Impact Michigan
51 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsWho's driving workforce and economic development in Michigan?
Tune in as Host Leann Abad interviews the movers and shakers of the Great Lakes State and dives deep into why the comeback of Michigan's economy is inevitable.
Presented by Intermitten.
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Episodes
Andy Gutman, President The Farbman Group
September 15, 2019 09:00 - 25 minutes - 35.5 MBAndy Gutman is a commercial real estate exec and songwriter/author combo. He may be the President of the Farbman Group during his 9-to-5, but for his 5-to-9 he’s chosen and pretty unique side hustle as a songwriter and children’s book author. We chat about how he finds his left and right brain balance, how his kids fuel his creative fire, and what parents can learn from deploying creativity in their parenting strategy. Links: The Farbman Group: https://www.farbman.com/ Intermitten: www.in...
Chris Lambert, CEO Life Remodeled
September 14, 2019 10:00 - 23 minutes - 32.8 MBChris Lambert, CEO of Life Remodeled. Life Remodeled is an organization whose mission is to bridge people across divides to help transform each other’s lives. They do this by investing approximately $5 million in cash, labor and materials into one Detroit neighborhood each year. If you’ve ever seen large groups of people wearing brightly colored shirts working to clean shrubbery, tear down blight, remodel a high school, etc, you’ve probably come across Life Remodeled volunteers. Links: Lif...
BONUS EPISODE: Pamela Moore, President/CEO DPSF
June 06, 2019 09:00 - 19 minutes - 27.5 MBPamela Moore is the President and CEO of the Detroit Public Schools Foundation, where they work to support the Detroit Public Schools Community District. In this episode, we discuss her background, growing up in Detroit and attending Detroit Public Schools, and the crowdfunding campaign the Foundation is running. ––––– Links: DPSF: http://www.dpsfdn.org/educate-detroit-public-schools-live/ Crowdfunding Campaign: https://give.classy.org/dpseducates
On Radical Inclusion
May 28, 2019 09:00 - 29 minutes - 40.4 MBIn today’s episode, we chat with Chanell Scott Contreras and Joanna Dueweke-Perez. They are Intermitten 2019 speakers and they are giving their talk on Radical inclusion. Listen in as we discuss community-centered economic development, courage in entrepreneurship, and being co-creators instead of gatekeepers. Intermitten is a grassroots, volunteer-operated organization that was founded in 2016. Our mission is to unite the Midwest tech community, thoughtfully nurture its development, and h...
Marc Hudson, Rocket Fiber
May 23, 2019 12:38 - 27 minutes - 37.8 MBMarc Hudson is the CEO and Cofounder of Rocket Fiber, the fastest internet out there, certainly in the Detroit area. We get to chat about the founding story of the company, how a submission to “The Cheese Factory” kickstarted it all, and what happens when you deploy a #GiveFirst mentality. Intermitten is a grassroots, volunteer-operated organization that was founded in 2016. Our mission is to unite the Midwest tech community, thoughtfully nurture its development, and highlight it as a hub...
Jim Tenzillo, Invest Michigan
May 21, 2019 08:00 - 26 minutes - 37 MBIn this episode of the Impact Michigan podcast, we host Jim Tenzillo of Invest Michigan. Invest Michigan is an investment fund that invests in early stage technology companies that are located in the state of Michigan. Jim started there a few years ago after first cutting his teeth as an accountant in Chicago, eventually breaking into the world of startups running Operations & Marketing at LinkCapital. We chat about how he got his start in venture capital, what’s he’s seen with regard to the...
Beth Kirsch, NETSCOUT
May 16, 2019 08:00 - 29 minutes - 40.7 MBBeth is an expert at navigating corporate cultures and has over a decade of experience maximizing organizational impact. She leads the community engagement initiative at NETSCOUT leading the charge on impactful community initiatives. In today’s episode, we get to chat about her take on culture from a wide range of professions, how to create meaningful community strategies, and what drives her to do good work. ————— NETSCOUT: https://netscout.com Beth's Twitter: https://twitter.com/bethsk...
Jeff Epstein, Founder of Ambassador
May 14, 2019 08:00 - 47 minutes - 64.8 MBJeff Epstein is the Founder of Ambassador, the #1 referral marketing software platform. They were recently acquired by West Corp., and Jeff has since moved on from the company. We catch up with him a few months after the acquisition and chat about his next phase of life, reflect on his time being a pioneer of the current Detroit startup scene, and we even talk about the ingenuity needed to get through a recession. ————— Links: Jeff's Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeff_epstein Jeff's Blog...
