“Fireside chats” at Hiram

On cold Wednesday evenings at Hiram College this semester, students could usually be found around the fireplace in the lounge at East Hall, part of The Burton D. Morgan Entrepreneurship Center.

The "fireside chats" were a chance for students to meet with Entrepreneur-in-Residence Michael Dungan of BeeDance. Other entrepreneurs and business professionals joined in from time to time to help the students learn about out-of-class topics, such as the value of networking and how to use it effectively.

Dungan also is teaching an introductory entrepreneurship course. His guest speakers included Rebecca Reynolds, founder of Planet Green and Green Clean; John Zitzner, founder of the Bradley Company, E CITY and E Prep; Barry Conway, co-founder of Conway Green Publishing; and Aaron LeMieux, founder of Tremont Electric LLC.

Dungan is the co-founder of BeeDance, a company with a goal of keeping trash out of landfills and at the same time making enough money to be sustainable. BeeDance plans to use a Web site to match people ready to throw things out with those wanting them. Revenue will come from online advertising and membership fees. In December, BeeDance was awarded a $30,000 grant from the Civic Innovation Lab. The company plans to launch later this year or in early 2010.