RIGHT ANGLE MEN’S CLUB COMMITTEE MEETING

Attendees: Paul Lesperance, Lyle Carter, Jerry Lewis, Joe Ragusa, Bill Mulcahy, Bill Cooper, Rocky DeFrancesco, Jay Marsocci, Tom Wratten

Paul Lesperance opened the VCC Right Angle Men’s Club BOD meeting at 3:30.

Clifton reviewed vacuum sealer options for the Right Angle Men’s Club to fund. Expectation is about $2-3K for the sealer. Clifton/Chef Mitchell to look at competitive options and get back to the RA Board.

Paul reviewed the assignments of the Board members. Jay Marsocci/Frank Peotrowski to handle 50/50 raffle.

Bill Cooper reviewed speakers for the meetings this year.

Lyle Carter reported on the treasury and our financial position. We have $4,589.12 in the checking account and can comfortably afford to fund up to $3,000 for the vacuum sealer for the VCC kitchen staff.

Rocky DeFrancesco will introduce the speaker in lieu of Bill Cooper at the next meeting in November.

Joe Ragusa reviewed the communications process and options for using another vendor for the website and domain registry.  

The meeting was adjourned at 4:15.

On April 14, 2016, Dwight Brock was our guest speaker at a well attended meeting, our last for the season. Mr. Brock is Collier County's Clerk of the Circuit Court as an elected official. His duties are vast and he must be the keeper of Court and Public Records as well as the Collier County's accountant and protector of the County's funds.

Dwight Brock's gave a presentation on one particular recent case as he noticed improprieties  on a particular payment made to a cement contractor who did not follow the guidelines set forth by the County as to bidding, sub contracting and an accounting of the cost of materials and labor. This particular contractor has done over eight million dollars of work for the County in the last five years.

Brock did extensive and detailed work as to find out why protocol was not followed leading to a case of collusion between department heads and commissioners.

Mr. Brock also noted that several thousands of invoices have to be paid yearly with a staff of twenty workers and is a huge responsibility.

The meeting was concluded wishing our member's a safe and healthy summer.

SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2016

Dwight Brock, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Collier County

On April 14, 2016, Dwight Brock was our guest speaker at a well attended meeting, our last for the season. Mr. Brock is Collier County's Clerk of the Circuit Court as an elected official. His duties are vast and he must be the keeper of Court and Public Records as well as the Collier County's accountant and protector of the County's funds.

Dwight Brock's gave a presentation on one particular recent case as he noticed improprieties  on a particular payment made to a cement contractor who did not follow the guidelines set forth by the County as to bidding, sub contracting and an accounting of the cost of materials and labor. This particular contractor has done over eight million dollars of work for the County in the last five years.

Brock did extensive and detailed work as to find out why protocol was not followed leading to a case of collusion between department heads and commissioners.

Mr. Brock also noted that several thousands of invoices have to be paid yearly with a staff of twenty workers and is a huge responsibility.

The meeting was concluded wishing our member's a safe and healthy summer.

        THE RIGHT ANGLE MEN’S CLUB MARCH MEETING 

The Right Angle Men's Club met on March 17, 2016 to enjoy comradery, a buffet lunch and to listen to Mr. Chris Bent discuss a wide range of topics including the eight books he has authored, his business at the Best of Everything, his career as a Navy Seal and his volunteer organization Vets Visiting Vets.    

The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, a 50/50 raffle and the introduction of our guest speaker by Bill Cooper. Mr. Bent discussed an interesting array of topics and kept the audience entertained with numerous jokes and vignettes throughout his talk. Some of the key points from his presentation were:

·         His career as a Navy Seal:

·         Mr. Bent was part of Seal Team 4

·         He recovered the Gemini and Apollo space crafts

·         Roughly 80% of the Seal candidates quit before finishing the program

·         Hell week includes 250 ft. parachute drops, 15 mile hikes and only about 6 hrs. of sleep in a week

·         His early life in retail:  

·         After attending Yale University Mr. Bent became a Navy Seal

·         Upon completion of his multiple tours of duty as a Seal, Mr. Bent worked in retail at firms such as Lord and Taylor, B. Altman, J. Crew, Brooks Brothers and even the WWF

·         His store, the Best of Everything is a huge success which includes 4 locations in  Naples and 1 in Kennebunkport ME

·         T. J. Maxx visited the Best of Everything and said it is the finest retailer they have ever seen

·         His wife, a fabulous retail mind, runs an “analog” store with no reports – her sole focus is on the product and the customer

·         His writing career:

