Gene Powell
After nearly two decades in design and advertising, Gene launched SPOKE — a digital design boutique — with the goal of helping medium- and enterprise-level businesses define and build digital marketing platforms that influence and empower customers. An award-winning designer, his interactive, film and print work has been honored by the Detroit Chapter of the AIGA, STEP Inside Design Magazine, The Toledo Ad Club, the e-Healthcare Leadership Awards, and the Communication Union of Norway.
Seeing the need for a regional networking organization for entrepreneurs, Gene co-founded StartUp Toledo in 2011. The organization evolved to become a premier monthly celebration of Toledo’s startup community; innovators, entrepreneurs and creatives who are driving the new economic engine of the Toledo Region. Gene is a graduate of BGSU, and lives with his family in Perrysburg. He’s a co-founder of Seed Coworking, Toledo’s Original Coworking Community™.
Don Miller
Don is the founder and principal consultant of GroundSpeed, a web and mobile custom development agency started in 2010, serving over 40 national clients. He has over 20 years of experience in solving business problems with technology. He worked on his first mobile project before the technology was ready in 2001, and has spent the last 5 years developing for Apple’s iOS.
Don is a graduate of the University of Toledo with a degree in business and a minor in finance. He has also attended hundreds of hours of structured technical training to master his craft. He has given back to the community that he received so much from by co-authoring a textbook and class material for the University of Toledo’s first iOS native development class. He has also authored and presented half-day training sessions at conferences on mobile technology throughout the country. He lives with his family in Sylvania where he’s active in politics and volunteering. He’s also a co-founder of Seed Coworking, Toledo’s Original Coworking Community™.
Adam Hansen
Adam Hansen is a partner at Seed Coworking who collaboratively manages Toledo’s original cowork community. He is the founder of ToledoEats.com, a directory of downtown restaurants and bars. And by day, Adam is the Lucas County Records Manager who works with over 40 county departments and agencies managing, imaging and properly following retention laws of our government records.
Adam believes that by cultivating strong relationships within our communities we can make a positive impact both locally and globally.
Adam holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with concentration in Public Relations from The University of Toledo, and has trained journalists and companies in Cairo, Glasgow, and Frankfurt on social media principles and practices. He lives, works and plays in Toledo.
