2012 Conference News

Real Prosperity Starts Here

Local First business conference in Grand Rapids (posted on May 16 2012)
GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM)
Business leaders from around the country are in Grand Rapids this week to stress the importance of having strong locally owned businesses. It's part of the tenth annual BALLE Business Conference...
BALLE Conference in the Grand Rapids Business Journal (posted on May 8 2012)
Grand Rapids Business Journal
The 2012 BALLE Business Conferece was featured on the front page of the Grand Rapids Business Journal.
Prepare in Advance for Collaborative Sessions (posted on May 2 2012)
BALLE
BALLE has added a new dimension to its programming this year: Collaborative Sessions -- facilitated opportunities for conference attendees to do generative work with one another around topics...
Conference Speaker John Fullerton Will Be Featured On PBS's Frontline Tonight! (posted on May 1 2012)
The Capital Institute / www.pbs.org
PBS’s Frontline will be featuring BALLE Conference Speaker and Capital Institute Founder and President John Fullerton in the second installment of its special “Money, Power & Wall...
Grand Rapids Business Owners Lead with their Values (posted on May 1 2012)
MLive
An interfaith panel of West Michigan business owners discuss religion's role in running socially responsible, community-based businesses.
BALLE Announces New Conference Scholarship for Michigan Social Entrepreneurs (posted on Apr 16 2012)
BALLE
BALLE is delighted to announce a new scholarship fund sponsored by the Kellogg Foundation for Michigan Social Entrepreneurs to attend the BALLE Business Conference. Recipients will receive free...
Pre-Conference Workshop: How To Build a BALLE Network (posted on Apr 12 2012)
BALLE
Are you thinking of starting a network of locally owned, independent businesses in your region, town, county, city, or neighborhood? Are you already at the helm of a young network and want to...
Sustainable Manufacturing featured on Living Economy Tour at the 2012 BALLE Conference (posted on Apr 10 2012)
BALLE
Did you know that high-quality furniture was Grand Rapids’ first claim to fame? Being the ‘Furniture Capital of the World’ gave West Michigan its strong economic start over a...
2012 Back-of-the-Napkin Business Plan Competition, sponsored by Organic Valley (posted on Mar 28 2012)
BALLE
The BALLE Conference will once again hold the Back-of-the-Napkin Business Plan Competition, sponsored by Organic Valley.  Attendees dream up entrepreneurial ideas and have to write out their...
Conference Speaker: Maggie Anderson (posted on Mar 14 2012)
BALLE
The BALLE Conference is proud to feature Maggie Anderson, Co-Founder of The Empowerment Experiment and author of Our Black Year, exploring issues of ownership and empowerment in the African-American...