Building a Resilient Mobility Future.
Where the automotive industry intersects with era-defining innovation, you’ll find Ann Arbor, Michigan.
A global destination for trailblazing OEMs, researchers, and entrepreneurs — the mobility ecosystem flourishes here. The city is also home to the University of Michigan which in 2019 invested $1.4 billion in research, making it the top-ranked public research university in the United States.
Emerging from this vibrant collection of mobility leadership is the third annual Ann Arbor Mobility Summit, where visionaries from across the globe gather to share, learn, and inspire. The theme for this year is to focus on the strategies to build resiliency within the mobility ecosystem. We will discuss this in the context of supply chain, improving access, smart city, innovative partnerships, and more.
Join us as we welcome industry leaders, entrepreneurs, public sector officials, transportation leaders, groundbreaking researchers, and curious investors for a morning of spirited panels, fireside chats, presentations, and breakout sessions.
“At a time when industry, academia, and infrastructure providers are examining the transformative needs of our society, mobility innovation has an opportunity to be part of the solution. This summit provides a platform for industry leaders to build connections and share visions for safeguarding the future of mobility.”
– Komal Doshi, Director of Mobility Programs, Ann Arbor SPARK
Your Mobility Summit ticket purchase includes free admission to the Invest360 session following the summit from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. This is the second of four Invest360 sessions happening throughout the week.
We hope you’ll join us for this exciting opportunity to hear pitches from the hottest young tech companies in southeast Michigan. In this session, leaders from mobility sector companies will pitch in front of a panel of investor judges for a $50,000 award. The winner will go on to compete at a final “People’s Choice” showcase on September 25.
Ann Arbor Mobility Summit 2020 Schedule
9:00 a.m. | Welcome Remarks
9:10 a.m. | Panel: Changing Face of Automotive in the New Normal
Bill Frykman, Ford Mobility
Kara Grasso, Denso
Cristi Landy, Waymo
Moderated by: Carla Bailo, Center for Automotive Research
9:50 a.m. | Fireside Chat: Building a Resilient Supply Chain using AI
Razat Gaurav, CEO of LLamasoft in conversation with William Crane, CEO of IndustryStar
10:15 a.m. | Presentations & Discussion: Innovative Public-Private Collaboration Strategies
Kris Carter, Co-Chair, Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, City of Boston
Rikesh Shah, Head of Commercial Innovation at Transport for London
11:00 a.m. | Fireside Chat: Collaboration within State Government: Advancing the Future of Mobility and Electrification
Trevor Pawl, State of Michigan Chief Mobility Officer in conversation with Alisyn Malek, Commission on the Future of Mobility
11:20 a.m. | Panel: Investing in a Sustainable Mobility Ecosystem
Ken Laberteaux, Toyota
Sophia Nadur, BP plc
Missy Stults, City of Ann Arbor
Moderated by: Adriel Thornton, MoGo
12:00 p.m. | Fireside Chat: Behind the Scenes of Autonomous Vehicles
Ed Olsen, CEO of May Mobility in conversation with Jennifer Dukarski, Butzel Long
12:20 p.m. | Leadership Roundtable: Tacking Bias in Mobility Data
This roundtable will bring experts from diverse sectors to discuss different strategies to mitigate bias within different kinds of Mobility data and the impact data bias has on equity, economic growth, and prosperity.
Michelle Avary, World Economic Forum
Regina Clewlow, Populus
Cal Coplai, Ford – Safety Insights
Greg Griffin, PhD, AICP, The University of Texas at San Antonio
Genevieve Smith, University of California Berkeley
Ram Vasudevan, University of Michigan
1:50 p.m. | Closing Remarks
We hope you’ll join us for the Invest360: Mobility session starting at 2:00 p.m.
Speakers
Michelle Avary
World Economic Forum
Biography
Michelle Avary
As a leader in automotive technologies, Avary has been at the forefront of revolutionizing the mobility space and has devoted her career in establishing better infrastructures for automotive, autonomous, IoT, and connectivity platforms.
At the World Economic Forum, Michelle oversees a team and portfolio of projects aimed to ensure road transit is safe, clean, and inclusive. The work spans defining what is a safe autonomous vehicle, ensuring mobility is inclusive to all including women, elderly, rural populations, and people of color, as well as accelerating the uptake of cleaner mobility. Avary is the head of the Automotive Governors, a group that meets annually in Davos, Global AV Technology Council aiming to close key technology governance gaps and works with governments around the world to pilot policy frameworks.
Avary has held various positions including Vice President of Products and Strategy at Aeris, Director of Telematics at Toyota Motor Sales, co-founder Drive Time Metrics, founder of Women in Automotive Technology, advisor to several startups, and served as an executive director for the Future of Automotive Security and Technology Research, as well as LA Auto Show’s advisory board.
Her patents for telematics technologies including Automatic Crash Notification Using Pre-recorded Messages, Cross Channel In-vehicle Media Consumption Measurement and Analysis, and Discovery Playlist Creation are recognized worldwide. Avary has several more pending patents.
Avary holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Pennsylvania State University, a Masters of Art in Economics from the University of San Francisco, and studied international law and economics at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.
Carla Bailo
Center for Automotive Research
Biography
Carla Bailo
Carla Bailo is the President and CEO of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) and is a leader in engineering and vehicle program management with 35 years of experience in the automotive industry. Under her leadership, CAR continues to be a preeminent resource of objective and unbiased research, analysis, and information regarding the North American automotive industry.
In addition to her role at CAR, Ms. Bailo was the 2016-2018 vice president of automotive for SAE International, a global association of more than 138,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive, and commercial-vehicle industries.
Prior to joining CAR, she was most recently the assistant vice president for mobility research and business development at The Ohio State University. She also has 25 years of experience at Nissan North America, Inc., where she served as senior vice president of research and development. Ms. Bailo also spent 10 years at General Motors. She has an MS degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and a BS degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University.
