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HBS Club of Jacksonville |
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President's Report: 2008-2009 Year in Review
Despite the challenging economic environment, the Club persevered and hosted a number of successful events for the Jacksonville HBS alumni.
Dear Members and Fellow Alumni,
With June 30th being the Club's fiscal year-end, I wanted to take this opportunity to look back over the past year as President and recap our accomplishments. It has been an exciting year indeed: a new president of the world’s superpower was installed in a dramatic yet peaceful democratic regime change, the financial markets melted down in the fall of 2008, wiping out a decade of returns, and now banks, insurance companies, and automobile manufacturers are on life support with government bailout monies...who would have thought back in July 2008 that we would end up here a year later!
Yet, despite all the economic and political turmoil, the HBS Club of Jacksonville has moved ahead and can recognize several positive achievements. We ended the year with a solid membership base and our financial position is strong. I wish to thank our dedicated Board of Directors for their hard work in seeking to create a meaningful fellowship and connection among the HBS alumni in the Jacksonville area.
Building on the strong turnout for the School's Centennial Anniversary banquet last May 2008, the Club sponsored a number of events for our members this year, including:
- Membership Networking Social at the University Club
- Executive Luncheon with a briefing by executives from EverBank on the financial services storm
- Backstage tour and play "Wait until Dark" at Theatre Jacksonville in San Marco
- Executive Luncheon with an update on entrepreneurial financing by Springboard Capital LLC
- Special member-only pricing for Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra's performance of Tchaikovsky's violin concerto
- Dinner meeting with Tim Finchem, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR, at TPC Sawgrass
- Virtual Learning Series teleconference calls - 5 in total on topics ranging from "Social Networks Influencing Stock Returns" and "Leadership Lessons of Abraham Lincoln" to "Job Search Strategies" and "Health Care Reform Prescriptions." All VLS events were free to Club members!
The Club also fast-forwarded into the Web 2.0 era with the launch of its new website in January 2009. Linked to the HBS alumni LEFA database, the Club's website allows all alumni to register and update their personal profile, which is then automatically synchronized with the School's database. The Club's website is rich with valuable and interesting content, both at the local level with Club events and news posting, and at the national level with alumni updates, school news, and an entire page devoted to career resources. If you have not already done so, please take a few moments to peruse the website and give us your feedback.
Having gone through the HBS experience in Boston, whether the MBA, AMP, PMD, or other degree programs, we all share a common bond as fellow business leaders, entrepreneurs, and achievers in our chosen fields. We are driven by curiosity, competitiveness, and the desire to succeed. Now at various stages of our post-Harvard career, we can come together again to share our thoughts, experiences, business connections, or just socialize in a friendly, collegial atmosphere created by the Club at its many events and through the website www.hbsjax.org.
If we have enriched and improved your professional and personal life along the way, the Club will consider its mission accomplished! On behalf of the Board, I thank you for your support now and in the future.
Respectfully submitted this 4th day of June, 2009.
Regards,
John R. Marshall, President
HBS Club of Jacksonville
P.S. Don't forget to renew you membership for next year (2009-2010), and if you are not currently a member, please consider joining the Club and supporting our efforts to create interesting and enjoyable activities for Jacksonville alumni.
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