September 8, 2026 (Sep. 08, 2026)

ATTENDANCE

If you couldn't join us on September 8, you were missed! We had 31 attendees,

including future member John Pollock (pictured here with Roger Roller), DDA Executive Director Kristi Trevarrow, and Patrick Kolarchick, a guest of Ernie Schaeffer.

FIFTEENTH HANDSHAKE

This week’s greeter, Linda Eastman, declared Ted Roumell the lucky member to go fine-free!

ROTARIAN OF THE WEEK

Juliane Morian passed the Rotarian of the Week trophy to Ernie Schaeffer for doing such a good job bringing guests to the meeting.

HAPPY BUCKS

Renee Cortright was happy to remind everyone that the OPC Food Truck Rally is happening this Thursday! Ten food trucks will be on hand to satisfy every appetite, along with The Flamingos. Even better, the money raised will support the Meals on Wheels program. Come hungry and leave knowing you helped feed someone!
Bryan Barnett brought some very special-looking tickets to the meeting—but before anyone started planning their Super Bowl wardrobe, Bryan clarified that these are not actually Super Bowl tickets! They will, however, get you into the State of the City, coming up a week from Thursday at Stoney Creek High School. Doors open at 6:30 and the "big game" starts at 7 p.m. It’s always a fun event, and Rochester Rotarians have been showing up year after year. Free registration at the Mayorsoffice@rochesterhills.org.
Jay Eastman also gave us an early-bird reminder about the Rotary Foundation Gala on November 5th. It promises to be a terrific evening, featuring a great meal, the Century Club, and some excellent speakers. Best of all, the proceeds will benefit Polio Plus and the Share Fund for the Foundation. Mark your calendars!
Linda Eastman had perhaps the most compelling Happy Buck of the day: she and Jay are very happy to be alive! Apparently, live electrical wires were down at both ends of their driveway for four days. After repeatedly reporting the situation—and emphasizing the rather important detail that the wires were LIVE—the issue was finally resolved. Linda’s Happy Buck? They didn’t die. Honestly, sometimes that’s more than enough reason to celebrate!
Bob Lytle was happy to have his son Beau home for a few days. He’ll soon head off with his brothers to the California coast for a week of fishing before returning for another brief visit. Then it’s off again—this time for another 18 months in France. Bob clarified that his son is a cheesemaker or caseiculturist, which sounds like a pretty delicious reason to spend some time in France. Bon voyage—and save us some cheese!

BIRTHDAY & ROTARY ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS! 🎉

It’s time to celebrate! Shirley Gofrank and Kyle Johnson are marking another trip around the sun this week. 🎂🥳 And coming up later this week, we’ll be raising a toast to Tom DelPup and Kim Staudacher, who are celebrating their Rotary anniversaries! 🌟👏

CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS

Membership competition. Golden Connection 15 points; Blue Diamonds 17.

⛳ Rochester Rotary Charities Annual Golf Outing
There’s still time to join us for the Rochester Rotary Charities Annual Golf Outing! Registration is completely online, so sign up to golf, sponsor, or come for dinner. Whether you’re swinging a club or raising a glass of iced tea at dinner, we’d love to see you there, and we need more volunteers!

Celebrating Kristi Trevarrow - The Paul Harris Fellow Award is one of Rotary International’s highest honors, recognizing individuals who truly embody Rotary’s motto, “Service Above Self.”

For more than 20 years, Kristi has been a driving force behind the development, revitalization, and promotion of Downtown Rochester. As Executive Director of the Rochester DDA, she has championed local businesses, strengthened community connections, and helped transform Rochester into one of Michigan’s premier destinations.

Her leadership and creativity were especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she launched the Love Local campaign, encouraging residents to support Rochester’s small businesses during an extraordinarily challenging time.

Kristi’s vision can also be seen in Rochester’s award-winning Big, Bright Light Show, which attracts more than one million visitors each year, and in her newest project, The Market + The Graham—an exciting new farmers’ market and community gathering space planned for Third and Water streets.

From supporting local businesses to creating vibrant gathering places and attracting visitors from near and far, Kristi has consistently demonstrated what it means to put community first.

Congratulations, Kristi, on this very well-deserved Paul Harris Fellow Award!

Trivia Extravaganza

SONG LEADER

Bob Lytle, our song leader, selected I've Been Working on the Railroad in honor of Labor Day and Let There Be Peace on Earth as today's songs.

