Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour Attracts More than 300 Students to Half-Day Workshop
Grand Rapids, Mich., April 7, 2010 -- The West Michigan Science & Technology Initiative announced the successful completion of The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour, which attracted more than 300 high school and college students to the half-day workshop held at DeVos Place. Nearly 30 entrepreneur volunteers also attended the event and shared their passion and insight with students.
"The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour helped us understand why it is important for the community to be actively engaged with tomorrow's business leaders," said Rich Cook, Venture Center Director for WMSTI. "We need to work together to encourage and entrepreneurial mindset within our schools. It is an increasingly interdependent world, and this Tour helped us see how we can help."
The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour, organized and promoted by the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Network (CEN) of West Michigan, is widely recognized as a premier entrepreneurial workshop for young people. The Tour brought the country's top young entrepreneurs to colleges, universities, workforce development organizations, chambers of commerce, SBDCs, and many other organizations to help spread the entrepreneurial mindset.
Cook noted that the Tour's discussions provided more than just career advice. "while participants had the opportunity to gain insights into the inner workings of self-employment opportunities, perhaps the most important thing for students to hear was that others share their own concerns. Much of the discussion provided support to the participants to help them work out their own place in the scholarly, entrepreneurial, and creative enterprise".
Those interested in volunteering at future entrepreneurial workshops should contact Ryan Vaughn at Grand Valley State University's Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at 616-331-7257.
About The West Michigan Science & Technology Initiative
The West Michigan Science & Technology Initiative is a partnership among the Right Place, Inc., Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Valley State University, the City of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Community College, Spectrum Health, Saint Mary's Health Care and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. Its mission is to grow and diversify the community economy by creating an environment that inspires innovation and supports the commercialization of science and technology.
Contact:
Dave Buckalew
Lambert, Edwards & Associates
616.223.0500
dbuckalew@lambert-edwards.com
