Innovation + Job News

Two KVCC academies train students for jobs this summer

Thursday, May 16, 2013

A computer numerical control operator knows how to mount cutting tools, jigs and fixtures onto computer numerical control machine tools and set the machine parameters. Manufacturers have told Kalamazoo Valley Community College this is a skill they need in their employees.

To teach those skills a new CNC operator academy gets under way July 8 at the community college at the Groves campus. The seven-week long academy offers both a structured classroom learning and hands-on practical application of skills.

During the course of the program, the class will build a model Harley Davidson-styled motor using the equipment at Kalamazoo Valley’s Texas Township Campus.

Created with the assistance of the Advanced Manufacturing Career Consortium, this program provides the hands-on, practical opportunities to learn more about automated manufacturing processes and the products they produce. (The consortium is a local group of 26 companies working together to increase the number of people interested and qualified for open jobs locally.)

Students who successfully complete the training academy will receive a Certificate of Completion and a Transcript of Competencies. Over the course of the program, specific competencies will be assessed. As skills are demonstrated by the students, a Transcript of Competencies will be signed by the certified instructors.

Also the Groves campus, KVCC's fourth Production Technician Academy begins June 17.

The Production Technician Academy prepare graduates for entry-level positions and successful, long-term careers in manufacturing. It is a competency-based, fast-track, industry-designed training program to prepare production workers for an advanced manufacturing environment. Graduates receive a transcript of demonstrated skills and competencies that manufacturers recognize and have indicated they value.

Classes will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Classes end on July 18 and graduation will be held at 10 a.m. on July 19. Scholarships from local employers are available to cover the $1,600 fee for those who are not eligible for publicly-funded training grants.

For more information or to apply, click here, or contact Katie Herweg, Assistant to the Executive Director of Training and Development, 269.353.1290.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media

Source: Dawn Kemp, Kalamazoo Valley Community College

Business Builder Scholarships are the new recipe for food start-ups

Thursday, May 09, 2013

Kalamazoo's food business incubator, the Can-Do Kitchen, is now offering scholarships intended to help those of low- to moderate-incomes get started in business.

The incubator's Business Builder Scholarships will be available to entrepreneurs, especially in the Northside, Eastside, Edison, Stuart, Vine, and Fairmont neighborhoods of Kalamazoo. Seven scholarships are available. Five are available only to low- to moderate-income individuals. The July 2013 – June 2014 scholarship program is intended promote food justice in Kalamazoo.

Scholarships are $8,820 each and will be available to people with food business ideas. Applicants don't have to have a food business in place, but must be committed to transforming a business idea into reality. Interested people can call 492-0261 or email Can-Do Kitchen program manager Lucy Bland to receive an application form.

Business Builder Scholarship recipients will become Can-Do Kitchen incubator clients. The kitchen helps entrepreneurs with business and financial planning, food industry connections, and business support.

“This scholarship program is all about increasing access to our services, creating relationships, and increasing small food business in Kalamazoo,” says Bland. "We’re going to put a lot of energy into getting to know all of our scholarship recipients and supporting them along the way."

The Business Builder scholarship program is funded by Community Development Block Grant funds, administered through the City of Kalamazoo. LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) also is supporting the program.

The Can-Do Kitchen is currently supporting 15 businesses and cooking classes. Since 2008, the Can-Do Kitchen, a program of Fair Food Matters, has supported over 75 small food businesses and increased the availability of foods made locally with local ingredients. It creates a low-risk environment in which start-ups can test products and their commitment to business ownership.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media

Source: Lucy Bland, Can-Do Kitchen

Advice on native plants available at sale by Kalamazoo Conservation District

Thursday, April 25, 2013

If you've been wanting to learn more about native plants that will grow in your yard, the Kalamazoo Conservation District has that information.

Those interested in adding native plants to their landscape are invited to learn more at a free workshop titled "Native Plants in Your Landscape” offered on 6:30 to 8:30 pm in the Austin Lake Room at the Portage District Library, Wednesday, May 8.