·         He authored 8 books including: 1-800 Laughing out Loud, 1-800 for Women Only, 1-800 for Vets Only, 1-800 I am Unhappy and 1-800 For Seals Only  

·         He used the “1-800” moniker in the title as a way to lighten the mood and to enable a vehicle to provide friendly advice much like a 1-800 phone number/help desk

·         Selling millions of copies, his books are inspirational, straight-talking, often irreverent and humorous insights of self-discovery about life as we should know it

·         His charitable work – Mr. Bent formed “Vets Visiting Vets”:

·         Veterans are out there waiting for someone to talk to

·         You can request a visit from a fellow Veteran or visit a fellow Veteran

·         Visit the website: VetsVisitingVets.com to get assigned a Veteran to visit

·          

Mr. Bent took a few questions from Right Angle members about his interesting life story and his charitable work.  

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:30 with Paul L’Esperance providing a small token of appreciation to Mr. Bent.  

 

        THE RIGHT ANGLE MEN’S CLUB FEBRUARY MEETING 

The Right Angle Men's Club met on February 11, 2016 to enjoy comradery, a buffet lunch and to present  Ms. Jennifer Pash as our guest speaker.   

The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, a 50/50 raffle and the introduction of our guest speaker by Bill Cooper. Ms. Pash spoke about the world’s largest Habitat for Humanity Chapter located in Collier County, Florida. Some of the key point from her presentation were:

1)      The Collier County Habitat chapter was established in 1978 and is now 38 years since then. Over 1,850 families in Collier County own Habitat homes and approximately 300 have already paid off their mortgages.

2)      Collier County was the second affiliate in the U.S. after the initial affiliate was created in Georgia. Millard Fuller founded Habitat, not Jimmy Carter who is arguably the most famous Habitat volunteer.  

3)      Eight communities are now completed with Victoria Falls being the first Naples neighborhood.

4)      Faith Landing (in Immokalee) and Legacy Lakes (in Naples) are the two communities where building is currently occurring.

5)      Attached villas were previously being built, but now Habitat has returned to building single family homes. The prior home was 1,069 sq. ft. and the new, single family house is roughly 1,200 sq. ft.

6)      There are 15 families that apply for each home that Habitat can build. Habitat in Collier County can enable about 6 families a month to own  at this time. The average mortgage payment is $650/month and it is an interest free loan with Habitat holding the mortgage.

7)      Potential new home owners must provide 500 hours of ‘sweat equity”, a $1,500  minimum down payment, live in Collier County for at least 1 year and have no criminal record.

8)      The sale price of the attached villa was $125K and the price of the new home model is $140K.

Ms. Pash answered questions from Right Angle Members and provided additional insight into our local Habitat chapter including how applicants are selected for homes and the funding process.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:30 with Paul L’Esperance providing a small token of appreciation to Ms. Pash.  

Cindy Carroll, State Certified Real Estate Appraiser, speaks at The Right Angle Men's Club January Meeting

Our January 2016 Speaker's Meeting was  most informative since our members and guests received first hand information about Naples residential real estate. Cindy Carroll, an expert real estate appraiser , has been in the appraisal business for many years and has seen boom and bust real estate values.
Cindy spoke about the most recent, 2005- 2015 real estate market and how values peaked in 2005-2006 followed by a rapid decent in values. Many speculators found themselves holding property only to be forced into "short sale" and also many properties landed in foreclosure.

The builders returned in 2012 and by 2013, they were building in errnest. By 2014-2105 the inventory of homes still fell short of demand but the inventory has begun to satisfy demand and the market is now considered to be healthy.

Naples encompases a large area and market conditions vary by location. Near the water locations are still the top value and inner locations in the northeast portion are not increasing much in value at this time. Ms Carroll stated many facts that affects property values and categories of golf community homes as well as newer residential communities which have not stressed on being a golfing community. She stressed that golf courses are expensive to build and maintain  and many have opted to skip the golfing aspect.

Questions about Vanderbilt Country Club values were asked and from the little MLS listings, Cindy said it is times difficult to have a fair appraisal. She stated that condo values have increased handsomely and that the fact our community has upgraded our fitness center, clubhouse and golf course our values will only increase.

The meeting ended with a token of appreciation for the time Cindy had taken from her busy schedule to inform our members.

THE RIGHT ANGLE MEN’S CLUB NOVEMBER MEETING AT VANDERBILT COUNTRY CLUB

On a beautiful South Florida day, The Right Angle Men's Club of Vanderbilt Country Club had the pleasure of comradery, a buffet lunch and a terrific guest speaker from the Naples Daily News. Mr. Manny Garcia, the Executive Editor of the paper, provided interesting insights into how the paper is run, the local and national environment as well as his own background.