Blake Robbins, Ludlow Ventures
May 09, 2019 08:00 - 1 hour - 83.6 MBBlake Robbins is a Michigan State grad who’s worked at Tesla, Nest, Google, and now Ludlow Ventures, Blake is one of the pioneers in the eSports industry when it comes to investing and even founding. He helped launch and cofound 100 Thieves, the fastest growing eSports and lifestyle brand in the space. We have the pleasure of chatting about that as well as discussing eSports and streaming in general, how video games have become the Third Place for kids, and where the industry is going. ———...
Lia & Christopher, Human Inclusive
May 07, 2019 08:00 - 44 minutes - 61.2 MBToday’s episode features not one guest, but two! Lia James and Christopher Guest are the halves that make the whole of Human Inclusive, which is a podcast that curates stories of diverse communities amplifying voices and experiences of marginalized communities. Join us as we chat about what they’ve learned highlighting stories and voices of the underheard. ————— Links: Human Inclusive: https://www.humaninclusive.com/ Intermitten: https://intermitten.org
Laura Khalil, Force of Bada**ery
May 02, 2019 09:00 - 55 minutes - 76.1 MBLaura Khalil is devoted to helping women embody the confidence and develop the clarity to speak up, get paid what they're worth and lead mission driven lives. She has spoken to audiences at Creative Mornings, Zingtrain, Consumers Energy, Ladies Get Paid and Intermitten on courage, entrepreneurship and personal branding. She has consulted on branding initiatives for GE, Twitter, Intel, Intuit and more. In this episode, we chat about how being an empowered being may hurt you in corporate life...
Rajiv Nathan, Startup Hypeman
April 30, 2019 20:00 - 30 minutes - 41.2 MBRajiv 'RajNATION' Nathan is Founder of Startup Hypeman, helping increase the success rate of startups by building messages that stand out to their audience and stand apart from their competitors. He was named an "Agent of Change" by Huffington Post, has given a TED Talk, and been featured in Inc, Forbes, and more. He's also a hip hop artist, yoga instructor, and host of the popular show Startup Hypeman: The Podcast. Talk to him about Hamilton, WWE, or Seinfeld and you'll have a friend for l...
Hunter Rosenblume, CEO Lunar Wireless
March 14, 2019 15:57 - 27 minutes - 37.3 MBOn this episode of the Impact Michigan podcast, we chat with Hunter Rosenblume of Lunar Wireless. Hunter Rosenblume is the Founder and CEO of Lunar Wireless, a telecommunications company focused on providing cellular coverage to everyone. He was born and raised in New York, but after multiple hackathons and an internship in Detroit, he fell in love. Since his move to the city, he hasn't looked back and has brought, recruited and showed multiple budding entrepreneurs, innovators and change-...
Melissa Butler, CEO The Lip Bar
March 11, 2019 16:00 - 13 minutes - 18.6 MBOn this episode of the Impact Michigan podcast, we talk to Melissa Butler of The Lip Bar. She is a Detroit native, Cass Tech and Florida A&M grad who left a career on Wall Street to solve a problem that she just had enough of. After being fed up with how the beauty industry's norms were reeking of excessive chemicals and a linear mode of thinking, she created The Lip Bar. With The Lip Bar, she's been on Shark Tank, given a TEDx Talk, and is selling in Target stores across the nation. She f...
Henri Pierre-Jacques, Co-founder Harlem Capital
March 07, 2019 15:00 - 32 minutes - 44.8 MBIn this episode of the Impact Michigan podcast, we chat with Henri Pierre-Jacques, Detroit expat and co-founder of Harlem Capital. I ran into him at last Fall's Detroit Homecoming and was fortunate enough to grab him for 30 minutes as he was hustling around meeting Detroit entrepreneurs and investors. We chat about Harlem Capital's mission to fund 1,000 diverse founders, building financial literacy programs in education, overcapitalized startups, and the growth and development of De...
Steven Mazur, Cofounder Ash & Erie
March 04, 2019 15:00 - 22 minutes - 30.7 MBIn this episode of the Impact Michigan podcast, we chat with Steven Mazur, Cofounder/CEO at Ash & Erie. A metro-Detroit native, Steven has grown to love the city and its people. So much so that he moved back to start his career and eventually found a company. Going through the startup-world famous Venture for America program, he took his learnings and experiences back with him to Detroit to help grow Waymark (also a Detroit startup) and eventually cofound Ash & Erie. After pitching their c...
