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:20260210T113000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20260210T130000 DTSTAMP:20260530T065128 CREATED:20260329T175028Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260329T202416Z UID:10000002-1770723000-1770728400@8thirtyfour.com SUMMARY:Big Deal Energy: Personal Branding with Kim Bode DESCRIPTION:Click Here to Register\n \n \n \n \n Speakers Kim Bode\, CEO of 8THIRTYFOURKevin Stotts\, President of TalentFirstFacilitators Donovan Anderson\, Interim Dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Grand Valley State UniversityMarlee Boyle\, Director of Human Resources at Lake Michigan Credit UnionMichelle Burke\, Director of Postsecondary Programs and Partnerships for The Michigan Center for Adult College Success\, an initiative of TalentFirstNatalie Lowell\, President of Project Management Institute West Michigan ChapterKyle Perry\, HR Assistant at Cooper People Group and Vice President of the Grand Rapids Junior Chamber \n \n In 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. Employers 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**. We’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. Employers and talent are going to discuss what’s working\, what’s missing\, and what they wish the other side understood. Get uncomfortable with us; we’ll have snacks and libations to loosen you up. Read the Hard Cost of Soft Skills and check out the videos below in preparation for this chat. \n \n Event Schedule \n \n 4:30 – 5:00 p.m. | Arrival + NetworkingCheck in\, find your assigned seat\, and meet the people at your table while enjoying light snacks and drinks. 5:00 – 5:30 p.m. | The ProblemSpeakers Kim Bode\, CEO of 8THIRTYFOURKevin Stotts\, President of TalentFirstThe 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. 5:30 – 6:15 p.m. | Table Conversations (Facilitated)Facilitators Donovan Anderson\, Interim Dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Grand Valley State UniversityKim Bode\, CEO of 8THIRTYFOURMarlee Boyle\, Director of Human Resources at Lake Michigan Credit UnionMichelle Burke\, Director of Postsecondary Programs and Partnerships for The Michigan Center for Adult College Success\, an initiative of TalentFirstKyle Perry\, HR Assistant at Cooper People Group and Vice President of the Grand Rapids Junior ChamberEach 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. 6:15 – 6:40 p.m. | Share OutTables report back on what they learned that surprised them and what they’ll do differently. 6:40 – 7:00 p.m. | Networking + Next StepsStick around\, because the best conversations happen after the formal stuff ends. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Date & Time \n \n Date: Apr 28\, 2026Time: 4:30-7:00 p.m. \n \n \n \n Presenting Partner \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 8THIRTYFOUR Learning Hub \n \n \n\n1365 Plainfield Ave NE\n \n \n Grand Rapids\,\n\n MI\n\n 49505\n\n United States\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n About Uncomfortable Conversations\n \n \n Change 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. Uncomfortable 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/big-deal-energy-personal-branding-with-kim-bode/ LOCATION:L. William Seidman Center\, 50 Front Ave SW\, Grand Rapids\, MI\, 49504\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://8thirtyfour.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/image.webp END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR