Last fall, Harrisburg social entrepreneur Alex Hartzler led us in a stimulating discussion of “Urban Revitalization: Why a Christian Businessperson Should Care.” He’s back this fall, and he’s taking the topic global.

During this event Alex broadened the conversation to international economic development. From his many years of experience in emerging markets around the world and his current work with three international investment groups, Alex expounded how investing in these underrated markets not only boosts business, but also serves as a powerful catalyst for positive community change.

This event took place at the Eden Resort and Suites (222 Eden Rd, Lancaster, PA 17601 on Wednesday, September 16, 2015.

Watch a video of the event below or at https://youtu.be/bG-N128rfnM and also watch the Sarona fund videos.

Alex Hartzler

Alex Hartzler is Managing Partner and Founder of WCI Partners, LP. Alex provides strategic guidance and oversight to WCI. He believes in the power of long-term patient capital to provide solid financial returns while building the larger community around those investments. And he believes that community building, smart, environmentally friendly development, and engaged business practices are fundamental to long-term success in real estate and business.

Alex was Executive Vice President and a partner of Webclients.net from 2000 until the company’s sale to ValueClick, Inc. in June 2005. He previously served as a corporate attorney with Buchanan Ingersoll, P.C. from 1995 to 1999. He is a graduate of Penn State University (BA – Economics), The George Washington University Law School (JD), and was a Fulbright Scholar in Cologne, Germany.

Alex is currently the Chairman of Sarona Asset Management, a private equity firm investing in frontier and emerging markets around the world. He currently serves as Director of the Board of MEDA and previously was Chairman of the Board of Ten Thousand Villages, an international handicraft distributor and retailer. He has been active in the impact investment arena for many years with Sarona and is a founding investor in several Sarona and MicroVest funds.

Alex is also the publisher of TheBurg, a monthly community newspaper in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Lead Sponsor

Mennonite Economic Development Associates

Since leaving The Hershey Company in 2011, Don Larson has been on a quest to transform lives in Africa using sustainable business practices and readily available resources. He has shown that building a factory and hiring a local workforce to plant, harvest, and package cashews in Mozambique can be about much more than nuts. The Sunshine Nut Company now sells its products around the world, including in American grocery stores like Giant Foods and Whole Foods. Come learn how the Sunshine Approach™ achieves Quadruple Bottom Line results—financial, environmental, social, and transformational—to bring lasting economic change to some of the world’s most disadvantaged people. Be inspired by one who works at the intersection of Christian compassion and economic excellence.

This event took place on Wednesday, April 29th, 2015 at the Eden Resort and Suites in Lancaster, PA.

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Social entrepreneurship has been defined as the process of pursuing innovative or sustainable solutions to social problems. Whether it’s in the nonprofit or for profit sector, social entrepreneurship is seen as advancing business for a greater cause—or as some may say, a higher calling.

Do you have an idea that you think could change the world, our society, or at least your neighborhood? Join us to hear how Ryan Keith ’02, founder of Forgotten Voices, channeled his experiences and education to respond to the needs of children orphaned by AIDS in Africa. Leveraging Local Partnerships for Social Change promises to be an engaging event that will offer practical advice for moving ideas from inception to implementation, while inspiring attendees to imagine how their professional ambitions could make a transformative difference.

View a copy of the Forgotten Voices overview card here.

If you are looking for more information about social entreprenurship, Ryan recommends the book From Concept to Scale: Building Gospel-Minded Organizations as a great, practical resource to launching or enhancing social enterprises. The book is published by Praxis Media, a social entrepreneurship accelerator helping non-profit and for-profit organizations.

This event took place on February 18, 2015  at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel in Harrisburg, PA.

We had another fantastic event with some great discussions! Ryan Keith did an amazing job of leading the event and shared his journey into social entrepreneurship. Watch a video of the event below or at http://youtu.be/uu-W0LcjEsY.

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We enjoyed another great breakfast networking event titled “Urban Revitalization: Why a Christian Businessperson Should Care“. Our featured speaker for this event was Alex Hartzler.

This event took place on November 18, 2014  at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel in Harrisburg, PA.

