Creator	Role
Kim Bode Bode loves small businesses, almost as much as she does dogs, so she spends her time happy houring, advocating, and writing about them. She shares her thoughts on leadership, culture, and communications on her blog, Small Biz Musings, and 8THIRTYFOUR podcast, Happy Hour Hustle. She has also written sensational articles on the reboot of The Gilmore Girls and a host of other subjects in Huffington Post, Thrive, Entrepreneur, Authority Magazine, and more. Surrounding herself with small business owners led her to serve on the Small Business Association of Michigan’s Legislative Action Council and Leadership Council Advisory Committee. Supporting women is another passion of Bode and she lives it out by serving as a board advisor for Michigan Women in Defense Chapter and as a part of the Leadership Advisory Council for Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP). In her previous role on the Inforum Regional Council, she brought in people like Tarana Burke, founder of the Me Too Movement and Sarah Thomas, the first female NFL official to chat with the West Michigan community.She also sits on the board for North Quarter Corridor Improvement Authority, is a founding board member of the nonprofit, For the Vets and sits on the R&D committee for United Methodist Community House.When Bode isn’t networking and serving, she is hanging at her cabin in the woods with her incredibly supportive husband and six dogs.	Guest
Gina Thorsen Gina Jacquart Thorsen is CEO of Stormy Kromer, a division of Jacquart Fabric Products, and an iconic, USA-made outdoor apparel brand. As part of the third generation of Jacquart family members to oversee the business, she plays a key role in developing the company’s strategic vision for the future. Under her leadership, the Stormy Kromer brand successfully expanded a small, century-old line of men’s caps into a complete apparel and accessory collection for families and pets, increasing the product offerings fivefold. She has led successful product design collaborations with national brands such as Carhartt, Wolverine, and Merrell. Thorsen serves on the board of the Small Business Association of Michigan and the Emberlight Festival. She is also the vice president of the Mercer Lake Association and a member of the Ironwood Economic Development Corporation.	Guest