Kris Carter
Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, City of Boston
Biography
Kris Carter
Kris Carter, Co-Chair of the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics in Boston, is a non-practicing engineer, an optimistic urban planner, and a self-taught filmmaker. New Urban Mechanics is the City of Boston’s human-centered civic R&D lab, working collaboratively with research institutions, civic entrepreneurs, and government agencies to explore and prototype what’s new and next in cities. With the Mechanics, Kris oversees a wide portfolio of prototypes while also leading the City’s more experimental mobility and public realm work, including the management of the Boston’s autonomous vehicle and curb management research efforts. Prior to leading the Mechanics, Kris ran the City’s bicycle program, served as an advisor to Mayor Menino on the creation of the Innovation District, and helped operationalize One Fund Boston in response to the Boston Marathon bombings. He spent seven years leading youth development non-profits and he has won awards from the Federal Labs Consortium, American Planning Association, multiple film festivals, and was recognized as one of BostInno’s 50 on Fire for his work. He is a two-time AmeriCorps alum, amateur filmmaker, firmly believes in bagging his own groceries, and has yet to find a role more rewarding and exhausting than raising twins.
Regina Clewlow
Populus
Biography
Regina Clewlow
Regina is the CEO and Co-founder of Populus, a data platform for cities to manage the future of mobility. Trusted by leading cities and the world’s largest mobility operators, the Populus platform securely ingests real-time data from shared electric scooters, bikes, and cars, and delivers cities with the digital tools to design new policies for their curbs and streets.
Regina has over a decade of experience in transportation, having served as a research scientist and lecturer at Stanford, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis. Prior to forming Populus, Regina was the Director of Business Development and Strategy at RideScout, an early mobility-as-a-service aggregator that was acquired by moovel, Daimler and BMW’s mobility services unit. Regina has been named a 40 Under 40 by Mass Transit magazine and the San Francisco Business Times. She has a Ph.D. in transportation and energy systems from MIT, and a bachelor’s in computer science from Cornell.
Cal Coplai
Ford – Safety Insights
Biography
Cal Coplai
Cal Coplai is an AICP-certified urban planner, data scientist, and mobility enthusiast serving as the Product Owner of the Safety Insights product at Ford Mobility. Through Safety Insights, he is working to improve road safety by creating actionable insights through software and data analytics. Prior to his role at Ford, he worked with or for a variety of organizations, including local and state government, urban planning & design consultancies, universities & colleges, nonprofits, and more. He received his B.S. in Urban & Regional Planning from Michigan State University and M.S. in Urban Informatics from Northeastern University.
William Crane
IndustryStar
Biography
William Crane
William is the CEO of IndustryStar, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based on-demand supply chain software and services technology company that empowers teams to develop, launch, and improve product supply chains faster. William’s passion is partnering with mobility innovation leaders to enhance supply performance faster for greater company agility and profitability.
William is a trusted advisor in mobility supply chain with demonstrated results starting, launching, and enhancing procurement, logistics, supplier quality, and manufacturing organizations for Honda, Ford, Daimler, Lear, Flex-N-Gate, Multimatic, and Flex-N-Gate, among others.
His work has appeared frequently in the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS), Institute for Supply Management (ISM), Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and Sourcing Industry Group (SIG), among others. William’s passion for bringing technologies to market that have a positive impact on the world can be found via his blog Supply Chain for Tomorrow’s Technology.
William is also Host of the Supply Chain Innovation podcast where he interviews top industry change-makers to uncover strategies, tactics, and tools to expedite, optimize, and de-risk supply chain operations.
William holds an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business from the University of Michigan and BBA in Integrated Supply Management from the Haworth College of Business at Western Michigan University.
Jennifer Dukarski
Butzel Long
Biography
Jennifer A. Dukarski is a Shareholder based in Butzel Long’s Ann Arbor office, practicing in the areas of intellectual property, media, and technology. She focuses her practice at the intersection of technology and communications with an emphasis on the legal issues arising from emerging and disruptive innovation: vehicle safety, connected and autonomous cars, shared mobility, infotainment, digital media and content, data privacy and security. Jennifer leads clients in securing and protecting rights in technology through transactions and litigation. Jennifer was named one of the 30 Women Defining the Future of Technology in January 2020 by Warner Communications for her innovative thoughts and contributions to the tech industry.
Jennifer has become a national leader in the area of the connected and autonomous vehicle and advises on automotive threat vectors and data privacy. She also uses her emerging technology expertise to draft and negotiate development agreements and technology licensing. Jennifer also represents automotive suppliers in vehicle safety, connected and autonomous car technology, warranty, and product quality disputes. Her automotive expertise as a former design engineer and quality manager has made her a valuable team member in complex product-related litigation covering warranty disputes, and trade secrets. She represents clients involved in field recalls and FMVSS noncompliance with NHTSA. She is a contributor to the Original Equipment Supplier Association (OESA) North American OEM Production P.O. Terms and Conditions Comparative Analysis and currently serves as Counsel to OESA’s Advanced Technology Council.
Bill Frykman
Ford Mobility
Biography
Bill Frykman
Bill Frykman is the executive director of Ford Motor Company’s North American City Solutions team. In this role, Bill works with a team of urban mobility experts engaging with cities to accelerate new mobility solutions. Through his 20 years at Ford, Bill has been at the forefront of technology including leadership roles on every connected vehicle program from the industry’s first connected light-duty fleet vehicle to the Mustang Mach-E. Prior to joining Ford, Bill was a commercial banker in Los Angeles. Bill graduated from UCLA with a degree in economics and earned an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business. Bill resides in Birmingham, MI, with his wife and three children.
Razat Gaurav
LLamasoft
Biography
Razat Gaurav
Razat Gaurav brings more than two decades of experience in the supply chain planning and execution space to his role as the CEO of LLamasoft, Inc. Throughout his career, Razat has advised leading retailers, manufacturers and logistics service providers across the globe on supply chain strategies and digital transformations. With proven leadership in scaling and growing enterprise software businesses on a global basis, Razat most recently served as JDA Software’s Executive Vice President, General Manager and Chief Revenue Officer. His experience also includes leadership roles at i2 Technologies and Ernst & Young (EY). He has a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Kara Grasso
DENSO
Biography
Kara Grasso
Kara Grasso is vice president of Strategic Operations at DENSO’s North American headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. In this role, she oversees Strategic Planning, Business Operations Planning, Sales Strategy, and Systems, Aftermarket, Delivery, and New Entrant Customers. Grasso previously led FCA Sales strategy and DENSO’s Product Sales strategy.
