New Enterprise Forum Hosts its Fifth Annual ‘Unusual Entrepreneurs Share Wild Success Stories!’

    ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 16 /EMWNews/ -- New Enterprise

Forum will celebrate summer fun by hosting a panel of inventive

entrepreneurs who will reveal how they have capitalized upon unusual or

untapped market needs to build successful businesses. The event takes place

at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 24, at the Holiday Inn North Campus, 3600

Plymouth Road in Ann Arbor, Michigan.



    The participants for this event include:



    Bruce Fridd - Founder, Cuttswright LLC: Bruce became a golf

professional at age 17, eventually becoming Head Professional at Tecumseh

Country Club in 1983. He was a member of the PGA from 1984 through 2007. In

2003, he formed Cuttswright to produce and market his patented golf hole

location and cutting device, the Fridder Digger, which is now used on golf

courses worldwide.



    Abhi Lath - Owner, Sensitile: As a graduate student in architecture,

Abhi invented Sensitiles, award-winning pavers and tiles that use

fiber-optics in a unique way to create changing light patterns. With a

variety of applications and a global customer base, this Ypsilanti-based

manufacturer has more than doubled its sales over the past two years.



    Brian Pearson - Founder, BPNC Distillery: As an energetic,

entrepreneurial individual, Brian's background has included college sports,

pouring concrete, cooking, welding, and four years with the United States

Marine Corps. In 1998, he bootstrapped BPNC distillery, which focuses on

bringing cutting edge packaging to the alcohol beverage industry, including

Zippers Jell-O Shots, Zeus Juice, and many others.



    The moderator will be Jesse Bernstein, President & CEO of the Ann Arbor

Area Chamber of Commerce: A long-time Ann Arbor resident with a strong

track record of community involvement and business experience, Jesse is a

guy who knows a good business when he sees one!



    Showcase Presentation: Each month, NEF highlights an emerging company

and provides them a Showcase Presentation. This month, our Showcase

Presenter will be Merrill Guerra, CEO of RealKidz, which is bringing to

market a complete line of clothing for plus-size girls, coupled with an

on-line social network for parents.



    Open Forum: The evening's presentations are followed by Open Forum,

during which attendees have the opportunity to make a 30-second pitch for

their company, product/service, or need.



    Registration and networking begin at 5:00 p.m. with the program

starting at 5:45 p.m. Free to NEF members and journalists, the cost is $20

for non-members, $5 for students. The event is sponsored by NEF stakeholder

sponsor, the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce; for information, visit

http://www.annarborchamber.org.



    ABOUT NEF



    Through its hands-on work with entrepreneurs, NEF has been planting the

seeds for Michigan's economic prosperity for over two decades. NEF serves

Michigan entrepreneurs by linking them with management expertise, venture

partners, business services, capital, and other critical resources. NEF

also provides free coaching teams who assist entrepreneurs with investor

presentations and business planning in preparation for fundraising

meetings. For information, visit http://www.NewEnterpriseForum.org.