Resources for entrepreneurs is subject of upcoming Keystone talk

Tamara Davis, director of the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) for Southwest Michigan, will speak on Friday, Feb. 25, as part of the Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series.

Davis’s talk, "Tapping into Resources for the Entrepreneur," is free and open to the public and begins at 8 a.m. in the Dean's Conference Room of Schneider Hall, home of the Haworth College of Business. A continental breakfast begins the event at 7:30 a.m.

Reservations are required by calling (269) 387-6059. Free parking is available in the Fetzer Center parking lot.

Davis brings an extensive academic background to the MI-SBTDC as well as practical business experience from both the private and public sectors. After many years in an advertising career, Davis joined the Secretary of Administration’s office for the State of Vermont under the leadership of Governor Howard Dean.

Upon returning to the state of Michigan, she joined Kalamazoo College serving in various capacities including director of operations of the L. Lee Stryker Center. She served as project manager of the economic development group, Regional EDGE, and as a MI-SBTDC business consultant. In 2003, she joined Davenport University as the department coordinator of the Management, Marketing and Legal departments for the Battle Creek, Holland and Kalamazoo Davenport University locations.

Davis became the regional director of the MI-SBTDC at WMU in 2009. The center provides a full range of services for small business emerging and growing throughout Southwest Michigan, including new venture companies, existing businesses and expanding businesses.

Davis received her bachelor's from the Haworth College of Business in 1988 with a concentration in advertising and marketing. She received her MBA from WMU in 1999.

The Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series is underwritten through the generosity of Keystone Community Bank. The series provides an opportunity for members of the local community to hear top business leaders, WMU faculty, alumni and friends of the Haworth College of Business discuss current business issues and corporate strategies as well as key information regarding the continuing progress of the college.

Major Info Night and Business Bash events scheduled for Jan. 26 – 27

The Haworth College of Business invites new and returning students to attend Major Info Night and Business Bash.

Major Info Night will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 26, from 5 to 6 p.m. Brief presentations from each academic department will acquaint students with all five departments and majors within the College. The event will be held in Schneider Hall, room 1120. Immediately following the presentations, students, faculty and staff are invited for pizza and refreshments in the Schneider Hall lobby.

On Thursday, January 27, Business Bash will be held in the Schneider Hall Study Lounge from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Students may drop by anytime to learn about joining business student organizations, participating in study abroad opportunities and taking part in Career Center programs. Event sponsors, Target and Domino’s Pizza, will provide tee-shirts and free pizza at the event.

According to Student Leadership Advisory Board co-advisors Jan Gabel-Goes and Linda Ickes, “This is an excellent opportunity for new students to become acquainted with business majors and meet faculty and student organization leaders. The event encouraged students to become engaged in career development programs early on in a fun venue. Being informed is key for success in making educated decisions whether it be in choosing a major, signing up for a study abroad trip and/or participating in career center programs.”

Questions about Major Info Night or Business Bash may be directed to the Career Center, Haworth College of Business, (269) 387-2711, or by visiting Schneider Hall, room 3020.

Keystone breakfast speaker series welcomes executive director, Kalamazoo Arts Council

Neil Bremer, executive director of the Kalamazoo Arts Council, will speak at the Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series on Friday, Jan. 28.

Bremer’s talk, "Enough Already" begins at 8 a.m. in the Dean’s Conference Room in Schneider Hall, at the Haworth College of Business. A continental breakfast begins the event at 7:30 a.m. It is free and open to the public.

Reservations are required and can be made by calling (269) 387-6059. Parking is available in the Fetzer Center parking lot adjacent to Schneider Hall.

A Michigan native, Bremer has almost thirty years of nonprofit and for-profit arts experience. Most recently, he was executive director of Elmhurst Art Museum located in Elmhurst, Ill. Over the last ten years, he led the growth of the museum from a small local art center to being critically acclaimed by ArtNet critic, Victor Cassidy as, “one of the best places to see contemporary art in the Chicago area.” While at Elmhurst, Bremer was a visiting professor at Northern Illinois University, who taught Nonprofit Administration.

Bremer has been a museum and nonprofit management consultant since 1990. He is nationally known as an expert in helping museums improve their ability to make connections with their audiences. His experience in the arts goes beyond the visual arts with his participation in multiple Kalamazoo productions, including performances with the WMU Department of Theatre and the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre.

A theatre major, Bremer received his undergraduate degree from Western Michigan University in 1978 with concentrations in performance and directing, and he has a minor in dance. He completed graduate work at The Art Institute of Chicago’s Master of Arts program in Arts Administration.

Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series

The Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series is underwritten through the generosity of Keystone Community Bank. The series provides an opportunity for members of the local community to hear top business leaders, WMU faculty, alumni and friends of the Haworth College of Business discuss current business issues and corporate strategies as well as key information regarding the continuing progress of the college.

ISM student presents at ISM/APICS meeting

Matthew Olson, integrated supply management major and senior in the Lee Honors College, presented “A Salute to Our Veterans: What the Military and Business Taught Each Other,” at a joint professional development meeting of the Institute of Supply Management and The Association for Operations Management (APICS) organizations in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Olson shared his experiences in military history and logistics, along with information from his Honor's College theses, "Army Supply Chain Management: Trends and Parallels With Industry." He presented in conjunction with Ken Jones, Ivy Tech Community College – Central Indiana, CPSM, C.P.M., and member of the Integrated Supply Management program’s executive council. The audience included business professionals, students and faculty of nearby universities, members of the Marine Corps and even a WMU alumnus.

