Transcript

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Adi Soozin: Hi everybody and welcome to another episode today. We have with us the very prestigious Joe Roth. For those of you…

Joe Roth: 

Adi Soozin: who don’t know he’s not gonna say he’s prestigious but I will for those who do not know. He is the main driver behind why our district is one of the fastest growing districts terms of accumulating very high quality intelligent trust for the individuals who are investing into not only Community projects low projects that are absolutely changing the World building a better future for the Next Generation from generations to come and today you were going to meet somebody who is at the Forefront shaping the future of rotary and it’s International Legacy.

Joe Roth: What an introduction, wow. I didn’t know it was all of that.

Adi Soozin: Yes, I know I have to talk you up because you’re not going to do it for yourself. So I have to let everybody know just how much of us you are behind the scenes. But thank you for coming on. if you want to give a little bit of an intro of…

Joe Roth: My pleasure.

Adi Soozin: who are you and what is your profession?

Joe Roth: Sure, my name is Joe Roth. First of all, I’m a 25-year veteran of the rotary organization. I must confess that I was a 13 year member of a competing organization. I was a kawanian for 13 years. Yes. Okay, I was a colony if a 13 years and I found very very striking similarities in the two organizations. And so that’s 38 years of service to the community and it’s become a very very major important part of my life as a professional. I’ve been a jeweler for over half a century started when I was in my teens and so I just celebrated my 70th birthday this past week and so 50 plus years in the jewelry industry. I continue to do that and love what I do. It’s a real challenge through all my years and continues to be something.

Joe Roth: I’d love to do one in Argentina. And yeah,…

Adi Soozin: Really?

Joe Roth: yeah came to the states when I was 10 years old with my parents. So I lived in New York for 18 years.

Adi Soozin: What?

Joe Roth: So I consider myself a New Yorker and that part of New York is still a very very big part of my life and my heart, especially in my sports teams and now we’re 43 year resident of South, Florida.

Adi Soozin: it’s

Adi Soozin: My picture behind the camera is. New York City at Christmas time right Yeah.

Joe Roth: yes. Yes, that’s a very special time.

Adi Soozin: Even though I’m Jewish. I love Rockefeller Center at Christmas time. It’s just

Joe Roth: I am Jewish and love New York, especially from Thanksgiving to Christmas. What’s it’s really magical for sure.

Adi Soozin: Yeah, absolutely when you said Argentina to New York, I thought there might be a high chance that you could also be from the tribe.

Joe Roth: I am from the tribe. Yes.

Adi Soozin: I have something here that you might find funny. I don’t know if you knew this but star are the snowflake the six-point snowflake was.

Joe Roth: Yeah. Yeah, Let’s start with a Star of David snowflake.

Adi Soozin: When I was living in Spain, I was wearing the sixth Point Snowflake, and one of my African friends came up to me and he was like, I very David hiding it.

Adi Soozin: It’s very very subtle.

Joe Roth: You know that snowflakes are individual right? Not two of them are the same so nobody else had that snowflake you were the only one.

Adi Soozin: I don’t know about that. I bought it at a jewelry place in Finland. apparently Yeah.

Joe Roth: Uh-huh. So I see that you’re well-traveled.

Joe Roth: You’re well-traveled. my Lord.

Adi Soozin: My gosh 48 countries.

Adi Soozin: I heard you’re both traveling as well. You’re on a cruise every other week.

Joe Roth: Yes, something like that, Yeah,…

Adi Soozin: I want to be you when I’m older, but they

Joe Roth: yeah sure that is a goal that you need to shoot for it. Yeah this past year. We were actually in South Africa taking a cruise out of Cape Town. So yeah, great great stuff and we had plans on visiting. Israel…I  believe you’re from Israel originally, right? or…

Adi Soozin: My husband.

Joe Roth: Oh, your husband is okay. We had plans on celebrating my cousin’s 70th birthday in Haifa in June. But obviously, now that’s something that could be put on hold. we’ll see how things develop there, but I have never been to Israel and…

00:05:00

Adi Soozin: Is yeah.

Joe Roth: I hope to get there. Yeah. Yeah, and so I had hoped to get there this coming June and…

Adi Soozin: We go some and…

Joe Roth: but hopefully that still could be open to us. We’ll see.

