October 10, 2013 – Meeting Roundup
John D. Perdue, the State’s 24th Treasurer, has 35 years of experience serving the people of West Virginia. From his days working for the Department of Agriculture to serving as a senior aide in the Governor’s office during the Caperton Administration, John Perdue has placed a high premium on public service. For nearly four decades, Perdue has worked hard to make West Virginia a better place for its small businesses, senior citizens, families, and young people.Perdue, who was first elected to statewide office in 1996, has taken the State Treasurer’s Office to new heights with a more modernized office that not only restored the public’s faith and confidence with the state’s bank, but also successfully created a transparent office that dutifully serves the West Virginia taxpayer.
The banker of state government, Treasurer Perdue manages more than $13 billion annually in state dollars, as well as oversees the Board of Treasury Investment (BTI), West Virginia’s 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, Unclaimed Property, and the SMART 529 College Education Savings Plan among other programs.
Treasurer Perdue has made a strong commitment to improving access to education for all West Virginians. Teaming with Hartford Financial, Perdue has successfully created more than 17,000 SMART 529 accounts to help families save money to send their kids to college and open the doors of opportunity for every West Virginia child. The Treasurer is a strong supporter of financial education in the classroom as well, beginning in elementary school. He is teaming with the West Virginia Department of Education to integrate practical financial uses, a program known as ‘NetWorth‘, into pre-existing curriculum.
John Perdue is past president of the National Association of State Treasurers and the Northeast Region of the National Association of State Treasurers. He has also served as president of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators. In addition, he has served on the board of the College Savings Plan Network. State Treasurer John Perdue is a native of Dog Fork Hollow at Manila in Boone County. He is the son of Mary and the late Glen Perdue. He is a graduate of Scott High School and earned his Bachelor’s of Science degree from West Virginia University in 1972. He is the chairman of the WVU College of Agriculture and Forestry Visiting Committee. Perdue also serves on the West Virginia Board of Trustees of the Leukemia Society of America. He is also a member of the West Virginia Technology Enterprise Investment Council.
Berkeley Springs Water
Mike began by giving us his background at the company. He began there in 1975 working part time to earn a little extra money. He moved up to driving a delivery truck and working full time. He finally began supervising the water deliveries. When the owner died, the owner’s widow and sons took over, but soon began squabbling and the widow shut down the company, so Mike went to work for a company in Big Pool, MD. As he described it, he left one crazy woman and went to work for another. Finally, the Dehaven brothers out of Winchester bought Berkeley Springs Water and asked Mike to manage it for them. The company has a lot of regulations imposed by the state and federal governments it must strictly adhere to before it can ship the water which they buy from the state.
It was a fascinating talk.
Cogwheels
Answer to last week’s question:
If you didn’t know the answer, you seriously need to attend a meeting because we recite it at every meeting. The 4-Way Test is a convenient measuring stick for all human relations, consisting of four simple questions, as follows:
Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
This week’s question:
Why is career information considered to be a Vocational Service activity?
Adria and Brian Deaver from Elk Grove, CA, were guests of Marilyn Schoon and Bill Wortley. Jan Sparks, who works for JC Penney and recently transferred here, was back as a guest of Herman Dixon. Walt Ridenour was accompanied by his daughter, Anita Cooper.
Bill Bowen is still looking for a sponsor for Berkeley Springs High School for the Bob Elmer Sports Breakfast. On the subject of the Sports Breakfast, tickets are on sale again this week.
In another Apple Harvest Festival tradition, the show choir from Martinsburg HS will be selling apple dumplings at our meeting this week. They are delicious!
Jay Rutkowski volunteered to substitute in the murder mystery at the Senior Center for C. D. Linton (Sunrise club) and C. D. donated $1,000 to the Taste of the Panhandle. Congratulations go to both.
Tickets for the Taste of the Panhandle are now ready and you can get them for $65. They go up to $75 on January 1st, so don’t procrastinate.
We meet at Quad Graphics on the 24th. If we have any members that do not wish to take the tour (it’s a lot of walking), they will go to an imaging room for a separate presentation. Anyone taking the tour must have closed-toe and closed-back shoes. ABSOLUTELY no sandals!
Jim Smith will sell 50/50 tickets this week.