July 14, Meeting notes:
Chair: Ingrid Neitsch; Music: Jerome Martin; Grace: Art Lachance
Club Business:
Board Meeting: There will be a brief board meeting following todays meeting. A full board meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 16th at 5pm at the Petroleum Club.
Rotary News: Ingrid reported that in the past year, the Canmore Rotary Club had raised & donated $800,000 towards flood relief in Southern Alberta. It is so impressive what a single club can do when they put their mind to it. She also attended the Banff Rotary club meeting last week and was surprised to see that only 2 of their 10-20 members were at the meeting, but there were many other Rotarians from around the world visiting. All visiting guests were given a wonderful poster from the club and maybe this is something we could look at as part of our marketing program.
Marketing: Ingrid was also happy to report that our rotary magazine article had also been reprinted in the the Capital Care special newsletter that goes out to all employees which is also wonderful exposure for our club.
Guest Speaker: Spencer Mueller - Classification Talk
Spencer was born and raised in Edmonton. He is a child of German immigrants so he is estatic with the World Cup results. He was raised in Laurier Heights in the west end of the city. He attended Ross Shep High School and attended the University of Alberta for three years working toward a degree in Education.
Due to a major life event, Spencer realized that teaching was probably not where his future lied, so he took a job in the provincial government in the department of transportation & utilities. He really enjoyed this work for nearly a decade, but a change in government changed the role of his job and not wanting to see himself in the role for the rest of his life, he again embarked on a career change.
Private industry was calling and he got into property management as well as the general manager of the Riverbend Athletic Club. He had a very successful run and under his direction the clubs membership expanded greatly and the club was generating record profits. After working at this for over a decade, it was time to revisit his life plan and again change what he was doing to keep engaged and have fun.
Spencer was recruited by Centrecorp, a property management and real estate service company that specializes in the shopping centre segment of the real estate industry in Canada and the U.S. He moved through the ranks working in construction management, leasing and finally acquisitions. In 2008, Spencer (and most of his family) were transferred to Denver, Colorado and this was a good fit for them both professionally and personally. It was due to landing in a new town that joining a Rotary club was recommended to him to meet new people and get involved. The Muellers lucked out in that the club they joined was super active and welcoming with many excellent projects (both local and international) and excellent members and leadership).
Due to the massive changes in the real estate landscape brought on by the fianancial crash of 2008, the company needed Spencer elsewhere and offered him a transfer to Florida, then Scottsdale, AZ and finally Toronto. None of these places were a fit for them, so after a family discussion, it was decided that this was a good time to move back home to Canada and Edmonton.
With his business connections and all the stars aligning properly, Spencer was offered a position with Liquor Stores N.A. Ltd. Liquor Stores N.A. Ltd. has been a leader in the Alberta retail liquor industry since liquor privatization in 1993. Some corporate highlights include the following:
- In 1993, Liquor Depot obtained the first approval in principle for a private liquor store in Alberta
- Members of Management were instrumental in the creation of the Alberta Liquor Store Association and the Alberta Liquor Industry Round Table (Industry Associations)
- On September 28, 2004, they became the first liquor store income trust in Canada
- Between 2004 – 2010 they grew from 50 stores to approximately 240 stores, and became Canada’s largest private operator of liquor stores (based on number of stores)
- In 2008 they completed the acquisition of the Brown Jug chain of stores located in the State of Alaska (currently 20 stores)
- In 2009 they completed the acquisition of the Liquor Barn chain of stores located in the State of Kentucky (currently 8 stores)
- In 2010 they successfully converted from an income trust into a dividend-paying corporation
- Current operations include approximately 240 stores in Canada and the United States, with operations under the brand names Liquor Depot and Liquor Barn in Alberta and British Columbia; Brown Jug in Alaska, and Liquor Barn “The Ultimate Party Source” and Liquor Barn Express in Kentucky
Spencer is married to Annie (since 1983) and has two adult children. He is a registered real estate broker, a nationally certified soccer coach (and fan), is very involved in sports and have started a dog breeding business that is also doing well.
Spencer, Annie and their daughter moved back to Edmonton about 18 months ago. It has taken Spencer that long to find a Rotary club that seemed like a good fit for them and had the same energy and feel and their wonderful club in Colorado. So Welcome Spencer and Annie to the Rotary Club of Edmonton West!!
Spencer was thanked for his certification talk by Darrel Ripley. We are honoured to have Spencer and Annie join us in Edmonton West.
Finemaster: David Gibbens was impressed by the depth and breadth of the clubs knowledge of Canadian Geography, although he was able to collect some fines throughout the room.
50/50 Draw: Jim and Brian Thompson were unable to match playing card so allowed the pot to grow for next meeting.
Ingrid adjourned the meeting with an inspiration closing message.
"Soccer is like a poem. You write it with your soul and heart but say it with your feet" - Chris Castillo
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