We had another fantastic event with some great discussions! Alex Hartzler did an amazing job of leading the event and sharing some fantastic knowledge and examples of urban revitalization at work in the Harrisburg, PA area. Watch a video of the event below or at http://youtu.be/XqcI7kB1d9g.

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It’s no secret that businesses want to succeed. It also should be no surprise that their employees want to succeed! Of course, there’s often a strong, positive relationship between the two—when employees succeed, so do the organizations they serve.

A key question, then, becomes: How can organizations most effectively encourage and support their employees’ success?

Mark Griffin, founder of In HIS Name HR and a professional with more than two decades of experience working with high performance organizations, is uniquely qualified to explore this question.

Managing Employees to Success promises to be an interesting and interactive event that will offer fresh ideas and productivity-enhancing insights for employers and employees alike.

Please join us for this important Messiah College Business Alumni Networking Breakfast and make plans now to attend what promises to be a stimulating event!

This event took place on September 16, 2014  at the Eden Resort and Suites in Lancaster, PA. Keep reading for a full recording of the event.

We had another fantastic event with some great discussions! Connie and Gary Ostwald did an amazing job of leading the event and sharing some fantastic knowledge and examples. Watch a video of the event below or at http://youtu.be/6lTXYPAyreM.

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Learn how the principles found in coaching can help you overcome barriers to success and help you reach your full potential-in work and life.

Most people face specific challenges that keep them from fulfilling a greater purpose in their lives or work. Fortunately, good coaching can help individuals overcome such barriers and realize their full potential in every area of their life.

Enjoy an interactive discussion, led by experienced life coach and Messiah alumnae, Christine Olsen ’91, SMD Marketing and Coaching Services. Christine will identify how fear, obligation and guilt shape our personal and professional ambitions and limit our sense of fulfillment. She will also share tips for overcoming these common obstacles and give guests a chance to share their experiences during this lively breakfast session.

This event took place on April 30th, 2014  at the Eden Resort and Suites in Lancaster, PA. Keep reading for a full recording of the event.

We had another fantastic event with some great discussions! Connie and Gary Ostwald did an amazing job of leading the event and sharing some fantastic knowledge and examples. Watch a video of the event below or at http://youtu.be/9UgGWrfttos.

Have you ever set a New Year’s Resolution for your own self-improvement as a leader or in your personal life, and then have it fizzle out by February? Have you ever wanted to make a significant change to the way you approach the leadership roles (both personal and professional) in your life?

Hear how Executive Coaching can make a difference in your success at work and in your personal life. Gary and Connie Ostwald will share current stories from their coaching experience through interactive role playing with members of the audience during this lively breakfast session.

Leading the conversion is a pair of human resource and coaching experts and founders of Coaching to Authenticity, Inc:

• Connie Ostwald (Associate Professor of Economics & Development at Messiah College)
• Gary Ostwald (Executive coach at garyostwald.com, author of Lead With Authenticity & leadership development consultant)
  

This event took place on February 19th, 2014  at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey and was sponsored by ParenteBeard.

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As many Americans postpone retirement, the age gap been the oldest and youngest in the workplace continues to expand. Of course, generational differences have always existed, but age-related disparities seem to be increasingly acute, perhaps because of factors such as changing values and asymmetrical adoption of new technology.

• What are the challenges of working with others who are significantly older or younger than you?
• How can you respond positively to these challenges in order to ensure your own productivity as well as that of your co-workers?

These are two of the key questions that will be addressed at the upcoming Messiah Business Alumni networking breakfast. The format of the event will be highly interactive with opportunities for table discussion as well as dialogue among all participants.

Leading the conversion will be a pair of human resource experts:

• Mark Hopkins (Regional Director, Human Resources at Aetna)
• Holly Paine Magnuson (Director, Global Talent Planning and Workforce Analytics at The Hershey Company)

As a registered attendee, we’d like you to do a little “homework” prior to coming.  We think reading this PDF article will help encourage discussion around each table.

This event took place on September 24th, 2013 at the Radisson in Camp Hill and was sponsored by Messiah Lifeways.

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