September 23, 2014

SVSU Hosting Sustainability Conference

Wednesday, Sept. 24 - Friday, Sept. 26
Curtiss Hall, SVSU

Saginaw Valley State University is co-hosting an international conference on business sustainability Wednesday, Sept. 24 through Friday, Sept. 26. SVSU’s College of Business and Management is partnering with Shri Ram College of Commerce, the renowned business school of the University of Delhi, India in organizing this conference on SVSU’s campus.

Events on the opening day (Wednesday), include a master class by Joe Affholter, a successful entrepreneur and co-founder and chief strategist for GANTEC, a Midland-based company with ties to Africa. It practices sustainable agriculture business with a unique village-focused supply chain and a triple-bottom-line business model that measures success in terms of positive economic, environmental, and community returns. Affholter will speak at 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday’s keynote address will be given by Linda Kennan, vice president for corporate stewardship at Dow Corning. She will speak in the Curtiss Hall banquet rooms at noon.

At 1:30 p.m., George Puia, Dow Chemical Co. Centennial Chair in Global Business at SVSU, will chair an industry panel that will discuss doing business in India.

That evening, conference participants will celebrate the rich heritage and culture of India, featuring food, music and dance with the conference co-hosts, Shri Ram College of Commerce, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Throughout the week, the conference will feature presentations by academic scholars and business professionals. Topics include sustainable energy, family business, sustainable agribusiness, and economic development. A full schedule is available online at www.svsu.edu/gbs2014.