BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//8THIRTYFOUR - ECPv6.16.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:8THIRTYFOUR
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://8thirtyfour.com
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for 8THIRTYFOUR
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Detroit
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20270314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20271107T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20260428T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20260428T190000
DTSTAMP:20260530T043323
CREATED:20260329T175032Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260422T125152Z
UID:10000004-1777393800-1777402800@8thirtyfour.com
SUMMARY:Uncomfortable Conversations: The Skills Crisis
DESCRIPTION:Click Here to Register\n					 \nSpeakers \n\nKim Bode\, CEO of 8THIRTYFOUR\nKevin Stotts\, President of TalentFirst\n\nFacilitators \n\nDonovan Anderson\, Interim Dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Grand Valley State University\nMarlee Boyle\, Director of Human Resources at Lake Michigan Credit Union\nMichelle Burke\, Director of Postsecondary Programs and Partnerships for The Michigan Center for Adult College Success\, an initiative of TalentFirst\nNatalie Lowell\, President of Project Management Institute West Michigan Chapter\nKyle Perry\, HR Assistant at Cooper People Group and Vice President of the Grand Rapids Junior Chamber\n\nIn typical 8THIRTYFOUR fashion\, we’re talking about the sh*t no one wants to address head-on. We keep hearing there is a talent crisis in America\, and it’s not about finding people; it’s about finding people who can succeed. \nEmployers think Gen Z is lazy\, entitled and will quit the second things get hard. Gen Z thinks employers are out of touch and a pain in the a**. \nWe’re putting you in the same room\, across a table from each other and you’re going to talk about it. It’s time to fix it and since we don’t see anyone else stepping up\, we’ll go ahead and do it. \nEmployers and talent are going to discuss what’s working\, what’s missing\, and what they wish the other side understood. \nGet uncomfortable with us; we’ll have snacks and libations to loosen you up. \nRead the Hard Cost of Soft Skills and check out the videos below in preparation for this chat. \nEvent Schedule\n4:30 – 5:00 p.m. | Arrival + Networking\nCheck in\, find your assigned seat\, and meet the people at your table while enjoying light snacks and drinks. \n5:00 – 5:30 p.m. | The Problem\nSpeakers \n\nKim Bode\, CEO of 8THIRTYFOUR\nKevin Stotts\, President of TalentFirst\n\nThe opening presentation calls out the soft skills crisis — the stats\, the costs\, what broke\, and why we’re all here — followed by two perspectives: an employer sharing what they’re experiencing and an entry-level or newer employee on what it looks like from the other side. \n5:30 – 6:15 p.m. | Table Conversations (Facilitated)\nFacilitators \n\nDonovan Anderson\, Interim Dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Grand Valley State University\nKim Bode\, CEO of 8THIRTYFOUR\nMarlee Boyle\, Director of Human Resources at Lake Michigan Credit Union\nMichelle Burke\, Director of Postsecondary Programs and Partnerships for The Michigan Center for Adult College Success\, an initiative of TalentFirst\nKyle Perry\, HR Assistant at Cooper People Group and Vice President of the Grand Rapids Junior Chamber\n\nEach table gets discussion prompts and a facilitator\, because this is where employers and talent actually talk to each other — not at each other — about what’s working\, what’s missing\, and what they wish the other side understood. \n6:15 – 6:40 p.m. | Share Out\nTables report back on what they learned that surprised them and what they’ll do differently. \n6:40 – 7:00 p.m. | Networking + Next Steps\nStick around\, because the best conversations happen after the formal stuff ends. \nhttps://youtu.be/RHcxLPsuK3Q?si=-U1z7_sd7Si1JJ1Shttps://youtube.com/shorts/guPp3NArljw?si=zEBDWRP8bxcZtkEahttps://8thirtyfour.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Perception-Is-Reality_-The-Brutal-Gen-Z-Wake-Up-Call.mp4																													 \nDate & Time\nDate: Apr 28\, 2026Time: 4:30-7:00 p.m. \nPresenting Partner\n																\n															 \n\n		8THIRTYFOUR Learning Hub	\n\n1365 Plainfield Ave NE\n		\n		Grand Rapids\,\n	MI\n	49505\n	United States\n\n\n\n																															 \nRegister\nAbout Uncomfortable Conversations\n\nChange only happens if you talk about the uncomfortable stuff\, which is something we’ve kind of made a career of — 19 years and counting. You can sit around and complain about it\, or you can do something to change it\, and we’ve chosen the latter. \nUncomfortable Community Conversations are where we tackle what some would say is the hard or taboo stuff\, because growth happens in the uncomfortable\, and that’s what we want for our community\, small businesses\, and you. It’s where we stop being nice and start getting real.
URL:https://8thirtyfour.com/event/the-skills-crisis/
LOCATION:8THIRTYFOUR Learning Hub\, 1365 Plainfield Ave NE\, Grand Rapids\, MI\, 49505\, United States
CATEGORIES:Soft Skills|Uncomfortable Community Conversations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://8thirtyfour.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Uncomfortable-Conversations-The-Skills-Crisis.webp
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR