Monthly Program - February 9, 2010
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Campus Center - Odeum Room
Networking: 5:30 p.m.
Meeting: 6:30–8:30 p.m. Cost:
$0 - $125 members/college students
$15 - $50 members/WPI alumni
$30 - public
Free refreshments
Free parking at Higgins House Parking Lot
Pre-registration (public: pay online before 1p.m. for nametag)
Parking
Innovate to Survive and Thrive
How are today's traditional businesses innovating to sustain and grow their business? In the face of increasing competition worldwide, how are manufacturers adapting, and what do they see moving forward?
Dennis Leonard, '84, Vice President Operations, IPG Photonics
A panel of speakers will address these questions at the February 9 WPI Venture Forum, followed by a moderated discussion with audience questions. Dennis Leonard '84, vice president of operations at IPG Photonics in Oxford, will discuss why and how his high-performance fiber laser and amplifier company has transitioned to a vertically integrated manufacturing strategy from the more typical outsourcing model.
Leonard's career has focused on operations management with senior positions in four manufacturing companies, from metal cutting technology and laser imaging equipment to optical fiber and now fiber laser production. He graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1984 with a BS degree in mechanical engineering and earned an MBA degree from RPI in 1988.
Karl Wadensten, President, VIBCO Vibrators
A passionate champion of lean business philosophy, Karl Wadensten, president of VIBCO Vibrators in Wyoming, Rhode Island, will focus on non-manufacturing applications of lean concepts to create continuous improvement throughout a company. He will help audience members learn to see how they can do more with less.
VIBCO® was founded in New Jersey by Wadensten's father, Ted, in 1962, and has manufactured industrial and construction vibrators in Rhode Island since 1974. Winner of the 2007 Providence Business News Business Excellence Award for companies with fewer than 100 employees, VIBCO holds more than 25 US patents for its product designs. Wadensten is an avid skier, a classic car aficionado and enjoys playing competitive croquet. An active member of the Young Presidents' Organization, he is a frequent event organizer for the New England Chapter.
Dick Longo, President and CEO, Walker Magnetics
Strategic alliances have been the hallmark of Walker Magnetics' game plan in recent years, coupled with product and marketing innovations. Company president Dick Longo will round out the panel by addressing the variety of steps taken by his magnetic handling equipment company, founded in Worcester more than 110 years ago, to survive and thrive.
Longo has been President and COO of Walker Magnetics since 2005, and was previously a product manager there from 1985 to 1996. He earned an Executive MBA from Stanford University.
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.eduLast modified: January 27, 2010 14:14:27