SCAD Student Leadership Programs

Friday, October 19

11:00am-1:30pm

May Poetter Gallery (Poetter Hall)

Want some food for thought? Join us for lunch with local SCAD alumni and business owners who will share their experiences, challenges and secrets of successful entrepreneurship and business ownership. The panel of local experts will be moderated by Victor Ermoli, Dean of the School of Design.

Lunch is free for all students and pre-registration is required.

 

Registration for this event is currently closed. If you would like to listen to a LIVE STREAM of the event, click here.

Stay posted for details on the next installment of our next Lunch and Learn Series.

 

 

Panelists:

 

Panel Moderator: Dean Victor Ermoli

Dean Ermoli joined SCAD as a professor in 1998. He was the chair of the industrial design department from 1998-2005, before becoming the dean of the School of Design. He is a freelance industrial design consultant and product development research assistant. He attended the University of Calgary and was the director of digital animation and video editing at 30 Cuadros in Caracas, Venezuela. Some of his most significant accomplishments include being named one of the 25 “Most Admired Educators in America” byDesignIntelligence in 2011, being featured in Business Report’s “40 under 40″ and I.D. magazine’s “40 Best Designers Under 30.”

 

 

R. Scott Tobin, Johnston Tobin and The Business Accelerator

In a thirty year career that reflects his passion for entrepreneurs, Scott Tobin has accumulated a wealth of experience as a lawyer, senior executive, entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Today, as the managing member of Johnston Tobin, an Atlanta-Savannah-Research Triangle Park based law firm, and as a principal of The Business Accelerator, a Savannah based “smart product” design focused venture catalyst, Mr. Tobin dedicates much of his time to working with entrepreneurs to fuel business growth and liquidity.

As a passionate graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and its Law School, Mr. Tobin also serves as President and Chairman of the UNC School of Law Foundation, and was a founding member of UNC Law School’s Council for Entrepreneurial Law. In years past, he has worked with the entrepreneurial communities of North Carolina and Georgia through his participation on the board of directors of the Piedmont Triad Entrepreneurial Network, and on the advisory board of The Creative Coast Alliance, the entrepreneurial arm of the Savannah Economic Development Authority.

 

Ashleigh Spurlock, Fabrika

Ashleigh Spurlock was raised on Anna Maria Island, but she- and her husband and puppies- have called Savannah their home for the past decade.  Ashleigh graduated from SCAD with a BFA in Fibers in 2009, when she and Emily bought Fabrika Fine Fabrics.  Her focus is fine art quilts, but with a strong fibers background, she is able to design and sew just about anything!  Savannah provides the perfect backdrop for Ashleigh’s detail-oriented work, in addition to being a great place to own a business and live.

 

Emily McLaughlin, Fabrika

Emily McLaughlin was born and raised in Georgia, so moving to Savannah to attend SCAD was a seamless transition.  She graduated with a BFA in Fashion Design in 2009, but was far from ready to leave the South.  Luckily a great opportunity opened up that would keep Emily and her puppy, Maddie, in Savannah.  She, along with her business partner, Ashleigh, purchased Fabrika Fine Fabrics in March ’09. Being able to remain in Savannah, surrounded by beauty and creativity, has greatly influenced Emily’s design aesthetic. Spending every day in a fine fabric boutique has also  provided her with an abundance of inspiration and resources.

 

Susan Isaacs, Paragon

Susan Isaacs is an entrepreneur, design-nerd and managing partner of award-winning Paragon Design Group, a broadcast, print and web design firm she co-founded in 2001 with fellow graduates of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Having earned her M.Arch from the college, Susan adapted her critical thinking skills to focus on business innovation through upside-down thinking and designing for the greater good.

Under her leadership Paragon has cultivated a reputation for creative problem-solving and earned more than 80 local, regional and national awards in the last 4 years. Clients include CNN International, The Weather Channel, Gulfstream Aerospace, Buck Consultants – A Xerox Company, SCAD, The Savannah Economic Development Authority, Paula Deen Enterprises and a number of non-profits   including The Creative Coast, All Walks of Life, Inc (AWOL) and Clear Air Visibility Unlimited (CAVU).

 

Kevin Werntz, Whirled Peas

Kevin is the Founding Partner, President and Chief Operating Officer of Peas-Corp, LLC, a global consulting and game and creative management services company based in Savannah, Georgia. With the national retail success of its flagship brand, WHIRLED PEAS®, Peas-Corp has expanded its strategic consulting services to include the development of The World Trade Center–Savannah and Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) Innovations.

Kevin has more than 20 years of experience working with Johnson & Johnson and VeriSign Inc. Specific areas of expertise include: consumer product point of sale software and solutions; global supply chain software and solutions; sales management; international business development; and digital media solutions.

Kevin is currently the Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the SEDA where he is working with the team developing and launching SEDA Innovations, which is identifying promising start-ups, preparing qualified entrepreneurs to be investment-ready and matching them with capital resources. He also serves on the Savannah Board of Advisors for the Technology Association of Georgia.

Kevin has an M.B.A. from Jacksonville University with a focus on Strategic and  Executive Management and a B.A. in Communications from the University of   Georgia.

 

 

 

 

Sponsored by the Office of Student Involvement and Career and Alumni Success

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