| Topic: | SEVENTH ANNUAL "UNUSUAL ENTREPRENEURS SHARE WILD SUCCESS STORIES!" |
| When: | July 15, 2010 - Registration & networking 5:00 p.m.; Program begins at 5:45 p.m. |
| Where: | Holiday Inn North Campus, 3600 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor |
| Cost: | Free for NEF members; $20 for non-members; $5 for students |
Program Partners:
Stakeholder Sponsor:
Sometimes it's luck and sometimes it's timing – and yet other times it's the sheer genius of a wacky idea. Hear from entrepreneurs who've discovered and capitalized upon unusual or obscure market needs to build a business.
Panelists:
Bruce Baker - Founder and CEO of Radius Garden. Bruce is a lifelong gardener with a special interest in bonsais -- and tools. A business colleague's injury while working "as directed" with gardening tools convinced him there was a marketplace niche for better " ergonomically designed" gardening implements. He developed and patented the design of such tools and founded the Company in 2004.
Ryan L. Everson - Founder and CEO of Computer Doctors Inc. Ryan founded Computer Doctors Inc. in Davison, MI just days after graduating from Davison High School in June 2008. Soon after, he moved from the original location to a larger, higher-profile location that spurred strong sales growth. For added marketing power, he also purchaed a used ambulance and fitted it with the business logo to make house calls for pick-up and repair. Needless to say, customers and the public remember the company name!
James Marks - Founder and Creative Director of VGKids. The Company began as vegan grocery in Pontiac, MI that sold sold snacks and groceries in the front of the store, distributed records and zines in the back, and hosted punk shows in the basement. The folks who volunteered and hung out at VG became known as VG Kids. In 1999, the grocery closed and VGKids was reborn in Ypsilanti, MI as a screen printing business -- and so much more!
Derek Mehraban - Co-Founder, Ingenex Digital Marketing and LA2M (Lunch Ann Arbor Marketing). Ingenex is a digital marketing agency that focuses on producing results through social media marketing, web design, internet marketing, digital public relations, and web analytics. To reach future leaders, Derek also teaches a New Media Drivers License Course at Michigan State University that focuses on using blogs, social media, and digital public relations to grow a personal or company brand.
Moderator:
Carrie Hensel - Co-Founder of Inner Circle Media. Carrie is the Company's lead designer, director of creative endeavors, queen of networking, and prime minister of marketing and sales. She is also responsible for determining and meeting the company's business objectives and guiding company strategy and growth.