Adi Soozin: go for three to five weeks in the winter. so that my kids get to see the other side of the family, but this year we had to pause our winter trip because Of everything going on my family’s in Haifa. Yeah.

Joe Roth: Yeah. Yeah really? Okay. Yeah my cousin is in a kibbutz right outside I’m not sure what the name of the kibbutz is. But yeah, she’s been there. For over 50 years I think..

Adi Soozin: Yeah. The one with the stunning kibbutz on the beach. Yeah, my husband every time we drive he’s like I want to retire there.

Joe Roth: Yeah.

Adi Soozin: Could you in his dream commence? There’s a beautiful couple right outside of hype right on the beach and…

Joe Roth: Yeah.

Adi Soozin: it’s incredible grow bananas. They have been so far. Yeah.

Joe Roth: wow, so hopefully maybe that’s the one.

Adi Soozin: Yeah, it is. You’re gonna have a very nice time. Hopefully everything problems don’t yeah,…

Joe Roth: Yeah. it’s

Adi Soozin: we can talk about that later. I could go on that Rabbit Trail for hours, but we’re limited on so, let’s see. How do you use your Professional Knowledge in service projects locally and globally

Joe Roth: when I looked at that question, I was trying to draw an interesting answer for you on that. because I’ve never really had the opportunity in per se to be able to. I’m not I’m not a lawyer. I’m not a moderator. I’m not of those professions that could lend themselves to service and rotary. I’ve got to kind of turn that around and go the other direction with it. I think that what rotary has done to me or has done for me Has helped me more than I have helped Rotary in that sense because it’s changed me as a person and that’s the power of rotary..

Joe Roth: You may or may not realize or think that I’m an introvert by nature and being an and being introvert. I was very very to myself and I wasn’t really into being with people. rotary has changed me for that from being that and the end result is that I’ve become the person that can help rotary now, not so much in the service projects or service initiatives either locally or internationally, but more about empowering other people to be greater better Rotarians. that’s really my call to action now, so I’m kind of turning the page on that or turning that question a little bit upside down. It’s not so much what I have been able to give to Rotary. It’s what rotary has given me and now in turn my position is a rotary and is that of a mentor a teacher of somebody who inspires others to be Not only Rotarians but better people too.

Joe Roth: I value in treasure that role What I do because internally it’s not who I am or who I was but it’s who I am now, so I know that it’s probably not the exact answer you’re looking for but I think that it qualifies as an inspirational answer to others who have that same character. I wouldn’t call it a flaw. I don’t think being an introvert is a flaw but that characteristic of themselves. Allowing or potentially letting rotary change you as a person for the better good so I hope that answer me makes sense to you.

Adi Soozin: It absolutely introverts tend to like to solve big problems that require link you have all free time where we’re not engaging with others. So we have that free time for thinking and strategizing and so that’s why you tend to see when introverts commit to something. There’s a lot of strategic Insight that goes into the main surface seem like very simple project you find out there’s layers of depth to this that they’re going to ReSound for years come.

Joe Roth: Yeah, I agree. and my thinking is different than it’s ever been. A lot of people in our Rotary District call me the idea guy and yeah, because as I have conversations with people something that they say may trigger an idea in my mind right away and I’ll make use of it, and I often do that on social media where I see a post social media and…

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Joe Roth: turn it around and I’m not the originator of any of these posts. I’m actually one who takes a post or sees something or maybe even a billboard on the highway and turns it into an idea that promotes our organization and that’s something that maybe my mind is kind of wired that way I love it for that. I really do.

00:10:00

Adi Soozin: yeah, and also only one more thing for Supportive introverts is when an extroverts and ideas They’ll come up to you and list of ideas and infect you implemented when an introverts an idea person, they’ll come up to you tell you what their idea is and then they go away and they implement it. So that’s…

Joe Roth: That’s right. That’s

Adi Soozin: where wait when you have an ideas person who’s an introvert. You have a Powerhouse when you have an ideas person who’s an extrovert you do. Have you been full you need to explain to them delegation the thing I’d have to sit down even ideas person who’s an extrovert and…

Joe Roth: no.

Adi Soozin: I did explain to her…

Joe Roth: I’m so happy that you see it that way…

Adi Soozin: how rotary work.

