July 9, 2019: New President Sandy Morckel presided over her first official meeting to kick off the new Rotary year and begin our Centennial year celebration. Our new Rotary International Theme for the year is “Rotary Connects the World.”
Barbara Melvin of SC Ports gave a very informative presention of the status of our growing transport hub that is a key engine for our local economy. And past president Alex earned a well deserved seat in the back of the house! Thanks one more time for a job well done in 2018-19, Alex!
Barbara Melvin, COO of South Carolina Ports Authority joined us at our July 9th meeting to give us an update on the Ports Authority’s recent accomplishments and future plans. Prior to joining the Ports Authority in 1998 Ms. Melvin served as Director of Government Relations for the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Melvin has held the positions of Senior Vice President, Operations and Terminals, Senior Vice President, External Affairs, and Vice President, Government Relations before becoming COO of the Ports Authority.
Ms. Melvin opened with three take-away’s she wanted to impart to our club: 1) the Ports Authority has spent a lot of time over the last 4 years improving facilities in order to handle 14000, 18000, and 19000 TEU ships. 2) SCPA wants to continue to diversify its cargo base, specifically improving the import cargo base and lastly, SCPA is growing it’s intermodal (rail) cargo base which (takes trucks off the road).
The vision of the Ports Authority, as defined by the employees, is “to be the preferred port of the top 10 U.S. Ports”. The values behind this vision include: Adaptability, Business Minded, Customer Focus, Decisiveness, Enthusiasm and Faith in Each Other all tied together by Safety First.
Of the top ten U.S. ports, Charleston ranked 9th in container volume in 2018 but was No 1 in container volume growth from 2009-2018. The SCPA has a balance sheet of $1.9B with $1B in debt and $280 M in Revenue with container volume of 1.3 Million or 2.3 Million TEUs. 24% of volume is by intermodal rail.
As of FY2019, accomplishments of the Port include Record Volumes, the completion of the Wando Wharf refurbishment, Harbor deepening (underway), Progress on Phase 1 of Leatherman Terminal, Inland Port Greer handling record volumes, a great start to inland Port Dillon and New headquarters building in operation, consolidating staff that had been previously in separate facilities.
By the end of 2020 the Wando Terminal will have 3 Neo Panamax berths, 15 STS cranes, 40 gates, 2.4 M TEU capacity, longer hours starting July 2019 and will be the 2nd busiest Container Terminal on the East Coast comfortably handling 3 x 14000 TEU ships.
The completed Leatherman terminal in 2021 will have a capacity of 700,000 TEUs and will grow to 1.5M TEU at completion of phase 2 in 2026 and 2.4M TEUs at completion of phase 3 in 2032.
The harbor deepening project will make Charleston Harbor the deepest harbor on the East Coast at 52 feet.
Ms. Melvin concluded that the focus of the SC Ports Authority going forward with all of this well-planned infrastructure would be the 3 R’s- Retail, Real Estate and Railroads, the idea being to support port-dependent import distribution (Retail) and expand the port’s reach (Real Estate) via intermodal container rail (Railroads).
Submitted by Don Baus, Keyway committee
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
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- Marjorie Hanger gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Leslie Fellabom introduced visiting Rotarians & guests.
- President Sandy Morckel presented Health and Happiness.
- Tom Leonard introduced our keynote speaker, Barbara Melvin, COO of SC Ports Authority.
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
July 16, 2019 | Issue 4933 | President: Sandy Morckel
- July 16 – Rev. Kylon Middleton, The Illumination Project
- July 16 – 11 am, Board Meeting
- July 23 – Mike Graney, CRDA
- July 30 – Helen Hill, Charleston CVB
NEWS BRIEFS
Rotary Club of Charleston History Moment
At each meeting, President Sandy plans to share some of the snippets of our club’s amazing 100 year history and our impact on Charleston and around the world. It will be a fun trip down memory lane and will also be shared in the Keyway.
The Rotary Club of Charleston was chartered on March 1, 1920 as the 624th Rotary Club in the world. We were chartered by the Columbia Club. In the 1920’s, Rotary started to become truly global when the movement spread throughout continental Europe and reached South and Central America, Africa, Australia and Asia. Today, there are more than 33,000 Rotary clubs with over 1.2 million members in more than 200 countries in the world, with the addition of Iraq as the latest.
Community Service Committee Meeting
The Community Service Committee will meet this coming Tuesday, July 16 at 1:30pm. Volunteers are needed to serve. If you would like to participate on this committee, please reach out to Kerby Teller at kerby.teller@cbi-sc.com and plan to attend.
Meeting at High Cotton on July 30th
Our Rotary luncheon on Tuesday, July 30th will be held at High Cotton, which is across the street on East Bay. Everyone should plan to park in their normal parking spots and walk across the street.
Dues Statements Emailed
Dues statements for the July 1-December 31 period were distributed via email on June 10. Please be sure to pay from this statement. No other statements will be sent out. If you did not receive a statement, please let Carroll know.
Rotary (District 7770) Night at the Segra Ballpark in Columbia
Save the date – July 26, 2019 – Rotary Night at the Ballpark …. Rotarians like to have fun and enjoy the friendship of fellow Rotarians. What better way to have fun than with Baseball, Hotdogs and Rotary?
