Changes

The&nbsp;Starting Gate, WMU chapter of 's business accelerator program, is the Institute of Industrial Engineers&nbsp;student organization is currently a Gold Member of IIE driving force behind merging WMU Entrepreneurship with regional and last year hosted the entire great lakes region local economic development efforts. Students participate in workshops led by community leaders on topics ranging from marketing to a conference highlighting the need for innovation featuring keynote speakers from a variety of entrepreneurial patent law, and intrapreneurial backgroundseverything in between. The student group is composed southwest Michigan Small Business Development Center, located within the Haworth College of mostly industrial engineers but they Business, also provides small business assistance for companies within the program. Students are able also encouraged to show the region what kind of participate in and attend community events focusing on innovation ways that are taking place at Western Michigan University in the <span style="background-color:#ffff00;">paper competition</span>and entrepreneurship, such as Pitch Zoo, Startup Zoo, where some of the projects from the Entrepreneur engineering courses have been submittedand Startup Grind.&nbsp;

[http://www.wmich.edu/startinggate Starting Gate] is The WMU chapter of the host Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) recently hosted the PITCH competition but also holds semester long competitive entry programs where student groups get 2014 IIE Great Lakes Regional Conference, an opportunity to develop their startup venture alongside professional advice and access. new project started by event that brought together the "B-School" to help with startups to present top IE students with the resources to help build from Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and grow their small startupsKentucky. This is starting gate's third year The theme of activity but they already have the conference was IIE:&nbsp; Where Visionaries Become Innovators. Keynote speakers came from a diverse group variety of industries and entrepreneurial backgrounds, each offering their own advice to the students ranging . Students attended sessions from incoming freshman expanding on a project they had industry leaders, participated in high school to MBA design challenge activities, and networked with students trying to potentially start a careerand faculty from other universities.&nbsp;