Grasso joined DENSO in 2000 as a senior sales specialist for Chrysler Sales, responsible for leading all Chrysler Engine Cooling Module (ECM) sales responsibilities. From 2004 to 2014, Grasso held various positions within Chrysler Sales, moving up to senior manager in 2011. In 2014, she was promoted to director of FCA Sales with a focus on thermal sales specifically.
In 2016, Grasso was promoted to director of FCA Sales, focusing on sales of thermal, powertrain, engine electrical, body electronics, and service products. Her responsibilities included strategizing and strengthening key FCA relationships within purchasing, engineering, cost planning, and quality departments, and engaging the FCA Sales associates to create alignment between divisional and product group targets.
In early 2017, Grasso was promoted to vice president of FCA Sales. Her increased responsibility included a larger customer base as the lead of Product Sales Strategy for all product areas. In January 2019, she took on her current role that further expands her strategic oversight.
Prior to working at DENSO, Grasso worked at Freudenberg-NOK as a sales engineer in 1998, responsible for managing all market research data for multi-product sales staff and assisting in the management of the Toyota Sales account. From 2000 to 2005, Grasso also worked for Dale Carnegie in as an instructor for The Dale Carnegie Course, where she taught Dale Carnegie techniques for overcoming fear of public speaking, influencing people, and becoming more effective in both personal and professional lives.
Outside of work, she is an executive member of Inforum’s AutomotiveNEXT, an industry group dedicated to closing the talent gap and supporting and promoting female leaders in automotive. She also is a member of the Board of Industry Leaders for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).
Grasso completed both her Bachelor of Science in Business: Organizational Behavior and her Bachelor of Science in Business: Human Resource Management at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1998.
Greg Griffin
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Biography
Greg Griffin, PhD, AICP
Dr. Greg P. Griffin is an Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, focusing on transportation, public participation, and health. He has over a decade of experience as a planner in Texas. A Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellow, his doctoral program was in Community and Regional Planning at The University of Texas at Austin. He is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners, continuously since 2005.
His research involves how planners and publics work together with technology through three related topics of crowdsourcing, urban sensing, and co-production. First, he evaluates the impact of crowdsourcing in urban planning, such as whether online public suggestions for bike share stations influenced their eventual placement. Second, he explores new approaches in urban sensing, including the role of street noise in traffic safety. Finally, his work contributes to co-productive planning theory, re-thinking public participation that emphasizes action. Dr. Griffin’s recent work on managing biases in crowdsourced data is published in the Journal of Big Data Analytics in Transportation, Transportation Research Part D, Transportation Research Record, and in popular outlets, including the Chicago Tribune.
Dr. Griffin teaches classes in planning practice, theory, health, and transportation, and he serves on the City of San Antonio’s Vision Zero Crash Review Task Force.
Ken Laberteaux
Toyota
Biography
Ken Laberteaux
Ken Laberteaux is a Senior Principal Scientist at the Toyota Research and Development in Ann Arbor, MI. In his twenty-eight years in the automotive and telecommunication industries, Ken has produced 48 scholarly publications and 18 patents. Ken’s current research focus is sustainable mobility systems, including Mobility as a Service, vehicle electrification, automated driving, and US urbanization and transportation patterns. Ken completed his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, and B.S.E., in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Cristi Landy
Waymo
Biography
Cristi Landy
Bio Coming Soon
Alisyn Malek
Commission on the Future of Mobility
Biography
Alisyn Malek
Alisyn Malek is the Executive Director for the Commission on the Future of Mobility, which aims to reshape transportation policy globally across environmental, safety, and economic opportunity considerations to achieve stronger outcomes. Additionally, she is the founder and CEO of Middle Third, a boutique mobility consultancy helping clients to unlock the potential of technology and transportation.
Prior to this role, her unparalleled understanding of how automotive and innovative technologies work together inspired her to co-found May Mobility, building an autonomous vehicle transportation solution that would solve urban transportation challenges ahead of the competition. As COO, she grew the company from laboratory concept to operations in three states and a strong pipeline for growth in less than three years. Alisyn started her career as an engineer working on electric vehicle charging technology at General Motors before moving to their corporate venture arm, leading investments across electrification, connected vehicles, mobility, and autonomy.
She was recognized as an Automotive News All Star in 2019, a top ten female innovator to watch by Smithsonian in 2018 and named a top automotive professional under 35 to watch by LinkedIn in 2015 for her work in cutting-edge product development and corporate venture.
Alisyn Malek is the founder and CEO of Middle Third, a boutique consultancy focused on mobility strategy. Alisyn has extensive industry experience, from EV product development and corporate venture and strategy at GM to early stage startups as the co-founder and COO of May Mobility, all of which inform her work.
Sophia Nadur
BP plc
Biography
Sophia Nadur
At BP, she is helping to create customer-focused businesses that enable more sustainable movement of people, goods, and services using EVs, CAVs, and related transport-linked tech platforms. The tech is cool – really cool – but she cares more about what the tech can enable to help democratise advanced mobility services and delight cities & citizens. Through focusing on understanding deeply met/unmet needs and then translating them into (branded) mobility products and services, she believes it will nudge more folks to adopt EVs and new transport modes. To do this also means relying on partnerships built across the global e-mobility ecosystem and with both large and small companies.
Before BP, she worked for 25+ years as a global marketer & innovator in the consumer goods & services industry across the globe (Coca-Cola, Mars, Kraft/Mondelez, Unilever). She also ran her own award-winning startup and even found time to qualify as a lawyer (both beneficial mid-life crises). She holds a Warwick MBA as well as degrees in science (McGill) and law (London).
Edwin Olson
May Mobility
Biography
Edwin Olson
Edwin Olson is co-founder and CEO of May Mobility, Inc., an Ann Arbor, Michigan based startup that is transforming cities using self-driving shuttles. May Mobility uses its industry-leading technology to create transportation systems that have launched in four cities, helping to create a safer, greener, and more accessible world. Edwin Olson earned a PhD from MIT in 2008 in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, and is on leave from the University of Michigan, where he is an Associate Professor of Computer Science.