You are invited to a night out at the ballpark. Friday, July 26, 2019 has been designated as Rotary Night with the Columbia Fireflies. Put mark this date on your calendar for the Segra Ballpark in Columbia. This will be an opportunity for Rotary club members to have a great social time. Tickets are $9.00 each and food vouchers are $5.00. We will sit together along the first base line and have a great time. An email with an attached flyer was sent to all Rotarians with information about the event and how to purchase tickets.
Our Club is on Social Media
Members are encourage to follow all of our social media channels and share posts with their followers too! We also need members to send us picture of anything they do that relates to Rotary – service projects, meetings, events, etc. We would love to keep our accounts full of smiling Rotarians! Photos can be send to Mike Sottak, mikesottak@gmail.com, or Rob Byko, rob@bykorealty.com.
MEMBER NEWS
Congratulations to Bo and Megan Crouch on the birth of their son, Cooper Brantley Crouch, who was born May 28 and although premature, Cooper is progressing and doing well. He will be at MUSC for a few more weeks for monitoring. Keep in the Crouch family in your thoughts and prayers.
Proposed New Members
The following membership candidates have submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:
Ken Morelli – sponsor: Heidi Finniff; classification: Retirement Community Mgmt.
Tiffany Vanek – sponsor: Sandy Morckel; classification: Retirement Community/Mgmt.
In the event you know Ken or Tiffany, please tell a member of the Board how he/she will serve the ideas of Rotary.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
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- Rotarian: Michael Smith
- JOINED: May 2016
- SPONSOR: Robert Sullivan
- MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT: Red Badge Member; Education Committee – volunteering in schools
- CLASSIFICATION: Banking/Admin
- PROFESSION: Assist. VP, First Palmetto Bank
- SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF: Huge music fan
- JOINED: May 2016
- Rotarian: Michael Smith
- Birthdays
- July 10 – GP Diminich
- July 13 – Jonathan Campaigne & Heidi Finniff
- July 14 – Bill Nettles
- July 15 – Chad Woodell
- July 20 – Peter Shahid
- July 21 – Tim Donnellon & Robert Sullivan
By the numbers
- Attendance on July 9, 2019: 53
- Not in attendance: Allen, Baggs, Bailey, Barton, Beam, Bickley, Brack, Burt, Byko, Carico, Ceccato, Channell, Coe, Coghill, Cole, Cook, Cooper, E., Cooper, J., Crouch, Deavenport, Donnellon, Dopp, Drafts, Dukes, Embry, Fink, Finniff, Frume, Gill, Husser, Jones, Kaynard, Lietzow, Lucy, Matheny, Mitchell, Raver, Riley, Rust, Saboe, Seguer, Shahid, Sidebottom, Smith, H., Stoney, Strickland, Sullivan, Taylor, Tecklenburg, John, Uram, Van Bergen, Webb, Willey, Youngs
- Out of Town Make-ups: None
WELLNESS TIP
Floss Daily
You know you need to, now it’s time to start: floss every single day. Do it at the beach (in a secluded spot), while reading on your patio, or when watching TV — and the task will breeze by.
Flossing reduces oral bacteria, which improves overall body health, and if oral bacteria is low, your body has more resources to fight bacteria elsewhere. Floss daily and you’re doing better than at least 85% of people.
AREA CLUB MEETINGS
Mondays
- Summerville – Oakbrook: 7:30 a.m., Monday, Westcott County Club, 5000 Wescott Club Drive, North Charleston
- North Charleston: 12:30 a.m., Monday, Hilton Garden Inn, 5265 International Blvd, North Charleston.
- Summerville Evening: 5:30 p.m., Monday, Montreux Bar and Grill, 127 W. Richardson Ave., Summerville
Tuesdays
- East Cooper Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Cooper River Room at Waterfront Park, Mount Pleasant
- Charleston: 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Hall’s Signature Events, 5 Faber, Charleston
- Goose Creek: 12:45 m. Tuesday, Gilligan’s, 219 St. James Ave., Goose Creek
Wednesdays
- Daniel Island: 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Daniel Island Club, 600 Island Park Dr., Daniel Island
- John’s Parish (John’s Island): 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, 2817 Maybank Highway, Unit 1, John’s Island
- Mount Pleasant: 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, Harbor Breeze Restaurant, 176 Patriots Point Road, Mount Pleasant
- Summerville: 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sticky Fingers, Summerville
Thursdays
- North Charleston Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Embassy Suites, 5055 International Blvd., North Charleston
- Moncks Corner: 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Gilligan’s Restaurant, Moncks Corner
- Andrews (West Ashley): 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Bessinger’s BBQ, 1602 Savannah Highway, Charleston.
Fridays
- Charleston Breakfast: 7:30 a.m., Friday, Harbour Club, 35 Prioleau St., Charleston
SOCIAL MEDIA
Our Rotary club is on Facebook – Take a look at our page and be sure to “like us”. We are now also on Twitter. Follow us – @chasrotaryclub.
ABOUT THE KEYWAY
The Keyway has been published weekly as a newsletter for the Rotary Club of Charleston for more than 90 years.
- President: Sandy Morckel
- Keyway editor: Don Baus don@sgaarchitecture.com
- Executive secretary: Carroll Schweers, carrollschweers@gmail.com
- Mailing address: Rotary Club of Charleston, P.O. Box 21029 ,Charleston, SC 29413-1029
- Copyright 2018, Rotary Club of Charleston. All rights reserved.
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