Joe Roth: because I never really thought of it that way but I could certainly see that in myself. I do go back and implement it and I’m a doer. I’m not just a talker. I’m a doer that’s…

Adi Soozin: Yes.

Joe Roth: what yeah, and It’s very important to me and it seems to be and…

Adi Soozin: is

Joe Roth: seems to be powerful for others.

Adi Soozin: Yeah, and something else that I say to your Professional Knowledge plugging into is I noticed that Jewelers are very perceptive because someone comes in to their store and the Jeweler has to see okay what to jewelry. Do they want to put on that’s going to show the best version of themselves and…

Joe Roth: right

Adi Soozin: rotary when people And you have to say This person values these things which service projects. Can I plug them into that’s going to help them to version of themselves. So that unique neural pathway and that unique thought process is probably something that’s helped with building such a strong membership base. Would you agree?

Joe Roth: Yes. Yes, I do and you do become a people person or maybe you’ve always been a people person but by maybe just implementing these skills you do can read a person and say what and be very forthright with someone who’s going to be very new to Rotary and say listen, you have the capability of being strong in this area pursue it, and…

Adi Soozin: Yeah. Yeah.

Joe Roth: and go for it and so when you’re able to be a people person you are a good listener as well, and being a good listener is a trait that is important when you’re dealing with so many tangible things that a person has to offer. So that’s where my strength lies, and I enjoy that and I try to share that with a lot of people and it’s worked.

Joe Roth: For the most part, I think that’s why people kind of turn to me for their problems. So their issues in rotary and they may not go to people in their own clubs, but there’s that email that says I need your help, and so I’m open to that.

Adi Soozin: Yeah, I could tell you that in the few minutes before we started our recording something that I’ve been not sharing with anybody. I opened up to Joe about it and ask him for his advice and input on so when he says this is a skill of his it really is because usually I’m an oyster and didn’t no one could get me to say anything or Joe. My husband and I are like steel vaults like we’re very yeah quiet with everything…

Joe Roth: Yeah.

Adi Soozin: but let’s see so

Adi Soozin: you’ll be answered this question of when did you join rotary 25 years ago, but what made you decide to switch from Kiwanis to Rotary? I mean aside from all the jokes we make about why are you

Joe Roth: Let’s keep the political side of it. But unfortunately, it was an interesting dynamic. at the time. I had my jewelry store in Sunrise Florida, which is not far from where I live now in Weston, and so I decided to get involved with this young group of people that were in this Kiwanis Club and…

Adi Soozin: yeah.

Joe Roth: but after 13 years it folded and it went away just to as happens in

Joe Roth: Or organizations, So it went away and they used to meet at 7:30 on Thursday morning. So became part of my life at 7:30 on Thursday morning.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Joe Roth: So when I moved from sunrise to Weston 33 years ago somebody who was a father in the Boy Scout group where my son was being a Boy Scout was a member of Rotary in Davie Cooper City, and he says Joe, do you know that there’s a rotary club that meets at 7:30 on Thursday mornings in Weston. So 7: 30… on Thursday morning. and a club that is similar to Kiwanis.

00:15:00

Joe Roth: So boom there I went for the first time.

Adi Soozin: yeah.

Joe Roth: I went to see my club that club at that time had 30 members. It was only five years old at 30 members and it was in a growing community. And so I started working there six months into it. They asked me to be on the board for the next year. I said, whoa, slow it down, guys.

Adi Soozin: .

Joe Roth: Four years later. I was president of a Rotary club of Weston and ten years. After that. I was governor of this District. So it’s been an interesting ride a very quick one. And so that’s how why I  joined , all because of the Boy Scouts of America. My son was in this Boy Scout troop, and they said you should join Rotary. It’s something that you’ll enjoy and you could be the liaison between the Rotary Club and the boy scout group it made

Joe Roth: A lot of sense because Boy Scouts do service and that’s…

Adi Soozin: That’s brilliant.

Joe Roth: how we got involved. Yeah, so it was a great match.

Adi Soozin: That’s brilliant. I when my grandfather was so active and rotary all of my aunts and uncles are six of them. they didn’t Scouts and Girl Scouts. and I didn’t even think about the two connecting…

Joe Roth: Yeah.

Adi Soozin: but that’s probably where they formed that up to a police service project.

