Want to Make It in Michigan? Upcoming Conference Offers Learning Opportunity, Business Counsel for Aspiring Entrepreneurs, Existing Business Owners
11/2/09
Contact: Sara Long
517-432-1555, ext. 170
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Are you an aspiring food entrepreneur or interested in local food? Are you curious to learn more about what it takes to launch an idea from the concept stage to a finished product? Are you planning to launch or expand a business or pursue a new business idea? Do you have questions about regulations or business plans? Or, are you curious about what the latest product buying trends are or how trends evolve?
If any of these questions resonate with you, then plan to attend the Making It in Michigan Conference scheduled for Nov. 11 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lansing Center in downtown Lansing.
The third annual Making It in Michigan Conference is hosted by the Michigan State University (MSU) Product Center. Founded in 2003, the MSU Product Center helps Michigan entrepreneurs develop and commercialize high-value, consumer-responsive products and businesses in the agriculture, natural resources and bioeconomy sectors. The center’s statewide network of innovation counselors provide business counseling support to Michigan residents interested in starting or expanding a business or product line.
Conference participants will leave the conference equipped with the practical knowledge and industry resources needed to move an idea from the concept stage to a finished and marketable product. Industry experts will offer insight and tips on managing the common hurdles often encountered by entrepreneurs, including food safety, packaging and regulatory issues.
The keynote speaker will be A. Elizabeth Sloan, president of Sloan Trends, Inc., a California-based consulting firm that offers trend-tracking predictions, strategic counsel and business-building ideas for food product, supplement and food service industries. She is also the consumer and product trends columnist for Food Technology magazine and trends editor for Flavor & the Menu magazine. Sloan’s presentation, “Nifty Niches and Very Big Ideas for New Consumer Products,” will cover the latest in consumer trends and new product introductions from around the world.
Conference participants will also have time to network with the winners of this year’s MSU Product Center awards and learn from their success stories. Awards will be presented for the Best Barrier Buster, Most Successful Business Transition and Best Innovative Business Idea. Also participants can meet the recipient of the 2009 Product Center Counselor Award. MSU Product Center innovation counselors and staff members, Product Center clients, business consultants, regulatory officials and food and farming groups will also be available to provide in-depth information and counseling.
The Marketplace trade show will feature 70 aspiring entrepreneurs who will be showcasing their new food products to buyers and conference-goers. Here, attendees can taste samples and purchase items from exhibitors, two of whom will be awarded shelf space for their product in eight mid-Michigan L&L Food Center stores for the next year.
The $60 per person conference registration fee includes breakfast, lunch, educational sessions and admission to the Marketplace trade show.
More information and conference registration materials are available at www.makingitinmichigan.msu.edu. Those interested in attending can also call Greta McKinney at 517-353-7185 or send an e-mail to mckin134@msu.edu.
Platinum sponsors for the third annual Making It in Michigan Conference are the C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Agriculture at Michigan State University and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development. Gold sponsors are Greenstone Farm Credit; the Land Policy Institute; Michael D. McIntyre, JD, CPA; Michigan Farm Bureau; Prima Civitas; the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC); and University Outreach and Engagement.
So far this year alone, the MSU Product Center has provided business counsel to more than 500 clients through a statewide network of innovation counselors and has served a role in helping to launch 29 new Michigan business ventures. Twenty-four new jobs can be linked to these 29 new businesses, and another 85 jobs have been saved. Together, these 29 new businesses have generated close to $28 million in capital investment and put more than $186 million into the state’s economy.
To learn more about the MSU Product Center, visit http://www.aec.msu.edu/product/index.htm.
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