More information will be available at the Kalamazoo Conservation District's first Native Plant Sale, taking place Saturday, May 11, at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market on Bank Street. Locally grown wildflowers and grasses will be offered, along with a few hard-to-find trees and shrubs like Pagoda dogwood and Maple-leaf viburnum.

Order forms and additional information about all of the species offered are available at www.kalamazooconservation.org. You can also call the Kalamazoo Conservation District at (269) 327-1258 and request the information be mailed to you. Or visit their website.

The Conservation District previously has offered trees and shrub seedlings. This year it has added the sale of wildflowers and grasses. “We want to promote biodiversity at all levels,” says Conservation District Executive Director Kathy Buckham.

The wildflowers and grasses are sold in pots and are best planted after new growth begins.

“We can all work together to improve the water quality in our lakes and streams by incorporating simple landscape features designed to collect and treat run-off water, like rain gardens and buffers,” says Buckham.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media

Source: Karen High, Kalamazoo Conservation District

WMU's efforts to stay green recognized

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Western Michigan University's use of LEED construction standards for both new projects and existing buildings is just one reason the university has been named one of the nation's most environmentally responsible green colleges.

The recognition from Princeton Review and the U.S. Green Building Council's Center for Green Schools is the fourth time in four years WMU has been included in a guide to the greenest colleges.

The guide was compiled based on results of a 50-question survey of 806 schools. Information from the survey was used to generate a green rating for each school that ranges from 60 to 99. Schools with a score of 83 or better were included in the guide. WMU's rating was 94. There are 322 U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities that were recognized.

Colleges and universities must "demonstrate notable commitments to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation" to receive the recognition.

Princeton Review says that WMU's extensive use of electric vehicles, its water management record and many conservation efforts were reasons to be named among the most environmentally responsible. Its use of trayless dining, food from local sources and that it provides learning and research oriented opportunities through its Office for Sustainability also are notable.

WMU is the only Michigan university with a student sustainability fee that provides support for sustainability efforts as well as grants for student-initiated research, the Princeton Review says.

WMU also is among schools that signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment and the Talloires Declaration. Further, WMU is a member of the Founding Circle of the Billion Dollar Green Challenge. (The Challenge encourages colleges, universities, and other nonprofit institutions to invest a combined total of one billion dollars in self-managed revolving funds that finance energy efficiency improvements.)

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media

Source: Deanne Puca, Western Michigan University

WMU intern gives Stryker Instruments sales force a boost

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Imagine an internship where you get to design from beginning to end a website and a mobile application to help a large company's sales force. Sara Simic, a Western Michigan University senior, had that internship.

At Stryker Instruments Simic designed a tool to be used by the company's 150 sales reps. The site provides a one-stop shop for pretty much everything a sales rep might need to make a sale. They can search for a brochure, look up information, create a presentation kit for a particular client or brush up on their anatomy or clinical knowledge.

To create it, Simic quickly learned about Stryker's products and interviewed about 20 employees to find out what they would like to see in the tool. Then she worked closely with Chicago-based software company SAVO to design the product. From sketches of the homepage to menus and tabs, the product took shape.

To test her ideas, she presented her plans in August to sales reps from across the country at Styker's mid-year meeting. She gave reps a teaser of what was to come. They were excited. So she formed a smaller "beta" group to gather constructive feedback to improve her design before launching the tool.

About 30 people in the sales force volunteered, helping Simic fine tune her ideas over the next four months. Simic also had to work with regulatory compliance to make sure everything met the letter of the law.

Simic started the project in May when she began what started as a full-time, three-month internship. She wasn't close to completing the project when the three months were up, so the company let her stay on as a part-time contractor and see her project through to launch. She's continued to work on it 20 hours a week, while also going to school full time.

Simic will continue working at Stryker until May 1, when she will start a co-op position at Johnson & Johnson in Los Angeles, where she will work for six months in the supply chain field.

"It's just been great," Simic says. "I had vice presidents and managers come and sit in on my presentation, and they said that they've never seen an intern do so much work and have such an impact on a company. So that was really great to hear. I couldn't be more happy with my experience at Stryker."

