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.”

