There’s something special about creating a hand-made product. Makers are those creative people who design, build, tinker or imagine. Often working in a garage, barn, kitchen or basement, they strive to solve common problems – or simply to satisfy a basic human desire to create. While the motivation to make things has always existed, the tools available to the average DIY-er have evolved to the point where we are now entering a new golden age of design. The convergence of technology and creativity has fueled what has become known as the Maker Movement.
The Maker Movement is growing around the world, and Lansing is no exception. This week, a team of more than a dozen local partners are excited to kick off Michigan's first Maker Week and the Midwest's premier Startup Weekend: Maker Edition.
Lansing Maker Week culminates on Friday, October 10 with Startup Weekend: Maker Edition, hosted by Lansing Community College in partnership with Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP). This is merely the fifth event of its kind in the US, and the first in Michigan and the Midwest. Participants will spend the weekend at LCC’s West Campus tech center where they will have access to electronics labs, CAD systems, 3D printers, metal working areas, woodworking tools and more. They will come to share ideas, form teams, design products, and launch a business—all in 54 hours. It's an exciting, productive event with a track record of fostering successful, job-creating startup companies across the nation.
Click here to read about Maker Week in the Lansing State Journal. For more information on all of Lansing Maker Week and Startup Weekend: Maker Edition, visit the website.
By Tom Donaldson
Regional Director – Lansing Community College Small Business Development Center
