A panel of local designers and small business owners debate that age old question – hire for best price or best quality?

Panelists:
James Archer – Forty Agency
Derek Neighbors – Integrum Technologies
Blair Hatfield
Scott Cate – Event Day

Lori Quan, Economic Development Specialist for the City of Chandler, discusses the services and resources your local economic development office can provide, and what you should know as a small business.

After 10 years of study & research, Tom McDermott  of Fascination Nation, believes he’s discovered the trait most affecting human happiness, and it’s not passion. It’s your Greatest Natural Fascination, your ‘GNF’.

Tom shared his process for finding your true purpose in life through determining what fascinates you at your brownbag on May 11, 2011.

Before he was Captain Bluescreen for Integrum, Chris Coneybeer was an executive chef in a french restaurant. Chris recounts his ascent through the restaurant industry as a young age, breaking down the elements of a kitchen and what role a chef really plays.

Backpacking veteran Nick Hammond shares the lessons he’s learned on the road and real-world tips to making your first backpacking trip a success. Tips include what to pack, where to go, what to avoid and how to pick a traveling partner.

Ward Andrews of Drawbackwards and Design.org shared his thought process when designing a poster, and had participants walk through the process themselves.

This is an interactive video, so have paper, pencil or computer ready!

For more Gangplank Academy classes and presentations, visit our video archives.

Utilizing a Gamestorming technique called ‘Show Me Your Values’, Gangplank participants discussed the values surrounding the words ‘Gangplank’, ‘Coworking’ and ‘Community’. A conversation followed regarding Gangplank staff experiences at the Coworking Unconference at SXSW, as well as what differentiates the Gangplank model from more traditional coworking spaces.

Scott Yacko of Circlestone Media provides an introduction to Google Adwords, including best practices and how to setup campaigns.

Martin Cizmar, music critic and blogger for the Phoenix New Times, spoke about his path to becoming a critic. He explains that in many ways, music criticism is not much different from reporting, particularly when attending shows.

Gangplank alum and loyal brownbag tweeter, Stephanie Liebold, stepped in front of the audience at the beginning of this year to share her experiences running Bold Avenue, her design business. Stephanie shares how she works with distributors, as well as the motivation behind expanding her services over the last year.