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“The business consultants have beenvery responsive and their assistance hasbeen helpful,” stated Hugh. “AME hasput me in the capacity to make my owndecisions now.” Through utilizing thissource of assistance (service), Hughhas saved time by communicatingwith business consultants on line andconferencing phone calls. He has savedreal dollars in personnel management,and his marketing budget is now beingefficiently used to secure target markets.“It’s a valuable service and it shouldgrow if people are aware of it. It is verybeneficial to have dialogue with businessconsultants to help sort out ideas. Thisis truly a valuable asset to have whilegrowing your business,” stated HughArmbruster. Hugh plans to continue touse AME for introducing new productsinto the market.An entrepreneur has to apply tobecome a tenant in the incubator. Theentrepreneur is asked to provide specificinformation, such as background on thebusiness owner, history of the company,future goals of the company, andmarket conditions. Upon receipt of theapplication, project directors determinewhether the company and owner meetthe criteria of an early stage companywith good prospects for growth.Long-term contracts are not a part ofthis program. Tenants will leave theincubator when they have achieved all oftheir benchmarks. For more informationgo to www.accelmich.org or call877-806-0624. Nickels Boat WorksHugh Armbrusterwww.nickelsboats.comNickels Boat Works is a world-renowned builder of sailboats. When NBW started in 1983 it only built onestyle of boat. After 25 years building boats, it has expandedinto building several classes of one-design boats. NBW hasdeveloped the reputation of building high quality, race winningboats. Sailors all over the world know that Nickels-built boatscan be sailed “Right Out of the Box.”Maestro eLearningJosh Littlewww.maestroelearning.comMaestro eLearning is a full-service eLearning business.It delivers technological solutions to educationalchallenges by understanding the needs of the corporateeducation and training environment. Maestro eLearningbrings together the universe of creative media to createa high impact, high retention, and entertaining learningexperience. It offers services such as learning managementsystem development and management, interactive learningmodule development, video production, 3D animation, webdevelopment, and web casting. Maestro eLearning’s goal isto help corporations become more profitable by making thelearning process more efficient and effective.www.gvsu.edu/business7

Seidman Runs “Valet” Trade Missions to India and Chinat’s a well-kept secret that exportscreate jobs. Michigan is a big exporter,seventh among the 50 states. In 2007it exported 44.4 billion in manufacturedgoods, involving more than 10,000Michigan companies and generatingnearly 222,000 jobs.Imiddle-market companies to reinventmanufacturing in innovative ways.Michigan products — machinery,chemicals, primary metals, andmore — are hotly coveted in exportmarkets. And two of the biggest exportmarkets are India and China.But, did you know that 90 percentof Michigan’s exporters — nearly9,000 companies — have fewerthan 500 employees? Exporting is agolden opportunity for Michigan’sTo help West Michigan companies seethat they too can export to these bigemerging markets, Seidman took fourmiddle-market companies on “valetstyle” trade missions to India andChina. The trade missions were fundedby Access China/India (AC/I), a grantawarded to Seidman’s InternationalBusiness Programs and Van AndelGlobal Trade Center (VAGTC) by theU.S. Department of Education’s Businessand International Education Program.Typically, if a company wants to export,it may hire costly research to see if itis worth it. AC/I Trade Missions weredesigned to reduce that cost. The trademissions were “valet” quality becauseAC/I staff provided superior, customizedFront row (L– R): Sonja Johnson (VAGTC), Carmen Chen (Expeditors, China), Carol Sánchez (Seidman), and Yalin Song (VAGTC); middle row (L– R): Ed Doza (LorinIndustries), Sridhar Sundaram (Seidman), Jeannie Jansma (Sebright Products, Inc.); back row (L– R): Terry Stemler (APEC) and Doug Burkhardt (Lorin Industries)8Seidman Update SPRING 2008

