3-News
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Monday, December 5, 2016 — 3A
entrepreneurship programs —
said the creation of a minor in
entrepreneurship,
which
was
founded in winter 2014, has
empowered students from all
academic backgrounds to learn
about starting small businesses.
“Since the introduction of the
campus-wide minor, students
from all schools and colleges can
access new hands-on courses,
creating
more
opportunities
to connect, network and build
successful
entrepreneurial
teams pulling from a variety of
disciplines,” Ybarra said in a
press release. “The University
embraces entrepreneurship from
all angles because the greater
diversity in programming and
disciplines in entrepreneurship,
the greater UM’s contributions
can be to the state and to the
nation.”
In addition to the academic
resources,
many
students,
including
Business
junior
Erin Johnson, the president
of OptiMize, cited community
engagement
in
student-led
entrepreneurship organizations
— which are a significant part of
The Princeton Review’s ranking
methodology — as valuable to
the
development
of
student
innovations.
OptiMize is a community for
students to help address social
issues through entrepreneurial
ventures, Johnson said. The
program
offers
mentorship
opportunities with community
business
leaders,
student-
led
discussion
groups
and
workshops.
“Mentorship and the massive
alumni
network
are
very
important to us,” Johnson said.
“For our mentorship programs,
the people who collaborate with
OptiMize groups tend to be local
business leaders and alumni who
want to help. Some of our best
resources come from an array
of sources. For example, we
have worked with people from
Zingerman’s to teach us vision
and leadership skills. But what
is probably the best thing about
being in the area and having
access to the alumni network
is that if you are interested in
something, there’s a good chance
that someone from Michigan has
been involved in that field.”
One such connection, Johnson
said,
was
the
Detroit-based
Michigan
Urban
Farming
Initiative.
The
initiative,
which was started by former
OptiMize members, works to
provide Detroit locals with fresh
produce to address the problems
associated
with
urban
food
deserts.
“Just last week, the team
received $2 million of funding
for an ‘agrihood,’ which is
essentially an urban farm in a
Detroit neighborhood — the first
of its kind in America,” Johnson
said.
The success of the Michigan
Urban
Farming
Initiative,
she added, also points to the
potential for student success
in entrepreneurship from the
University.
“It’s cool because they, like
every other OptiMize group,
began
with
two-to-three
thousand dollars in funding, and
now they are receiving millions
of dollars to continue the work
that they began here at the
University,” Johnson said. “And
that, to me, is the most inspiring
part of OptiMize — that it’s not
just something that happens
when you’re at the University,
it’s something that you start here
and use to start to build your
lives.”
Business
junior
Danny
Sheridan said he had experienced
academic and community support
with his own entrepreneurial
venture, Woodside Distributors,
which is a national distribution
company for home improvement,
automotive, sporting and other
goods.
“The way that I was able
to best take advantage of the
entrepreneurial
opportunities
during my time here has not
really been through the classes
but by meeting with the people
that are here,” Sheridan said.
“It was by meeting with faculty
and other students and having
engaging conversations about
our interests, and going from
there.”
In April, Sheridan and his
business partners won “The
Startup,” a University-sponsored
competition funded and run by
the Center for Entrepreneurship.
The CFE, which was created
in 2008, began as an initiative
at the College of Engineering,
but has since expanded to offer
entrepreneurship education for
students in all colleges.
The Woodside Distributors
team took home a grand prize of
$15,000, which Sheridan used to
help the company’s growth.
“That money helped us hire
staff,” Sheridan said. “Now we
have a team of 12 people, and has
enabled us to de-risk some of our
startup capital. And I think that
the 12 University of Michigan
students who have jobs would be
very appreciative of that money.”
Over time, Sheridan said,
this money has also enabled
significant growth. From 2015
to 2016, Woodside Distributors
financially grew from $2 million
to $3.5 million.
However, it was not just the
University’s
participation
in
entrepreneurship that enabled
Woodside
Distributors
to
succeed. Sheridan said support
from the Ann Arbor business
community proved to be among
the
greatest
assets
in
the
development of their business
model.
Through Sheridan’s mentor,
Adrian Fortino, a partner at the
Mercury Fund, a venture capital
firm in based out of Texas with
offices in Ann Arbor, the team at
Woodside Distributors was able
to meet with people at Nutshell, a
customer resource management
firm, and learn from experts in
their field.
