Our discussion panel will feature the owners of three very different entrepreneurial businesses. In an interactive discussion format, each panelist will share their unique point of view on the "outward-facing" challenges they have faced in launching and growing their business. We'll probe to identify the marketing alternatives that were considered and tried, the approaches that have proven successful, and the results that have been achieved.
Event Details
Our panelists share one thing in common: they have successfully built profitable enterprises despite (or because of?) today's challenging economic environment.
Our discussion will explore sales and marketing processes, channel and partner strategies, competitive issues and barriers to entry, customer service delivery, and related IT issues to present the "big picture" of marketing approaches that are proven to work today.
$15.00 for alumni and guests. Appetizers included (cash bar).
Program
6:00 PM-7:00 PM: Registration & Networking - appetizers & cash bar
8:30 PM-9:00 PM: Additional Networking - cash bar
Speaker Profiles
Len Kutyla (Panelist)
Founder & Owner, James & Kutyla Architecture
Since forming James & Kutyla Architecture in 1985, Len Kutyla has been involved in the design and construction of a wide variety of projects, including the Steppenwolf Theatre, new office and studio facilities for major market television stations, an internet company's new headquarters and network facility, a Synagogue Chapel at the University of Chicago, an industrial company's new headquarters, and several residences in the Chicago area as well as its surrounding lakeshore communities. In addition, Len served on the steering committee of the American Institute of Architects (Chicago Chapter), Planning and Urban Affairs Committee for ten years. As Chairman of this committee, he was instrumental in the issuance of development guidelines for Chicago's Theatre Row District, north Loop Redevelopment, and the proposed 1992 World's Fair.
Len's earlier professional experience included the firms of Booth / Hansen & Associates, where he completed a project for staff housing complex for the U. S. Embassy in Kinshasa, Zaire; and Perkins and Will, where he was involved in planning, design development and construction documents for a new town at Khamis Mushayt, Saudi Arabia, as well as several commercial and health care facilities. Educated in Chicago prior to attending the University of Illinois in 1972, Len graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture as a James Scholar in 1977, and did his graduate work at Columbia University in New York, receiving a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design in 1979.
B. Tad Dunville (Panelist)
Founder & CEO, TigerTracks Safety
With more than a decade's worth of heavy equipment manufacturing experience, Tad Dunville, founder and CEO of TigerTracks Safety, launched the business in Chicago in 2011. Since its inception, the company was accepted by the Miami University Foundation's Venture Fund as a portfolio company and is in final negotiations with their first enterprise-level OEM client.
Prior to the inception of TigerTracks, Tad Dunville was CFO of Dearborn Crane & Engineering, a North American manufacturer of cranes and hoists, where clients included Space-X, Chrysler, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. During this time, the company maintained an exceptionally low EMR and cut insurance premiums by approximately one third. Prior to that, Tad Dunville was also once the Chicago group general manager, responsible for clients such as United States Steel and the US Dept. of Energy. A prime function of this group was the inspection and overhaul of antiquated cranes used by the steel industry, leading to the germ of the idea for TigerTracks.
Tad Dunville obtained his Bachelors degree in Finance In 2000 from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He earned his law degree from the University of Kansas in 2009.
Elizabeth Stein (Speaker)
Founder & Owner, Elizabeth Stein Company
Originally from Chicago, Elizabeth Stein has worked in the world of rare stringed instruments for nearly 20 years. In 1995, Liz moved to New York to setup the first U.S. location for Machold Rare Violins Ltd. Today, in Chicago, she is involved with many aspects of the trade, working closely with musicians, collectors and business institutions. Her focus covers sales, public relations, business organizations, event planning, and affiliations with patrons and friends of the arts.
As a professionally trained violinist, Liz attended the University of Michigan on a 4 year performance scholarship, attaining a Bachelors Degree in Violin. She subsequently earned a Masters Degree from Northwestern University. As a professional musician, she possesses the ability and sensitivity required to address the needs of string musicians in finding an instrument, and setting up concerts and receptions. Her focus also extends to education through Masterclasses and Seminars that bring music to the lives of people from diverse backgrounds.
From its location in the iconic Fine Arts Building on South Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, Elizabeth Stein Company offers sales of violins and other instruments, performance space, music education, and music festival participation.