Dr. Olson has worked on autonomous vehicles for over a decade, including work on the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge and vehicles for Ford and Toyota Research Institute. He was awarded a DARPA Young Faculty Award, named one of Popular Science’s “Brilliant 10,” and was the winner of the 2010 MAGIC robotics competition. In 2019, he was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” in the Michigan and Northwest Ohio region by Ernst and Young.
Trevor Pawl
Office of Future Mobility and Electrification
Biography
Trevor Pawl
Trevor Pawl is the Chief Mobility Officer for the State of Michigan and leads Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. In this position, Pawl is responsible for working across state government, academia, and private industry to grow Michigan’s mobility ecosystem through strategic policy recommendations and new support services for companies focused on the future of transportation.
Prior to this position, Pawl served as the Senior Vice President of Business Innovation at the MEDC, where he led the official state programs for mobility (PlanetM), supply chain assistance (Pure Michigan Business Connect), export assistance (Michigan International Trade program) and entrepreneurial assistance (Michigan Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program).
Before joining the MEDC, Pawl brought with him experience in supply chain matchmaking, having led the creation of the economic development program, Connection Point, at the Detroit Regional Chamber, which later became Pure Michigan Business Connect.
Trevor has been named Crain’s Detroit Business’s “40 Under 40” and “50 Names to Know in Government”. He’s also been named Development Counsellors International’s “40 Under 40 Rising Stars of Economic Development” and the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council’s “Government Advocate of the Year”.
Pawl holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Marketing from Grand Valley State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Detroit Mercy.
Rikesh Shah
Transport For London
Biography
Rikesh Shah
Rikesh leads Transport for London’s award-winning market innovation activity to create new value for London by working with start-ups, corporates, academia, accelerators, and venture capitalists. He was responsible for creating TfL’s first Innovation Hub. The Hub sets out the organisation’s key problem statements, bringing in the best innovators from across the world, piloting and scaling innovative solutions with the potential to commercialise, as well as establishing the right culture in the company focusing on agility and design thinking to work with market innovators who either have a new mobility product or an innovative idea to help solve an existing city challenge through new technologies.
Rikesh was previously responsible for TfL’s world-leading open data programme which has 17,000 registered users, 700 apps powered by TfL data used by 42% of Londoners which an independent review stated that it’s worth to London is £130m per annum.
Rikesh also sits on the Smart London Board to deliver the Mayor of London’s vision to make London the smartest city in the world, as well as on the Advisory Boards for Doteveryone focusing on Tech for Good and Citytech Collaborative in Chicago. He has also been recognised as the UK’s Top 100 Tech Influencers.
Genevieve Smith
Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
Biography
Linda Smith
Linda L. Smith has had a distinguished public and private career and has been an active investor in start-up, entrepreneurial companies. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Global Business Angel Network (GBAN) and Chairman Emeritus of the Angel Capital Association, an organization representing more than 14,000 accredited investors in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. She chairs the Angel Capital Association Public Policy Committee.
Her public career included serving three U.S. Presidents, two Congressmen, one mayor, and the Governor of Hawaii. She spent twelve years in Washington D.C. including working as Director of Administration in the White House’s Office of Management and Budget and for two Congressional Committees on Capitol Hill. Upon moving to Hawaii, she was appointed Director of Finance for the City and County of Honolulu, responsible for a budget exceeding $900 million serving over 800,000 residents and visitors to the city. She also was the Senior Policy Advisor to the Governor of Hawaii for eight years.
Ms. Smith was Managing Director of Pacific Allied Products, Ltd. for 13 years, a diversified plastics manufacturing company specializing in compression molding, blow molding, and injection molding products for the South Pacific region. The firm entered into a joint venture to develop and patent cutting edge technologies for the plastics industry and the Smiths successfully sold the firm in 2003. Since moving to Lake Tahoe, Nevada in 2011, she has been an active member of Sierra Angels and has experienced several positive exits, as well as a few “duds”. She enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, boating, architecture, and fine wine.
Missy Stults
City of Ann Arbor
Biography
Missy Stults
Dr. Missy Stults is the Sustainability and Innovations Manager for the City of Ann Arbor. In this role, she works with all city operations, residents, businesses, the University of Michigan, nonprofits, and others to make Ann Arbor one of the most sustainable and equitable cities in America and to implement the A2ZERO Carbon Neutrality Plan. Prior to joining the City, Missy worked with cities and tribal communities around the nation to advance their climate and sustainability goals, including during her time as the Climate Director at ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability and as a consultant to philanthropic organizations. Missy has a PhD in urban resilience from the University of Michigan, a Masters in Climate and Society from Columbia University, and undergraduate degrees in Marine Biology and Environmental Science from the University of New England.
Adriel Thornton
MoGo
Biography
Adriel Thornton
Detroit based creative contributor and culture creator Adriel Thornton has, through decades of consistent imaginative and bold ideation, earned global recognition as a leading authority in the creative arts and event production.
Thornton was born and raised in NW Detroit, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from Wayne State University. Thornton was introduced to the Techno and House music sound by his older cousins who frequented the seminal nite club The Music Institute. In the early 1990s, he began helping other venues distribute flyers for parties and club nights, kickstarting his career as a promoter.
Since then, Thornton has produced hundreds of events, including major global festivals, award-winning night clubs, screenings, and more. As a leader in creative culture, he has spoken on panels for South by Southwest (SXSW), Cinetopia, Model D and was recently selected to be the representative of Detroit’s entrepreneurial and creative class for Virgin Airlines with co-hosts Bridgette Russo (Shinola), Dan Gilbert (Quicken Loans) and Richard Branson (Virgin).
As an event producer, Adriel has achieved international acclaim. His club event, FAMILY, now in its 23rd year, was voted “Best Club Night in America” and hosted talent from around the world. In 2000, Thornton was instrumental in launching the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, and helped produce it through 2002. Additional signature productions include Dally In the Alley, Eastern Market After Dark, Dine Drink Detroit, and the Knight Arts Challenge Award Ceremony. Thornton also serves as an Experience Host for Airbnb, with visitors from around the world partaking in his Techno Tour and Experience. In addition, he founded Digital Laundre, Space 19 and NUDE Magazine.
Adriel Thornton has played a fundamental role in the success of countless projects/events and is truly A Detroit Ambassador of Cultural Goodwill.
