Guy Kawasaki, Alan Webber headline April 13 event

BOWLING GREEN, O.—How entrepreneurial thinking drives business growth in both small and large companies as well as contributes to economic vitality is the theme for the fourth annual Sebo Series in Entrepreneurship on April 13 at Bowling Green State University.

Featured speakers for "Entrepreneurial Thinking--The Catalyst for Business Growth" will be Alan Webber, co-founder and former editor of Fast Company magazine, and Guy Kawasaki, managing director of Garage Technology Ventures and noted author of "The Art of the Start" and "Rules for Revolutionaries."

Webber will speak at 9:30 a.m. and Kawasaki at a 12:15 p.m. luncheon, both in the Lenhart Grand Ballroom of BGSU's Bowen-Thompson Student Union. In between, from 10:45 a.m. to noon, conference participants will attend one of five concurrent sessions in which 11 executives from several well-known companies small and large will describe how they use entrepreneurial thinking to expand their businesses.

In his talk, Webber will outline how a new breed of companies creates and competes, highlighting new business practices and showcasing teams and individuals who are reinventing business. A former editor of Harvard Business Review, Webber writes a regular column for USA Today and is co-author of "Going Global: Four Entrepreneurs Map the New World Marketplace."

Kawasaki's "The Art of the Start" draws parallels between entrepreneurs starting new companies and employees in established firms who are trying to create a new product or service. The founder of various personal computer companies, Kawasaki was formerly an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer Inc., where he was among the individuals responsible for the success of the Macintosh computer.

J. Robert Sebo, a BGSU trustee and principal sponsor of the conference, will introduce Kawasaki following welcoming remarks by Dr. Rodney Rogers, dean of the University's College of Business Administration, and a preview of a WBGU-PBS television show, "Entrepreneurship: An American Treasure."

Set for other rooms in the Union, the morning concurrent sessions will be:

• "Supply Chain Entrepreneurial Thinking," with Dave Hammerle of Bechtel; Debra Box of Bank of America, and Eric Houser of John Deere, moderated by Dr. Janet Hartley, a professor and chair of BGSU's Department of Management.
• "Entrepreneurship from the Start," divided into two sessions, with Dave Snyder of Attevo Inc. and Steve Hanson of Hanson Inc. in one, and Terry Terhark of The RightThing Inc. and Keith Trowbridge of Executive Quest Inc. in the other.
• "Innovation in Strategy," moderated by Dr. Gene Poor, the Hamilton Professor of Entrepreneurship at BGSU, and featuring Rocky Daehler of Motorola and Mike McBreen of Nike.
• "Innovative Business Models," with Jack Billi of the University of Michigan Medical School and Bruce Coventry of the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance, comprising DaimlerChrysler, Mitsubishi and Hyundai. Milt Baker, director of BGSU's Dallas-Hamilton Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, will be the moderator.

The College of Business Administration and the Dallas-Hamilton Center are hosting the conference. The center was established in 2004 with seed money from BGSU alumnus Bill Dallas, of Dallas Capital and co-founder of Fox Sports Grill, and his neighbor, Olympic gold-medal figure skater and Bowling Green native Scott Hamilton.

Sky Bank provides additional support for the event, which will open with an 8:30 a.m. reception and conclude with another at 2:15 p.m. It is part of BGSU's "Building Dreams Spring Celebration."

Cost to attend is $300 per person, or $200 per person for companies purchasing a table of eight or more. To register, call 419-372-8181 or 1-877-650-8165 toll free, or go online at http://pace.bgsu.edu/sebo. Reservations are recommended by April 2.

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(Posted March 16, 2007)