DEC in Dublin, OH | Dublin Entrepreneurial Center

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admin — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:59:49 +0000

DEC Presents: An International Business Seminar

Lori Crock — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:24:50 +0000

Join us at the DEC for the seminar: “Born Global, Grow Global” What to Learn From Honda on Tuesday, October 11, 2011; 5:30 PM at the Dublin Entrepreneurial Center (DEC), 7003 Post Rd, Dublin, OH 43016 (map)

A Japanese Mechanic’s Entrepreneurial Dream of Reaching a Global Market

Please join us in the 1st Floor Multi-Purpose Area for a Dublin International Business Assistance Center event featuring our guest speaker, Mr. Toshikata Amino, Retired Executive VP of Honda of America Manufacturing.

Mr. Amino will inspire the local business community by his presentation on how Mr. Soichiro Honda, Founder, Honda Motor Company, started his small business with global ambitions and grew it to an international company. For entrepreneurs who are starting, or thinking of starting a small business, his speech will provide insight on the importance and benefit of challenging yourself to do more than you ever imagined.

Open to public (free of charge)

Please rsvp via eEvent.

Event Schedule

5:30 to 6:10 p.m. – Registration

6:10 to 7:25 p.m. – Program

7:25 to 8:00 p.m. – Networking

(Light food and refreshments will be available.)

Thank you to the generous sponsors of this event:

Tensuke Market, Plante & Moran

Hosted by:

City of Dublin, COJAC, Columbus 2020, JASCO, Tech Columbus, TiE Ohio, COJAC and Honda

Collaborators Provide Gratis Consulting Services

Lori Crock — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:33:24 +0000

Post by Written Impact

The DEC is always looking for innovative new ways to connect small businesses with each other.

The DEC relies on “Collaborators” to help support its’ educational programming, sponsorships, donations, such as furniture, food and more. The DEC has launched a new “Collaborators Office Hours” program that is offered at various times/days throughout the month starting Sept 1, 2011.

Collaborators provide gratis consulting services to business owners who are tenants or visitors to the DEC. Here is a description of a few of the services that are offered.

Jeff Turner, Fit2Play, is a fitness coach who offers a Power Hour in the first floor International Visitors Office at the DEC each Thursday 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. During this program, participants will learn how to change their lives with a no-nonsense, do-it-anywhere, fitness strategy that they can fit into their busy lives. Jeff delivers serious attention to your specific physical fitness needs along with tips for healthy eating to help you connect the dots between fitness, food and fitting it all in.

On the third Thursday of every month (Jelly Day), Lori Crock, Written Impact, will provide blog coaching services in the first floor Collaborator’s Office from 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Lori will help business owners plan, start and write blogs using proven strategies. Lori is a firm believer that blogging is an excellent way to market your business and communicate about your brand.

Emily Scardena will be available on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. in the first floor Collaborator’s Office. Emily connects small and mid-size businesses to local and state level resources. Her goal is to increase an owner’s knowledge base of public sector organizations and programs that will positively affect their bottom line.

For more information about collaborator services offered at the DEC, please check the TechLife event calendar.

Entrepreneurial Campers Dive Into The Shark Tank

Kevin Volz — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:58:13 +0000

By Written Impact

For the past three weeks, the Dublin Entrepreneurial Camp has hosted a group of 11-14 year olds who are interested in starting or running a business when they grow up. The students are connected with local businesses to learn about general business concepts. Throughout the course, students develop a conceptual business plan or product. At the end of these three weeks, students must present their ideas to a panel of judges in an event called the Shark Tank.

If you’ve never seen the ABC reality show of the same name, a “shark tank” is a meeting between entrepreneurs and wealthy businesspeople where the wealthy (“sharks”) decide to either invest in the new business or not. The students in the Dublin camp faced this same challenge last week. I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to serve as a judge for the event.

The entrepreneurs consisted of six teams and one individual. Each group pitched their idea to the panel of judges while a slideshow detailing their product ran in the background. Some groups also showcased websites and videos that they made themselves. After their presentations, each group had to answer any questions that the judges had about their product.

