Penn State Berks to host World Business Week events, Nov. 18-22 | Penn State University

WYOMISSING, Pa. – Penn State Berks will host a variety of events during the season World Business Week 2024set for Monday, November 18, to Friday, Nov. 22. Events are sponsored by the college. Flemming Center for Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development (CEED). and go Berks LaunchBox in the town of Reading.

World Entrepreneurship Week takes place in more than 180 countries and attracts more than 10 million people a year. For Penn State, the goal of Global Entrepreneurship Week is to connect the University with the local community through partnerships and foster a spirit of innovation. Events include lectures, networking and workshops, and some require advanced registration.

Crossing Borders: How to Enter and Succeed in Global Markets
Tuesday, Nov. 19, noon-1 pm, webinar
Advanced registration for Breaking Borders is required.
Berks LaunchBox presents this webinar for aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals looking to expand their global reach. Led by Edvard Philipson, attendees will learn to explore new markets, understand cultural and regulatory issues, and build effective local partnerships. They’ll also get practical advice from real-world market entry strategies and tips for overcoming common challenges, including branding in different languages.

Philipson is a senior executive with over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry across international markets. His areas of expertise include startups, business transformation, strategy development, licensing and acquisitions, and regional management. He works as a business consultant, and teaches business courses at many universities and colleges.

Augmented Innovation Workshop
Tuesday, Nov. 19, 1:20-2:30 pm, Room 111 (CEED Center), Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building
The Flemming CEED Center will host an Augmented Innovation Workshop, where attendees will learn how to use AI to create businesses. Attendees are invited to bring their own devices (BYOD). Participants will inspire artificial intelligence to develop new products, and evaluate product and service processes using De Bono’s Six Hats. There will also be discussions on the ethical implications and challenges of using AI in business and innovation. This event is for Penn State Berks students, faculty and staff.

This session will be presented by Sarah Hartman-Caverly, a reference and instructional librarian at Penn State Berks. His research examines the compatibility of human and machine autonomy from the perspective of intellectual freedom, including privacy, intellectual property and the implications of AI-driven productivity improvements.

3D Printing Workshop
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 12:15-1:15 pm, Room 111 (CEED Center), Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building
The Flemming CEED Center will host this workshop on using 3D printers for model building. Participants will learn about the software used to create prototypes and how 3D printers work. This session will be presented by mechanical engineering student, Talan Nguyen. This event is free and open to the public.

Building a Culture of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Webinar
Thursday, Nov. 21, 9-10 am, webinar
Advanced registration is required for Building a Culture of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The university’s culture of innovation and entrepreneurship benefits students, faculty and the institution. However, building such a culture can be difficult, given limited resources and diverse stakeholders. In this online program, producers Clif Kussmaul and Peter Carlos Okantey propose a multi-level approach, from individual workshops, to multi-day events, to lesson plans, to buildings of the curriculum. They will describe their experiences in different situations, and share lessons learned and ideas for future direction.

Kussmaul is a principal consultant at Green Mango Associates, which focuses on software development and helping college and high school faculty implement research-based learning methods. Previously, he was an assistant professor at Muhlenberg College, chief technology officer at Elegance Technologies, senior technology staff member at NeST Technologies, and adjunct professor at Moravian College. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Vietnam and Ghana and a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in India.

Okantey is the founder, president and faculty member of the Palm University Foundation in Portland, Oregon, and Palm University in Accra, Ghana. He has over 20 years of experience, managing a consulting business and a non-profit organization, as well as working within the private and not-for-profit sectors. He has taught at Portland State University’s School of Business, and served as director and faculty member at the William Ofori-Atta Institute of Integrity at the Central University of Miotso, Ghana.

Upcycling Workshop
Thursday, Nov. 21, 1:30-2:30 pm, Room 111 (CEED Center), Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building
At the Flemming Center CEED’s Upcycling Workshop, attendees will bring their own clothing and accessories and learn to upcycle them with supplies provided by the CEED Center. Dipti Bhatt, a lecturer in auditing and business administration at Penn State Berks, will help. Previously, Bhatt managed research and reporting activities at the Better Buying Institute, a nonprofit organization that helps fashion retailers and other CPG companies improve their buying practices to target sustainable consumers. of supply chain. He also has experience in managing global supply chain for a textile buying house in India.

Business and Innovation Award Ceremony
Friday, Nov. 22, 12:15-1:15 pm, Room 121, Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building
During this event, the Business and Innovation Idea Challenge Awards will be presented. Abdullah Konak, distinguished professor of information science and technology, will moderate the ceremony.

Business Speaker Series: “Mentorship Meets Entrepreneurial Ideas”
Friday, Nov. 22, 12:15-1:15 pm Gaige 121, Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building
The Flemming CEED Center will present a business speaker series twice a year. The panel will focus on the connection between mentoring and developing a business idea. Speakers Catherine Connelly and Todd Schorle will discuss how mentoring helps individuals build the skills, resilience and innovative thinking needed to overcome challenges and take advantage of opportunities.

Connelly is the author of “Designing for Success: Lessons from 20 Years as a Female Tech Entrepreneur.” He founded MyYearbook at age 15 and grew it into The Meet Group, a NASDAQ-listed dating and social media company. He was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Philadelphia area in 2011. Connelly has been featured on CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Fox News, BusinessWeek and CBS.

Schorle is the director of training at Pax8 Academy, which works with top trainers to develop owners and employees in the managed IT service provider (MSP) industry. He works with the leadership teams of MSPs to create growth and negative business processes. Prior to joining Pax8, Schorle owned and managed an IT services firm from 1996 to 2019. He is a 2002 graduate of Penn State Berks with a bachelor of science in business administration and marketing.

About the Flemming CEED Institute

The Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development Center (CEED) was established in the fall of 2011 as part of the Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building. Its mission is to inspire entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking in the Penn State Berks community. The CEED Center promotes growth and economic development in the Greater Reading area through technology-based solutions, human capital development, and business creation. It provides student entrepreneurs with an incubator to grow their startup ideas and mentorship from faculty, as well as volunteers from the local business community. CEED Center programs include the Customer Discovery Lab, Innovation Training Workshops, 3D Printing Conferences, Speaker Series, STEM Business Idea Challenge, and Student Entrepreneurship Award. For more information, contact Sadan Kulturel-Konak, director of the CEED Institute, at SXK70@psu.edu.

About Berks LaunchBox

The mission of the Berks LaunchBox, located in Suite 105 of the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in downtown Reading, is to support economic and business development. Penn State Berks’ innovation hub, Berks LaunchBox connects local early-stage entrepreneurs to the support, tools and resources they need to build sustainable and scalable businesses with an effective growth plan. Services include assistance with prototyping, conducting market research, and connecting with consultants. Berks LaunchBox offers entrepreneurship workshops, a co-working space for startups, meetings focused on business development, a makerspace with 3D printers for prototyping, and special programs youth.

Berks LaunchBox is supported by Invent Penn State – an international initiative to promote economic development, job creation and student success. For more information, visit berkslaunchbox.psu.edu or contact Erica Kunkel at 610-396-6221 or by email at ELS5014@psu.edu.