JIN May 2013 program: Intellectual property with Jon Shackelford

May 13, 2013 in Meetings

Jon E. Shackelford

Jon E. Shackelford

Jon E. Shackelford, an intellectual property (IP) lawyer and founding member of Endurance Law Group PLC, with more than 25 years of experience dealing exclusively in IP, will be the speaker at the May 28th meeting of the Jackson Inventors Network.  Shackelford as legal counsel to a wide spectrum of clients on matters of IP strategy and implementation. From 1997-2004, he was Senior IP Counsel to Federal-Mogul Corp., a global automotive components supplier, overseeing the company’s worldwide IP interests and managing an international staff.  Shackelford is a frequent lecturer on IP topics to entrepreneur groups, has authored several guides on IP topics for cost-conscious entrepreneurs. He is also himself an amateur inventor/entrepreneur, holding numerous patents and pending patent applications. He is an Adjunct Professor at Michigan State University College of Law, where he teaches a course on Patent Application Preparation. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lawrence Institute of Technology (1986) and his law degree from Wayne State University (1990).  He is based in Jackson, Michigan.

Also, as a Story from the Trenches, Joe Manly of Chelsea, Mich., is developing an innovative product for personal defense/hand-to-hand combat. Manly will share how he first conceived the idea, researched market potential, developed prototypes using state-of-the-art 3D printing techniques, & of his current marketing efforts..

The meeting starts at 6:00-6:30 with registration, followed by the program and networking. The meeting will be held in the Justin Whiting Building on the JCC campus, in room 158.

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Business Structure & Legal issues covered at April 23 JIN meeting

April 25, 2013 in Meetings

Al McGilvra, of McGilvra Engineering, talks when inventors should get engineers involved with their projects.

Al McGilvra, of McGilvra Engineering, talks when inventors should get engineers involved with their projects.

It was another packed meeting at the Jackson Inventors Network, April 23rd, at Jackson Community College. Al McGilvra of McGilvra Engineering kicked off the meeting with an explanation of why he requires inventors bringing a project to his firm to be more prepared. “Engineering is expensive,” he said. “Many times, inventors call me and they’re not ready. Also, make sure your invention is not covered by an existing patent.”

The evening’s main presenter, Brendon Beer, a Jackson, Mich., attorney and partner in the law firm of Abbott, Thomson, Mauldin & Beer, PLC,  spoke on Business Structure & Legal Issues , describing the various legal entities available to inventors and entrepreneurs. He noted, most of the business entities being formed today are Limited Liability Companies (LLC), although there is some demand for other types.

He covered these business entities: C Corp., S Corp., LLC, General Partnership, Limited Partnership and Limited Liability Partnership (LLP).  Beer’s legal practice is focused in the areas of business, corporate, contract, labor and employment and real estate law.  A large portion of his practice is devoted to litigation related to these areas of the law.  He is a graduate of Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business and Thomas M. Cooley Law School.  He is a frequent speaker with respect to the impact of labor and employment laws and their impact on small and medium size businesses.  Within his practice, Beer routinely assists individuals in choosing the appropriate corporate form for their business start-up.

Brendon Beer describes the various legal entities for inventors

Brendon Beer describes the various legal entities for inventors

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April topic is Business Structure & Legal Issues with Brendon Beer

April 9, 2013 in Meetings

Brendan Beer

Brendon Beer

Brendon Beer, a Jackson, Mich., attorney and partner in the law firm of Abbott, Thomson, Mauldin & Beer, PLC,  will speek on Business Structure $ Legal Issues at April 23rd meeting of the Jackson Inventors Network. His legal practice is focused in the areas of business, corporate, contract, labor and employment and real estate law.  A large portion of his practice is devoted to litigation related to these areas of the law.  He is a graduate of Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business and Thomas M. Cooley Law School.  He is a frequent speaker with respect to the impact of labor and employment laws and their impact on small and medium size businesses.  Within his practice, Beer routinely assists individuals in choosing the appropriate corporate form for their business start-up.

Testimonial: Al McGilvra of McGilvra Engineering will tell us why he requires inventors bringing a project to his firm to be more prepared. This will look at a trenches story from the other side.