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media

Source: Mark Schwerin, Western Michigan University

'Startup Kids' movie could ignite your inner entrepreneur

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Dan Proczko is passionate about the potential of startups and he wants others to share that. He also has been looking for an event that could bridge what some see as a gap locally between established industry and new industry.

Proczko, who has three companies of his own, says one of the ideas behind showing the movie is to encourage the type of business growth seen in incubators in Ann Arbor and other cities across Michigan. "We need people to invest in ideas and startups in Kalamazoo the way they do all across the state."

So he found a way to bring the documentary "The Startup Kids" to Kalamazoo. The film was created by two Icelandic entrepreneurs who wanted to motivate young people to become entrepreneurs, too. They took a video camera through the United States and Europe to interview founders of startups.

They talked to Zach Klein, founder of Vimeo; Alexander Ljung, founder of Soundcloud; Brian Wong, founder of Kiip; and Jessica Mah, founder of Indinero, among others.

"The reason for showing the movie is to inspire anyone and everyone that they can do it themselves. Many of us work at jobs that we like but aren't our passion," says Proczko. "This movie is about those who followed their passions an made it real. The truth is anyone can do it. Kalamazoo has the resources and knowledge to help from those who have done it before, to funding, to skilled workers. Come see this movie, be inspired and live your passion!"

Blue Granite, Haworth School of Business, Newmind Group, Maestro, Startup Zoo, Tekna, and Proczko's Apt2Labs are partnering for the event on Thursday, April 4. There will be a time networking at 5:30 p.m. The directors of the documentary will answer questions via the Internet. And previews -- video interviews by local entreprenuears -- will be seen before the screening that begins at 7 p.m. A mixer will follow.

There are 250 seats, standing room for 70 to 100 people, and Proczko expects space to go quickly. Go here to get a ticket. (They're free.)

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media

Source: Dan Proczko, Apt2Labs and Kalamazoo Local Music

Pfizer site receives 2012 Top Plant award

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Pfizer Inc.'s production site in Portage has been named the Top Plant for 2012 by Plant Engineering Magazine.

The plant produces active pharmaceutical ingredients and fine chemical intermediates marketed by Pfizer CentreSource, the business-to-business marketing arm for Pfizer’s Global Supply network.

Plant Engineering reported that Pfizer’s local site has achieved significant reductions in water and energy use, reductions in production waste, improvements in yields, while enhancing maintenance procedures, and improving safety, among other accomplishments.

Many of the advances are attributed to training provided to plant operators in the principles of operational excellence and empowering operators to pursue improvements.

"I’m proud of every colleague at the Kalamazoo plant, whose commitment to delivering quality every hour of every day enabled our achievement of this prestigious award," says Frank Foley, plant manager at the local Pfizer plant.

The Top Plant honor is awarded annually by Plant Engineering, a leading magazine serving industrial plant engineers and plant managers globally.

The award goes to manufacturing facilities that have demonstrated outstanding achievements in production, maintenance, productivity and safety. Prior winners of the elite award include Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing, Hewlett Packard, Siemens, and BMW.

"The plant’s management has emphasized improving productivity and reducing waste while operating a safe and efficient facility. As a result, Pfizer Global Supply can deliver a safe, high-quality product that is vital to its customers while delivering a safe, high-quality work environment for its employees," says Bob Vavra, Plant Engineering editor and content manager.

Michael J. Kosko, President of Pfizer CentreSource says the award, "reflects Pfizer’s commitment to building, operating and maintaining world-class manufacturing capabilities that our own company, and our customers, can have total confidence in and be proud of."

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media

Source: PfizerCentre Source

Mechatronic Systems Technicians to be trained at KVCC

Thursday, March 21, 2013

The skills needed to work on industrial robots, automated equipment found in retail, manufacturing and entertainment sectors and others with technologically advanced systems -- those are what students of the latest career academy at Kalamazoo Valley Community College will acquire.

