The Keller Futures Center followed up its spring research into career pathways with its third program exploring how West Michigan might best encourage alternative forms of transportation within the region using a process known as human-centered design. The transportation program was sponsored by Amway’s Innovation Team and was co-facilitated by the Luma Institute. According […]
When it comes to innovation, the legal profession is not necessarily the first industry that comes to mind. However, Hal Ostrow believes not only is there an opportunity for innovation, but his approach to legal services can be a difference maker for entrepreneurs and startups as they try to bring new products and services to market. Ostrow (Ostrow Law Firm PLC) recently announced the launch of MIStartupLawyer.com a provider of subscription-based services for startups and small businesses.. According to Ostrow many entrepreneurs and startups turn to services like LegalZoom, favoring their flat fees over a retainer with a traditional law firm. However what those types of services don't offer is any longterm relationship. Ostrow indicates that his service provides not only basic legal features needed for startups (articles of incorporations, bylaws, contracts, etc.) but most importantly he becomes "a member of clients team and can focus on what you are trying to do". Beyond the subscription clients have signed up for they also have "unlimited access" to his services for simple questions that many times goes unanswered or unasked because the client does not want the expense associated with traditional firms or they don't trust someone, who hasn't been involved from the beginning to understand their specific situation. For a complete listing of the services provided by MIStartupLawyer.com, you can visit their website here. Source: Hal Ostrow, MIStartupLawyer.com Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs Editor
A "Bronze Telly" is the new addition to Grand Haven-based learning consultancy Media 1's trophy case. Following a Silver Telly in 2009, Media 1 was recently informed that they won a Bronze Telly for a short, Flash-based animation featuring services offered by the Education Services division within Hewlett-Packard (HP). According to Chris Willis, CEO, The Telly Awards are a big deal. For companies in within the industry, "this is very prestigious award," he says. There are thousands of entries from around the world, so it is not just a local award. Willis adds the impact of the ad goes beyond recognizing the work of their team as it "increases our credibility and highlights the quality of our work. It is a peer stamp of approval." For Media 1, this award is another symbol of their recovery from a bumpy 2009. Willis outlines how 2010 was a growth year driven by developing new markets, adding more staff and "doing innovative work and getting a lot of buzz." Although they are not actively recruiting, they are always interested in talking with anyone with strong Microsoft SharePoint development skills and an online learning background. To learn more about Media 1, you can visit their website here. To find out more about the Telly Awards, visit their site here. Source: Chris Willis, Media 1 Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs Editor
With car sales bouncing back, especially in global markets, and an increased use of new technologies in automotive products, Zeeland, MI is rapidly becoming a career destination for engineers thanks to Gentex,a high tech manufacturer of automotive electronics. According to Bruce Los, vice president of human resources, the company has hired over 500 people in the last year of which over 100 were engineers. Los admits that at first glance, attracting top notch talent, especially engineers, to west Michigan might seem to be a difficult task. "The vast majority of engineers we hire have job options all over the country". However Los makes a compelling case for both working at Gentex and living in west Michigan. "Gentex has a small company feel" and the engineers get to "work on cutting edge and creative technologies". As one of the largest patent generators in the state, Los cites the entrepreneurial culture and the company's ownership policies at Gentex as a great selling point. "Inventors are free to work on areas of interest in a great environment. We also have stock options and profit sharing programs in place". With 2,900 employees, Gentex also hires more than engineers and typically has line positions open but Los states "we're not your parents factory" alluding to the high tech manufacturing facility. Los notes that positive word-of-mouth about the Gentex culture is playing a key role in attracting talent too. He states that often times parents are telling their children, who had moved away because they weren't able to find a job in Michigan, about the work going on at Gentex. "Who would of thought of all this creative technology going on in Zeeland?" Source: Bruce Los Writer: John Rumery
John Rumery Downtown co-working space, The Factory, was the site of Startup West Michigan's first pitch night of the year. Five entrepreneurs with predominantly web-based plans had five minutes to pitch their business ideas to an audience of fellow entrepreneurs and business professionals, followed by five minutes to answer any questions about their proposed venture. For many, it was the first time they have the opportunity to stand up in front of a crowd. For others, it was an opportunity to refine their pitch for future meetings with investors, vendors or possible strategic partners as they advance their business model. Primary organizers for Startup West Michigan are Aaron Schaap, founder of Elevator Up, and Amanda Chocko, program director for Momentum-MI. Their hope is that events like this will help promote a "start-up" mentality in West Michigan, as well as to provide individuals with direct, immediate feedback and help them gain experience and confidence in selling their ideas to potential investors and partners. At this event, the five presenters included: Joe Meckley, founder of DoneLocal.com. Meckley began his pitch with a story of frustration in finding a reliable service to get a tree removed from his property. His idea is to create an online community of service providers that connects their work with individuals needing that specific service. Jenny White is the founder of MomsinTow.com . White pitched an online community for active moms featuring a variety of resources, services and information for mothers and their children. John Hwang pitched Inspirehq.com . Hwang presented his vision for an online service that was an alternative to a "spreadsheet" system used by many churches and non-profits to manage their membership directories. Jess Tomaz, co-founder (along with her husband Al) of JaiPlace, had recently completed the Momentum-MI program and used this opportunity to further refine her pitch as