Manufacturing Focus Session

A deep dive into the region’s manufacturing strengths, spotlighting innovation, talent, and the future of advanced manufacturing through panels and conversations with industry leaders.

Innovation Through Focus — The Power of Flow

Drawing on ideas from his book Mastering Flow, Rami Goldratt will discuss practical approaches including buffer management, sequencing work effectively, and separating high-load tasks from routine work. Attendees will gain insight into how clearer priorities and better structure can improve execution, reduce bottlenecks, and help teams deliver results more predictably.

• Rami Goldratt — CEO, Goldratt Industries

Fireside Chat Lunch & Learn: AI in Manufacturing

Artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape how manufacturers operate, from the shop floor to workforce development. This fireside chat brings together leaders from manufacturing and technology to discuss what these changes mean for the future of the industry.

• Jon Desalvo — President & CEO, Arcamed
• Susan Carlock — Co-Founder/COO, Murray Mentor, Inc.
• Moderator: Alex Topalovich — Engineer-in-Residence, iNDustry Labs at Notre Dame

Creative Economy Summit

Explore the power of the creative economy through regional arts and culture planning and engagement with corporate creatives shaping place, brand, and impact. The afternoon features two dynamic panels followed by facilitated roundtable conversations designed to spark collaboration and action.

Panel Discussion: Creativity as Regional Infrastructure

Creativity plays a critical role in shaping vibrant communities, strong local economies, and places where people want to live and work. This panel explores how arts, design, and cultural thinking function as essential infrastructure for regional growth.

• Meredith McGriff — Author & Founding Board Member, Northern Indiana Clay Alliance
• Polina Osherov — Executive Director, Pattern, Inc.
• Anna Kietzman — President, Heartland Art Center

Panel Discussion: From Plan to Practice — the Music Town Case Study

What does it actually take to build a creative economy strategy from the ground up? This panel digs into the Music Town initiative as a working case study, exploring how civic leaders, entrepreneurs, and artists turned a concept into a movement.

• Grif Eaton — CEO & Founder, Juke
• Mike Huber — Director of Development Services, City of Elkhart
• Laurel Marnocha — Owner, Brass Elk Brewing
• Caitlyn Faust — Musician

Roundtable Conversations: Strengthening the Connective Tissue

Facilitated roundtable conversations designed to turn the day’s insights into action. Small group discussions on collaboration, cross-sector partnerships, and how the region can strengthen the connections that make creative economies work.

Belonging by Design: How Leaders Build Startup Cultures that Innovate and Endure

Culture does not happen by accident, it is built intentionally. In this session, Andie Hines-Lagemann explores how startup leaders can design environments where people feel they belong, take risks, and do their best work. Practical frameworks for building culture that lasts.

• Andie Hines-Lagemann — Director of Engagement & EQ Practitioner, Elevate Ventures

Vibecoding: Building No-Code Tools for Small Business

In this interactive session, Grif Eaton breaks down vibecoding, a rapid experimental approach to creating apps, automations, and systems using no-code tools. See how small businesses can move from idea to working prototype without writing a single line of code.

• Grif Eaton — CEO & Founder, Juke

How to Make Your Buying Experience Your Competitive Advantage

Most businesses focus on what they sell. The best businesses focus on how people buy. Ian Illig shares how small and mid-sized companies can redesign the buying experience to win more customers, increase loyalty, and stand out in crowded markets.

• Ian Illig — CEO & Founder, Stompbox

Designing Work That Fits How You’re Wired

Not all work systems fit all people. Ryan Woodruff guides attendees through frameworks for designing workflows, schedules, and structures that align with how their brains actually operate, leading to more energy, better output, and less burnout.

• Ryan Woodruff — Founder, Rhino Consulting and Coaching LLC

Turn Customer Support into a Revenue Generator

Customer support is often treated as a cost center. Matt Mulherin makes the case and shows the playbook for turning it into one of your most powerful growth levers. Practical strategies any business can implement.

• Matt Mulherin — Principal, Kinetic Growth Partners

Elevating Your Organic Social Media Presence

Paid reach is getting harder and more expensive. Jenn Crim shares what actually moves the needle for organic social in 2026, from content strategy to consistency, community building, and showing up authentically in ways that build real audiences.

• Jenn Crim — Marketing & Communications Specialist, South Bend International Airport

The Innovation Shift: South Bend-Elkhart’s Opportunity

A high-impact session exploring the intersection of civic leadership and economic innovation in the South Bend-Elkhart region. Featuring an opening address followed by a panel discussion on how regional leaders are working together to make the area a destination for talent, capital, and bold ideas.

• Christopher “Toph” Day — CEO, Elevate Ventures
• Erica Schweyer — Chief of Staff, Elevate Ventures
• Bethany Hartley — President & CEO, South Bend Elkhart Regional Partnership

Hosted by: Elevate Ventures

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Raising Money

No jargon, no sugarcoating. Neil Kane covers the full landscape of fundraising, from friends and family rounds to institutional capital, with the candor that only comes from being both a founder and an investor. Bring your real questions.

