Theme: Business: Good for the Community Beyond Economic Impact with Fred Keller
From Fred Keller:
“I believe that the opportunity exists for business to be so much more than just be an economic player in the community. Often the business model is to make money and then fulfill what many consider to be an opportunity or an obligation: do something nice for the community. But business leaders have some amazing skills honed through their daily work to make their businesses successful. They are pretty savvy problem solvers, are energetic when it comes to getting things done, and are good at seeing the big picture.
“So the big question: what would it take for Jackson to have an even more positive change?”
Fred Keller is the Founder and Chair of Cascade Engineering, which he started in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1973. He believes that business has the unique opportunity to complement its efforts on financial performance with important work in the social and environmental arenas. He has emphasized the key role business can play in building financial, social and ecological capital, often through partnerships with government and community agencies. His innovative management approach and work in advancing sustainability are featured regularly in business and industry publications.
Fred has been a visiting lecturer at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University since 2002 and is an Executive-in-Residence at the Center for Positive Organizations at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He was formerly the board chair of the U.S. Department of Commerce Manufacturing Council and is a past chair and current member of the Board of Trustees for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Fred is also a trustee for the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.
FREE & open to all! We believe that great things don’t happen in a vacuum, and we encourage everyone to venture out to network once a month at Chance Meetings. This is an informative, casual, fun networking event that takes place the first Monday of every month from 5 – 7pm at The Rose (50 W Broadway Ave in Jackson). Have an idea? Have a question? Experience to share? Looking for like-minded people? We average 65 – 85 attendees, with new faces in the audience each month. Content ranges from panel discussions to speed networking. Everyone is welcome. Show up, bring ideas, ask questions!