Anyone who has ever produced an event knows how great the idea seems at first — and how complicated it becomes as the day of the performance approaches. This thought crossed my mind the other morning at about 5 AM, as I prepared to leave the house for what would be about my 200th LeadersConnect Breakfast event. Usually, these events are held at Zingerman’s Roadhouse, but with the patio under construction, the February event took place at a new venue: Leon Lofts.
Of course, “Rob’s LeadersConnect Event” is actually a team effort, requiring many hands to make it all happen.
The theme for this particular event was Music and the Arts as Economic Drivers in Ann Arbor, and several key players brought it to life. Below is an introduction to each of them in the production team:
Mandy
Mandy takes delight in serving great food and coffee to a creative and hungry crowd of amazing people. Offering them good cheer is one of her greatest gifts. Although she might be embarrassed to admit it, she loves hearing how much the attendees appreciate her work. She gets up by 5 AM to gather the food and coffee and ensures it arrives at Leon Lofts by 7:15 AM.
Sierra
Sierra, manager of Zingerman’s Roadhouse Catering, enjoys helping Mandy by transporting the food from Zingerman’s Roadhouse. Her passion lies in helping people create memorable events at the Roadhouse while serving delicious food and providing great service to hundreds of guests every year. Mandy and Sierra load the Zingerman’s van, hop on I-94 before the traffic gets heavy, and haul everything — food, coffee, and all — upstairs to the event space. Sierra was particularly excited about the new lemon delight breakfast roll from the Bakehouse.
Bill
Bill, along with his pal Tom, creates videos to help Rob share these special events with thousands of people through the LeadersConnect website. Bill is proud to say that he launched a second career in video production in his 70s and continues to thrive at age 80. He arrives by 6:30 AM to set up his cameras and microphones, and he was especially excited this time to have a proper stage to work from, which made filming much easier.
Megan
Megan works closely with Rob every month to produce the LeadersConnect events. She gathers information from the presenters, designs the invitations, and sends them to hundreds of local leaders through Eventbrite. She also tracks attendance and delightfully welcomes guests as they arrive when the doors open at 8:00 AM. Throughout the event, she assists Rob with any last-minute needs that arise.
The Panelists
Matt Bower
Matt Bower, a naturally creative person (who even used to act in New York City), now takes pride in building a successful law practice in Ann Arbor. He facilitated the morning’s panel discussion and was the driving force behind the event’s theme. The idea stemmed from his work on the board of the Ann Arbor Art Center. Over the months leading up to the event, Matt worked with Rob and several sponsors to secure speakers, shape the content, and prepare to lead the panel.
Patricia Garcia
Patricia Garcia, publisher of the Ann Arbor Observer, has spent years chronicling the life and culture of Ann Arbor. The Observer covers everything from arts and entertainment to local business openings and closings. For nearly 50 years, copies of the Observer have graced coffee tables across the city. Even though she has had a long career in publishing, this event marked one of the first times Patricia presented about the paper itself — and she was excited to do so alongside such a talented group of fellow panelists.
Jen Cornell Queen
Rob has known Jen Cornell Queen for over 30 years, dating back to her early career at Eiler Communications and Public Relations. Since then, she has worn many hats, from opening a workout facility (complete with kettlebells) to working at Ann Arbor SPARK, where she helped attract talent to the area. Today, she serves as Executive Director of the 116-year-old Ann Arbor Art Center and is a driving force behind public art initiatives, including murals that have brightened downtown.
Noah Kaplan
Noah Kaplan, co-founder of Leon Speakers, hosted the event at Leon Lofts — the beautifully designed auditorium on the top floor of Leon Speakers’ headquarters. Noah and his brothers have made a name for themselves by crafting high-end speakers encased in stunning wooden cabinets. In addition to his role at Leon Speakers, Noah is a musician, artist, designer, and business executive. He, a partner in Mothfire Brewing Co. and York Food & Drink, is helping to create some of Ann Arbor’s most inviting community spaces.
Dave Whitinger
Dave Whitinger, owner of Office Evolution, is a proud sponsor of LeadersConnect. His large coworking space on Eisenhower Parkway regularly showcases local artists. On April 12th, Office Evolution will host Patricia Garcia and Observer Editor John Hilton, who will exhibit decades’ worth of original Ann Arbor Observer covers. Many of the artists who created those covers plan to attend the event.
Karen Tuttle
Karen Tuttle attends the events as our graphic designer. She recently designed a new logo for LeadersConnect, which is proudly displayed at the top of the newsletter.
Rob Pasick
Finally, there is Rob Pasick himself. I founded LeadersConnect 25 years ago to bring together leaders from across sectors — for-profit businesses, nonprofits, government, higher education, the arts, and hospitality — to network and learn from one another. Thanks to the support of sponsors, I have been able to produce more than 200 of these early morning gatherings.
I credit my first real event production experience to my time with the Al Fann Theatre Company in New York City in the late 1960s. There, I learned what it takes to mount a show — from rehearsals and venue logistics to the final production.
Now, with another LeadersConnect event successfully completed, the show goes on. Whether attendees experienced it live or watch the video produced by Bill, the spirit of community leadership and creative collaboration continues to thrive in Ann Arbor.