Joe Roth: Yeah, it became a very natural coexistence, very symbiotic relationship and…

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Joe Roth: the Boy Scouts did service with the Rotarians and the Rotarians supported the Boy Scout Troop monetarily, so it was great. So that’s my start.

Adi Soozin: Yeah, and then what is one thing you tell those thinking of joining Rotary International?

Joe Roth: boy, that is such a deep and thought provoking question and it has so many potential answers,…

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Joe Roth: taking it from a personal point of view it changes you or If you allow it it changes you.

Joe Roth: And it has me.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Joe Roth: It has changed me. it’s not always about. yeah, it gives you opportunities for service. It gives the opportunity for professional advancement because it’s done that to me, …

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Joe Roth: all those things are possible and as well as many others I call them by-products of being a Rotarian, being a citizen of the world being able to make friends around the world it’s just so many things. I mean this probably 20 or 30 things that I could tell you that are positives about becoming a Rotarian, but I think the most important thing for me has been the relationships that I’ve buil,t personal relationships that I’ve built in Rotary and…

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Joe Roth: the friends that I’ve made, for over the 25 years not just here in our district locally here in South Florida, but throughout the world and…

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Joe Roth: the opportunity to travel road with rotary gone to

Joe Roth: And international conventions have been part of a program called the group study exchange which no longer exists right now. But I was an ambassador to my own home country Argentina for 35 days. It was an incredible experience making incredible friends. So I think put to me the most important thing had been personal relationships and the ability to serve others, so my days of cleaning up garbage on the side of the road or over or going to Habitat for Humanity and banging Nails on a wall. Those days are pretty much over. That’s what I used to do when I first joined. But my ability to give back to to the rotary Community Still Remains, very strong in other ways.

Adi Soozin: That’s what I had an interview for a book promotion last week and one of the co-authors for the book was saying how it’s kind of mentors. Let’s look like listen,…

Joe Roth: 

Adi Soozin: if anyone in the audience has an issue finding a mentor you go to a rotary club you look for the most intimidating person in the room walk up to them and you say up to you need help And you get mentored just by sitting next to them and watching them do what they do within rotary and you will walk away a year later and be blown away by what you’ve learned.

Joe Roth: Absolutely. Yeah, and it’s very low cost to be mentored in Rotary…. you will pay a lot of dollars to  to be mentored that way in different scenarios, but Rotary gives you the  opportunity to …

Adi Soozin: But yeah.

00:20:00

Joe Roth: since next to somebody else who’s had life experiences and learn from them and especially for I’m talking to you 30 year olds or 20 plus

Joe Roth: 30 year olds or 40 year olds, you’re the future of our organization. You have to be the one that I realized the talk to anybody that will tell you what are the byproducts of being a member not just about doing community service. But what are the byproducts of being a member and that will not only convince you to join this organization, but actually take the role of being a leader in this organization, don’t just sit back,…

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Joe Roth: take the opportunity be at 35 year old District Governor, which is kind of unheard of but it’s there. I know one in our district just to the north of us who was 38 years old and when he became District Governor, so it’s the opportunities.

Adi Soozin: Wow.

Joe Roth: Yeah, the opportunities are there and Rotary gives you those opportunities.

Adi Soozin: Yeah, it’s a very very rare opportunity to just level while you’re also giving back. It’s very unique experience.

Joe Roth: Yes, yes. Yes, and there are so many different definitions of giving back, intuitively most people when they join or the reason they join is because in quotation marks, I want to give back to my community. yes, you do have that opportunity, but there are so many different ways of giving back.

Joe Roth: Let me tell you something our Rotary District  should be honored to have someone like you as a member because your type of thinking is…

Adi Soozin: I think

Joe Roth: what we need in We need more of that in rotary and it’s up to people like you to spread that passion that you have because it bursts out like crazy.

Adi Soozin: It’s for those of you tuning in who went to business school. We know each other from different walks of life. This is your call to action go to Google type in me go to a meeting. Check it out. don’t just take our word for see it for yourself as well. And then if you’re in South Florida to visit one of our clubs

Joe Roth: Absolutely.

Adi Soozin: Joe thank you for your time. I appreciate it.

Joe Roth:  my pleasure and enjoyed having this chat with you.

Adi Soozin: Okay, we’ll see you all back online later. Have a good one