SOLD OUT FOR THE SECOND YEAR!
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Keynote speaker was Lori Blaker, CEO of TTi Global.
Breakout Sessions
NOVICE PATH: The Novice Entrepreneur is a woman who is thinking about starting a business; is interested in taking a hobby to market; in the first year or two of getting a business off the ground.
Protection – Sarah Weston, Attorney, Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C.
Your Business Environment – Dr. Cherie Whiting, Cherie Whiting Enterprises
PRACTIONER PATH: The Practitioner Entrepreneur is a woman who has been in business for at least a year and wants to grow.
Persuasion – Rachelle Smith, Principal, Positive Creative Infusion Consulting, LLC
Your Story – Lynne Meredith Golodner, Chief Creative Officer and Owner, Your People LLC
ACHIEVER PATH: The Achiever Entrepreneur is a woman who has run a successful business for many years and is looking at succession, philanthropy, and self-actualization.
Gumption - Rosemary Bayer, CEO, ardentCause L3C and ACTiVATE lead instructor; Blaire Miller, CFO Eaton Rapids Casting and Astia portfolio member.
Your Financial Success – Diane Young, Owner, The Athena Group
COMPETITOR PATH: The Competitor Entrepreneur is a women who wants to enter her business or idea into an entrepreneurship competition, prepare to ask venture capital funds for investment, or is ready to pitch the big account, go for the big grant or apply for the big loan.
Attraction – Juliann Tilley, International Consultant Assessing for Attractiveness: Do you have what investors want?
You’re a Winner - Winning Women Think Big - Lisa Bower, Ernst & Young and Carolyn Cassin, Michigan Women’s Foundation
Panel Discussions
Winners: Entrepreneur-YOU Business Plan and Pitch Competition (see winners listed below)
Moderator: Jacqueline Northrop, Michigan Women's Foundation
Brought to you by:
Walsh Leadership Center Sponsors
DKSS CPAs + Advisors
AdviCoach
Benefit Review Services
Butzel Long
Comerica Bank
Core3 Solutions
Merrill Lynch-Global Wealth Management-Nancy L. Salvia
Interested in Sponsorship?
Sponsors are needed to help cover the costs of producing the event and keep ticket prices low. Download the brochure for sponsor levels and benefits.
What is the Entrepreneur-YOU Business Plan and Pitch Competition?
The Entrepreneur-YOU business plan and pitch competition features 10 women entrepreneurs in Michigan who have or are planning to establish a business in the state. Attend the competition to watch finalists present their business concepts to a panel of judges for evaluation. Cash and in-kind prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers.
Who is Competing?
The competition will showcase the ideas and uncover the best and brightest business concepts of local women entrepreneurs, while providing support and feedback not typically available for those launching or growing a business. The Competition includes 10 finalists whose businesses range from personal service to medical devices to mobile applications.
2012 Competition Winners
Capturing first place and winning $15,000 plus in-kind support was Ann Arbor resident Angelique Johnson, interim CEO and CTO of MEMStim LLC. Her company developed a fully automated manufacturing process for electrode lead production employing nanofabrication of thin films. MEMStim LLC intends to disrupt the neurostimulator market with a new automated nanofabrication manufacturing method to replace hand-assembly.
“My company is focused on implantable nerve stimulators to replace lost nerve function. Our intent is to treat conditions such as chronic pain, hearing loss and Parkinson’s disease,” said Johnson.
Johnson, who recently earned her PhD in electrical engineering, is the inventor of MEMStim's patent-pending technology. She has 10 years of experience working on bridging the gap between research-based devices and biocompatible neurostimulation devices.
Second place went to Susan Land Sprentall of Wixom, who received $10,000 and in-kind support. Her company, SurClean, Inc. has developed disruptive technology to selectively remove paint and other surface coatings from multiple types of surfaces. SurClean's proprietary system represents the next generation of surface coating removal. Sprentall is CEO and owner of American Laser Enterprises, providing manufacturing and technical engineering services to laser equipment OEMs, system integrators, distributors, and end users. She is a serial entrepreneur with 25 years of extensive technical sales and marketing experience as well as 13 years in the laser industry.
“Laser technology is an exciting field and developing the SurClean product is rewarding since we are not only reducing cost, but eliminating hazardous waste while creating a safe environment for the operator,” said Sprentall. “Placing in this competition helps build credibility with the investment community knowing our business plan has been vetted by a reputable group of business leaders.”
Winning third place in the Entrepreneur-YOU competition and receiving $5,000 plus in-kind support was Angela McCommons. Her company, Kids Kruiser LLC is a premium transportation service; serving youth ages 3 - 18 in the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti areas of Southeastern Michigan. Kids Kruiser was established to provide a safe, reliable, child-friendly transportation service for young children and teens, and alleviate this growing stressor for parents and their children. McCommons, president and sole owner of Kids Kruiser, has professional experience at Chrysler Group LLC in problem solving, quality control and manufacturing resident engineering, as well as consulting her self-employed husband in growing his successful barber business.