“The people at Nutshell taught
us how to use their software,
which would have probably cost
a lot for other people, but because
we are Michigan students, it was
no big deal; Adrian Fortino was
able to hook us up,” Sheridan
said.
ENTREPRENEURS
From Page 1A
way to overcome adversity. I
think that it’ll be great for our
community to have a different
lens.”
Much of Bernstein’s talk
was made up of anecdotes
from his own experiences with
overcoming the adversity he
faced being blind in pursuit of
inclusion. Despite his disability,
he successfully completed 20
marathons and a full Ironman,
which is a triathlon composed
of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile
bicycle ride and a marathon
26.2-mile run.
He also spoke on his long
recovery after a severe accident
in Central Park when he was
hit by a biker while walking
unassisted along a path he
had memorized. During the 10
weeks he spent recovering in the
hospital, he learned to appreciate
even accomplishments as small
as being able to sit up in bed.
“In life, it’s those simple
things that people desperately
want,
that
others
don’t
appreciate,” Bernstein said. “As
you all go through your lives,
I would ask you to celebrate
every
accomplishment
you
have, no matter how small and
insignificant you think it is.”
He also emphasized how
being a justice on the Supreme
Court tied back to these ideals.
Bernstein described his job
as a justice as a rewarding but
intense one, because in most
of the cases the court sees,
they are deciding whether the
defendants should face life in
prison.
“The
intensity
is
quite
massive, because the stakes
are incredibly high,” Bernstein
said. “Literally nothing less
than a person’s life hangs in the
balance. Whatever our report
decides will be the outcome of
this person’s life.”
As a blind justice, Bernstein
faces an extra stressor — he must
memorize all 26 cases that come
before the court each week.
“You have to be familiar
with the transcripts, and the
transcripts
are
voluminous,”
Bernstein said. “(Reading them
in braille) would be simply
impossible. Using a computer is
also ineffective because if you
wear an earpiece, you are not
relevant in the conversation.
You have to be focused on what
is happening. The only option
for me is to memorize all the
cases.”
Bringing
the
conversation
back to inclusion, Bernstein
told the audience that his
differences, and those of each
justice, are what make them so
effective as a body.
“If you have seven people
sitting around the room …
that are all from the same
background, then voices are
going to be lost,” he said. “But
if you have people that are
different, it allows you to look
at things in a different light.
You create a perspective that
otherwise wasn’t there.”
The
event
drew
a
wide
range of people, from both the
Hillel community and from the
greater University. LSA juniors
Halimat Olaniyan and Yuchen
Luo, who recently started a
student organization to promote
disability services and studies,
said they were excited to hear
Bernstein’s thoughts on the
subject.
“There’s racism and there’s
sexism,
but
there’s
also
ableism, and people don’t talk
about that a lot,” Olaniyan said.
“A lot of the words we use are
ableist … things that we don’t
think about, like ‘lame’ or ‘I’m
so ADHD,’ that affect someone
who
has
that
(disability),
and we just want to spread
awareness.”
Other students were drawn to
the event because of Bernstein’s
story.
LSA
freshman
Sam
Kole said he felt inspired by
Bernstein’s passion and drive.
“He
didn’t
let
anything
hold him back,” Kole said. “He
pushed the status quo and really
became a champion for people
with disabilities, and rose to
the highest levels of our state
government. I’m here to hear
about his fiery passion that led
him through diversity and to the
top.”
Bernstein
concluded
his
speech by talking about a
project he’s working on to
integrate disabled citizens into
the Israeli Defense Force, which
has become a law in Israel.
“This
is
how
change
happens,” he said. “We’ve been
working on this for five or six
years … Change comes in very
slow, methodical steps, but if
you don’t give up on it, that kind
of change is real.”
BERNSTEIN
From Page 1A
The
Buckeyes
made
the
playoff on the strength of
their 11-1 record, and though
Penn State came back to beat
Wisconsin
in
the
Big
Ten
Championship
on
Saturday
night, the Nittany Lions jumped
only above Michigan to No. 5.
The Orange Bowl is the
Wolverines’
highest-caliber
postseason destination since
they made the Sugar Bowl at
10-2 in 2011. They should be the
favorite, too, against a Seminoles
team with three losses in its
conference.
Michigan
has
played in the Orange Bowl just
twice before, most recently
beating Alabama in overtime on
Jan. 1, 2000, with quarterback
Tom Brady.