Ram Vasudevan
University of Michigan
Biography
Ram Vasudevan
Ram Vasudevan is an assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering and the Robotics Institute at the University of Michigan. He received a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, an MS degree in Electrical Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering all from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award and the ONR Young Investigator Award. His work has received best paper awards at the IEEE Conference on Robotics and Automation, the ASME Dynamics Systems and Controls Conference, and IEEE OCEANS Conference.
Kris Bergman
BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting LLC
Biography
Kris Bergman
Kris is a Managing Partner and co-owner of BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting. Prior to purchasing the company in October 2016, Kris was Principal Consultant for Grants and Contracts Management, having joined BBCetc in 2000. In addition to BBCetc’s financial and business management, Kris assists clients in preparing to receive and manage federal grant and contract funds. This includes advice on financial policies and procedures, DCAA compliance, budget development, indirect cost negotiation, Just-in-Time response, using QuickBooks, and preparing for government audits. Prior to joining BBCetc she owned and operated two different service startups before becoming the Global Sales Administrator or a major software development company. kris@bbcetc.com
Matthew Bower
Varnum LLP
Biography
Matthew Bower
Matt is a partner with Varnum LLP and serves as outside general counsel to a wide range of emerging and middle market companies. His particular industry concentrations include software, SaaS, information technology, IoT, data analytics, and other technology-based companies, as well as manufacturing, automotive, advanced materials, pharma, medical devices, publishing, digital advertising and media, retail, and food and beverage.
Matt’s emerging companies practice focusses on capital fundraising, including SAFE financing, convertible debt, preferred equity financing, as well as securities law compliance. He works closely with companies from cradle (formation and organization) to liquidity (sale or merger) and all stages of development in between. Matt’s experience in the early-stage capital markets includes fund representation, fund formation, and investments.
Matt is a member of Varnum’s Business and Corporate Services Practice Team and participates in the Intellectual Property, the Data Privacy, and Cybersecurity, and the Startup and Emerging Companies practice teams. He is also the lead partner of the firm’s Ann Arbor office.
Casey Cowell
Boomerang-Catapult, LLC
Biography
Casey Cowell
Casey Cowell graduated from the University of Chicago receiving an A.B. degree in Economics in 1975. In 1976, at the age of 23, he co-founded U.S. Robotics, Inc. He served as Chairman and CEO throughout the company’s history culminating in its merger into 3COM Corporation. A $200 post-college start-up, U.S. Robotics became the world’s largest manufacturer of modems and related products that connected computers to the global telephone network. In addition to a broad array of other products and technologies, USR also brought to market the Palm Pilot, the first highly successful handheld organizer. USR distinguished itself by designing and manufacturing all of its products in its own factories in the US in a period when US companies were focused on moving offshore. Its revenues grew from $50 million in 1990, the year before it went public, to $2.5 billion in 1997.
Cowell is an active investor, advisor, and board member in a broad range of companies with an emphasis on start-ups and early stage. He is engaged in many civic and philanthropic efforts and organizations with emphasis on upper Michigan and Traverse City. He serves on the boards of Munson Healthcare, Interlochen Center for the Arts as well as numerous other regional organizations. His principal focus is on improving population healthiness and cultural healthfulness and growing a high-value creation economy in the Traverse City area. In 2016 he founded Boomerang-Catapult, LLC to invest in high-value creation startups in the area. Boomerang-Catapult has launched or assisted in 16 startups or early stage companies in the last three years with more under development. Investment to date from Boomerang-Catapult and other investors in these companies totals just under $100 million.
Timothy Damschroder
Bodman PLC
Biography
Timothy Damschroder
Timothy R. Damschroder is the co-chair of the Business Practice Group. He specializes in middle market M&A transactions (typically ranging from $30 million to $1 billion) and corporate finance.
He has substantial experience serving as outside general counsel to automotive, industrial, and technology companies. He manages many major client accounts with responsibility for quality control, staffing, workflow, and overall client satisfaction.
His middle market activities involve companies in a broad range of industries including software, IoT, big data, pharma and other technology-based industries, manufacturing, publishing, automotive, aerospace, transportation, retail, food and beverage, construction, and healthcare. His active involvement with client transactions starts with pre-letter of intent negotiations and continues through to final closing. His primary value to clients is working to efficiently and effectively close transactions while helping clients understand and evaluate the important legal issues involved in transactions without hindering the client’s business goals.
As chair of Bodman’s Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Practice Group, Mr. Damschroder specializes in dealing with technology companies from start up to transactions involving intellectual property, to venture capital financing, to eventual sale. Mr. Damschroder has significant experience working with the University of Michigan’s Technology Transfer Office. He is part of a Bodman team that has represented a significant number of the startup and spin-off companies that have licensed technology from U of M.
His corporate finance work includes fund formation, private placements, debt and equity financing (private equity, venture capital, and angel investments), and derivative transactions including ISDA documentation, master agreements, interest rate swaps, currency swaps and other foreign exchange transactions (FX transactions), and options.
Mr. Damschroder was the 2016 recipient of the State Bar of Michigan Business Law Section’s Stephen H. Schulman Outstanding Business Lawyer Award, presented to one business lawyer in the State of Michigan each year in recognition of contributions to Michigan business law over the course of a career. He is listed in IFLR1000 2019 under Mergers and Acquisitions and in Michigan Super Lawyers 2019 under Mergers and Acquisions and under the Top 100 Attorneys. He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2020 and has been named the Best Lawyers® 2019 Mergers and Acquisitions Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Ann Arbor. He is listed as one of three top-tier ranked lawyers in Chambers USA 2020 under Corporate/M&A – Michigan, being called “a widely acclaimed practitioner who advises on high-profile acquisitions . . . He is also well regarded for acting on private equity, venture capital and joint venture transactions.”
In 2013, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Mr. Damschroder to the newly created Michigan Health Endowment Fund Board. The Fund, which was created under Public Act 4 of 2013, will benefit the health and wellness of Michigan residents through programs focusing on children and seniors. Mr. Damschroder serves as Chairperson of the Fund, which is expected to receive up to $1.56 billion in contributions over 18 years.