• Neil Kane — Entrepreneur & Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Notre Dame

Your Statewide Growth Toolkit: Programs, Capital, and Support for Indiana Companies

A practical overview of the programs, funding sources, and support structures available to Indiana businesses looking to grow. Featuring leaders from three of the state’s most impactful economic development organizations.

• Stephanie Kabel — Director, Business Retention & Expansions, Northern Region, Indiana Economic Development Corp
• Brian Schutt — Director, Indiana Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Alan Steele — Regional Director, Indiana Small Business Development Center

Remote-First Operations: Building Distributed Teams That Win

Building teams that win requires more than hiring talent, it requires clarity, structure, and alignment. Paul Anthony shares practical insights on how founders and leaders can build effective distributed teams from the ground up.

• Paul Anthony — Co-Founder & CEO, OpStart

You Don’t Know Me: Understanding Risk Asymmetry in Business Transactions

When two parties enter a deal, they rarely see the same risks. Ed Mysogland breaks down the concept of risk asymmetry and what it means for negotiations, valuations, and business transactions, with lessons every founder and business owner needs to hear.

• Ed Mysogland — Managing Partner, IBA

Designing Your AI Team with Assistants and Workflows

What does it look like to actually run your business with AI? Angie Carel shows how entrepreneurs and teams can design intelligent workflows using AI assistants, moving beyond novelty to practical systems that save time, improve output, and scale your thinking.

• Angie Carel — Gen AI Consultant & Founder, Co-Crafted AI Consultancy Collective

Authentic Connection in a Disconnected World: Reclaiming Humanity in the Age of Innovation

In a world obsessed with scaling, optimizing, and automating, where did the human part go? Ashley Rene Casey invites attendees to examine how digital saturation is affecting leadership, relationships, and the way we work, and what we can do about it.

• Ashley Rene Casey — Founder, Presence Over Pixels

Cultural Capital: The Business of Creator Partnerships

Creators are not just influencers, they are business builders with audiences, trust, and reach that most brands can only dream of. Jaclynn Brennan unpacks what it actually means to build a creator partnership strategy that delivers real business value.

• Jaclynn Brennan — CEO, Creative Duality

Telling a Story to Stand Out

Digital storytelling has become one of the most powerful tools for building real-world community. Whether you are highlighting local businesses, shaping regional identity, or inspiring travel, storytellers drive how people discover places, back causes, and show up for their communities. This panel explores the craft and strategy behind stories that move people to act.

• Nate Spangle — Founder, Get Indiana
• Eniola Longe — South Bend-Elkhart Region Reporter, IBJ Media
• Joe Mehl — VP of Marketing, Alliance RV & Alera Marine
• Marshall King — Director of Communications, Community Foundation of Elkhart County

Authentic Connection in a Disconnected World

A bold and thought-provoking keynote from Ashley Rene Casey, founder of Presence Over Pixels. In a world obsessed with scale and automation, Ashley invites the audience to rediscover the human skills that technology cannot replace and why they matter more than ever.

• Ashley Rene Casey — Founder, Presence Over Pixels

Lunch & Community Design Exhibit

Grab lunch and explore the Community Design Exhibit, a showcase of local design, placemaking, and civic innovation projects from across the region. An opportunity to see the ideas that are shaping what South Bend and Elkhart look and feel like.

How Brands and Creators Turn Community Into Competitive Advantage

Explore how creators are shaping modern business through partnerships, brand collaboration, and cultural influence. This panel digs into the evolving relationship between creators and companies and how these connections drive visibility, loyalty, and growth.

• Jaclynn Brennan — CEO, Creative Duality
• Priscilla Loomis — On Air Host, 106.3 Coast Country
• Randa Rosa — TikTok Creator
• Rebecca Rogers — Creator

Curiosity in Action: A Fireside Chat with Dr. Kate the Chemist & Dr. Aprille Ericsson

Two of the most inspiring scientific minds working today, in conversation. Dr. Kate Biberdorf and Dr. Aprille Ericsson share how their curiosity drove their careers, the challenges they navigated, and what it takes to build a life in science that makes a real difference in the world.

• Kate Biberdorf — Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, University of Notre Dame
• Aprille Ericsson — NASA Aerospace Engineer & Defense Tech Strategist, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for S&T

Kate the Chemist Experiments

Science meets spectacle. Kate the Chemist brings her signature live experiment show to the IDEA Week stage, blending education, entertainment, and a whole lot of chemistry to close out the afternoon in an unforgettable way.

• Kate Biberdorf — Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, University of Notre Dame

Leading Change in a Changing World

A powerful closing keynote from Chris Stevens, drawing on his experience helping build Keurig into a category-defining company. What does it take to lead with clarity, purpose, and courage when everything around you is shifting? This is the talk to end your day on.

• Chris Stevens — Former VP of Corporate Relations, Keurig Inc.