Peter F. Secchia Breakfast Lecture Series
The Peter F. Secchia Breakfast Lecture Series is an outreach of the Seidman College of Business that launched in the fall of 2006; the result of a generous gift by Peter (former Ambassador to Italy; 1989-1993) and his wife, Joan Secchia.
For over fifteen years, Secchia Breakfasts have contributed to community connections and business innovation – both hallmarks of West Michigan - by promoting creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship through showcasing successful business models. Community members, business professionals, alums, and current students can attend these breakfasts at no cost to learn from regional, state, and national industry leaders who share their expertise and experiences.
February 22 Lecture Series Highlights
Continuing Differently
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Speaking to a crowd of 200+ guests, Dr. Justin discussed content from his current book Continuity Model Generation: Integrating Wealth, Strategy, Talent, AND Governance Plans (Wiley Publishing, 2021), which delivers a cohesive and comprehensive plan for family business leaders who seek to improve the chances of sustaining success across generations. Incorporating four distinct—but closely related—plans, Continuity Model Generation shows family businesses how to manage their strategy, their wealth, their talent, and their governance to achieve multi-generational success.
On Thursday, February 22, 2024, the Seidman College of Business hosted the Peter F. Secchia Breakfast Lecture, Continuing Differently featuring Dr. Justin Craig, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Visiting Professor of Family Enterprise, Program Director for the John L. Ward Center for Family Business at Northwestern Kellogg.
Past Lectures
2023
November 1, 2023
Speaker: Miliand Pan, CEO of Amway
Topic: 7
Leadership Learnings
March 22, 2023
Panelists:
- Mark White, President and CEO of
Shape Corp
- Robert Niemiec, Managing Partner at Twistthink
-
Stacy Paul, Aerospace Engineer and CEO, Array of Engineers (AoE)
Topic: Convergence of Engineering, Business and Technology
January 27, 2023
Panelists:
- Tom Hill, CEO and Board Member, Marketlab
- Tom Husby, CEO
and President, ADAC Automotive
- Alison Mast, Senior Managing
Director and President of Western Michigan, Northern Trust Wealth Management
Topic: Leadership Transitions, Opportunities, and
Obstacles
Read additional event highlights in this GVNext article
2022
There were no Peter F. Secchia Breakfast Lectures held in 2022.
2021
November 11, 2021
Panelists:
-
Jordan Aldrich, Director of Corporate Human Resources Meijer
Inc.
- Ryan Anderson, VP of Global Research &
Insights, MillerKnoll
- Jennifer Tyler,
Director Integrated Business Planning, Dematic
Moderator:
Dr. Benjamin Walsh, Associate Professor of Management, Seidman
College of Business
Topic: Future of Work
Read additional event
highlights in this GVNext article
2020
February 25, 2020
Speaker: Tory Richardson,
A.A.E., President & CEO, Gerald R. Ford International Airport
Topic: Soaring Higher
Read additional event
highlights in this GVNext article
2019
September 12, 2019
Speaker: Philomena Mantella,
President, GVSU
Topic: The Future of Education
View Presentation
April 17, 2019
Speaker: Gerry Anderson,
CEO/Chairman - DTE Energy
Topic: Leading with Purpose - How I Discovered that
the Soft Side of Business is the Hard Side
View Presentation
2018
October 3, 2018
Speaker: Missy Young, Chief Information Officer,
Switch, Inc.
Topic: Artificial Intelligence: Keeping the Human in Humanity
View Presentation
March 21, 2018
Speaker: Fred Keller, Cascade Engineering
Founder/Chair; John Kennedy, President/CEO, Autocam Medical; and
Spencer Stiles, President, Stryker Instruments
Topic: Convergence of Automation and Work
View Presentation
2017
November 29, 2017
Speaker: Mike VanGessel, CEO, Rockford Construction;
Joined by Ryan VerWys, ICCF and Matt McLogan, Grand Valley State University
Topic: Westside Story
View Presentation
October 2, 2017
Speaker: Jim Hackett, President and CEO, Ford Motor Co.
Topic: Technology and Human Promise
No streaming available
February 13, 2017
Speaker: The Honorable Mike Rogers, former U.S. House
Intelligence Committee Chair
Topic: Global security means local problems: Space.
Cyber. Expansionism. Politics.
