the tier 1 cities in America. He voted for the Human Resources Ordinance previously, and supports it now and in the future. Make no mistake, the national media will continue to regard Jacksonville as a 'backwater Good Old Boy' town until we accept this ordinance.

 

Bill knows that deepening the St. Johns River to 47ft will allow new Panamax ships to bring Jacksonville's economy back to strength. However, he also realizes that 2 key factors need to be answered: How will it affect the already salinized health of the St. Johns River? And, how will it be paid for?

 

I watched the Mayoral Debate this past Thursday evening. Curry also has no experience working at the local government level.  He is a C.P.A. by trade and is determined to 'audit' the city coffers. However, any one-time windfall is just that, and NOT a foundation from which to base this City's future.

 

Alvin Brown has had difficulty in proposing a responsible balanced budget, according to the city council. In he debate, he took credit for the development of the Brooklyn corridor that was in place prior to his election. Brown has been successful with big idea projects like the Shipyards and the Landing redevelopment, but he scores poorly when it comes to the daily operations of this city.

 

In Thursday's debate, both Curry and Brown avoided direct questions during the entire debate. In fact, neither would attend the SBMC Mayoral debate.

 

In the end, the SBMC PAC would feel regret by not having taken the opportunity to endorse the candidate about which we feel passionately.  We have to do what we believe is right for our households and the city of Jacksonville; to do otherwise would be remiss.

 

We are asking you to vote for Bill Bishop and support his campaign.

 


 

CIVIC AFFAIRS

It's election season and we're allowing any candidate running for office on a first-come-first-served basis to speak for 5 minutes about their campaign.  If you're supporting anyone running, please have them contact Patrick Heatherington for arrangements.....the first available is NEXT week's meeting.


Mobile: 904-449-2858

[email protected]


Sincerely,

2015 Civic Affairs Committee


 

MEMBERSHIP

This week is orientation and induction week.  New members approved by the board last week have been invited, and if you've joined previously however have not yet made it to orientation please join us at 11:20 at San Jose Country Club prior to the meeting.

 

Last week the board approved the following new members/alternates who have been invited to orientation:

  • Mike Knighten of John Deere Landscapes
  • Andrew Kates of Secure Ideas
  • Kevin Johnson of Secure Ideas
  • David Fieber of Edward Jones
  • Dr. Thuraia Owais of San Jose Chiropractic 

All new members attending orientation and induction this week will also be given a Meet-a-Member voucher to exchange for a ticket to the MaM of their choice in 2015 compliments of Jack Manilla of Portofino Pools!  Please introduce yourself, make them feel welcome, and help acclimate our new members to the club.

 

Sincerely,

2015 Membership Committee
 

MONTHLY GOLF OUTING

MONTHLY GOLF OUTING FRIDAY, MARCH 27TH AT 

AMELIA NATIONAL GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB


Our next Southside Business Men's Club (SBMC) golf outing will be on Friday, March 27th at Amelia National Golf & Country Club. Cost per participant is $53.00 (+ tax) for green/cart fees and includes range balls for your warm-up. We'll have a shotgun start for everyone at 11:00 AM and we have 32 spots available.


Amelia National was designed by renowned  golf course architect Tom Fazio and opened for play in 2006. No living designer has more credits on Golf Digest's list of America's 100 greatest golf courses and Amelia National follows Fazio's tradition of creating golf courses that reflect the natural beauty of their environments. This challenging course is always in excellent shape with the right amount of slope, water and sand. And the charming French Provincial clubhouse is often described as spectacular.


So, come join your fellow SBMC members and friends for a great round of golf! To reserve your spot(s) contact Nico Hogeveen at (904) 403-6754 or send an email to:  [email protected].


Nico Hogeveen

2015 SMBC Golf Chair


 

HABIJAX PROJECT
On Saturday, April 11th, SBMC will partner with HabiJax (Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville) assisting construction in the building of a HabiJax home.  The shift will be 7:45am to 3pm (you may leave earlier if you are not able to complete the entire shift).  We will meet at the HabiJax Affiliate Office, 2404 Hubbard Street, Jacksonville - just west of the downtown area - that morning (prior to or at 7:45am).  Wear closed-toed shoes and appropriate wear for doing outside construction type work.  Bring work gloves (if you have them), a hat if it is sunny, and sunscreen if necessary.  Water and lunch will be provided.  Sign up to volunteer will begin at the March 18th SBMC lunch meeting.  Please direct any questions to Rod Borom, (904) 994-4649 or [email protected].  Thank you! 
SERGEANT AT ARMS 
There are 2015 spotlight speaker dates available!  The book is at the sign-in table at each meeting. 

This is free to all members in good standing and gives you the opportunity to talk about your business, family, interests, or anything else you would like to talk about for five minutes.  You are also able to put out business cards, flyers, or informational materials on the tables to showcase your business.

Pick your date before they fill up!

We also ask for volunteers to help us start our meetings to get us thinking about what is really important and what is behind whatever success we have achieved - God and Country.

If you have a calling to lead us in prayer/invocation or the pledge of allegiance, please either call or sign up in the spotlight speaker book.

Keith Litterick 
SBMC Sergeant At Arms
PHOTO GALLERY 
Did you know we have a photo gallery on our website?  We do.  There is a link at the top of the home page for "Gallery".
  
Click HERE.
For questions and comments about the newsletter please e-mail [email protected]