Business to Business Expo coming up

Posted by Lake Superior Community Partnership on October 10, 2016

You may remember my column a couple months ago, that the LSCP is preparing for our first Business to Business Expo and Workshop. The event will take place on October 27 at NMU’s University Center from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. We are very excited for this chance to connect businesses from across the U.P. and encourage them to work together as well as provide educational opportunities to businesses and their staff.

We recently announced Deb Muchmore as our keynote speaker. Deb is a partner at Kandler Reed Khoury & Muchmore located in Lansing. Her portfolio of work throughout Michigan and the Midwest spans diverse industries, corporations and associations. She brings decades of experience and keen insight when the topic is economic development, energy, natural resource-based industries, environmental stewardship, food processing and safety, health insurance and more.

During her presentation she’ll discuss her reputation management approach as well as the importance of listening and communicating during a crisis, making sure corporate actions align with words, handling tough media interviews and public appearances, and the importance of clear guiding principles for organizations of every size. Trust me, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn from her!

Jake Schroeder, Pure Michigan Business Connect (PMBC) Services Director with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), will also be on hand to give an overview of how businesses can use and benefit from PMBC during his presentation over lunch.

In addition to everything above, we have eight breakout sessions for you to choose from. They include “Managing the Multigenerational Workforce,” “Demystifying your 401K: Knowing your Fiduciary Responsibility,” “Great Brands Don’t Just Happen,” “Creating an Efficient Work Space,” “New Wage and Overtime Rules,” “Cybersecurity for your Business,” “Financial Wellness Program” and “Change Management.”

Once the presentations are complete, the event will transform into an expo and Business After Hours. Demand for expo space is high but limited. Some of those already committed include 40 Below: Marquette County Young Professionals, 906 Technologies, Anytime Fitness of Harvey, AT&T, Barton and Associates, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Continuing Education and Workforce Development – Northern Michigan University, Double Trouble Entertainment, Downtown Eyecare, Great Lakes Center for Youth Development, Honor Credit Union, Integrated Designs, Manpower, Michigan Works!, Natural Organizing, Northstar EAP, Ojibwa Casinos, Peninsula Fiber Network, Radio Results Network, Range Bank, Select Realty, SGS Minerals, SmartPrize, Spectrum Business, State Farm – Kara Applekamp and Jill Leonard, TV6/Fox UP, UP Rehab Services, Upper Peninsula Marketing Department, Inc, Wautier Wellness and  Zinis Insurance and Financial Services. Grab one of the remaining spots today by contacting Betsy Morais (bmorais@marquette.org or 906.226.6591).

I’d also like to thank the businesses who have committed to sponsorships of this event. This is a fundraiser for the LSCP and the money raised go toward the economic and business development services that we provide throughout Marquette County. Your contributions help us reach our goals and we are grateful for the support! Those businesses are 906 Technologies, Barton and Associates, Bennett Media Group, Holiday Stationstores, Honor Credit Union, Integrated Designs, Ojibwa Casinos, Peninsula Fiber Network, Range Bank, Select Realty, Semco, SGS Minerals, SmartPrize, Spectrum Business, State Farm – Kara Applekamp and Jill Leonard, UP Health System and UPPCO. We have a few sponsor levels left so let us tell you how you can get involved.

Obviously an expo like this needs participants to be successful. Your next step is to visit www.marquette.org and register for this event. The cost is $35 for LSCP partners and $50 for non-partners. It includes two breakout sessions, the MEDC presentation, Deb Muchmore, our keynote speaker and lunch. And if all of this isn’t enough to fill your day, we’ve added a traditional Business After Hours from 3 to 6 p.m. which is free and open to the public. As always, it will include hor d’oeuvres, a bar, prizes and a chance to network with a wide variety of businesses (did I mention prizes?). Contact the LSCP with any questions (906.226.6591).

 

Amy Clickner, CEO, writes a bi-weekly column for the Mining Journal.