support to each company before andduring the trip. Company representativesattended half-day pre-departureorientations on business and culturein each country. They received detailedmarket research on their products. Theywere given appointments with potentialagents and distributors in the country,and they had their entire internationaltravel and lodging arranged.Terry Stemler, vice president of salesand marketing of Automated ProcessEquipment Control (APEC), an animalfood equipment manufacturer locatedin Lake Odessa, joined the India tripin August 2007 and the China visitin January 2008. Stemler, who is alsoan owner of APEC, noted, “The trademissions helped me quickly get a clearpicture of market possibilities in Chinaand India. The market research and prequalification of meetings that Seidmandid before the trip helped me be moreproductive on arrival.”Other trade mission participants includedSebright Products of Hopkins, LorinIndustries, a Muskegon-based aluminumfinishing company, and Progressive Tool& Die of Muskegon. The trade missionsfound potential agents and customersfor these companies in India and China.Doug Burkhardt, vice president of salesfor Lorin, says they haven’t picked up anynew business yet as a result of their tripto China. “However,” he notes, “I nowknow the Chinese food we are served inChinese restaurants in the U.S. bears noresemblance to the real McCoy!”The companies explored India’s andChina’s cultures, as well as theirmarkets, during the trade missions.Many companies have little internationalexperience and they hesitate to ventureglobally because they fear they don’tChinaIndiaknow enough about other countries’cultures. AC/I’s experienced staff removedthis barrier and eased the companyrepresentatives into new cultures andmarkets. Jeannie Jansma, marketingdirector of Sebright Products and BrightTechnologies, whose recycling andwaste water processing equipment wasoffered in China, said the prospect ofactively marketing globally had beenoverwhelming. “Although China’s pulpand paper mills were calling us directly,we were hesitant. The trade missionopened our eyes to the vast opportunitiesand new markets for our products in anon-threatening way. Our experiencewith the AC/I team was very positive andprofessional. They really cared.”AC/I grant staff organized the trademissions, and they also traveled withthe companies to India and China.Sonja Johnson, director of the VAGTC,orchestrated pre-departure activities,research, meetings, travel, and locallogistics. Sri Sundaram, professor offinance, and Carol Sánchez, professor ofmanagement, were the faculty links thatconnected the business experience toresearch and the classroom. Sundaramwants to develop a mechanism for helpingsmall companies manage foreign currencyexport transactions, and Sánchez wants tolearn why some West Michigan companiesseem reluctant to export.Jansma said the trade mission drove homehow critical it is to teach young peoplethe importance of working comfortablyin a global marketplace. In many othercountries, students must learn second andthird languages, and they are exposed tocultural practices from other countries.“The way AC/I and other Seidmanprograms, such as its BBA degree inInternational Business, attempt to bringthis to the west Michigan communityreally starts to close the gap,” she said.So far, the valet trade missions havehad results—and orders. Stemlerreports that because of the visits,APEC is working with a company inIndia to provide equipment for theirnew manufacturing facility, and one inChina for sales and service to APEC’sAsian customers. Sebright is workingto advance relationships made duringthe trade mission, one with a parts andservice distributor, and the other with acustomer looking to become a consultantwho advises Chinese pulp and papermill customers on environmental issues.“We would have never made theseconnections without the face-to-facemeetings,” Jansma adds. www.gvsu.edu/business9