This first meeting of the 2015/2016 season was held on November 19^th with over 80 attendees in Vanderbilt Country Club’s lovely and recently renovated main dining room. While enjoying a wonderful lunch, the members could take in the view from the main dining room windows which look out over the just completed golf course renovation project. The VCC Right Angle Club strives to provide “The Right Angle” on issues of interest and importance to its members and guests.   

The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, a 50/50 raffle and the introduction of our guest speaker by Mr. Bill Cooper. Mr. Garcia spoke about his Cuban heritage and his growth and development in this country, the operation of the paper and also dealt with many issues and questions that are relevant to the Right Angle membership. Some of the areas he covered were:   

1)      Operation of the Naples Daily News:

a.      The Naples Daily News was recently purchased by Gannett.

b.      The Gannett management team is looking to leverage some of the best practices implemented at the Naples Daily News at other papers that they own.

c.       The Naples Daily News is housed in an amazing building with state of the art facilities.

d.      The printing of the paper is done on a high speed, state-of-the art printing press. 

e.      There are roughly 45K subscribers off season and 100K subscribers in season.

f.        In addition to the local markets, key markets for the paper include Cuba and Venezuela.  

g.      Mr. Garcia discussed the electronic distribution of content and the way the Naples Daily News is adopting to that environment by making changes to their existing mobile device delivery mechanism.

h.      Mr. Garcia ended this part of his discussion by offering a facility tour to any interested members of the VCC Right Angle Club.

2)      Questions and topical discussion areas of interest to the membership included:  

a.      The Naples area being a dynamic place for growth and great for journalism. 

b.      Cuba has become a much more open environment with blogs out to the world now on mobile devices.

c.       The top stories going forward potentially include a state wide analysis of the beach restoration and a state wide look at how funding is used in the criminal justice system.

d.      The permitting process in Naples.

Mr. Garcia concluded with a discussion of the “Investigator’s Verse” from Luke 12:2-3.

² There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ³ What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

He was one of our most interesting and entertaining speaker to-date and provided a great way to kick off the first meeting of the Right Angle Club for the new season.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:30 with Paul L’Esperance presenting a modest token of the club’s appreciation to Mr. Garcia.   

Christopher Vernon, ESQ

        THE RIGHT ANGLE MEN’S CLUB APRIL MEETING 

The Right Angle Men's Club met on April 9, 2015 to enjoy comradery, a buffet lunch and to listen to the Mr. Christopher Vernon esq. discuss “Investor Protection 2015”.    

The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, a 50/50 raffle and the introduction of our guest speaker by Roccy DeFrancesco. Mr. Vernon spoke about how to choose the right financial advisor, how to avoid financial scams and the issues with fake and high risk investment products. Some of the areas he covered were:   

1)      How to choose an investment advisor

a.      Perform due diligence on a financial advisor by using the FINRA.ORG web site

b.      Make sure they have errors and omissions insurance

c.       Ask about standards of care and investigate suitability of potential investment products

d.      Make sure that the investment advisor is either a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) or a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) as the other titles are much easier to obtain

2)      Make sure the actual investments of a fund mirrors what the fund is designed to provide, for example:

a.      The Charles Schwab Yield Plus Fund was actually invested in risky California Mortgaged Backed Securities (MBS)

b.      The UBS 100% Principle Protected Note was actually an unprotected note from Lehman Brothers which went bankrupt

3)      Investment risk, including:

a.      Liquidity risk

b.      Transparency

c.       Margin buying

Mr. Vernon handled questions from Right Angle Members and provided advice and guidance in areas of selecting investments and choosing a financial advisor.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:30 with Paul L’Esperance wrapping up a very successful VCC Right Angle Men’s Club in the 2014/2015 season.  

DR. ALLEN WEISS, PRESIDENT & CEO OF NCH

        THE RIGHT ANGLE MEN’S CLUB MARCH MEETING 

The Right Angle Men's Club met on March 19, 2015 to enjoy comradery, a plated lunch and to listen to the CEO of NCH Healthcare, Dr. Allen Weiss. The theme of Dr. Weiss’ talk was “The Future of Healthcare Is Now”.   

