Ann Arbor SPARK Annual Meeting

Spark / Ann Arbor SPARK Annual Meeting

SEPTEMBER 22, 2020 | EMU STUDENT CENTER

Ann Arbor SPARK annual meeting & regional economic forum

The Ann Arbor SPARK Annual Meeting is attended by business, government, and academic leaders from across the Ann Arbor region and provides a unique networking opportunity. Business leaders will highlight the region’s accomplishments over the past year with the annual chair awards and preview new projects and initiatives for the coming year.

General Tickets: $100

Program: 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Networking
Welcoming Remarks
Chair Awards
Lunch
Keynote
Closing Remarks

Keynote Speaker

Jon Roberts, TIP Strategies
Principal and Managing Director

Jon Roberts is the principal and managing director at TIP Strategies. In this role, he helped transition the company from its Texas-based site selection practice to an economic strategy firm with major national recognition. His portfolio includes planning work from New York to California, with significant regional projects in the Mississippi Delta, Seattle’s Puget Sound, and in the Great Lakes area.

Prior to joining TIP, Jon was the director of business development first for the State of Washington and then the State of Texas, where he co-authored the state’s new strategic plan. His previous experience also includes serving as vice president of the Oregon Technology Fund and lead investor for the Hood River Brewing Company (Full Sail), which continues to hold a prominent place in the craft brewing industry. He also managed two startup technology companies: Fiberlite Composites and LifePort Inc. LifePort was subsequently acquired by Sikorsky.

Jon has served on the boards of several startup technology companies and on state task forces and gubernatorial committees. He has lectured in business at the University of Washington, the University of Texas, and was on the faculty at Marylhurst College in Portland, Oregon. Jon was also the founder of a mountain bike company in Portland: the Fat Tire Farm, which now operates multiple retail outlets.

Ann Arbor Spark