6:00-6:30         Registration

6:30-7:30         Program

7:30-8:30         Networking

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Learning about team building at the Jackson Inventors Network

April 1, 2013 in Meetings

Kevin Suboski

Kevin Suboski talks team-building at the March meeting of the Jackson Inventors Network.G

The March, 2013, meeting of the Jackson Inventors Network (JIN) kicked off with a presentation by Norma LaValle, a business consultant with the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MISBTDC) describing some of the Michigan-based resources available for entrepreneurs and inventors. These resources include:

Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MISBTDC) – www.misbtdc.org/

U.S. Small Business Administration – www.sba.gov

SCORE — www.score.org

Ann-Arbor SPARK - www.annarborusa.org

Spring Arbor University — www.arbor.edu

Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center  –  http://www.mmtc.org

Norma LaVallee

Norma LaVallee, of the MISBTDC, describes resources for inventors and entrepreneurs.

The evening’s main speaker, Kevin Suboski of Suboski and Co., spoke on the topic of “team building.” Recognizing that most inventors consider themselves “lone wolves,” he maintained they still need a team to achieve their goals.

“Team building is the art of constituting, constructing and governing a group of people to collaborate for the sake of a common goal,” he said. Suboski added each of these phases are important to success. For the “constituting” portion, for example, it’s vital to have team members who understand their roles and have values consistent with the overall organization. Suboski stressed common values as the key component to relationships, including business and personal ones.

He also added a team leader shouldn’t be afraid to “cull” dysfunctional members from the team; despite being short-handing, he predicts productivity may actually increase without problematic team members.

Questions from the audience

R. Dale Moretz (left), of Moretz Technologies, asks Suboski a question during the presentation.

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March meeting topic: Team Building with Kevin Suboski

March 16, 2013 in Meetings

Kevin Suboski

Kevin Suboski

Kevin Suboski, an active entrepreneur for more than 18 years, will speak on “team building” at the March 26 meeting of the Jackson Inventors Network. Currently he is increasing the effectiveness of other entrepreneurs as an EOS implementer and working with other Entrepreneur Support Organizations like Great Lakes Entrepreneur Quest, SBTDC, Leap Inc., and the Boost program. Suboski has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs increasing their effectiveness as a leader, sharpening the design of their business and helping them to talk about their business more effectively.

Testimonial: Norma LaValle of the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) will tell us what they offer and how they can help us.

6:00-6:30         Registration

6:30-7:30         Program

7:30-8:30         Networking

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Making your business investment-ready

February 27, 2013 in Meetings

Jeff Matzen

Jeff Matzen describes the information bankers want to know when funding new businesses.

At last night’s meeting of the Jackson Inventors Network (JIN), Jeff Matzen, a certified financial planner, provided succinct steps for entrepreneurs and inventors to get their ideas heard by banks and other funding sources.

“Money flows to good ideas,” said Matzen, adding banks and investors want to hear these ideas, but don’t have the time to read long proposals or prospectuses. At most they have 15 minutes for an introductory look, so Matzen described a format for providing the key information in a 14-page document.

With many of the proposals he sees, Matzen said there’s no “point on the arrow;” i.e. there is a lot of background information data but not a readily apparent concept. That’s why the document structure is important: It focuses on the information the lender needs to know, rather than the intriguing features dreamed up by the inventor.

Matzen currently owns his own financial planning company, Matzen Financial, and he is a Director of NorthStar Capital Advisory Services, a Jackson based merchant bank, offering financial consulting services to companies looking for access to capital. In the past four years, NorthStar has successfully raised more than $50 million for Michigan companies.

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JIN February 2013 Program: Financial Planning for Inventors & Entrepreneurs

February 10, 2013 in Meetings

Matzen Financial

Jeff Matzen, Matzen Financial

Jeff Matzen, a certified financial planner, will be the speaker of the Feb. 26 meeting of the Jackson Inventors Network, on the topic if “Financial Planning for Inventors & Entrepreneurs.” Matzen currently owns his own financial planning company, Matzen Financial, and he is a Director of NorthStar Capital Advisory Services, a Jackson based merchant bank, offering financial consulting services to companies looking for access to capital. In the past four years, NorthStar has successfully raised more than $50 million for Michigan companies. Prior to his current positions, Matzen was an options trader and market maker on the German Stock Exchange, was the Director of Finance for the Düsseldorf Rhein Fire and worked for the National Football League in London, England. Matzen is a Jackson native, received his degree from the University of Notre Dame and has been back in Jackson for 10 years.