James Chapman, Quicken Loans CIF
February 28, 2019 17:00 - 47 minutes - 65.9 MBJames Chapman is an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Quicken Loans Community Investment Fund. He’s a serial entrepreneur, nationally recognized speaker, and author of #TheHustle. He prides himself in being both revenue-driven, and socially conscious. His first company launched was an oil change delivery company in 2013, despite having never changed oil before in his life. He later founded a coworking space called Workaholics, described as a collision workspace in the evening hours for people...
Richard Sheridan, Chief Joy Officer of Menlo Innovations
February 25, 2019 20:40 - 37 minutes - 51 MBRich Sheridan is the founder of Menlo Innovations, made famous by its tours and workshops centered around how they maximize Joy in the workplace. Which makes sense, considering Rich himself has authored two books with “Joy” in the title. Which also reminds me that Rich recently came out with a book last December, titled “Chief Joy Officer,” which offers readers insights on how to embody Joy in their own management/leadership practices. The Impact Michigan podcast is presented by Intermitten...
Season 3 Announcement!
February 20, 2019 10:00 - 5 minutes - 7.58 MBWell, well, well... We're back friends :) Tune into this episode as I interview a special guest as part of our announcement for Season 3 and the future of this show.
Stella Safari, gener8tor
October 11, 2018 22:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBStella Safari is one of Detroit's busiest transplants. She moved to Detroit as a Venture for America fellow, working for Invest Detroit, an early stage funder of businesses. Her interest in startups led her to furniture maker Floyd, where she was director of operations, and to business center Ponyride, where she was executive director. Now she leads the gBETA accelerator, which provides six weeks of free training to fast-growing companies to prepare them for venture funding. It's completed t...
Richard Grundy, JOURNi
October 09, 2018 18:00 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MBRichard is the CEO of JOURNi, an organization dedicated to bridging the diversity gap in tech. JOURNi is an organization dedicated to equipping urban communities with the skills and resources necessary to jumpstart their local economies. We strive to build an authentically inclusive tech ecosystem in the city of Detroit, by tapping into the heart and spirit of its residents. To achieve this goal, we will provide immersive courses, youth-centered programming, beneficial employment opportunit...
David Uze, Trillium Secure
September 27, 2018 22:00 - 30 minutes - 41.5 MBDavid has over twenty-five years experience in the high-tech arena as a senior executive and has had extensive involvement in the field of cybersecurity throughout his career. Trillium Secure keeps your connected and autonomous vehicles safe and your private information confidential through a cybersecurity platform as a subscription service. Trillium’s software products are used by automotive OEMs, aerospace and defense organizations, insurance companies and ride-share services to form a mu...
Chris Thomas, Detroit Mobility Lab
September 25, 2018 22:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBChris Thomas is a man on a mission. The former co-founder of Fontinalis Partners, he invests in and mentors companies in the fast-growing space of mobility. I think the most impressive part of his story is how he put himself in a position to cofound Fontinalis, especially as he planted the seed early on in his career at Ford Motor Company. Check out the episode as we chat about the future of transportation, how young people can be thoughtful about their own success and what it takes to set ...
Nathan Labenz, CEO Waymark
September 20, 2018 22:00 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MBGraduating from Harvard as part of the "Facebook class," you could say Nathan Labenz is one smart guy. Which would be an understatement. As CEO of Waymark, he's helping democratize video marketing for all businesses. They recently launched their new online store where you can purchase personalized video ads perfect for Facebook and Instagram. Waymark combines art and technology to build agency-quality videos for your business with just the click of a button. Designed by Hollywood producers...
Marcus Collins, Chief Consumer Connections at Doner
September 18, 2018 22:00 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBA culturally curious thinker, Marcus Collins is one of the worlds' premier minds in marketing. As Chief Consumer Connections Officer for Doner, he's pioneering a new role to help Doner's clients "get a deeper, more scientific understanding of consumers." Recently, Doner and their client, Farmland, were recognized as AdAge's #1 Most Creative Brand Idea You Need To Know About Now for their response campaign against Supreme. You can read about that here: http://adage.com/creativity/work/farmlan...
