"Clemson University - International Center for Automotive Research"

May 6, 2008: In 2004 Bob Geolas joined the team at Clemson University-International Center for Automotive Research, better known as CU-ICAR, as the Executive Director. At that time the facility was no more than 250 acres of land waiting to be developed into a world class research and development site for automotive manufactures from all over the globe! The vision of CU-ICAR is "to be the premier automotive and motor-sports research and educational facility in the world."

Bob recognizes the vision statement is bold and he's committed to bringing it to fruition. The impact of CU-ICAR for the state of South Carolina and the whole southeastern region of the United States is massive. Bob and his team believe we must build a state of the art research and development facility to maintain automotive manufactures and attract new ones. His goal is to work with local chambers all over the state to provide value to companies that are considering bringing their operations to South Carolina.

To ensure this goal becomes a reality, Bob has spent the last four years primarily focused on the physical development of the CU-ICAR campus. At the time of completion the facility will consist of five "technology neighborhoods" and be the ideal mix of the "traditional living research park and the new generation research park." CU-ICAR will be the "next generation in research parks, the common denominator linking industry and university". The facility will link university and business to promote constant interaction, will be program driven versus real estate driven and the staff will be composed of economic professionals.

Today a portion of the campus is already complete and is, in fact, a "Research Campus" not a traditional research park. CU-ICAR embraces campus culture, campus programs drive development, the environment is diverse, the design promotes interaction and relationships are key! Companies like Timken and BMW are already on site at the CU-ICAR campus and share that the excitement and facilities have made hiring the best employees easier.

The buildings at CU-CAR are no less than the best themselves, all being constructed at "gold level standard" both in design and environmental impact. The facility is the first of its kind to house all laboratories on one floor, and the class rooms and technology are state of the art. In Bob Geolas' words: "It will be a showplace that will attract people from around the world, becoming a model for engineering advances as well as economic development. We're talking about a place that will push the forefront of technology opportunities for our faculty and our students. It's a great reflection of the talents and skills at Clemson as well as Greenville". CU-ICAR will also be available for community events and university events.

Submitted by Elizabeth Wooten Burwell, Keyway Committee

"Charleston's Piccolo Spoleto Festival at 30"

April 29, 2008: Many of us look forward to the Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto festivals as the unofficial signs of Springtime in Charleston. Our club's very own Ellen Dressler Moryl, filled to the brim with love for the arts, spoke to our club last week about these festivals.

Jennet Alterman introduced Ellen Dressler Moryl, reminding us how lucky we are to have both women in our club. Ms. Dressler Moryl recounted to us firsthand the history of Piccolo Spoleto, which came about after local artists voiced their desire, and with much work and dedication for the cause. Piccolo happens at the same time as Spoleto Festival, but is geared towards showcasing local artists. Piccolo is celebrating its 30th year of "bringing the arts to the people!" The performance venues for Piccolo are as varied as the types of art and artists in the festival: from under the "Angel oak" to inside churches or temples, to at the beach or at Mepkin Abbey! Ms. Dressler Moryl said that roughly 1/2 of Piccolo's events are free, including the opening performance. While noting that many of Piccolo's events are easily accessible to the general public, she also noted that the festival, along with Spoleto, has a very positive impact on the local economy.

Ms. Dressler Moryl is living in Charleston for the second time in her life, after having worked for the Office of Cultural Affairs in the late 1970's and early 80's, and then moving back to her former home of Portland, Oregon. She then came back to Charleston, where she again brings her talent to that Office. She is married to composer, Richard Moryl. Ms. Dressler Moryl's presentation was peppered with a taste of what Piccolo is about. Before our meeting began, another of our own Rotarians, John Tecklenburg, delighted us with a selection from his jazz band.

Violinist Yuriy Bekker performed for us with pianist Irina Pevzner, giving a preview of "Israel at 60." Leah Suarez then sang for us some Cuban inspired music, with Nathan Koci on the piano. We thank all of the artists, and Ellen Dressler Moryl , for joining us and sharing their talents.

Reported by Jackie Grau, Keyway Committee

"US Health Care - Do We Need a Revolution?"

April 22nd, 2008: Dr. Nancy Nielson, micro-biologist and President-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA), gave a dynamic yet personal presentation at the Rotary Club of Charleston today. Starting with the problem she noted only 60% of U.S. employers offer health insurance; the decline to this level is due to the current cost of health insurance. Why then is American health care based upon an employer based system? Basically, there were two factors: first, the shift of women into the work force during WWII. The health care incentive was needed to get them to leave their homes. In addition, wages were frozen during that war so the employers devised the notion of adding health benefits in lieu of wages to further entice the labor force. Secondly, a ruling by the IRS that health benefits could be excluded from taxable income.

