Event Notices From June 6
AimWest Sets West Michgian New Tech Meetup: AimWest, the membership organization for West Michigan tech professionals, will sponsor the "West Michigan New Tech Meetup" Wednesday, June 19 at the Eberhard Center on Grand Valley State University's downtown Grand Rapids campus. The event begins with networking at 5:30 p.m. and a panel discussion at 6:15. Five local companies and individuals will talk about their cool new tech. Each presenter will have five minutes to discuss their exciting new technology followed by five minutes of questions and answers. Panelists are: Joe Johnston of Universal Mind -- Hot off winning the iPad Table won the People's Voice Webby in the Experimental & Innovation category in 17th Annual Webby Awards. Universal Minds iPad table explores what's possible when 15 iPads are set up as a table and controlled by an iPhone application; Daniel Morrison of Collective Idea, developers of Downside, an iOS social game that encourages you to ignore your phone and talk to the people around you; Ben Lambert of be-bert.com -- Inspired by classic puzzle games like Tetris and Dr. Mario, Hungry Munchers is a simple, quick, and challenging game for everyone (regardless of how many stomachs you have); GRMakers.com, a home for our local Mad-Scientists and makers, who will share a neat industries project being built within GR's newest Maker Space; and Paul Kortman of ThingShare, a platform for sharing tools and things focused on bringing the sharing economy to the maker movement. More at www.aimwest.com.
Automation Alley Hosts 'The Talent Games: Effective Interviewing Techniques' For Employers: As part of a continuing effort to help build connections between businesses and job seekers, Automation Alley, Michigan's largest technology business association, will host "The Talent Games: Effective Interviewing Techniques," June 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Automation Alley Headquarters in Troy. This session is sponsored by Macomb Community College and is presented by the Automation Alley Education and Workforce Committee. It is part of a six-session series on hiring and will focus on interviewing techniques designed to help companies find their ideal employee. Hear remarks from guest speaker Gregory P. Arendt, vice president of global talent acquisition and sourcing for Kelly Services, Inc. Topics will include deciding which candidates will fit best with company culture and bad habits that can get companies in trouble. The session will kick off with registration, lunch and networking from 11:30 a.m. to noon, followed by the program and a Q-and-A period. The session concludes at 1 p.m. The cost for members is $20 with pre-registration or $30 at the door. The cost for non-members is $40 with pre-registration or $50 at the door. Pre-registration closes June 24 at close of business. Sponsorship opportunities are available for this session or for the rest of the series. For more information or to register, visit automationalley.com or contact the Automation Alley Resource Center at 800-427-5100 or info@automationalley.com. Automation Alley is located at 2675 Bellingham in Troy.
GVSU to report on entrepreneurial climate in West Michigan: Business experts from Grand Valley State University will give a report on the entrepreneurial climate in West Michigan, at an "Empowering Entrepreneurship" event, June 24, at the university's new L. William Seidman Center in Grand Rapids. Paul Isely, professor of economics; Sri Sundaram, professor of finance; and J. Kevin McCurren, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Grand Valley, will talk about the entrepreneurial culture, sources of capital, talent and business climate in West Michigan. The keynote speaker is Michael G. Goldsby, the Stoops Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship and executive director of the Entrepreneurship Center in the Miller College of Business at Ball State University. He will discuss "Successful Entrepreneurs: Artists, Scientists, Builders & Evangelists." Goldsby is the co-author of Innovation Acceleration. His research has been reported by national media outlets including MSNBC, CNN, and the Associated Press. His current research interests focus on opportunity recognition and development, design, innovation and applied creativity. Pre-registration is required for the event at http://empoweringent.eventbrite.com. Admission is free and breakfast and lunch are included. For more information, contact Grand Valley's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at (616) 331-7582.
