Speakers
Jump To: Previous 2022 Speakers | Previous 2021 & Beyond Speakers
2023 Events & Speaker Info
Members enjoy outstanding speakers at ten monthly programs from January to November, over lunch at 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., typically the 3rd Friday of each month. Our Annual Dinner is a special ticketed program held in September. Registration for each event opens near the first of each month.
January
Many thanks to our January Monthly Presenter Sponsor, Honor Bank, serving businesses and people in northwest Michigan since 1917, with offices in Bear Lake, Benzonia, Buckley, Copemish, Honor, Lake Ann and two in Traverse City. Visit myhonorbank.com, or follow Honor Bank on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Member FDIC.
T. Rann Paynter is the president and CEO of the Michigan Bankers Association. He has held leadership positions with state banking associations for 26 years. Rann joined the North Carolina Bankers Association as meetings director in 1996, ultimately serving as executive vice president. He served as executive vice president of the Virginia Bankers Association before joining the MBA in 2015. He serves as co-chair of the American Bankers Association Grassroots Committee and chairman of the Graduate School of Banking.
February
As teenagers, the Porter brothers came up with an idea that would soon flip the action sports industry on its head. The idea to put LED lights on our snowboards came to them one evening when they were about to drop in on a dark ski slope. They wondered what it would feel like to shred through fresh powder or launch a hanging 360 with LED snowboards and dreamed about being the inventors of a product that would allow just that for every action sport enthusiast. That evening they made the biggest decision of their lives; to double-down and make that dream a reality. The next two years were spent on designing and engineering this product – now known worldwide as ActionGlow.
Being only 13 and 16 years old when starting AG, they were faced with quite the learning curve. However, one thing they were excellent at was not being afraid to reach out for help when they needed it. With assistance and guidance from anyone in the area who was willing to give us the time of day, they created their first iteration of ActionGlow; an aftermarket, low profile, and lightweight lighting system for the action sport enthusiast looking to create their own path and separate themselves from the pack. Today with their product ActionGlow, they get to travel the world, work with the professional athletes that inspired them, partner with elite brands such as Jeep, the World Surf League, and RedBull, and even landed a dream deal with Robert Herjavec on ABC's Shark Tank.
March
Many thanks to our March Monthly Presenter Sponsor, Merrill Lynch.
You’ve probably heard the old adage, “jack of all trades – master of none.” At eFulfillment Service, they do one thing: ecommerce order fulfillment, and they do it well. eFullfillment Service's core focus is one of the reasons they have been called the “ultimate choice in order fulfillment,” and why the Mailing & Fulfillment Service Association (MFSA) has described them as “one of the best and brightest” within their industry. Since 2001, eFulfillment Service has been consistently recognized for their friendly, flexible terms, and first-class level of service. They were among the first internet fulfillment companies to offer retailers advanced, web-based fulfillment software that allows for integrated shipping with multiple shopping carts.
On March 17th our speaker is Steve Bulger, President of eFulfillment Service. In his role, Steve sets direction for the management team, prioritizing the goals, strategy and structure for the company's continued success. Steve guides business strategies which center on lean management principles, training the team early on to identify challenges to goals.
For nearly 5 years, Steve served as Chief Operating Officer and was responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations as well as guiding strategic planning. His leadership provided cohesion between the company’s production teams and senior management. Additionally, Steve has led both eFullfillment’s sales and marketing departments, leveraging a background in creative agency and business development.
Steve holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Central Michigan University. He sits on the board of the Great Lakes Children’s Museum, enjoys being with his kids and playing the occasional round of bad golf.
JOIN US to hear Steve Bulger share the complexities and logistical coordination necessary to win and compete in the efullfillment industry.
Upcoming
April 21st
Marguerite Bolt
"A Green Rush or a Big Bust?"
Marguerite Bolt is the hemp extension specialist at Purdue University’s Department of Agronomy. In her role as an extension specialist, she links growers to production facilities and the research community through online resources, field days, and workshops. She received her bachelor’s degree in entomology from Michigan State University and her master’s degree in entomology from Purdue University. She is currently working on her doctorate degree in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue, focusing on disease management in outdoor grown hemp.
May 19th
Many thanks to our May Monthly Presenter Sponsor, Ginny Fey of Real Estate One.