Seidman Serves Business“Google” Business CollaborationGoogle is an impressive organization, and through the collaborationbetween the Seidman College of Business Alumni Association,AimWest, the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, and theMichigan Small Business and Technology Center, it was possible to bring inrepresentatives from Ann Arbor to learn more about Google’s Business tools.Michael Lorenc, Google’s Online Sales and Operations Manager, guided nearly400 attendees at a lunch to utilize Google’s suite of business tools to promotetheir businesses and organizations. Those participants who came in witha basic understanding of how to implement Google Analytics and run AdWords Campaigns left with new appreciation for the importance of fitting it alltogether strategically to maximize positive online exposure.Students from Seidman’s Entrepreneurship Minor took advantage of the Googleluncheon to not only learn how to leverage Google to support their ventures,but to network with marketing and I.T. professionals from throughout WestMichigan. Following the event, several students joined AimWest, one of thesponsors of the event, which supports and promotes digital and interactivecompanies in the area. (Rob Huisingh, AimWest Board Member and Partner inFoxbright, was featured in the Spring 2007 issue of the Seidman Update.) Business Serves SeidmanThe Seidman College of BusinessDepartment of Finance is pleasedto announce the formation of aFinance Department Advisory Board.Dr. Sri Sundaram, chair of the FinanceDepartment, in discussions with facultyand a few Seidman Finance alums,formulated the idea to create an AdvisoryBoard for the Finance Department.The partnership will provide dialogueon issues related to curriculum,staffing, internships, employment, andcommunity outreach that could impactfaculty, students, and alums.The first meeting was held over breakfaston March 26, 2008. With fourteen boardmembers, the Finance faculty, and fourIPO students in attendance, the meetingwas a very strong and encouraging startfor this board. www.gvsu.edu/business/finance10Seidman Update SPRING 2008Inaugural board members include (L– R) Boomer Hoppough (Independent Bank), Bob Frey (GVSU), MarkRedfield (Redfield & Irish Finance Group), Jim Walsh (Meijer, retired), Matt Cinco (Wadell & Reed), JimGillette (CSM Worldwide), Kathleen Vogelsang (Van Andel Institute), Mike Metzger (JSJ Corporation),Brandon Finnie (Adamy Valuation Advisors), Scott Setlock (Mercantile Bank), Joe Nowicki (Herman Miller),Mark Mossing (Steelcase), Rob Jamula (Fifth Third Bank), and Mitch Stapley (Fifth Third Asset Management)

Seidman Serves Business Through Grow and Attract TalentIncreasing the West Michigan Business Process /IT Talent PoolA New Approach by Working TogetherWest MI CIO CouncilElementary/High SchoolsThe Right Place, Inc.n a unique high-level collaboration,a group of leaders from WestMichigan’s largest employers andthe Seidman College of Business havebegun work on a project that may havea significant impact on the region’seconomic fortunes for years to come. Inless than a decade, rapid developmentand adoption of information technologieshas brought tremendous change tothe business environment. More thanever, businesses and not-for-profitorganizations of all sizes are findingthat in order to remain competitive,they need leadership and employeeswith not only traditional business savvy,but an understanding of technology aswell. Faced with the need to continuallyoptimize operations to reduce cost andwith customers whose informationexpectations are shaped by MySpaceand Amazon.com, the ability to puttechnology to use in the business worldis vital to meeting those challenges.IThe Chief Information Officers (CIOs) ofthe dozen West Michigan ventures withbillion-dollar-plus revenues, many ofwhom hold key business responsibilitiesin addition to their technology role,have collectively recognized this need.In February, these executives turnedto the Seidman College of Business asthe first step in helping them developthese skills in the region’s talent pool.New college graduates will be a majorsource for the 1,000 to 1,500 salariedpositions they collectively expect theirorganizations must fill in West Michiganin the next five years. This effort isexpected to require coordination acrossthe community, starting with science andtechnology education prior to college.And people with the right skills will needto be enticed to come to and stay in WestMichigan. Industry chose West Michigan’spremier undergraduate business school,the Seidman College of Business, asthe place to plant the seeds they’recounting on to sustain and grow theirorganizations tomorrow and beyond.With its ERP Initiative focusing on therecognition and integration of businessprocesses across previously stove-pipedbusiness functions, and the use ofSAP’s enterprise software as the tool forachieving that integration, the SeidmanCollege of Business was the CIO group’spartner of choice. “Seidman is gettingit right,” explained John Dean, VicePresident of Strategic Alliances forSteelcase, while addressing the leadersgathered at the project kickoff meeting.With the support of GVSU’s Provost,Gayle Davis, and Dean H. JamesWilliams, a core task force of seniorfaculty and five of the business executiveshave begun working on the details ofthe collaboration. These efforts arebroadly grouped into those that shapeand refine Seidman’s undergraduatebusiness curriculum, those focusedon exposing Seidman’s students andfaculty to real-world business challengesin the classroom, and those that expandthe opportunities currently availablefor student learning in the businessenvironment outside the classroom.The task force is scheduled to presentits recommendations for action to theentire leadership group on June 4th,an extremely quick turnaround in theeducation community, but the speed atwhich companies must operate to staycompetitive in a world of change.Simha Magal, Director of Seidman’sERP Initiative and the key facilitatorin bringing the College’s leadershipand West Michigan CIOs together,sees the project as a model for futurecollaborations. “It’s all about Seidmanpartnering with business to be thepreferred provider of the talent businessneeds to grow and prosper.” Companies Participating Multi-industry base Retail Food Service Health Care Consumer Products Direct Selling 40 billion annual revenue 150,000 total employees 14,000 salaried employees inWest Michigan 1,000–1,600 estimated local newhires (salaried) over next 5 yearswww.gvsu.edu/business11