The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, a 50/50 raffle and the introduction of our guest speaker by Bill Cooper.  Dr. Weiss spoke about the technological evolution in delivering healthcare services and some of the new capabilities being piloted today at NCH and Sloane Kettering which included:   

1)      IBM’s Watson computer providing better patient diagnosis than humans at Sloane Kettering

2)      “Doctors on Demand” using Skype and FaceTime for diagnosis over the web

3)      “Smart Pills” that can signal when medicine has entered the stomach to help insure elderly patients are taking their medicine

4)      “Smart Rooms” at NCH that use Radio Frequency for patient vital signs and medical records

5)      Advances in Telemedicine     

6)      The use of robots in Collier County to deliver clot busting medicine to stroke patients which can significantly reduce delivery time in a very time sensitive process

7)      The use of “Regenerative Medicine” at the Mayo clinic for issues like cancer of the larynx

NCH is very focused on quality of patient care and improving the outcomes for the patients that they serve. Dr. Weiss discussed a program at NCH to monitor patient mortality for Sepsis (blood infection) in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) that was instituted using Statistical Quality Control Methods and 6 Sigma. That program has reduced the mortality rate from 34% to 8% for ICU sepsis. This has significantly improved both patient outcomes by preventing many mortalities as well as lowering the cost to deliver the service.  

Florida, as a state, is in the 2^nd quintile for quality of healthcare in the United States.  An individual’s zip code is the best predictor for life expectancy. The use of sewers and “potable water” has been the most significant factor in improving life expectancy worldwide. In the future, you can expect to see further exploitation of technology to improve patient outcomes as well as reduce the cost of medical care in both the United States broadly as well as in Collier County.

Dr. Weiss answered several questions and concerns from our members including a description of the new NCH facility being built at Collier and Immokalee which will have an emergency room and 20K square feet of full service hospital facilities and offices for family physicians.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:30 with Paul L’Esperance announcing the next meeting date and speaker.  

RIGHT ANGLE MEN'S CLUB FEBRUARY MEETING

The Right Angle Men's Club met on February 12, 2015 to enjoy camaraderie, a plated lunch and to listen to Stephen Myers from Angel Eyes UAV. Mr. Myers is the president of the company that focuses on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or DRONES.  

The meeting kicked off with the Pledge of Allegiance, a 50/50 raffle and the introduction of our guest speaker by Bill Cooper.  After opening remarks, Mr. Myers discussion of UAVs covered the following major topics:   

1   1)      UAV definitions and classification

2   2)      Legal aspects and implication of UAVs

3   3)      Application and use of drone (UAV) technology    

Some of the key points from his discussion were:

Unmanned Ariel Systems have been in use since WWII when balloons were used to drop bombs. UAVs are ideal for use with tasks that humans should not be involved with because they are one of the “4Ds”- Dull, Dirty, Dangerous or Difficult.

There is much grey area today with regulation of UAVs. The confusion is due to both the lack of regulation and many commercial and non-commercial uses of UAVs. While the US lags other countries, Florida is very friendly to the aviation industry. There are many issues with UAVs including detection and avoidance, spectrum, secure GPS and certification.

 

The uses for UAVs include:

1   1)      Detecting hot spots on houses or commercial buildings.

2   2)      Multi-spectral detection for crop growth and vegetation, including golf courses.

3   3)      Volumetric studies.

4   4)      Corona discharge for electric wires.

  

In the future, you can expect more safety features for UAVs including parachutes, personal airspace protection, deterrents for flight interruption and capability to block jamming of UAV control transmission.

Mr. Myers answered several questions and concerns from our members including the FAA's proposed laws.

The following link contains a summary of the FAA’s suggestions for proposed laws:

http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/media/021515_sUAS_Summary.pdf

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:30 with Paul L’Esperance announcing the next meeting date and speaker.  

Right Angle Men's Club January Speaker's Meeting

The Right Angle Men's Club met on January 15, 2015 to enjoy comradery, a terrific buffet lunch and to listen to Charlotte Miller from Florida Power and Light. Ms. Miller is FPL’s Manager of External Affairs for Southwest Florida. Ninety one (91) members including several guests attended the meeting in Vanderbilt Country Club’s wonderful, new Vista Room.

The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, a 50/50 raffle and opening remarks by Paul L’Esperance.  Bill Cooper introduced Ms Miller, our guest speaker who provided an overview of FPL and FPL’s parent company Next Era Energy. She discussed:  

1)      The regulated and un-regulated parts of the business

2)      FPL’s power generation facilities

3)      Smart grid initiatives from a consumer perspective   

Some of the key points from her discussion were:

The regulated side of FPL’s business provides electricity to approximately half of the state of Florida serving 4.7M customers in 35 counties. FPL is the lowest cost electricity provider in the state of Florida of all of the 55 utilities covering the state. Most of the electricity is generated from gas and nuclear energy. FPL has two nuclear power plants in Florida at Turkey Point and Stewart Island.