Kevin Klein
"Air Service Development -
The Economic Impact On Our Community"
Kevin Klein is in his 21st year with Cherry Capital Airport – started in 2002 as Operation Manager and was promoted in 2004 to Assistant Airport Director. In February 2011, Mr. Klein was appointed to the Airport Director position and became Chief Executive Officer in October of 2021 - upon the successful governance transition to the Northwest Regional Airport Authority.
Mr. Klein is an Accredited Airport Executive and a member of the American Association of Airport Executives since 1994. He is a Past President of the Michigan Association of Airport Executives. Mr. Klein has a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Technology and Operations Management, and a minor in General Business from Western Michigan University. Mr. Klein is a licensed airport manager with the State of Michigan and holds a Private Pilot Certificate since 1991. Mr. Klein has received numerous professional awards including the FAA Airport Partnership Award for his work on the FAA’s Takeoff and Landing Performance Assessment Group, helping to rewrite the FAA Advisory Circular on Winter Operations. Mr. Klein was instrumental in securing several prestigious awards for Cherry Capital Airport including the FAA Airport Safety Excellence Award; the Balchen Post Award for Winter Safety Excellence and the Airline Pilots Association’s ‘Airport of the Year.’ Mr. Klein was awarded Airport Manager of the Year by the Michigan Association of Airport Executives in 2017.
Most importantly, Kevin is married to Leslie Klein, and they have three wonderful sons Mark, Joe, and Nicholas.
June 16
Many thanks to our June Monthly Presenter Sponsor, Bonek Insurance Agency, an experienced insurance agency offering personal and commercial coverage. In business since 1934 and based in Suttons Bay, they have access to a multitude of policies for client needs paired with a dedicated, local team. www.bonek.com
Matt Scogin
"Economics and Higher Education"
President Matthew A. Scogin ’02 is the 14th president of Hope College. He was elected by the Board of Trustees on December 7, 2018, assumed office on July 1, 2019 and was inaugurated on September 13, 2019. Previously, Scogin served as chief administrative officer at the global financial advisory firm of Perella Weinberg Partners in New York City, where he oversaw operations, strategy, corporate services, human resources and communications at the firm, which has 11 offices around the world.
Prior to that position, he was at NYSE Euronext, where from 2009 to 2014 he served as the senior vice president and chief of staff at the 3,000-person company that ran the New York Stock Exchange and five exchanges in Europe. He served as a key member of the executive team and played a leading role in the overall strategic direction of the company during a time of tremendous change, while also overseeing the offices of Global Affairs and Government Relations and of Corporate Responsibility, and the Office of the CEO. During 2008 and 2009, he was chief of staff and senior adviser to the CEO of Wachovia Bank, at the time the nation’s fourth-largest commercial bank.
Before joining the corporate sector, Scogin occupied several senior roles in government. From 2006 to 2008, he was the senior advisor for domestic finance at the U.S. Department of Treasury, where he provided the secretary of the treasury and undersecretary of the treasury with counsel on a broad range of economic and financial policy matters. In 2006, he served as a fiscal policy adviser to the governor of Massachusetts; from 2002 to 2003, he was the legislative director for a Michigan state representative; and during 2001, while participating in Hope College’s Washington Honors Semester, he held an internship at the White House.
He majored in political science and economics at Hope, and has a master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. After finishing graduate school, he spent time in Germany as a fellow with the Robert Bosch Foundation studying unemployment and labor market policy. He has published several articles on issues related to public policy and finance. He received the U.S. Treasury Department Exceptional Service Award in 2008, and was one of 19 leaders of New York City to be named a David Rockefeller Fellow by the Partnership for New York City in 2013. Hope recognized him with a Young Alumni Award in 2014. Among other community service while in New York, he was on the Board of Directors for Restore NYC, a Christian non-profit dedicated to ending sex trafficking in New York City, and on the Board of Directors of the SIFMA Foundation for Financial Education. He also volunteered as the CFO and as a lay pastor at Lower Manhattan Community Church in New York City.
He has also been extensively engaged in the life of the college since graduation, including serving as a member of the Board of Trustees since 2016. Among other involvement through the years, he spoke during a Hope Chapel service in September 2017, was the featured speaker in the Student Congress Speaker Series in March 2010 and was highlighted in an alumni profile in the 2008-09 Hope College Catalog. While on campus to receive his Young Alumni Award, he also presented a workshop on leadership development hosted by the Hope College Alumni Association.
His wife, Sarah, is also a 2002 graduate of Hope, where she majored in music and computer science. They have three children at home: Sophie, Lucy and Oliver.
Past Events
Photos