I won’t tell you which group I voted for as the best overall, but I will say that each group impressed me. You could feel the students’ passion as they presented their ideas. From Yo-Yo Pets to EcoBottle, each group showed a professional demeanor with a determined drive that will only grow stronger with age.

Kudos to the camp counselors and the staff at the DEC and the City of Dublin for helping to shape tomorrow’s business leaders. Your hard work is reflected in each student that you met this summer.

To the students, I give this advice: Never give up on your dreams. People in the business world will knock you down, but remember the tools you learned this summer. Nothing can stop you.

Dublin Entrepreneurial Camp on 10TV

admin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:59:00 +0000

Young Minds, Bright Ideas

Kevin Volz — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:57:14 +0000

By Written Impact

Most kids spend their summer in front of a television screen thinking about nothing but the next level on their latest video game obsession. For a select group of students, however, this summer is about putting their brainpower to good use as participants in Dublin’s Entrepreneur Camp.

This unique camp, which is in its second year, takes place over a three-week period in July. The end of the first week was marked by a networking luncheon and car wash competition for the campers at the DEC. I was one of the lucky local members of the business community that were invited to participate in this exciting event.

The premise for the networking luncheon was as follows:

Campers were broken into teams of four
Each team was told to develop a product that is not yet on the market
Team members had to prepare an elevator speech for pitching their product, as well as social media sites for further information

The networking program is where the campers put their skills to the test and they seemed to really enjoy it. Students approached members of the business community, introduced themselves, gave their elevator speech and exchanged business cards. The business professionals were expected to give feedback and ask questions to make the students think more about their product and approach.

The number of great ideas that the campers introduced at the luncheon surprised me. From yo-yo pets to eco-friendly water bottles that teach young people the benefits of living green, the concepts these campers developed in only one week is impressive.

The camp program is an innovative idea that must be credited to the City of Dublin for offering it and to the DEC for hosting it. I wish something like that would have existed when I was younger. To have the ability to hone your business skills at such a young age is worth much more than the small cost of a three-week summer camp.

Who knows … I could have been in the presence of the next Steve Jobs today. You never know where the next big idea is going to develop. These young minds are tomorrow’s leaders and, from what I experienced at the networking event, the future is looking bright.

Justin Schultz, Wins 40 Under 40 National Award

Lori Crock — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:31:58 +0000

Justin Schultz, P.E., LEED AP ID+C, 29, Electrical Engineer at Metro CD Engineering, LLC, located at the DEC, has been awarded a 2011 40 Under 40 award by Consulting-Specifying Engineer magazine.

This award is presented to 40 building industry professionals age 40 and younger who stand out in their academic, professional, personal, and community achievements. To read a profile of each winner, visit: www.csemag.com/40under40.

“This national recognition of Justin’s eight years of engineering experience,
his tremendous personal passion and his work ethic proves that sustainability
leadership is alive and well in central Ohio”, reports Michael Chow, owner
and founder of Metro CD Engineering.

Justin Schultz graduated from Ohio Northern University with a BS in electrical
engineering and earned an MBA from Ashland University. Justin joined Metro
CD Engineering in 2008 and within six short months passed two difficult
exams becoming both a LEED AP and Professional Engineer. He currently
serves as the Education Chair for the local IES (Illuminating Engineering
Society) chapter and is active in the Communications and Nominating
Committees of the U.S. Green Building Council- Central Ohio chapter.
He regularly presents seminars on LEED and lighting design alternative
strategies to building industry professionals of all kinds.

Metro CD Engineering, based in Dublin, Ohio, is a minority owned
engineering consulting firm that lives by the statement, “Engineering a
Greener Tomorrow… Today.” Michael Chow, P.E., LEED AP BD+C is the firm’s
founder and owner. Michael has over 22 years of engineering experience
and was also a recipient of the 40 Under 40 award in 2009. Metro CD
Engineering has a passion for energy efficient, healthful, and sustainable
design. The company’s diverse engineering experiences and certifications
provide unique talent and resources dedicated to a greener tomorrow.