Dug Song, CEO Duo Security
September 13, 2018 22:00 - 25 minutes - 23 MB"When internet security specialist Dug Song found out the company he worked for got hacked by a 17-year-old high school student, he didn't alert the authorities. Instead, he hired him." That's how Dug met Jon, his eventual co-founder of Duo Security, which recently was acquired by Cisco for $2.35B in cash... "As an active person in SE Michigan's startup community, I can say Dug is hands down one of the most impactful people in our ecosystem." - Leann Check out our interview with him as we...
Joe Malcoun, CEO Nutshell
September 11, 2018 22:00 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MBAs the CEO of Nutshell, Part owner of The Blind Pig A2, and Cofounder of Cahoots, Joe is likely one of the busiest people in Ann Arbor. With 3 degrees from the University of Michigan, he started his career at GreenOrder. After getting his MBA at The Ross School of Business, he worked at DTE Energy as Senior Associate before eventually leaving to start his own investment firm, CKM Partners. Recently making news waves with his move to buy The Blind Pig (in order to save it) and opening Ann A...
Workit Health
September 08, 2018 19:16 - 44 minutes - 41.3 MBDrug Abuse. Addiction. Recovery. These are real problems and issues we face in our country, and we have to find scalable, equitable solutions to them. That’s why we interviewed Workit Health, an Ann-Arbor based private online service to help people break addictions. Powered by science and backed by experts, their Workit Care™ program delivers evidence-based recovery programs and courses designed specifically for you. Workit's Website: https://www.workithealth.com/ Support us on Patreon!: ...
Justin Mast, CEO Bloomscape
September 04, 2018 23:54 - 19 minutes - 27.5 MBBeing both a creative and an entrepreneur can seem contradictory in some ways, but Justin Mast seems to have found the perfect way to combine the two. Taking over his family business over in 2006, he began to learn the operational expertise needed by an entrepreneur and founder. Now, in his role as Founder and CEO of Bloomscape, he combines the creative design skills he learned at the Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning with the firsthand entrepreneurial experience he's gained o...
Jason Raznick, CEO Benzinga
September 04, 2018 23:49 - 23 minutes - 32.4 MBJason's approach to life is simple: Get rid of Monarchy; Implement a Doerarchy. As Founder and CEO of Benzinga.com, he lives and breathes this mentality all throughout his organization, and it shows up in their success. Benzinga is a dynamic and innovative financial media outlet that empowers investors with high-quality, unique content that is coveted by Wall Street's top traders. Seeing hundreds of investments a week is a difficult task to get right, but Jason seems to do it with ease. T...
Josh Luber, CEO StockX
September 04, 2018 23:44 - 25 minutes - 34.7 MBDubbed the "Stock Market of Things," StockX is one of, if not the fastest growing startup in Detroit, and CEO Josh Luber is at the forefront of all that growth. Beginning as a passion project outside his time at IBM, Luber started StockX (then known as Campless) off of his passion for sneakers. As a dedicated sneakerhead, he often found himself buying and reselling sneakers, and he found there was no price guidebook to reference. Think Kelley Blue Book for comparing car prices. That's when ...
M2: Capital Appreciation Month; Doron York, Cityside Ventures
July 11, 2018 09:30 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBAn Israeli Navy Seal, Doron spent the first part of his life in his native homeland of Haifa, Israel. After finishing his duty, he moved to the United States and settled down in Southeast Michigan. Actually, settled down is definitely NOT the right term, as he immersed himself into the startup scene here right away and has been here for just about 30 years. As the founder of multiple successful startups, some of which he’s taken to acquisition, he’s taken his skills and learnings to run an ex...
M2: Capital Appreciation Month; Jake Cohen, Detroit Venture Partners
June 27, 2018 15:38 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBJake is a 3-time University of Michigan graduate who got both his MBA and his JD at the same time! During his undergrad years, he started his first company called Ugrub, which provided college students with an easy‐to‐navigate listing of restaurant menus and weekly specials. After selling that company to a competitor in 2006, he became a consultant for Deloitte, where he focused on Strategy and Operations. Fast forward a few years to when he was one of the early cofounders of Detroit Venture ...