No streaming available
2016
October 31, 2016
Speaker: Lou Anna K. Simon, President, Michigan State University
Topic: Land-grant Engagement for the 21st Century
View Presentation
September 27, 2016
Speaker: Birgit Klohs - President, The Right Place
Topic: Why West Michigan Works
View Presentation
March 29, 2016
Speaker: Mary Kramer - Crain's Detroit Business,
Publisher, and on the GVSU Board of Trustees
Topic: Hurray for Hush Puppies: Why West Michigan
companies are adding women to their corporate boards
View Presentation
2015
November 6, 2015
Speaker: Doug Conant, Former President/CEO of
Campbell Soup Co.
Topic: 35 Years in the Rearview Mirror... Life
Lessons from the Corporate Journey
View Presentation
October 15, 2015
Speaker: Alan Steinman, Ph.D. - Director, Annis Water
Resources Institute, GVSU
Topic: Michigan's Blue Economy: Why Water Matters
View Presentation
March 30, 2015
Speaker: Governor John Engler
Topic: The State of Our State and Union
View Presentation
2014
November 19, 2014
Speaker: Bill Currie, Matt Missad, Peter Secchia -
Universal Forest Products
Topic: Business Lessons Learned
View Presentation
September 18, 2014
Speaker: Michael Finney President & CEO, MEDC
(Michigan Economic Development Corporation)
Topic: When Michigan Means Business
View Presentation
May 1, 2014
Speaker: Stuart Hart - S.C. Johnson Professor of
Sustainable Global Enterprise, Cornell University; President,
Enterprise for a Sustainable World; Founder, Emergent Institute
Topic: Entrepreneurship for a Sustainable World
View Presentation
February 12, 2014
Speaker: R. D. Musser, III -
President/CEO of the Grand Hotel Mackinac Island
Topic: Sustaining a Grand Vision Through Three Centuries
View Presentation
2013
November 12, 2013
Speaker: Dick DeVos - President, Windquest Group
Topic: So What Does Make West Michigan So Special?
View Presentation
April 16, 2013
Speaker: Brandon Solano, Vice President of Franchise
Development, Domino's Pizza
Topic: A Smart Risk: Domino's Pizza Turn Around
No streaming available
2012
September 19, 2012
Speaker: John Russell - CEO of Consumers Energy
Topic: Our Promise to our Customers and to Michigan
View Presentation
February 10, 2012
Speaker: U.S. Congressman Mike Rogers
View Presentation
2011
November 8, 2011
Speaker: Franco Bianchi
Topic: From West Michigan to the World - The Haworth Way
View Presentation
March 22, 2011
Speaker: Gary Tilkin, CEO/President, Global Forex
Trading and Boris Schlossberg, Director of Currency Research, Global
Forex Trading
Topic: Three Themes That Can Move Currencies This Year
No streaming available
2010
November 9, 2010
Speaker: Richard C. Breon, President/CEO, Spectrum Health
Topic: Healthcare Reform: What It Means to Spectrum
Health and Grand Rapids
No streaming available
April 14, 2010
Speaker: Doug DeVos, President, Amway Corporation
Topic: 10 Pillars of Economic Wisdom
No streaming available
2009
October 13, 2009
Speakers: Dr. John Tiemstra, Dr. Daniel Giedeman. Dr.
Hari Singh, Dr. Gary Wolfram, Larry Reed, and Harry Veryser. Moderated
by Dr. Paul Isely.
Topic: Debating Today's Economic Recovery
No streaming available
October 12, 2009
Speakers: Jonathon Alter, Newsweek Magazine
and Amity Shales, Bloomberg
Topic: Nothing to Fear: What the1929 Economic
Collapse Can Teach Us Today
No streaming available
February 24, 2009
Speaker: Mary Ellen Sheets, Founder and Chair, Two
Men and a Truck®/International.
Topic: Innovation: Two Men and a Truck
View Presentation
2008
November 11, 2008
Speaker: Blake Krueger - Wolverine World Wide Inc
Topic: Global Leadership through Innovation
No streaming available
February 28, 2009
Speaker: Mark Murray, President, Meijer, Inc.
Topic: The Skills We'll Need to Return to Growth
No streaming available
2007
September 27, 2007
Speaker: Tom Izzo, Head Basketball Coach, Michigan
State University
Topic: The Business of Basketball
No streaming available
2006
November 8, 2006
Speaker: George Hamilton, President, Dow Automotive
Topic: Chemistry and Cars
No streaming available