For more information:
Ashley West, Metro CD Engineering
614-923-3930
awest@metrocdengineering.com

Bryan Griffith Merges with SBDB Law & Leaves DEC

Lori Crock — Mon, 30 May 2011 01:53:56 +0000

Bryan Griffith recently left The DEC and merged his law firm with Sanborn, Brandon, Duvall & Bobbitt Co., L.P.A. as of April 18, 2011.

“I am excited about what this means for my practice, and for my ability to continue providing you with excellent representation,” said Griffith. “Since 1925, Sanborn, Brandon, Duvall & Bobbitt Co., L.P.A. has represented small businesses in business transactions, state and federal administrative procedures, tax and estate planning, and problem solving.”

Bryan is continuing to work with his existing clients at his new office and is able to provide a broader range of services. By merging his business with a larger established firm, he is able to focus on representation of his clients with fewer administrative burdens.

Chris Bobbitt, the managing partner, along with Griffith, work on litigation and business matters, and attorney Hal King focuses on estate and tax planning.

“The DEC was a wonderful place to build my law practice and it enabled me to focus on being a lawyer without worrying about the overhead of a traditional law office. I continue to participate at the DEC as a speaker for my monthly series of Business Law,” said Griffith.

Contact Info:
Bryan M. Griffith, J.D.
BRANDON, DUVALL & BOBBITT CO., L.P.A.
2515 West Granville Road Columbus,Ohio 43235
614/889-2531 ext. 14
BGriffith@SBDBLaw.com
www.sbdblaw.com

BounceFire is Acquired by BizziBiz

Lori Crock — Mon, 23 May 2011 20:05:26 +0000

BounceFire, an Internet marketing company and former DEC tenant, has been acquired by BizziBiz International, Inc. as announced May 17, 2011.

BizziBiz is a digital marketing company that provides a unique solution by delivering custom digital marketing strategies to small and midsized companies.

BounceFire, is an agile Internet marketing company founded in 2007 in Bellevue, Ohio by entrepreneur Zach Ferres, the 2010 Global Student Entrepreneur Awards Regional Champion. Having worked with over 100 clients, such as Ohio Northern University and TechLife Ohio in Columbus, Ohio, BounceFire’s personal five-step strategic process is focused on delivering results, rather than selling features, to their clients.

“We are very excited about this new development,” said Evan Roberts, BounceFire social media manager. “We are appreciative of the DEC and TechLife Ohio and for everything you’ve done for us.”

Combining BounceFire’s well-designed process, advanced systems and highly skilled team with the extensive talents, experience and franchise business model of BizziBiz, creates a force to be reckoned with in the digital marketing industry.

Oxiem Interactive Relocates from the DEC

Lori Crock — Sat, 14 May 2011 19:57:15 +0000

According to Billy Fischer, Director of Business Development for Oxiem, the DEC was the perfect place for Oxiem Interactive to get its start in the Columbus market with their first two Dublin employees in November, 2009.

“At a time when the economy was in bad shape and many people in the business world were down, the DEC was full of energy and optimism,” said Fischer. “Having the opportunity to meet and collaborate with other businesses on the rise was exactly what we were looking for in an office environment.” Oxiem continues to maintain the relationships and partnerships they developed while at the DEC.

Since moving out of the DEC in December, 2010, Oxiem has opened a new office just down the street in Dublin — and still on Post Road. Oddly enough, they are quickly outgrowing this space as they expand their talented team.

Oxiem Interactive now includes seven online marketing specialists in web design, development and management. This growth has given them the opportunity to expand their services to Columbus area clients and increase their quality.

“Dublin continues to be a great environment for us and we plan to grow here for a long time,” said Fischer.

Contact Info:

Billy Fischer
Director of Business Development
Oxiem Interactive
5131 Post Road, Suite 220 > Dublin, Ohio 43017
614.787.6675
oxiem.com