Also, Norma LaValle of the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) will tell us what they offer and how they can help inventors.

The meeting starts at 6:00-6:30 with registration, followed by the program and networking. The meeting will be held in the Justin Whiting Building on the JCC campus, in room 158.

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Overcoming obstacles to entering the market

January 23, 2013 in Meetings

JIN board member Tom Grace describes how he designed the foundation of the Bose speaker system for General Motors.

JIN board member Tom Grace describes how he designed the foundation of the Bose speaker system for General Motors.

At last night’s meeting of the Jackson Inventors Network at Jackson Community College, attendees saw two views of the innovation process. The meeting kicked off with JIN board member Tom Grace describing how, while working at General Motors, he designed was became the Bose sound system. Designers were faced with the challenge of providing great audio quality within the confines of a automobile door frame. He described the process of redesigning the interior of a speaker to provide 4,004 cubic inches of space to combat distortion.

David M. Verduyn of C2C solutions describes the innovation process at the Jackson Inventors Network

David M. Verduyn of C2C solutions describes the innovation process at the Jackson Inventors Network

The headliner of the evening was David M. Verduyn, of C2C Solutions in Troy, Mich., who provided an exciting, interactive presentation of various techniques and “tools” to spur innovation and creativity. C2C Solutions provides a unique innovation course and approach the product design process in the CAGE Model, as well as TRIZ Training, QFD Training, Six Sigma, Kano Model and FMEA Training.

He provided demonstrations how structured methods can be used to develop next-generation products. For example, he took the JIN audience through a demonstration of the CAGE Model and how it can be used to not only solve customer needs, but create products which excite them because they deliver features the customer didn’t realize they wanted.

He noted products may fail, for example, because in the desire to please the customer, the product developer may not consider those needs the customer doesn’t anticipate.

Verduyn has a YouTube channel offering some insight into his techniques.

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JIN Founder John Hopkins to receive Jackson Chamber Award

January 15, 2013 in Announcements

The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce will JIN’s own John D. Hopkins with its Entrepeneurial Spirit Award at its 104th Annual  Meeting Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, at Jackson Community College Potter Center from 5:30-9:00pm.

The event will start with an awards presentation in the auditorium followed by a gala reception in the newly renovated Robert Snyder Dining Commons.

Other award recipients presented will be Ambassador of the Year, Brick, Athena and Small Business Person of the Year awards. The chamber is also again partnering with MLive/Jackson Citizen Patriot to honor their Citizens of the Year.

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January 2013 Meeting: Entering the Market On Time and Under Budget

January 14, 2013 in Meetings

David M. Verduyn

David M. Verduyn

David M. Verduyn, the founder and president of C2C Solutions Inc., will be the speaker at the Jan. 22 meeting of the Jackson Inventors Network. Verduyn has more than 20 years industry experience in Design & Systems Engineering, Technical Instruction, Product Development Consulting & Technical Course Development. He is an engineering graduate of Lawrence Institute of Technology. Since 1983 he has trained thousands of engineers and product developers in leading methods, which include VOC, QFD, Systematic Innovation, TRIZ, FMEA, TRIZ, and Other Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) Methods. Mr. Verduyn has a broad range of practical experience including Automotive, Consumer & Industrial products, Medical Systems, Defense & Service Industries. He splits his time between client workshops, coaching, in-house training, course development, & “hands on” project based consulting. His unique & practical approach to product development, clear communication skills, background, & “down to earth” teaching style, has earned him high recognition with his industry clients.

Also featured will be Tom Grace, a JIN board member with 32 patents, will be sharing the ups-and-downs in his business career and what drives him to keep designing.

The meeting starts at 6:00-6:30 with registration, followed by the program and networking. The meeting will be held in the Justin Whiting Building on the JCC campus, in room 158.

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