Currently 1 out of every 7 persons in America is uninsured and these workers are from all levels of the economy. Currently, each of the presidential candidates has "an answer" to this problem. The AMA, however, takes a very different position. They are not in favor of a single-payer system currently in place in Canada and Great Britain, though there are things to be learned from both systems. The AMA supports individually owned, affordable health insurance, not tied to ones current employer, though the employer could make the payments on behalf of the insured as a payroll deduction. There are thousands of cases of persons transferring from one job to another who, despite the assurance of a right to transfer, find themselves without insurance for periods of time. Many are then caught with so called "pre-existing conditions" when they do get accepted into a new plan and in every case they are totally at the mercy of the particular specifics of coverage or non-coverage that the employer has elected to buy for them in a group manner. 88% of those employers who do offer health insurance offer just one system. The answer is to get away from employer-systems and into one in which YOU own your own plan, and can build it to fit your needs. A typical husband and wife today are paying at least $765 per month for one person, and over $1300 for two; they could easily spend an additional $18,000 over six months.

In a call to action, Dr. Nielson noted things which must take place: 1. In terms of a revolution: we must stop finger-pointing at the current health insurers and meet together to solve the problem. No more hand-wringing; we need solutions. 2. We must invest more in preventative health care which will save more in the long run. 3. We must do studies of the comparative value of various medicines and processes. Such comparative research is regularly done in Europe, but not here. 4. We are spending 15% of our GNP on health care and this is way too high. 5. Each and every individual must invest in the plan together for only if all are involved will the cost become affordable; everyone must be in the risk pool. 6. Change the tax law from eliminating tax on health insurance to one in which a tax credit is given. The current plan, from a tax standpoint, helps the more affluent citizen, but does little to help the lower income person. In questioning from the floor she responded:

Why is the cost so high?
Costs are out of control. A couple turning 65 today and participating in Medicare will still pay out an additional $225,000 for health care in their lifetimes. While some years ago many people could pay the bills, today the costs are being driven by the health providers. We have many, many more medicines available to day that are very expensive [the U.S pharmaceutical companies fund almost 100% of the world-wide research costs]. We have many, many more diagnostic tools today that are regularly used.

How do you get persons, particularly those young and healthy, to buy into an insurance plan?
We must make everyone realize while they can perhaps fund the little things it is virtually impossible to fund a major illness, let alone the cost of a single emergency room visit.

How do we get a divided Congress to create a solution even with all candidates making medical proposals?
We elect the Congress and each of us must make it clear to those for whom we vote that we expect them to act, and we need to find out before we vote that it is the intent of the person in Congress to fix the problem; the problem is far too big to be handled by business alone. "More people are in bankruptcy today due to medical costs than for any other reason."

Reported by Fred Sales, Keyway Committee

"Rediscovering the Fundamentals of Business"

April 15, 2008: Many businesses find themselves sharpening their pencils and trying to figure out how to keep things going. Al Katz visited our club to offer us advice and to remind us all of the basics of business. Katz, a native of Greenville, SC, graduated with honors from The Citadel and earned his MBA from Georgia Tech. He began his career at a publicly held retail specialty organization eventually becoming President and COO. Since then, he has been serving as a "Personal and Business Coach" working with organizations as founder and Managing Partner of The Next Level, LLC.

Katz began his presentation talking about Tiger Woods. Woods is the best golf player in the world. Yet, he always talks about working on his golf fundamentals. He's achieved massive success, but continues to work on the basics. It's a great metaphor for business, no matter how much success you achieve, in order to continue being successful, you must always work on the fundamentals. Katz introduced "The Process" which can be easily implemented into any business.

First, "The Life Cycle". There is nothing that doesn't have a life cycle. What's most important about staying in business for the long term is recognizing this and incorporating innovation and change when needed. Second, "Issues". More than half the issues that companies deal with are not business issues, they are people issues. Ninety percent of people issues are attributed to communication issues. Make sure your message is being communicated effectively. Third, "Putting Out the Fires". Most businesses spend the majority of their time being reactive rather than proactive. More communication and future planning equals less fires. Fourth, "The Process". Know your employees and what their goals are. If someone is professionally challenged and feels valued, they will work hard. Fifth, "The Heart of the Matter". Spend time to create an overall plan and specifically define expectations and make people accountable. Finally, "Managing, Measuring and Monitoring". Meet often. Daily huddles, weekly tactical meetings, monthly strategic meetings and yearly off-site strategic meetings. Keep the lines of communication open. For more information, go to Katz's website, www.yournextlevel.net.

Submitted by Darby Hand, Key Way Committee