Rotareminder for the Rotary Club of Kent
May 27, 2025

 

Meeting opening:
President Rachel Kerns called the meeting to order and welcomed Rotarians and guests. She thanked audio booth volunteers Bill Nome, Roger Kramer, and Mark Pennell.  Photos were taken by Nithya V.  Our patriotic song was the National Anthem, played by David Dix.  We recited the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the invocation, offered by Dave Myers.  We then sang the Armed Forces medley, with David playing the piano and Dom leading the songs.

 

Visitors/Guests:
There were no visiting Rotarians this week.  Kathy Myers introduced Samantha Stephens, last week’s speaker, as her guest.

 

Announcements:
Sherry Joy thanked the crew who helped clean up the gazebo area in downtown Kent and then plant flowers.  Volunteer helpers were Ralph Kletzien, Nelson Burns, Mark Pennell, Jen Lennox, Joe Marken, Laura Martin Miller plus her husband and children, and Dave and Sherry Joy.
Dennis Campbell announced the Women to Women luncheon to be held on Thursday June 5th.  The theme is building a creative culture.
Jen Lennox noted that there will be a happy hour at Marathon Financial on Thursday,  June 12th.  Please RSVP to Jen.
Larry Lohman and Nancy Whitehead talked about the potential opportunity for a grant that would pay for tuition for a scholar coming to KSU.  More information will follow.
David Dix announced that the Salvation Army food distribution will be held on Wednesday, June 4th from 8 to 11 am.  Volunteers are needed to distribute food.
Todd Kamenash thanked those helping with the ITGA event next week.  Please contact Todd with questions.

 

Happy Bucks:
Todd Kamenash collected happy bucks from the following Rotarians: Howard Boyle, Dennis Campbell, Jeff Roeger, Ben Tipton, Kathy Myers, Laing Kennedy, Tom Larkin, Anne Moneypenny, Paul Organ, Rebekah Wright Kulis, Nancy Whitehead, Roger Kramer, Todd Kamenash.
Winners of the trivia questions were Jim Myers and Roger Kramer.

 

Program:
Dennis Campbell introduced our speaker for today by telling us that Travis Copen is a 1992 graduate of Akron University, who rose to the presidency of Copen Machine in 2007.  He has grown the business into a very successful enterprise.  He is also involved in scouting and has four boys in line to become eagle scouts.
Travis Copen told us about the history of Copen Machine.  It started in 1978 in a garage owned by his father.  Travis always loved being around machines and enjoyed helping his dad with the business.  Early in the history of the business the company made parts for bank vaults.  He proudly told us that Copen machine made the doors that house the important documents that are on display in the nation’s capital.  The doors are an important security feature to ensure the preservation of the documents.  
Copen Machine has been growing on several contiguous sites in the south end of Kent. The company now has 30,000 square feet of state-of-the-art equipment.  Travis showed us a video of the shop floors and the sophisticated equipment in operation.  The video showcases the business and has also been a good recruiting tool.  Travis told us that the business has a “people” mission.  The average age of a machinist is 57.  Copen boasts of having two 17 year olds at the shop.  They hire summer interns and are recruiting folks in their 20’s and 30’s to learn from older workers.
The second mission of Copen Machine is diversification.  The largest customer is no more than 25% of the business.  The company is involved with tactical accessories, commercial food processing, defense work, and a diverse mix of parts needed for industrial purposes.  
Travis gave credit to his wife, Lisa, who manages HR for the company.  He also praised the eight person management team involved with running Copen Machine.

 

Response:
Tom Larkin thanked Travis for his program about Copen Machine.  He praised Travis for investing in the community and for building relationships with youth.  He thanked the Copens for their contributions to Kent.
The meeting closed with the Four Way Test

Respectfully submitted,   
Sue Hetrick