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The Next Meeting:
When: Friday, October 6th, 2017
What: Michigan Princess Riverboat Ride
Where: Grand River Park
Address: 3001 Lansing Road, Lansing
Boarding Begins: 11:00 a.m.
Buffet Lunch: 11:30 a.m.
Leave the Dock: 12:15 p.m.
Lunch: Turkey Dinner
Docking: 1:20 p.m.
Editarian: Linda Lynch
 
International Committee Accepting Project Grant Proposals
The International Committee is happy to announce that they are currently accepting proposals for international project grants.  Approved grants are normally between $1,000-$5,000, focus on clean water, education, or healthcare, and must be sponsored by an international Rotary Club local to the project or a 501(c)(3) organization.  The deadline for submitting project proposals is October 27th, and proposals can be submitted directly to Al Yambor at albert.yambor@pnc.com.  Please contact Al Yambor, Jenn Dubey, or any member of the international committee with questions.  At the bottom of the Rotogram beneath DOWNLOAD FILES is the Grant Outline.
 
 
Editarian Report for September 22nd, 2017
President Darwin called us to order with a weather reference. Instead of the usual crisp fall day, Lansing, Michigan was 90 degrees and sunny. Craig Stiles gave the thoughtful invocation. Our patriotic music was God Bless America. The traveling microphone was [wrangled by] Leesa Smith. (Yes, THAT Leesa Smith. While Leesa Smith and Lisa Smith were egged on to “meet after the meeting to decide who the real #1 Lisa/Leesa was,” they resolved things with a nice Rotary hug and the meeting proceeded.)There were plenty of guests and a few visiting Rotarians.
 
Howard Mondol and Tom Hamp of the Lansing-Dewitt Sunrise Club presented an opportunity for our members to join the other Rotarians who are mentoring Eastern High School sophomores. Some of the young men and women mentored last year by Rotarians were guests at the meeting and gave inspiring insights into what their Rotarians’ one-onone attention had done for them. (Ask Joan Bauer) about her experience as a Rotary Mentor.) Call Harold Mondol at 517-505-6864 or email him at mondolhar@gmail.com for more information. Twenty students still need mentors. You could make a difference in a young person’s life.
 
Linda Lynch reported that the health of the Club is good. A special round of applause went to this week’s Birthday Boy, Irv Nichols, who turned 93 years young and is going strong.
 
Announcements: The Lansing Rotary International Committee is accepting proposals for international project grants. Contact Cathy for more information. The deadline is October 27.
 
There will be a District-wide event to End Polio at the Williamston Sun Theatre on Sunday, October 22. More information about that next week.
 
Ken Beachler introduced our amazing Special Music. Ms. Kelly Lofton, Haslett High School graduate, currently studying at LCC, sang two songs from the show, “She Loves Me,” currently playing at the Riverwalk Theatre. (Riverwalk’s musical direction for the show is by Rotary’s own John Dale Smith.) “Ice Cream” and “Will He Like Me?” wowed the Rotary audience. This dynamic singer will go far.
 
Rich Howard recognized the September Birthdays a week early, since next week is the Downtown Coaches Club meeting. The month’s question: “If money were no object, what would you get your favorite Rotarian?” Answers: For Chris Holman, socks. For Julie Pingston, the biggest convention event ever in Lansing. For Dennis Fliehman, so he could fit more Rotarians in it. Pat Munshaw would give a round trip cruise to Lansing Rotary’s amazing, hard-working Executive Secretary Cathy Andrews. (This got a big round of applause.) For Dave O’Leary, Irv Nichols would give a large check to help Dave’s relatives and others affected by the hurricane in Texas. And for John Dale Smith, well…depends. The September Birthdays had donated $1,000, with a week left to give.
 
Chair of the Month for September is Dave Trumpie. The Chair of the Day, Jeff Crippen, introduced our speaker, Paul Beckett, Director of Sales and Operations with Buick-GMC. Paul lived here for a few years, and his daughters graduated from Haslett High School but he now lives in the Detroit area. He was happy to be back.
 
GM has four brands in the U.S. Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac. Buick is seen as “attainable luxury.” It is all about relationships (with exceptional dealers like Jeff Crippen) and beautiful design. Buick is GM’s highest “conquesting” brand. That means buyers have left other brands to buy Buicks. (It’s important to keep your own customers. However, “conquesting” is important to grow a business and grow a community.) Buick is the fourth highest-selling brand in China. (A personal note: It does seem like every car in Shanghai is a Buick, despite 3 China’s 50-plus Chinese car brands and many other Western brands that are made in China for the Chinese market.)
 
Over half of Buick buyers are female. Buick sells more crossovers than other models. Over 70% of Buick sales are crossovers. The Encore is the smallest SUV. The Envision is the next size up. Paul showed a cute TV ad of “Grandma went to Italy and came home with a boyfriend” for the Envision. The largest SUV is the Enclave, built in Lansing. Paul played the “Tuba kids” TV commercial that Buick uses for the Envision. GMC uses the “highest impact” marketing on TV shows like Black-ish and NCAA games. Buicks are selling at record numbers and are receiving many awards.
 
GMC is also a global brand. It is a type of luxury brand. It’s sold in Canada, Mexico, the Middle East and the U.S. GMC makes only trucks and SUVs. The highest-end GMC is the Denali. Its buyers are more likely to say, “I drive a Denali” than to say they drive a GMC. Truck ads feature towing, pulling, horsepower, etc. How does GMC get owners to “feel” the way that Jeep owners “love their Jeeps?” This resulted in the “Like a Pro campaign. (It’s the TV ad with the little boy, his dad, and the miniature GMC truck surprise.) There is also a “Professional Grade” life campaign. GMC has more male buyers than female.
 
Paul responded to many questions. - No. GMC will not be making cars. Only trucks. Concerning self-driving vehicles, it seems the industry changes weekly. The old GM would not have changed. However, under Chairman and CEO Mary Barra’s leadership, GM wants to lead and be a part of that change. Self-driving probably will not be a major part of GM, but it will be a part.
 
Nationally, 75% of buyers purchase vehicles and 25% lease. However, the percent of leases is higher in Michigan, New York, and Miami. Concerning electric vehicles: Buick and GMC are watching other makers closely. While gas is affordable, GM is letting Chevy lead with electrics. The Buick SUV, Enclave, has a lot of new technology, like the 4 360-degree camera. GM has also partnered with Lyft (the taxi-like system where drivers use their personal cars and technology connects riders and drivers) and Maven (the GM-originated car sharing company where drivers use cars in a company fleet and pay for the use by the hour) but these will be most popular in big cities.
 
President Darwin thanked Paul and told him that in lieu of a speaker gift, our Club donates to the Bio sand Filter project for pure water in developing countries.
 
Next week is the Downtown Coaches Club meeting at the Eagle Eye.  That meeting starts EARLIER.  Doors open at 10:45 a.m.  The buffet begins at 11.  The program will begin at 11:40 and we will adjourn at 1 p.m.
 
The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m.
 
Helen's email is:  hpmickens @gmail.com
Speakers
Oct 06, 2017
Boarding at Grand River Park for the Boat
Oct 13, 2017
at the Country Club of Lansing
Oct 20, 2017
with the Advanced Coaching & Leadership Ctr. @ Lansing Center
Oct 27, 2017
View entire list
Rotary Club of Lansing
P. O. Box 13156
Lansing, MI   48901-3156
Download Files
International Grant Proposal Outline