Martin Dober
ID Ventures
Biography
Martin Dober
Martin Dober joined the Invest Detroit team in 2013 with more than 18 years of experience in early-stage technology ventures and in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and investment roles. His primary responsibility is to provide investment capital and support to early-stage and high-growth companies in the region.
Most recently, Mr. Dober was senior vice president of entrepreneurship and innovation for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation where he directed technology investment programs under the state’s 21st Century Jobs Fund. Prior to that, he held senior positions in several small technology companies, including iRobot Corporation, American Systems Technology, Inc., and EIP, Inc. and served as a startup tech consultant at the Michigan Small Business Development Center.
Mr. Dober serves as a board member and treasurer for Invest Michigan and co-president and board member for the Harvard Business School (HBS) Club of Michigan. He is leading the formation of a Detroit chapter for the HBS Alumni Angels Association, an angel network. He holds director and board observer positions for portfolio companies Shoptelligence, Greenmark Biomedical, Akadeum, PicoSpray, and Detroit Materials. He co-founded and leads Hacker Fellows, a talent-retention and attraction program that places diverse computer science talent into Michigan startups.
Mr. Dober received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in computer science from Kettering University (formerly GMI) and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Craig T. Hall
Lee Shore Equities
Biography
Craig T. Hall
Craig Hall has forty years’ experience in logistics, technology, and information services management. An early innovator, he has founded eight successful supply chain and related technology companies including LeanLogistics, Inc. and Total Logistic Control (now part of Ryder Logistics) in Holland, Michigan.
Combining his experience in the Logistics, Technology, and Internet industries, he founded LeanLogistics, Inc., a revolutionary web-native On-Demand Transportation Management System (TMS) utilizing the Internet to create a real-time, on-line collaborative environment for shippers and carriers. They developed patented Software as a Service (SaaS) technology for shippers and carriers to proactively manage their entire supply chain from planning to execution and settlement. For the past 10 years, they have been named as one of the top 100 Logistics Software company’s in the country and in 2005 one of the Top 50 Companies to Watch in Michigan. In 2008 he sold the company to Brambles Limited, an international public company providing global supply chain support services. They are now known as BluJay Solutions.
Craig is a director of Charter Capital, Alpena Power Company, Cascade Engineering, Grand Valley Research Corporation, Start Garden, Oversight Committee of the Michigan State University Bioeconomy Institute, Chairman of the Holland SmartZone, Past Chairman of the Michigan Chapter of Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and Founding Director of the Grand Angels. In 2003 Craig was honored as one of the Top 20 Logistic Professionals in the country and in 2010 as Purdue University’s Outstanding Industrial Engineering Alumni.
Charles Hess
Firefox Ventures
Biography
Charles Hess
Charles Hess is an entrepreneur and operations executive in the information technology sector. He has a proven track record in business development, mergers & acquisitions, and mentoring effective leaders within an organization.
Scott Jacobs
Queen City Angels
Biography
Scott Jacobs
As the Executive Director of the Queen City Angels (QCA, Inc. a 501c6 corporation), Jacobs is responsible for deal flow, programming, educational sessions, event management, membership engagement, and sponsor relationships. He engages QCA in support of the local, regional, and national entrepreneur ecosystems (angel investor groups, accelerators, incubators, local colleges, and universities) through networking, financial support, educational programming, and additional QCA network resources (sponsors, community leaders, subject matter experts, etc.).
Jacobs manages QCA’s social media, marketing, committees, deal flow process; encourages entrepreneur applications for funding through Proseeder, QCA’s investor platform, and moving deals along the continuum of QCA’s workflow process.
As the President of the QCA Education Foundation (a 501c3 corporation) dba Startup College®, he manages programming, educational sessions, event management, membership engagement, and sponsor relationships to train, mentor, and guide both entrepreneurs and angel investors.
Mike Klein
Genomenon, Inc.
Biography
Mike Klein
Mike is a 4X serial entrepreneur with several successful exits under his belt. He is currently the CEO of Genomenon, the genomic search engine company that connects patient DNA with the billions of dollars of genomic research to help doctors diagnose and cure cancer patients and babies with rare diseases, and pharma companies develop genomic-driven precision medicine.
Fredrick Molnar
Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
Biography
Fredrick Molnar
Vice President of Entrepreneurism and Innovation at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the Executive Director of the Michigan Life Science and Innovation Center (MLSIC), a 70,000 ft2 incubator run by the MEDC in Plymouth Michigan. The Entrepreneurship team works with universities, tech service providers and early stage funding providers to support tech and innovative start-ups to help grow and diversify the Michigan economy. Oversee the 21 legislatively authorized SmartZones across the state.
35 years’ experience working in the private sector with life science companies both large and small. Before MEDC, was COO at iCyt Mission Technology, a life science startup spun-off from the University of Illinois that successfully exited when acquired by Sony Corporation of Japan. Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Service at Sony Biotechnology. Also founded, operated, and successfully sold a local small business – Champion Gymnastics based in Ann Arbor, MI.
Education: AS in Electronics – Henry Ford, BS in Biology – Wayne State University, MBA – Eastern Michigan University
Yan Ness
Verge.IO
Biography
Yan Ness
Since 1985 I’ve been a serial tech entrepreneur based in South East Michigan. Over that time, I’ve waltzed through seven liquidity events. My first was Systems and Software Group, acquired by Software Services in the early 1990s. My most recent being Online Tech, acquired by Schurz Communications in early 2018.
I’ve learned a ton from so many people in this journey and thank everyone who has helped me. Now it’s time to give back. Lately, I invest, advise, and serve as a board member for early stage SaaS companies.
Most recently I’m honored to serve as the Executive Chairman of Verge.IO which has the biggest potential I’ve ever worked on. The Verge Platform is so transformational, the world would be a much better place if it was used everywhere. And that’s our goal.
My favorite topics (and so I’m probably better at these…) are: SaaS strategy and business models, leadership and culture, go to market strategy and tactics and M&A.
Oh yah, and I love to sail.