🚨 SHERIFF'S REPORT: FINES, FOLIAGE & OTHER FELONIES

Sheriff David Blair wasted no time getting down to business—and Kristi Trevarrow was his first target! Congratulations on your second Paul Harris Award. That’s nothing but respect. In fact, the Sheriff assessed a $5 “Immediate Vicinity of Greatness” fine to President Tammy Salisbury, Bryan Barnett, and Christine Hage. And speaking of Paul Harris Awards, Kristi Trevarrow has apparently discovered the ultimate Rotary life hack: You can earn a Paul Harris without even being a club member! Brilliant. No meetings, no committees, no fines—just the award. Honestly, we’re all a little jealous.

Anyone with more than five Paul Harris Awards was fined $5 Jay Eastman knows he has more than five but can’t remember exactly how many. That’s OK, Jay—another $5 for having more Paul Harrises than you can count. You really should have that number on the tip of your tongue!

⛈️Then came the Great Storm last week. Did a tree come down on your property? That’s a $5 Foliage Fee. Lose power? Another $5 Power Restoration/Lineman Appreciation Fee. And if you checked on your neighbors after the storm, congratulations—you have successfully fulfilled the basic requirements of being a decent human being. If you stayed home reading a book, sleeping in, or otherwise behaving like a complete jackass, that’s $5 to the Sheriff.

Labor Day brought another round of fines. Did you do anything special? $2 Holiday Fine. And if you haven’t seen one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of all time—Weekend at Bernie’s—that’s another $5 fine. Seriously, people. It’s cultural literacy.

Ted Roumell's table was asked when the first Labor Day was celebrated. The answer? 1882. Since no one knew, that’s another $5. History lesson complete.

Finally, Sheriff David noticed the rather forlorn-looking Chase drive-through building on his way to the meeting and wondered what the heck is going on with it. Kristi, perhaps the city could look into it? Or, better yet, maybe Rotary could turn it into a service project and just tear the thing down ourselves. Imagine the city’s surprise! And finally, a $5 fine to every Chase customer who sat there listening to all of this without putting any money on the table.

Sheriff David Blair collected an impressive $147 today, all of which will help support the important work of Rochester Rotary Charities.

SPEAKER

A New Home for General Motors: From Woodward to Hudson’s and Beyond

Mike McBride, VP Non-Manufacturing Facilities

General Motors has come full circle. Founded in Flint in 1908, GM moved to Detroit just three years later, establishing its first Detroit location on Woodward Avenue. More than a century later, GM has returned to Woodward with its new headquarters in the historic Hudson’s development.

GM’s move to the Hudson’s building, which officially opened in January, reflects how dramatically the workplace has changed. The massive Renaissance Center, GM’s headquarters from 2000 until 2025, was difficult to navigate and offered little flexibility for the collaborative, cross-functional teams that became increasingly important during the pandemic. Rather than trying to reinvent the Renaissance Center, GM partnered with Bedrock to create a smaller, more modern corporate headquarters designed around how the 1,500 at the corporate headquarters work today.

The new headquarters occupies approximately two-thirds of the Hudson’s building, with other tenants including Bedrock, Chase, and GM Financial. The building offers employees open workspaces, adjustable desks, large curved monitors, collaborative seating, conference rooms, coffee bars, a fitness center, a golf simulator, and even a sports court for pickleball. GM employees generally work in the office Tuesday through Thursday, with Monday and Friday optional for jobs that permit remote work.

The building also pays tribute to Detroit’s history. GM’s public-facing Entrance One, named after the original Hudson’s employee entrance, features rotating vehicle displays and merchandise and is open to the public. The headquarters incorporates numerous “Easter eggs,” including automotive artwork, historic patents, music-themed wallpaper, and the Cadillac goddess sculpture associated with the Celestiq, the custom-commissioned, hand-built, all-electric sedan from Cadillac.

One of the most remarkable pieces of Detroit history is a massive Harry Bertoia sculpture rescued from the basement of Northland Mall. Originally commissioned by J.L. Hudson, the sculpture was restored and installed in the new building—another fitting connection between Hudson’s, GM, and Detroit.

The Renaissance Center, meanwhile, has a new chapter ahead. Bedrock plans to reimagine the riverfront as a more accessible, vibrant destination, with plans that could transform the iconic complex and reconnect Detroiters with the river.

And GM hasn’t forgotten where it began. The company continues to invest heavily in Flint, including more than $1 billion in recent years in its assembly plants. GM is also developing a new Heritage and Archives Center in Flint that will bring together a collection of more than 700 historic vehicles currently scattered throughout Southeast Michigan.

From Flint to Woodward to Grand Blvd to the Renaissance Center and back to Woodward, GM’s story is deeply intertwined with Michigan. Its newest chapter isn’t about leaving that history behind—it’s about bringing the past forward while creating the workplace and community connections of the future.