If you ask me what I love about living in Grand Rapids, I will give you a list as long as the weekends here during the warm summer months. But when you ask who inspires me, then that list shortens to a select few who truly act to move our community in a forward direction.
One such person is
Mayor Bliss, who in her first month in office, invited the community to join her in the reading of the book “
A City Within a City: The Black Freedom Struggles in Grand Rapids, Michigan” by Todd E. Robinson.
For her second year in office, she has challenged the community to read the book “Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big” by Bo Burlingham. “Small Giants” is the 2017 Mayor’s Book of the Year.
On Monday, Burlingham will be in Grand Rapids and you have two opportunities to hear him speak live.
The first is at the Monday 12 - 1:30 p.m. luncheon at the Economic Club of Grand Rapids held at the JW Marriott. This lunch event is open to members of the club as well as the public. To reserve a seat at the event, please follow this
link.
Later in the afternoon at 3 p.m. is
The Art of Celebrated Service presented by Celebration! Cinema North where Burlingham will share stories from his book that explores 14 privately held companies, each in varying sectors of industry, who’ve made a conscious decision to be “great instead of big.” The examples these companies provide our locals showcases how we as a community have begun to take serious the wholistic approach a city needs if it is to evolve in an ever-changing economic landscape.
“Bringing Bo Burlingham to Grand Rapids is a wonderful opportunity for business owners and community members to hear his message about why it’s important to use business to strengthen communities,” said Elissa Hillary, Local First president. “West Michigan is home to so many amazing companies that are small giants and Bo’s book has sparked a community dialogue over the last year about using business as a force for good. We’re excited to hear his story and learn ways we can continue to support the small giants in our community.”
Burlingham, a regular contributor to Forbes and the former executive editor of Inc. Magazine, has also written: “The Great Game of Business,” “A Stake in the Outcome, Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies On Top,” and “The Knack: How Street-Smart Entrepreneurs Learn to Handle Whatever Comes Up.”
His appearance in West Michigan is provided courtesy of Local First, the Economic Club of Grand Rapids, Celebration! Cinema, and Mercantile Bank.