• FUND RAISER:  The club is now actively selling sterling silver bracelets with a pawprint charm as a fundraiser. 20% of the profits go to the local community and 80% to projects in Mexico.  Check out the flyer for additional details, or see Janice, Darlene or Phil.
  

HISTORYMOMENT

ROTARACT

After the success of Interact clubs for high school-age youth in the early 1960s, the RI board created Rotaract in 1968. The new organization was designed to promote responsible citizenship and leadership potential in clubs of young men and women, aged 18 to 30. The first Rotaract club was chartered by the Charlotte North Rotary Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1994 there were more than 149,000 members in more than 6,500 Rotaract clubs in 107 countries.

Rotaract clubs emphasize the importance of individual responsibility as the basis of personal success and community involvement. Each club sponsors an annual project to promote high ethical standards in one's business and professional life. Rotaract also provides opportunities leading to greater international understanding and goodwill. Rotaractors enjoy many social activities as well as programs to improve their community. A Rotaract club can exist only when continuously sponsored, guided and counseled by a Rotary club. The programs of Rotaract are built around the motto "Fellowship Through Service."

ABCs of Rotary" by Cliff Dotchterman - reprinted with permission).
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Cindy Sheltmire introduced Jeff MacLellan.  Jeff is the President and C.E.O. of The Landrum Company and Chairman of the Board of First National Bank and Trust.  Since arriving in Columbia in 1987, Jeff has been collecting data on the Columbia economy and he shared his latest statistics with the club.

Population growth:
    We finally broke 90,000 in 2004.  As of the end of 2004, Columbia had a population of 90,066.  Jeff believes that we have probably been growing faster than the #’s indicate.  The area really growing which also contributes to the health of the Columbia community is Boone County.  The County has grown at a faster rate than Columbia.  It is estimated that Boone County has a population of approximately 140,000.  The student population accounts for part of our population (about 15,000).  If the student lives in campus housing, they are not included in our population statistics.  If they live in a duplex, house, or apartment that is not owned by the university, they are counted in our statistics.

Households:
    We have seen substantial growth in households.  But, the number of people living in a household has seen a steady decline.  2.34 is the average number of residents per household in Columbia.  Jeff believes this indicates an increased demand for housing.

Median Age:
        This is an area where Columbia has seen a dramatic increase.  In 1987, the median age was 25.8.  As of 2004, the median age has climbed to 35.2.  We still remain below the median age in the United States.

Top Employers
    The top employers in Columbia employ 35% of the workforce in Columbia.  The University and University Hospital and Clinics are the top two employers in Columbia.

University Enrollment
    Enrollment at the University is currently at 22,136 students. 

Columbia Public Schools
    Enrollment in 2004 was 16,382.  We have seen a slight decline for the past 3 years.

Jobs in the Community
    We currently have 89,000 jobs and a good steady job growth rate.  Jobs have grown more rapidly than the population in Columbia, however we import many workers from the county and surrounding counties.

Age Breakdown
    30.8% of the Columbia population is between the ages of 25 and 44.  58,000 people are in the employment pool which shows how many Columbia workers come from the surrounding areas outside of Columbia.

Unemployment
    We are currently at a rate of 2.5% and we consistently stay below the national average.

Building permits
    The number of building permits have been increasing and the value of those building permits stays high.  We have seen a decrease in 2004 from an all time high of 101 million in 2003.  The 2004 figure was 61.2 million.  These figures exclude University building and we all know that the University has been building a great deal in the past few years.  The total value of permits has skyrocketed in the past 3 years.  The amount is nearly double what it was 3 years ago.  Low interest rates is probably the leading factor.

Aggregate property value
    Property value in Columbia totals 4.7 million.  The taxes on property helps fund the schools and the city so growth in this area helps in that respect.

# of Houses sold
    The number is up 10.4%.  50% of the homes sold in a given year are typically sold in the middle months of the year.  The numbers have been increasing.  We have seen dramatic increases in homes sold in the last three years.  Inventory of homes is down right now and it’s a seller’s market.

Cost of Living
    The national average is 100.  In 2004, Columbia’s cost of living was 91.8.  We have seen this decreasing from 2000 where we reached a high of 99.6.

Retail Sales (hard goods, not including homes or cars)
    These are the sales tax drivers for Columbia.  We have seen very steady, consistent increases.  Last year, sales tax income increased by 1 million dollars.

Business Licenses
    These slowed a bit in the past couple of years, but we are still seeing the numbers increasing.

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If interested, please e-mail Tony St Romaine, or see Kristen Smarr, Jane Phillips or Paige Scott for additional details.
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 Web Editor:  Tony St Romaine

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