Olson highlighted his recent experiences with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command (TACOM) Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC), and how the Army supply chain is rapidly responding to changes in the military environment. As part of the presentation, he drew parallels to business in the areas of product development, procurement and logistics.

“Matt has had unique learning experiences during his two internships with the US Army TACOM LCMC during two summer internships,” says Dr. Bret Wagner, associate professor of management and director of the integrated supply management program.

“Combined with his Honor's College research project, this experience provided him a valuable perspective on supply management in the military. The event offered him an opportunity to share this knowledge and experience with the business community," says Wagner.

“Matthew represented WMU extremely well,” says Jones, “and his presentation received high marks from attendees. One attendee commented, ‘I thought the gentleman from WMU was excellent! He should give his presentation to other ISM/APICS chapters in the region.’ This comment summed up the general sentiment from all meeting participants.”

Olson will receive his bachelor's degree from WMU – Lee Honors College next week with a minor in Law. After graduation, he plans to continue his employment with the U.S. Army TACOM LCMC in southeastern Michigan..

ISM major is recipient of L.L. Waters Scholarship

Integrated supply management major Matthew Wright, of Muskegon, Mich., is the recipient of the 2010 L.L. Waters Scholarship. Wright was the only student nationwide to earn the $2000 award, which was presented during the annual meeting of the American Society of Transportation and Logistics (AST&L) in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., in November.

From left, Wright is pictured with David Yeley, president of AST&L and Dr. Bret Wagner, director of the ISM program. In addition to the scholarship, AST&L paid for him to attend the conference and his membership in the organization.

Wright is a member of The Association for Operations (APICS), Institute of Supply Management, Golden Key International Honor Society and he is a new member of AST&L. He is currently working on a project for Pfizer of Kalamazoo and he expects to graduate in fall 2011.

In addition to his studies, Wright spent a semester abroad at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia where his main focus was supply chain and global logistics.

“Matthew has demonstrated organizational abilities, motivation, a strong work ethic and exceptional written and communication skills and is always exceptionally well prepared for classes,” says Dr. Bret Wagner, associate professor of management and director of the integrated supply management program. “His professional objectives and goals consist of putting his skill sets to use for a corporation and advancing his knowledge and certification in logistics and supply chain management.”

The L.L. Waters Scholarship Fund
The L.L. Waters Scholarship Fund was set up in honor of L.L. Waters, University Professor Emeritus of Transportation and Business History in Indiana University’s School of Business, in recognition of his many contributions to undergraduate and graduate level education in transportation, logistics and international business during a teaching career of more than four decades.

Burnie named endowed business chair

Dr. David Burnie, professor of finance and commercial law, has been awarded the National City Corporation Endowed Chair in Finance and Commercial Law in the WMU Department of Finance and Commercial Law.

“The award is given to an outstanding faculty member with a rank of assistant professor or higher who has demonstrated exceptional contributions to his/her discipline,” says Dr. Kay Palan, dean, Haworth College of Business. “All aspects of academics were considered in the selection, including teaching, research and service.”

The award includes a stipend, as well as funding for research and research related expenses and is made for three years with the opportunity for renewal pending continued outstanding contributions to the discipline.

Burnie’s research has covered a variety of topics including the valuation of corporate governance issues, security return distributions and institutional holdings, debt securities, IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, rights, options, dividend re-investment plans and repurchases.

He previously served the College as associate dean, providing administrative leadership of all aspects of graduate education, oversight of the graduate programs both domestic and international, and managing relationships with all off-campus MBA sites.

The endowed chair is the result of a $1.5 million multi-year gift from National City to WMU announced in 1991. Dr. Ajay Samant, was the most recent recipient of this award. He currently serves as dean and professor of finance at Coggin College of Business, University of North Florida.

Keystone Breakfast Speaker Series to feature interim dean, WMU School of Medicine

Dr. Jack Luderer, Western Michigan University’s interim dean of the WMU School of Medicine, will speak at the Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series Friday, Dec. 3.

Luderer’s talk, “WMU’s School of Medicine— Moving Forward,” begins at 8 a.m. in the Dean’s Conference Room in Schneider Hall, home of the Haworth College of Business. A continental breakfast starts the event at 7:30 a.m. which is free and open to the public.

Reservations are required and may be made by calling (269) 387-6059. Parking is available in the Fetzer Center parking lot adjacent to Schneider Hall.

Luderer came to WMU as the vice president of research in 2002. He remained in that position until 2005, when he was appointed executive director of the Biosciences Research and Commercialization Center at WMU until his current appointment in June of this year.

Luderer first came to Kalamazoo in 1984 to work for the Upjohn Co. He has served on the Managing Board of Directors of the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center and ProNai Therapeutics. He is also a chief medical officer for Meditrina, Inc., a startup pharmaceutical company. Luderer earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Miami University. He went on to earn a master's degree in organic chemistry at Miami and a medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School.

Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series
The Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series is underwritten through the generosity of Keystone Community Bank. The series provides an opportunity for members of the local community to hear top business leaders, WMU faculty, alumni and friends of the Haworth College of Business discuss current business issues and corporate strategies as well as key information regarding the continuing progress of the college.