M2: Capital Appreciation Month; Chris Rizik, CEO Renaissance VC
June 13, 2018 09:30 - 36 minutes - 33.7 MBA Wolverine-Spartan hybrid, Chris is one of the pioneers in the venture capital ecosystem here in Michigan. After 13 years as an attorney, he went through a massive career change to transition into life as a venture capitalist. Alongside now-Governor Rick Snyder, he started his venture capital career at Avalon Investments. He’s served on Boards like the MVCA, NextEnergy, and University of Detroit-Jesuit High School. Currently, he operates as CEO for Renaissance Venture Capital Fund. This epi...
M2: Capital Appreciation Month; Doug Neal, Co-Founder, eLab Ventures
June 06, 2018 09:30 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBWith 25+ years in the tech industry, it’s pretty safe to say Doug is a technology veteran. A graduate of Central Michigan University, he started his career at Hewlett-Packard as a Software Engineer and left after 4 years to become a Director at Symantec (Semantic). It was shortly after that when he started Mobile Automation, developing enterprise system management solutions for tech companies and service providers. After selling Mobile Automation to iPass for $20M in 2004, he wouldn’t get bac...
M2: Month of Mobility; Lisa Nuszkowski, Founder of MoGo Detroit
May 30, 2018 09:30 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MBAn advocate for and leader in transportation mobility, Lisa started her career at the City of Detroit office as a Business Analyst and shortly after became the Chief of Staff to House Majority Leader Steve Tobocman. A few years later, she went back to the City of Detroit working as a Senior Associate where she helped bring Code for America to the Motor City. It wasn’t too long after that when she started to dip her toes into the mobility industry. With Wayne State University, she helped condu...
M2: Month of Mobility; Mark de la Vergne, Mobility Innovation, City of Detroit
May 23, 2018 09:30 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MBMark is a transportation planning veteran, and he knew he wanted to work in mobility before mobility was even a term. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where he studied Systems Engineering (specifically focused on transportation) he started his career as a Project Consultant for traffic engineering and geometric design. After spending almost a decade in Chicago working as a transportation consultant, he packed his bags and moved to Detroit. Currently, he works to improve in-city mo...
M2: Month of Mobility; Jessica Robinson, Director of City Solutions at Ford Smart Mobility
May 16, 2018 09:30 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MBAn East Coast, to West Coast, to Midwest transplant, Jessica Robinson started out in the tea industry holding roles such as Head of Sales and Marketing, Product Manager, and Customer Relations. After dominating the tea market, she joined the team at Zipcar and managed Marketing in Seattle, Locations in the Bay Area, and eventually served as their Market Launch Manager for North America, a role where she helped launch 7 new markets in 18 months. Now she does work at Ford Smart Mobility helping...
M2: Month of Mobility; Lisa Seymour, Techstars Mobility
May 09, 2018 09:30 - 31 minutes - 28.6 MBLisa is a Wayne State Warrior, she started her career in the sports industry, wearing a variety of hats at her alma mater’s athletic department. Soon after, she joined the team at DUO Security heading up People and Culture. When she realized she couldn’t keep making the commute from Detroit to Ann Arbor every day, she had to look for something else. That’s when she met the folks over at TechStars and helped kickstart the Mobility program in Detroit. They’re going strong in their upcoming 4th ...
M2: Month of Mobility; Amanda Roraff, PlanetM
May 02, 2018 16:25 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MBAmanda Roraff has produced and planned events and trade shows for multiple companies for over 20 years. After getting her Bachelor’s Degree from the James Madison College of Public Policy at Michigan State, she started out as a Programs Manager in the dental industry, of all places. Shortly after that, however, she became the Operations Manager for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, effectively kickstarting her career in tech. A few jobs after that she monetized her event production skil...
M2: Marketing and Advertising as a Superpower
April 25, 2018 09:30 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBA New Orleans native and graduate of Tulane University, Molly McFarland launched her career in Marketing and Business Development at an architectural design firm in Ann Arbor. During her time as Marketing Director at another Ann Arbor startup, she and a coworker started working on a side project that eventually became what is now the company she co-founded with said coworker, AdAdapted. So far, they’ve secured clients such as the Detroit Lions, Nestle, and Proctor and Gamble. They’ve raised o...
M2: How A Writer Turned Entrepreneur Is Building Detroit's Startup Community
April 18, 2018 10:47 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBAmanda Lewan is an award-winning writer and entrepreneur. After getting her Bachelor's in professional writing from Michigan State University and her Masters in English from Wayne State, she launched into the marketing world as a content marketer at Sunny Media Group. Shortly after, she launched Michipreneur, Michigan's only statewide publication on entrepreneurship and innovation. Taking her passion for building entrepreneurial communities, she cofounded Bamboo Detroit, a coworking space for...