Ron Reed
Cascade Partners
Biography
Ron Reed
Ron is a Managing Director at Cascade Partners who brings the demonstrated ability and instinct to identify, assess, and lead attractive investment opportunities in numerous niche software and information services markets. In addition to managing several investment funds, Ron’s experiences include various leadership, board and investor roles in operating and investment businesses including NWP Services Corporation, Seneca Partners, Adesso Solution, Compendia Bio, Endeavor Capital Management, Harbinger Corporation, Emerald Intelligence, Online Technologies, Operon Partners, 7th Online, and the Marathon Fund.
Terrence J.L. Reeves
Commune Angels
Biography
Terrence J.L. Reeves
Terrence J.L. Reeves is a member of IrishAngels, a Chicago-based leading angel group that invests in early-stage startups across the U.S. Since 2018, he has also served on the group’s board of directors. Recently, Terrence co-founded Commune Angels, a diversity missioned angel community that invests in U.S.-based scalable software, consumer products, and life science companies that transform lives. Commune aims to leverage diversity to drive better outcomes for investors, portfolio companies, and their customers.
Terrence serves as Member-in-Charge of Frost Brown Todd’s Ann Arbor office, where he chairs the firm’s venture capital team. Terrence’s practice includes representing startups and emerging growth companies at all stages of development, and the investors that fund them. Terrence represents venture-backed clients across a diverse range of industries, including software, digital health, SaaS, consumer products, energy, cyber-security, mobility, and other emerging technologies, in Texas, New York, Michigan, Florida, California, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Once a high school dropout, Terrence received his JD from Wayne State University Law School, MBA from the University of Notre Dame, and Certificate in Venture Capital from Wharton. Terrence is a frequent speaker on angel investing, venture capital, and entrepreneurship throughout the Midwest region. Terrence and his wife, Candiss, have three daughters and reside in Ypsilanti.
Sonya Sepahban
Global Business Angel Network
Biography
Sonya Sepahban
Sonya Sepahban started as a NASA engineer and astronaut wannabe, and is currently CEO of OurOffice Inc, a category-defining startup in the new Diversity and Inclusion Technology (D&I Tech) space, featured by Mercer and Deloitte. OurOffice has pioneered Diversity and Inclusion as a Service, or DIaaS, a turnkey solution that provides organizations with a dedicated D&I Manager and technology platform to build inclusive workplaces with an affordable monthly subscription.
Prior to OurOffice, Sonya was a senior executive at F500 companies with significant global responsibilities. Sonya serves on the Board of Directors of Cooper Standard, a publicly-traded automotive company, and has held numerous board seats and advisory roles at tech startups, investment funds, and nonprofits. Sonya was named one of 2019 most influential Corporate Directors by WomenInc Magazine.
Sonya has a passion for mentoring entrepreneurs and aspiring professionals, is a private pilot and an explorer.
Linda Smith
BP plc
Biography
Linda Smith
Linda L. Smith has had a distinguished public and private career and has been an active investor in start-up, entrepreneurial companies. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Global Business Angel Network (GBAN) and Chairman Emeritus of the Angel Capital Association, an organization representing more than 14,000 accredited investors in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. She chairs the Angel Capital Association Public Policy Committee.
Her public career included serving three U.S. Presidents, two Congressmen, one mayor, and the Governor of Hawaii. She spent twelve years in Washington D.C. including working as Director of Administration in the White House’s Office of Management and Budget and for two Congressional Committees on Capitol Hill. Upon moving to Hawaii, she was appointed Director of Finance for the City and County of Honolulu, responsible for a budget exceeding $900 million serving over 800,000 residents and visitors to the city. She also was the Senior Policy Advisor to the Governor of Hawaii for eight years.
Ms. Smith was Managing Director of Pacific Allied Products, Ltd. for 13 years, a diversified plastics manufacturing company specializing in compression molding, blow molding, and injection molding products for the South Pacific region. The firm entered into a joint venture to develop and patent cutting edge technologies for the plastics industry and the Smiths successfully sold the firm in 2003. Since moving to Lake Tahoe, Nevada in 2011, she has been an active member of Sierra Angels and has experienced several positive exits, as well as a few “duds”. She enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, boating, architecture, and fine wine.
Rick Timmins
Angel Capital Association and Central Texas Angel Network
Biography
Rick Timmins
Rick is a resident of Austin, Texas and is heavily involved in the Austin start-up community. Currently, he is a Board member of the Angel Capital Association is the former Board Chairman (six years) and member of the Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN). He has personally invested in 49 start-up companies since 2009 and has assisted many entrepreneurs with insight and recommendations through mentoring and formal participation on Boards, accelerators, and incubators. Rick is also one of the two partners in Mid-City Development, a development and construction business in Austin which specializes in the development of mixed-use apartment/condo/townhome communities in Austin neighborhoods.
He brings with him 35 years of experience in financial management and strategic guidance from two Fortune 50 technology companies, Rick served as Vice President, Corporate Controller and Assistant CFO of finance at networking technology leader Cisco Systems from 1995 to 2007. There he was instrumental in developing and implementing an e-culture of financial reporting across all of Cisco’s worldwide operations. When he arrived in 1995 it took Cisco 21 days to close its monthly reporting books. Under his leadership, that task was reduced to less than 1 day worldwide.
Prior to Cisco, Rick served as Vice President of finance for Motorola for 23 years. He had worldwide financial responsibility for the MOS Semiconductor Group for several years. He also was also the CFO for Motorola Japan living in Tokyo for 6 years and assisted in helping to develop Motorola’s cellular and semiconductor operations in Japan, which experienced high growth from $200 million to over $2.5 billion.
In addition to his operational experience, Rick has also worked with numerous top tier venture firms from across the country, including as Venture Partner at G51 in Austin.
Rick is currently a Board member in five companies/organizations: one public and one private and three non-profits. Rick previously served on four other public company Boards and six private company Boards. Rick holds a B.S. degree in accounting and finance from the University of Arizona, an M.B.A. degree from St. Edward’s University, and was previously a Certified Public Accountant.
Ara Topouzian
Michigan Venture Capital Association
Biography
Ara Topouzian
Ara Topouzian serves as Executive Director of the Michigan Venture Capital Association. In his leadership role at MVCA, Topouzian advocates for Michigan’s entrepreneurial and venture investor community with legislative and government officials and promotes Michigan venture investment opportunities to regional and national markets. He also supports membership growth, guides program development, and sets strategic direction for the organization.