The 20-week, accelerated Mechatronic Systems Technician Academy begins April 1. An open house for those who would like to learn more will be 1 to 6 p.m. on March 22.

Area employers told KVCC what kinds of skills they needed their employees to have and that direction guided development of the academy's courses.

The program at the Groves Campus will accept only 14 trainees into the 20-week, full-time, competency-based training program.

Students will learn Fundamentals of Electricity, Mechanical Systems, Integrated Information Technologies and Automated Control Systems. These modules are taught in context of their relationships to one another, with a strong emphasis on diagnosis of faults and troubleshooting.

Graduates are known as Mechatronic Systems Technicians.

"The skill sets employers demand transcends a traditional approach to technical education," says Cindy Buckley, Executive Director of Training for KVCC. "A mechanical specialist or an electrician is seldom able to solve the problems which arise on automated equipment without crossing over into areas we used to consider separate occupations."

For more information, or to apply, call 269.353.1286, email careeracademies@kvcc.edu or go visit the college's website.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media

Source: Dawn Kemp, Kalamazoo Valley Community College

Three Southwest Michigan companies to retrain employees

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Hydro-Aluminum of Kalamazoo is one of three companies that are working with current employees to upgrade their skills as part of an upcoming program to keep people employed.

Ben Damerow, director of the Kalamazoo-St. Joseph area Michigan Works! says the Incumbent Worker Program "helps companies build a well-trained workforce, retain talent locally and maintain a competitive edge in the global economy."

Hydro-Aluminum has received $40,716 for training in Six Sigma Green Belt, industrial electricity, and programmable controls funded through the the Kalamazoo-St. Joseph Workforce Development Board. Training for Hydro Aluminum employees will come from Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

Other companies to receive the workforce training grants are Sturgis Molded Products and Vaupell Midwest Molding & Tooling Inc. of Constantine. Sturgis Molded Products was awarded $36,683 for training in systematic molding and two levels of master molder training.

Vaupell was awarded $49,500 for training in Scientific Molding and two stages of Advanced Scientific Molding. Of the 136 Vaupell employees, 36 will be participating in the training which began on Feb. 11 and will be completed by the end of March.

Employees from Sturgis Molded Products and Vaupell will receive training through Glen Oaks Community College.

"When companies are able to keep the skills of their workforce on pace or ahead of market trends through technical training, it is a win-win situation for both the company and employee," says Ron Kitchens, chief executive officer of Southwest Michigan First. "Here in Southwest Michigan, companies who are committed to positively impacting the productivity of their employees are realizing tremendous results."

Michigan WORKS! helps employers and job seekers to ensure that employers are provided with a supply of skilled workers and individuals are provided with an opportunity to advance knowledge and skills to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media

Source: Ben Damerow, Kalamazoo-St. Joseph Michigan Works!

WMU's seven LEED buildings draw recognition

Thursday, February 07, 2013

Western Michigan University continues to get national exposure for its focus on working to make sure existing buildings meet the stringent requirements of LEED--Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design--the national benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.

In the December 2012 issue of Building magazine special features of the WMU's College of Health and Human Services building were highlighted in a story on what goes into obtaining LEED certification for existing buildings.

Now seven campus buildings have LEED designations. In December Brown Hall and the Chemistry Building were certified as LEED for existing buildings. Four new buildings in the Western View student housing complex earned LEED designations in November. And the College of Health and Human Services earned a LEED gold designation for an existing building in 2009.

It takes a lot of work to get existing buildings into shape to meet LEED standard and to document the changes that have been made. For example: Brown Hall now has a computer-controlled irrigation system,

water-efficient fixtures, including dual flush toilets, energy-efficient classroom lighting with dimmers and occupancy sensors and compact fluorescent site lighting.

The newly certified Brown Hall, Chemistry Building and Western View buildings share several green design features, including integration into WMU's award-winning stormwater retention system. Brown and the Chemistry Building also are cleaned with green products.