M2: Jason Mendelson on Michigan's Startup Community
April 11, 2018 15:50 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MBJason Mendelson has some serious street cred. A 2-time graduate of the University of Michigan, he started out as a software engineer at Accenture, and after realizing he wanted to be a lawyer, got his law degree, became a lawyer in the Bay Area and now he's a venture capitalist (although he really hates that name). Currently, he serves as the Managing Director at Foundry Group, a Venture Capital firm in Boulder, Colorado, and let me tell you, they put out some hilarious music videos. Blog Pos...
M2: How Medtech is Impacting Michigan's Economy and Focus
April 04, 2018 09:30 - 35 minutes - 32.6 MBPaul Riser is a lifelong Detroit native. He started his career at Sun Microsystems at its peak and currently his main gig, among a litany of other commitments, is serving as TechTown Detroit's Managing Director of Tech-Based Entrepreneurship, a role fitting to his expertise of over 20 years in the tech industry. He's the chair of the board of BLAC Detroit, the premiere lifestyle magazine for African Americans in and around Detroit. He is also the Chief Information and Technology Officer of In...
M2: Detroit Tours, Experiences, and Stories
March 28, 2018 09:30 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBJeanette Pierce is a lifelong native of Detroit proper, and she is what I would call the human encyclopedia of all things Detroit. After studying abroad in Spain, she was inspired to help create the same small-town, know your neighbors across the street feel to Detroit, as she saw fit. Since then, she's worked at building the new narrative of Detroit for over 15 years. In her cofounder and director roles at Inside Detroit, D:hive, and now the Detroit Experience Factory, she has been a huge co...
M2: Venture School Part 2 - Redefining Student Success
March 21, 2018 09:30 - 20 minutes - 18.4 MBThis episode is a continuation of "How Venture School Is Reshaping Entrepreneurial Education in Detroit." (From Venture School website) The mission of VentureSchool is to empower students to become capable, curious, and courageous leaders, innovators, and agents of change in their community through groundbreaking educational opportunities. Equipped with an entrepreneurial mindset, our students will be prepared to develop solutions to the complex challenges that affect our lives today and the ...
M2: How Venture School Is Reshaping Entrepreneurial Education in Detroit
March 14, 2018 09:30 - 26 minutes - 24 MBVenture School's mission is to empower students to become capable, curious, and courageous leaders, innovators, and agents of change in their community through groundbreaking educational opportunities. Equipped with an entrepreneurial mindset, their students will be prepared to develop solutions to the complex challenges that affect their lives today and the world tomorrow. Marvin English is the Founding Head of School at VentureSchool Detroit. Prior to his role at VentureSchool, Marvin was...
M2: How To Attract Talent To A Growing Startup Ecosystem
March 07, 2018 10:30 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MBDeirdre Groves is a self-identified social entrepreneur, having founded multiple nonprofits. A graduate of both Michigan State AND the University of Michigan, she has degrees in both Construction Management and Urban Planning. She’s a Crain’s 40 Under 40 awardee, recipient of the Detroit Young Professionals Vanguard Award, Honoree of the Women and Leadership in the Workplace Award, and she’s been recognized by Governing Magazine as one of the top 10 people that could save Detroit, a list that...
M2: From Life on the Run to Immigrant Entrepreneur
February 28, 2018 10:30 - 30 minutes - 27.8 MBEdi Demaj's story is one that will impact everyone who listens to it. A childhood riddled with hardship, he never had a real education from 1st to 7th grade since his family lived life on the run. Having to dodge bullets most of their life in Kosovo, his family made it to the border of Macedonia and were let in by an Albanian police commander. Considering their options, his parents decided to move to the US, which was a life-changing decision that gave him a chance to exceed all expectations....
M2: How To Keep Your Entrepreneurial Dream Alive
February 21, 2018 10:30 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBShelly Sahi is a first-time founder, yet she’s already been making waves across not only the Michigan startup scene but the global fashion and beauty industry as well. Starting out as a researcher at the Univ. of Michigan hospital, she made a career change and started working at Ford Motor Company as a materials science researcher. Not satisfied, she moved up to the business office and started going to night classes at Michigan to get her MBA. After completing her MBA in two and a half years,...