& Seidman:A Partnership in ExcellenceStryker Delivers Exceptional Results and results speak louder than words.n today’s increasingly complex healthcare industry, Strykerhas set itself apart in the field of medical technology. Byadvancing meaningful innovation to create cost-effectivesolutions for its customers, enabling caregivers to deliverproven clinical outcomes, and ultimately by helping patientslead full and active lives, Stryker has created a class of medicalproducts and services that stands by a promise: DeliveringExceptional Results.IA diversified medical technology company, Stryker’s productsspan a broad spectrum. The bulk of its portfolio containsimplants used in joint replacement, surgical tools, and patienthandling and emergency medical equipment. Stryker’s 12divisions are located around the world and headquartered inKalamazoo, Michigan.As it continues to gain market share in each of the productlines, Stryker invests significantly in research and developmentto provide the right product for the right procedure at theright time and place and for the right price. Stryker’s 20 plusyears of 20% EPS (earnings per share) growth has created12Seidman Update SPRING 2008investments in job expansion and has funded technology andinnovation opportunities. In fact, Stryker is listed by USAToday as one of the only 25 companies whose stock, if bought25 years ago, would have yielded a 25,383% return. StrykerPresident & CEO Steve MacMillan speaks to Stryker’s drivenyet humble company character:“Our solid, consistent performance doesn’t often generateheadlines, but it does generate great results for our customersand shareholders. And while we haven’t made a lot of headlinesin recent years for blockbuster acquisitions or hyped-up productlaunches, we have quietly doubled the size of our Companyfrom 2.8 billion in sales in 2002 to 6.0 billion in 2007.”All in all, Stryker’s character reflects five core principles:Innovation that Endures, Service Ethic, A Winner’sIntensity, A Culture of Accountability, and ConstantImprovement. With roughly 17,000 employees worldwideand the projection to double in size every five years, Strykeris successful because it can attract, grow and retain the mosttalented individuals on the market.

Stryker Develops Exceptional Leaders and the team with the best leaders wins.Innovation that Endures.Service Ethic.A Winner’s Intensity.A Culture of Accountability.Constant Improvement.or a company, being the best starts with the best people. Havingreceived the 2006 and 2007 Gallup Great Workplace Award forhaving one of the most engaged and productive workplaces inthe world, we place a huge emphasis on finding and fitting the righttalent to Stryker.FIn recent years a select few Michigan colleges have contributedunequivocally to Stryker’s success on the recruitment front. Accordingto Greg Johnston, Senior Tax Manager at the corporate division ofStryker, the Seidman College of Business has served as a significantasset to Stryker, and has developed a reputation of producingoutstanding Stryker employees.“Over the last few years, Stryker has hired a significant number ofstudents [interns and full-time] from Seidman,” he states. Johnstonjoined Stryker in 1991 and ac

for the City of Grand Rapids” by Mayor George Heartwell. The summit ended with a networking reception to facilitate follow-up. Of particular note was a study prepared by Seidman Professors Hari Singh and Paul Isely, in which they determined that if Michigan were to