But heading into November,
Michigan
had
higher
hopes
for the postseason. It would
have needed a loss by Clemson
or Washington this weekend,
though, and with Penn State
jumping to No. 5 in the poll, even
that might not have been enough.
Florida
State
will
make
the 450-mile trip down from
Tallahassee, Fla., riding a six-
game
winning
streak.
The
Seminoles are 6-3 against bowl-
eligible teams, while Michigan
is 6-2 in such games. The teams
have played each other just
twice,
splitting
early-season
games in 1986 and 1991.
disappointed with the low
turnout at the event.
“I would’ve hoped for a
few more people,” he said.
“One of the things as a new
student org that is one of the
biggest challenges is kind of
gaining credibility and a voice
on campus. Leveraging social
media and all that is going to
take some time to build up so
we’ll see how that goes.”
LSA sophomore Sara Bruce
said moving forward, some
of the club members hope to
expand on the research that
they presented during the
conference.
“In the future, what we’re
going to hope to do is write
policy proposals based on our
research,” she said. “Since it
is our first semester, we had
a limited amount of time,
but in the future, we’d like to
take our research and make
suggestions to sort of solve the
problems.”
Regarding his own research,
Evans said he hopes it helps
inform people about the Paris
climate agreement.
“I’d like to see it be read by
more people and perhaps see
other people improve upon it
because Paris is a recent event
so there’s lots to uncover,” he
said.
Though he acknowledged
the club has room to grow,
Viau emphasized that he felt
proud about the progress his
team members have made so
far.
“When I first had this idea
last fall, I didn’t imagine we’d
be packing people into a room
on a Sunday right before finals
to talk about foreign policy,”
Viau said. “I was always
cautious and hopeful, and to
see that people have coalesced
around this and that it will
continue
next
semester,
I
couldn’t be more proud or be
more happy.”
BOWL
From Page 1A
POLICY
From Page 1A
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
The Friars perform with alumni of the group at their 61st Annual Study Break Concert at Rackham Auditorium Friday.
and an active role in shaping its
future.
“Adient’s decision to locate
its operational headquarters
in Detroit is both strategic and
symbolic,” the press release
read. “We welcome Adient
and appreciate their long-term
commitment to the economic
viability of Detroit and to being
a key player in the automotive
industry in Michigan.”
Adient is already involved
in several other areas of
Michigan. It currently has
research
and
development
operations
in
Plymouth
and serves as the corporate
sponsor of one University
of Michigan undergraduate
design project for a upcoming
multidisciplinary
design
expo.
The
team,
composed
of
four mechanical engineering
students, will work with Adient
to design a mechanical closure
for an automotive seat track.
Engineering
senior
Mallik
Guduguntla, a member of the
team, said he thinks the inflow
of companies into Detroit and
Michigan in general provides
a strong boost in development
efforts and ability to grow.
“I’m really glad companies
are
continuing
to
invest
and grow Detroit into the
powerful city it once was,”
he said. “Bringing corporate
headquarters and jobs back
to
Detroit
will
improve
infrastructure, restaurants and
residential options. Entering
college five years ago, I never
thought of living in Detroit but
now it may be happening.”
Due to its choice to move
to Detroit, the company will
receive
about
$2
million
from the Michigan Business
Development
Program
to
invest in new job creation. The
MBDP is part of the Michigan
Economic
Development
Corporation, which provides
grants or loans to businesses for
projects that will generate new
jobs or investment.
Adient’s operation in Detroit
is expected to earn the city
approximately
$17.2
million
in net income and property
tax over the next 12 years. The
company will be the fourth
Fortune 500 company to have
their headquarters located in
the city, and is the first to move
into Detroit since 2003.
The seating supply company
evaluated 40 different locations
in and outside of Michigan
before choosing to settle in
Detroit. Detroit Mayor Mike
Duggan noted in a press release
that this decision indicates
a positive trend in economic
growth due to the influx of
businesses.
“Adient’s decision to choose
Detroit from among a large field
of competitors to base its global
headquarters is another major
vote of confidence in where we
are headed as a city,” he said.
SINGING BRE AK
DETROIT
From Page 1A
“The University
embraces
entrepreneurship
from all angles.”
“Now we have a
team of 12 people,
and has enabled us
to de-risk.”
“To see that people have
coalesced around this
and that it will continue
next semester, I couldnt
be more proud or be
more happy.”