What better way to greet Homecoming and Family Weekend than to start with a look at the innovative spirit of Union alumni?
That’s the topic of the Entrepreneurial Forum that begins Thursday, Oct. 14 and continues Friday, Oct. 15, the official start of Homecoming.
“Our alumni entrepreneurs are fascinating,” said Don Lang, leadership gifts officer, who organized the event with Les Trachtman ’77, COO of Force3, and Hal Fried, professor of economics. “They’ll be sharing stories on why they decided to start a business and how they became successful.”
Steven Spencer ’80, president of Cayuga Services, will serve as master of ceremonies, and a number of Union faculty and students will participate.
Panels will focus on “Creativity and Entrepreneurship,” “Entrepreneurial Thinking at Union” and “Positioning Union in a Blue Ocean.”
The “Blue Ocean” discussion, set for Friday at 11:15 a.m., will look at the emerging business strategy that encourages entrepreneurs to enter into new business markets rather than competing in existing ones. Participants include Steven Savad ’89, founder of Restaurant.com; Charles Gelber ’73, founder and president of Gelber Television; and David Dussault ’00, managing partner of Davidson-Hill, LLC.
There will be three keynote addresses. Phil Weilerstein, executive director of the National Collegiate Innovation and Invention Alliance, will speak on “Engineering, Entrepreneurship and the Liberal Arts.”
Trachtman will discuss “Making the Intersection of Technology and the Liberal Arts Happen at Union.”
And Jennifer Small ’88, owner of Flying Pigs Organic Farm, will speak on “Green and Sustainable Business.”
The registration deadline for the forum is Friday, Oct. 8. Contact Lang at 388-6375; langd@union.edu.
For a full list of Homecoming events and to register, visit http://www.union.edu/hfw.