A strategic leader experienced in both private and public industry sectors, Ara is accomplished in the field of economic development for municipalities. He has a successful track record in attracting international corporations as well as retaining small and large businesses to the area. He is a visionary who excels in the creation and implementation of organizational structure and processes. Ara is a relationship builder who astutely cultivates and utilizes relationships to create win-win situations for all involved parties. His proven abilities in marketing, leadership, and operations have made him a creative thinker and problem solver who consistently delivers business growth and development for entities represented. He is also skilled in association management and membership development. To that end, he has presented, moderated and facilitated small and large groups, including service organizations, colleges, libraries, associations and more.
For more than six years, Topouzian was the City of Novi Economic Development Director, responsible for marketing to- and communicating with 2,000-plus large and small businesses by providing them with important local, regional, state, and federal resources. During his tenure in Novi, Topouzian was responsible for business attraction projects valued in excess of $100 million in investment, as well as directing the city’s current economic development goals and objectives in both attraction and retention efforts.
For six years, Topouzian was the President and CEO of the Troy Chamber of Commerce, responsible for overseeing one of Oakland County’s strongest Chambers with more than 650 members, as well as expanding the Chamber’s role as a champion for small and large businesses. he led Troy Chamber into financial prosperity as well as increased membership and retention as well as elevate the quality of programs and events for its membership.
Eli Velasquez
VentureWell
Biography
Eli Velasquez
Eli oversees the U.S. State Dept. Global Investors Program. He has assisted with training, supporting, and launching new angel networks in Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, Vietnam, Mexico, and Colombia. He also serves as a Board Member on the Angel Capital Association, Capital Advisor to the Stanford Latino Business Action Network, and US Senator for the World Business Angel Forum. He is an investor in Portfolia’s Rising America Fund; Advisor to AccelHub Venture Partners, the Business Angel Minority Association (baMa); and is actively building a national network of investors of color.
Prior, he was the Director of Venture Development at Texas Tech University where he co-founded the Lubbock Angel Network, a group that has invested over $3M and seen three exits since its founding in 2015. His efforts in Texas led to over $20M in funding for startups, entrepreneurship programs, and proof of concept funds. Before that, Mr. Velasquez worked for The Boeing Company in southern California, initially within Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) group where he was assigned to develop the Delta Rockets. In his last two years at Boeing, he worked as an Intellectual Property Consultant with Boeing’s Intellectual Property Business (IPB) unit.
He obtained a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University and his J.D. degree with an Intellectual Property Certificate from Whittier Law School.
Ryan Waddington
Huron River Ventures
Biography
Ryan Waddington
Ryan has over 20 years of experience in investing, operating, and consulting roles in the energy, mobility, manufacturing and agriculture sectors. As an investor, Ryan has financed more than 50 companies at seed, venture, and growth equity stages, totaling over $200 million of invested and committed capital.
As founder and General Partner of Huron River Ventures, Ryan leads the only early stage venture firm focused on supporting Midwest entrepreneurs that are developing cutting-edge digital and sustainable technologies to transform the energy industry.
Ryan recently co-founded HALO Growth Ventures, an independent sponsor that brings capital and world-class management to game-changing technology companies poised to become market leaders. In this capacity in 2019, he co-founded and served as CFO of HALO Dx, Inc., a company leveraging AI to transform the medical imaging industry.
Prior to HRV, Ryan helped build an energy-focused private equity group within New York-based Ziff Brothers Investments, one of the largest and most successful family office investment firms in the country. There he became part of the core team of investment managers and worked on multiple transactions in sectors including renewables, biofuels, power transmission, and advanced materials.
Ryan began his career in venture capital working inside DTE Energy’s corporate venture group, where he led investments in advanced energy technologies. He also established and executed a seed-stage funding program at NextEnergy, where he funded several Michigan-based alternative energy companies, and co-founded a “dot com” web portal for outdoor enthusiasts while in business school.
Ryan has also served as a mentor-in-residence at the University of Michigan Office of Technology Transfer; as a partner with Arsenal, a Florida-based growth equity firm; and as a venture partner with Aclaria Partners, a mid-market private equity firm.
Ryan holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan, an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, and an MBA with Distinction from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, where participated in the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise.
Ryan currently sits on the board of VNN, the leading communications and management platform for high school athletics. He also sits on the advisory board or investment committee of the Wolverine Venture Fund, the Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund, Invest Detroit Ventures, and previously served on the board of directors of the Michigan Venture Capital Association and the External Advisory Board of the Erb Institute.
Ryan is a father of four and lives in Dexter, Michigan with his wife, Kari. Ryan enjoys CrossFit, fly fishing, and coaching youth hockey.
Jeff Wesley
Red Cedar Ventures
Biography
Jeff Wesley
Jeff Wesley serves as the Executive Director of Red Cedar Ventures. Prior to joining Red Cedar Ventures, in 2018, Mr. Wesley was the CEO of Two Men and Truck International, the largest international franchise moving company. During his tenure he and the company received an A-plus ranking by Franchise grade, 93 CEO Glassdoor rating, “Crain’s Detroit Business Coolest Places to Work”, Inc. 5000 award winner, recognized nationally as a leading franchise system, a leading innovation franchise system, Franchise Times Top 200 Franchise System and Mr. Wesley received national recognition as a top franchise executive.
Mr. Wesley also has served as the President of Accu Bite Dental Supply, an Inc. 100 company, that was acquired by a Fortune 500 company. Mr. Wesley led this early startup to a recognized leading national full-service dental distributor. Mr. Wesley began his career as an Audit Manager at Deloitte. Mr. Wesley has had significant experience in leading and scaling private companies to record success. Mr. Wesley has contributed to several startups throughout the state providing mentorship, coaching, operational experience, and startup capital.
Mr. Wesley has also been an Angel Investor for over 15 years and currently is a member of the Capital Community Angels and the Michigan Angel Fund. Mr. Wesley is a prior Vice Chairman for the Lansing Economic Area Partnership and has served on various economic and community boards. Mr. Wesley is currently an observer and Board Member of several boards including AvidHrt, SU2 Systems, TheraB Medical, and Phenometrics to name a few. Mr. Wesley is a frequent judge and speaker at events related to leadership, franchising, and startups.
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