Workforce development is the key to attracting new businesses.
 
Father Ross led the club in singing America the Beautiful and then - Happy Birthday to Jeff Tracy - his 64th !!
 
Jerry Doute quizzed us on Ohio trivia for fellowship, and I am sorry to report that we did not do well...
 
David Collins - our new Rotary Foundation secretary, presented several grants today:
 
- Allen County DARE program - $1,500 - Sheriff Crish
 
- Hope Visitation Center - $1000 - Linda Parish
 
- Lima Symphony Orchestra - $3000 - children's music programs - Elizabeth Brown
 
 
Historical Moment - Lima's first community service project was the establishment of the Boy Scouts - even hiring the first director.
 
(Rotary International's first project was installing a toilet in Chicago City Hall, a big deal in 1905)  
 
Our speaker today was Eric Davis, from the Allen Economic Development Group. He outlined the groups analysis of data in not only attracting companies to the area, but keeping a diverse workforce for business to utilize.
 
The basic goal for economic development is to grow the economy faster than the population. Allen County will be facing a serious personnel  shortage in the coming years, as our current workforce retires, there will not be enough qualified employees to replace them. This challenge can be treated as an opportunity if we embrace it - attracting qualified candidates will take all of us working together to achieve.