"The U.S. Green Building Council's designations acknowledge our commitment to energy efficiency and our determination to use the resources entrusted to us in the most effective ways possible," says WMU President John M. Dunn.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media

Source: Cheryl Roland, Western Michigan University

WMU Students can take intro anatomy class without going into the lab

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Introductory anatomy and physiology can now be learned online in a class that requires no time in an on-campus laboratory as a result of the work of a Western Michigan University graduate.

Taylor Paskin, who graduated last June with a master's degree in biological sciences, helped teach anatomy for three years as a graduate student, occasionally filling in as class instructor. She stayed at WMU after graduation to work on the online course.

"My main goal was to find a way that students could do hands-on lab experiments at home in a budget-friendly manner," Paskin says. "There are some options out there, but the lab for each student would have been $300 to $350 and that's not including their textbook."

Most other universities offer 100-level anatomy and physiology classes online that require a minimum of three or four trips to campus for laboratory work. In Paskin's class, students complete all labs at home.

She found a textbook that came with basic lab tools for experiments. Additional materials could be easily purchased.

"They can do their labs at home with inexpensive ingredients that can be purchased at the store," Paskin says. "The lab experiments are elementary, but you understand in greater detail how it relates to physiology and how things actually work in the body."

Experiments include such things as analyzing the components of bones by noting the effects of vinegar on them and learning how joints and muscles work by dissecting a chicken. Students record their observations, draw conclusions, and turn in their analysis.

Students also learn human anatomy by accessing a virtual anatomy lab. The program allows students to view and virtually interact with common lab specimens, including a human cadaver and anatomical models.

Paskin says the class was very successful in the fall. Most of the students were non-traditional and found the class fit in well with their busy schedules. The class is too basic for a student entering a scientific field, but was fine for students in other disciplines.

"I believe that whether or not you're going into the field of science, it's important for everyone to have a general understanding of what goes on inside the human body," Paskin says.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media

Source: Mark Schwerin, Western Michigan University

Derrington now Chief Operating Officer at Forensic Fluids Laboratories

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The past President and Chief Operating Officer at MPI Research in Mattawan has accepted the post of Chief Operating Officer for Forensic Fluids Laboratories, the nation’s only drug testing lab to specialize in the testing of oral fluid exclusively.

Tim Derrington assumed his new role Dec. 10. He has also been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Axient Research in Little Rock, Ark; President and Chief Executive Officer of Bioreliance Corp. in Rockville, Md.; and served in leadership at Quintiles Transnational Corp. in Raleigh, N.C., Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and Shell UK Ventures in London, UK.

Derrington earned a master’s degree in business administration from Henley Management College in Oxfordshire, UK, and a graduate diploma in agricultural management from Seale Hayne College in Devon, UK. He currently serves on the Borgess Medical Center Board of Trustees.

Forensic Fluids Laboratories also recently added two key staff positions as part of its continued growth.

Susan McDonnell also joined the company on Nov. 26 as Director of Sales. She will lead sales and customer service for the medication monitoring market. McDonnell previously served as Vice President of Sales for PinpointMD in Chicago, a company which provides communication platforms for diagnostic testing systems. Her career also included roles at Home Access Health Corp. and 23 years at Quest Diagnostics, both in the greater Chicago area. She is a native of Algonquin, Ill., and studied biology at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill.

Donna Coy is the latest addition to the company's toxicology team and joined the company on Dec. 11. Coy's role expands the company's capabilities to analyze samples for illegal and prescription drugs using liquid mass spectrometry technology. Coy is a Ph.D. in toxicology and has been a graduate research assistant at the Graduate Center for Toxicology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. She earned a bachelor’s degree in forensic science at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond and served as an intern with the Kentucky State Police. She is a native of Shepherdsville, Ky.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media

Source: Bridget Lorenz Lemberg, Forensic Fluids Laboratories

National Science Foundation praises math tools created at WMU

Thursday, December 06, 2012

Almost 10 years of research, development, and classroom testing has gone into Core Math Tools, a project developed at Western Michigan University--one the National Science Foundation says will give more students access to mathematical and statistical software.