Using Smart grid initiatives and FPL’s Next Generation Energy Centers, FPL has significantly cut the cost to generate electricity for the customers FPL serves. Solar energy is beginning to grow with pilot projects underway. The challenges continue to be the amount of space needed for solar and battery backup. FPL is driving additional use of solar with a facility in DeSoto County.

 

Approximately 46M homes in the United States have smart meters which is about 40% coverage. Using automated, two way wireless encrypted transmission, FPL can provide additional capabilities to consumers as compared to the older, electro-mechanical meters. These capabilities include outage assistance and restoration, monitoring and metering usage real time and an energy dashboard where customers can watch usage by hour. 

  

Ms. Miller answered many questions and addressed concerns from our members.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:30 with Paul L’Esperance announcing the next meeting date and speaker.  

RIGHT ANGLE MEN'S CLUB NOVEMBER MEETING

                                                                                                                The Right Angle Men's Club kicked off the 2014/2015 season with a successful meeting in the beautiful and recently renovated VCC Clubhouse.  Seventy four (74) members attended the meeting to enjoy comradery, a wonderful lunch buffet and a very informative speaker.

The meeting kicked off with Lyle Carter presenting a check to VCC General Manager John Laliberte for the new clubhouse podium. After the pledge of allegiance and member welcoming, our guest speaker, Collier County Commissioner Mr. Tim Nance discussed:  

1)      Economic development (roads and building) in Collier County

2)      Steps being taken to make Collier County run more efficiently

3)      Encouraging business development in Collier County   

Some of the key points from his discussion were:

Collier County contains roughly 1.3M acres of which approximately 80% or 1M are already in “preservation” status.  Nearly 15% of the county is already built and only 5% of the 1.3M acres is in discussion for future development.  Much of the building will occur near VCC with planned communities similar to Vanderbilt Country Club. The surrounding roadways, including CR 951, are being expanded to accommodate the anticipated additional traffic. 

In addition to the roadway and building discussion, Mr. Nance  also talked about the ways that he is making Collier County Government more efficient. He has established a 1^st Hearing Examiner position to approve non-controversial items as well as eliminating several “Executive Director” positions in order to flatten his organization structure.  He also discussed 55 action items that are being assessed to either simplify the operation of Collier County or to help reduce regulation. He recognizes the need to streamline Collier County government and is taking steps toward that goal.

Taxes in Collier County, and all other counties in the United States, are used predominantly for providing residential services. Business taxes provide a way to help offset the disproportionate cost of providing these services. Mr. Nance also discussed what is being done to encourage business development in Collier County. The Partnership for Collier’s Future Economy was established to identify opportunities for “courting” business. “Opportunity Naples” is a 3 year strategy that was put together to help addresses the issues of business growth and business development in Collier County.  

Commissioner Nance answered many questions and concerns from our members.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:30 with the group looking forward to a continuation of a strong lineup of speakers for the 2014-2015 season, now that our fabulous club house has reopened. 

                             Lyle Carter presented the check to John Laliberte for the new podium.

Tarren Bragdon, The Foundation for Government Accountability

Tarren Bragdon with members of the Right Angle Board.

This highly informative speaker's meeting provided insight on Medicaid, what it is today and where Medicaid Reform is headed. Tarren Bragdon, formerly from Maine, is President and CEO of The Foundation for Government Accountability for Florida. He and his family now live in Collier County. He is nationally recognized expert on health reform issues with a specialty in Medicaid Reform.

Mr. Bragdon gained some early political experience in Maine, being elected to the House of Representatives at the age of 21. He has advised various federal and state officials, including Governor Rick Scott, on Medicaid Reform and its implications. Mr. Bragdon presented us with a comparison of how actual costs have dramatically exceeded the estimates of projected costs in those states that implemented expanded Medicaid. Two states in his case study eventually were forced to reduce the coverage or the eligibility or both.

In the Q&A period, it was suggested that more Medicaid creates higher health costs for the general population since hospitals have to make up their losses. Another comment made was since Medicaid patients don't have co-pay obligations they are less apt to manage their healthcare usage.

Mr. Bragdon's PowerPoint charts were clear and his entire presentation was very well received by the club members.

Today, Jack Bream was recognized for his service to the Right Angle Men's Club since its founding. Jack provided many of our speakers and brought the AVID program to VCC. We are grateful for all he has done.