| LONGMEADOW Entre-preneurs, small business owners and professionals are invited to a free business information program, entitled the Innovative Thinking and Entrepreneurial Summit, on Nov. 5 at Bay Path College. The event consists of a networking reception, workshops, and a dinner featuring keynote speaker Nadine Thompson, cofounder of Warm Spirit and coauthor of Values Sell: Transforming Purpose into Profit. The annual Summit will begin at 4:15 p.m. at the Blake Student Commons and is sponsored in part by The Entrepreneurial Program at Bay Path. The program is made possible by a grant from The Coleman Foundation, with collaborating support from the Lemelson Center of Hampshire College, BusinessWest and Meyers Brothers Kalicka. Nadine Thompson cofounded a unique business venture that incorporated her belief in enlightening and empowering people through entrepreneurial opportunity. As President and CEO of Warm Spirit, a company that produces and sells high quality nature-based beauty and wellness products, she led the company's sales growth from 84K in 1997 to over $15 million in 2006. As an advocate, authority and noted speaker on entrepreneurship and economic empowerment, Ms. Thompson has been featured on the Today Show on NBC and in Black Enterprise Magazine. She currently serves as editor for one of the Oprah Winfrey Oxygen Media's social networks. Ms. Thompson's fascinating story of lessons learned and staying true to founding principles promises to be an engaging, passionate and lively one. To register for the Summit, visit www.baypath.edu. For more information, please contact Kellie Lavoie at 565-1054 or klavoie@baypath.edu. The annual Entrepreneurship Summit is part of the Entrepreneurial Program at Bay Path College, and is only one of the ways that creativity and innovation are integrated into the curriculum. In addition to the Summit, the College holds the annual Innovative Thinking and Entrepreneurship Lecture that has featured speakers such as Jeff Taylor, Founder of Eons, Inc. and Monster.com; Craig Rydin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Yankee Candle Company, Inc.; and Robert Kraft, Owner of the New England Patriots. The College-sponsored Innovators Roundtable also brings entrepreneurs to campus to share their experiences in innovative thinking, leadership, and outcomes with students, faculty, and staff. Within the Department of Business, all first-year business students must take the course Innovations in Business as part of their core requirements, and upper-level business students can choose courses such as Entrepreneurship or Entravation as an elective. |
