Agenda Departments

Agenda

40 Under Forty Gala
June 24: BusinessWest will celebrate its 40 Under Forty Class of 2010 at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House with a gala to begin at 5 p.m. The event, which has become a spring tradition in Western Mass., will feature fine food, entertainment, and special presentations of the Class of 2010. Tickets for the event are $60. To order tickets or for more information, call (413) 781-8600, ext. 10, or e-mail [email protected].

The Coming Demographic Storm
June 30: The 2010 census statistics will prove it out over the next few years, but Kenneth W. Gronbach already knows what the stats will mean to America. A demographic storm of epic proportions is upon us, and if America’s businesses, regardless of size, are ready, they can plan for amazing success. But if they are not ready, they could be washed away in the giant generational wave. Gronbach, a gifted public speaker and a nationally recognized expert in the field of demography and generational marketing, will be the keynote speaker at the noon luncheon for the Advertising Club of Western Mass. at Longmeadow Country Club. Gronbach makes the science of the census results and shifting demography come alive with real-life examples that make it relevant to today’s culture, business climate, and economy. His presentation is based on the effects of shifting demography. He is an accomplished author with a new, bestselling book, The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Storm. The demographic landscape in the U.S. is made up a series of waves that are about 20 years in duration. It would follow that business will rise and fall according to the critical mass of customers heading toward it. What is different about this wave is the extraordinary amount of population it includes compared to the past two generations. Businesses will enjoy extraordinary success if they are prepared and in front of the wave. Ad Club members are invited to bring a business associate and join the Ad Club for this presentation and network with the top advertising, marketing, and design talents in Western Mass. To make a luncheon reservation, contact the Ad Club at (413) 736-2582, or online at www.adclubwm.org. The cost for the luncheon is $25 for members, $35 for future members, and $15 for students.

Construction Course
July 14: The Home Builders & Remodelers Assoc. of Western Mass. will sponsor a six-session course starting July 14 to help individuals prepare for the Massachusetts Construction Supervisor’s Licensing Exam. Sessions are planned at the Home Builders & Remodelers Assoc. headquarters at 240 Cadwell Dr. in Springfield for six Wednesdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The exam is authorized by the State Board of Building Regulations and Standards and administered by Thomson Prometric. Registration forms to enroll for the exam will be distributed at the first session of the program. The fee is $250 for members of the Home Builders Assoc. of Western Mass. and $350 for non-members. All course participants must bring the 7th edition of the One & Two Family Dwelling Building Code book and the 7th edition of the Basic Building Code book to each class and to the open-book examination. There is an additional charge to order the code books through the association. For more information or to register, contact Sandra Doucette at (413) 733-3126.

Advanced Manufacturing Competition & Conference
Sept. 23: The first highly concentrated, cluster-centric, regional manufacturing conference of its kind will be held at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. The event, called the Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competition & Conference (AMICCON), is being staged in response to growing recognition among area manufacturers and supply-chain members that there is an urgent need to find and meet one another. “AMICCON was formed to identify who’s here in manufacturing, expose them to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and procurement, and to make these introductions,” said co-founder Ellen Bemben. “The ultimate goal is to be the advanced-manufacturing region in the U.S., where exotic manufacturing, such as micro, nano, and precision, meet higher specifications and tighter tolerances, and short runs are the norm.” Industry sectors to be represented at the event will include plastics and advanced materials, precision machining, paper and packaging, electronics, ‘green’/clean technology, and medical devices. Business opportunities in defense and aerospace will also be highlighted at the event. OEMs and their supply chains are being invited personally to participate. “AMICCON is also a new consortium on innovation that also delivers manufacturers to innovators and new markets in order to cause new business,” said Gary Gasperack, vice president and general manager (retired) of the Spalding Division of Russell Corp. “We are very excited about introducing it to our region.” The Mass. Export Center has already produced two programs for AMICCON: an “Export Experts Panel,” and a seminar, “International Traffic in Arms Regulations for Defense and Aerospace Export.”