The Core Math Tools Project is a suite of mathematical and statistical software tools that are available at National Council of Teachers of Mathematics website.

Teachers and students can access and use the software online in mathematics classrooms, in school and local libraries, at home, or at any other place that offers Internet access. The software is free and can be downloaded to a user's school or home computer.

The principal investigator on the project is WMU professor of mathematics and longtime math curriculum innovator Dr. Christian Hirsch. His former doctoral student, Dr. Brin Keller, now an associate professor at Michigan State University is responsible for the coding of the software, and is the co-principal investigator. Their goal has been to develop and support implementation of an international-caliber high school mathematics program that will meet the nation's current and future needs.

Hirsch says the outcome of the work enables school districts to overcome long-standing financial constraints and provide equitable access to state-of-the art mathematics learning tools.

The software tools are created for algebra and functions, geometry and trigonometry, and statistics and probability. The tools are appropriate for use with many high school mathematics curricula.

"The tools are already influencing the nature of mathematics teaching and learning and mathematics teacher preparation nationally," Hirsch says.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media

Source: Cheryl Roland, Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo's first Global Entrepreneur Week events a success

Thursday, December 06, 2012

Startup Zoo, a Kalamazoo-area organization focused on empowering entrepreneurs who are building Internet software companies, hosted a series events to mark Entrepreneurship Week.

That made Kalamazoo one of more than 100 countries across the globe that participated in 37,000 individual events that are building a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship from city to city, says Ryan Goins of Startup Zoo.

In Kalamazoo, the events got under way with the Mentor Mixer. There new entrepreneurs had an opportunity to connect with and learn from established entrepreneurs in their industry. One of the unexpected results was the amount of help the mentors were able to offer one another in specific areas of their businesses.

"The Startup Zoo sees itself as a convener, bringing together like-minded people in ways that wouldn’t otherwise happen; without a doubt this took place the first night of Global Entrepreneurship Week," Goins says.

On the second evening, participants toured local startups and companies in downtown Kalamazoo, including Maestro, a mobile app development company; the Can-Do Kitchen, an incubator for food companies; Ignertia / Life Story Network, a graphic design firm and company that creates stories that celebrate the life of a loved one; and i heart ipanema, a boutique fashion and record store.

The next day featured Founders Breakfast. To attend, entrepreneurs applied and were invited to breakfast with a group of community leaders working with the Startup Zoo to help grow and shape the Kalamazoo Startup community.

As part of the five days of events there also was a Startup Zoo meetup to give members of the community a taste of the group that meets every other week. Startup Zoo has regular meetups for entrepreneurs building internet software companies to get together and learn from one another. Over the past year this has grown from a group of just 2 or 3 people to more than 80.

The week concluded in the first ever Startup Zoo Global Entrepreneurship Awards. There were 16 companies nominated by the community in five different categories. More than 500 people from the community vote on the winners. The winners for each category were: Most Innovative Company - Maestro; Fastest Growing Company - Maestro; Best Community Supporter - Water Street; Most Disruptive - Gorilla Gourmet; Best Up and Coming - Black Owl.

"Our first year participating in Global Entrepreneurship Week was a huge success," Goins says. "It was truly a community effort, and we received unbelievable support from entrepreneurs, mentors, and local startups throughout the community. Next year will be even better, and I can’t wait."

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media

Source: Ryan Goins, Startup Zoo

Carolyn Pugh now regulatory affairs associate project manager for Perrigo

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Carolyn Pugh has been hired as Associate Project Manager for the Regulatory Affairs team at Perrigo in Allegan.

Pugh will support sterile opthalmics and prescription products for the Abbreviated New Drug Application group.

She has 10 years of varied chemistry experience, having worked as a medicinal chemist in the early stages of drug discovery, a high school chemistry teacher, and in a lab as a process chemist.

Pugh earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry from Youngstown State University in Ohio. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in regulatory affairs through a distance learning program at Northeastern University in Boston.

Pugh is from Lowellville, Ohio, and currently lives in Vicksburg.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Rebecca Herrington, Perrigo