they prepare to secure second-round funding for their online community that promotes healthy and sustainable lifestyles. Daniel Morrison presented his idea for LetsFondo.com. Morrison's vision is to create a site where individuals can create and share "to-do" lists with friends and colleagues in a fun and effective way. Besides the actual pitch and the "Q & A," everyone that attended provided written feedback and voted on who was most effective with their pitch. On this night, Jenny White of Moms In Tow walked away with a trophy and file full of feedback about her venture. For information on the next event, you can visit the Startup West Michigan page. You can also visit the websites of each individual's business for contact information and to learn more about their specific venture. John Rumery is the Innovation and Jobs Editor for Rapid Growth Media. He is an educator, board member of AimWest, WYCE music programmer, entrepreneur, raconteur and competitive barbecuer living in Grand Rapids, MI. He can be reached at InnovationandJobs@RapidGrowthMedia.com For story tips you can e-mail info@rapidgrowthmedia.com
John Rumery A local technology, marketing and communications firm has not only weathered the recent economic storm, but continues to thrive by focusing on existing clients and helping them maintain and grow their services. To keep up with their growth, ddm marketing & communications is looking for an account manager and a front end CSS Developer. "For the account manager we are looking for someone with extensive experience working in an agency setting," states Paul Kortman, director of Online Marketing. Kortman indicates "our business has grown, primarily from existing clients who have seen the value in our services." Kortman explains that their team's technological and marketing expertise has helped many of their clients keep current and be more effective. However, finding the right people is not as easy as many might feel it would be in a job market where there are more "buyers" than "sellers." Kortman says, "we hired several people over the last few years, but it is tough to find the right fit. Some individuals have the skills, but the not the experience to keep up with our pace." Kortman also explains that in the online marketing world, everything is emerging and although individuals coming out of college may have working knowledge of many of the tools, they don't have the business experience or savvy to apply them in a business setting. His advice for someone graduating from school or trying to retool their skill set is to gain as much real world experience as possible. "It's nice if you can demonstrate your work in a portfolio, like a site you developed for your school organization, but even better would be if you can show how you contacted a business, developed their site and implemented some type of program. It's even better if you have done this multiple times." "We also value initiative," Kortman continues. "We look for experience, but realize in the area of social media marketing, so much is emerging. We look for ambition, the ability to learn and the ability to be flexible." The ddm marketing & communications firm has been around for 20 years and focuses on the education, financial and health care sectors. Its services include traditional marketing, hosting, custom applications and web development. To learn more about ddm marketing & communications you can visit their website. Source: Interview with Paul Kortman John Rumery is the Innovation and Jobs Editor for Rapid Growth Media. He is an educator, board member of AimWest, WYCE music programmer, entrepreneur, raconteur and competitive barbecuer living in Grand Rapids, MI. He can be reached at InnovationandJobs@RapidGrowthMedia.com For story tips you can e-mail info@rapidgrowthmedia.com
Rapid Growth takes a look around the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center in Muskegon, MI with Director T. Arnold Bozeaart.
John Rumery When it comes to learning about social media, there is certainly no lack of options in the West Michigan area. If you are a self-directed learner, there is wide variety of instructional materials available. A quick search on Amazon reveals thousands of books on social media. There are a multitude of free networking and informational events, such as social media slams and lunches hosted by a variety of organizations. There are all-day and multi-day seminars, college classes, and webinars that are readily available and can deliver insight into how to engage your customers -- all using social media. Sensing an opportunity to fill a space between the "free slams and lunches which oftentimes serve as an introduction," the "day-long seminars, which can be expensive and time consuming," and the lone-wolf world of webinars and books, Michael Yoder, Social Media Strategist with local marketing company Deksia, has created a series of training seminars that focus on the most popular social media platforms such as You Tube, Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Yoder's workshops are 1 to 2 hour training sessions, offering three different levels of instruction based on an individual's previous experience. For example, the LinkedIn series begins with LinkedIn 1.0, a session designed for someone who has created a profile, but hasn't engaged in the process. LinkedIn 2.0 advances the user to a more rigorous use, while LinkedIn 3.0 ends with a session for "power users." Yoder has the same progressive series in the works for the other popular social media platforms. To deliver the training programs, Yoder and Deskia have partnered with New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, which allows participants to meet in a high-tech classroom setting. Currently, the training is held in the Grand Rapids and Lansing locations, but if the demand warrants, the partnership also has the potential to scale into other regions where New Horizons has a presence. Yoder feels this type of deliver system is "affordable, bite size and specialized" and will appeal to wide variety of professionals looking for a "hands on" way to learn more about how social media can be integrated into their organization's marketing mix. Quoting Brian Solis, an author and social media thought leader, Yoder feels the reality for all businesses in the marketplace is "engage or die." The workshops cost $85 per session. For more information and to register, you can to visit http://www.regonline.com/CalendarNET/EventCalendar.aspx?EventID=885242&view=Month Source: Mike Yoder, Deksia John Rumery is the Innovation and Jobs Editor for Rapid Growth Media. He is an educator, board member of AimWest, WYCE music programmer, entrepreneur, raconteur and competitive barbecuer living in Grand Rapids, MI. He can be reached at InnovationandJobs@RapidGrowthMedia.com For story tips you can e-mail info@rapidgrowthmedia.com
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