CEDAR CITY — The second “Innovation Talk” in a monthly series of free business forums hosted by Cedar City Business and Innovation Center is scheduled to take place Thursday evening.
July’s featured speaker will be James Barlow, CEO of Building Zone Industries Steel (BZI Steel), a Cedar City-based steel fabrication and construction business.
Members of the public are welcome to attend, said Isaac Askeroth, director of the innovation center, which is located at 510 W. 800 South in Cedar City. The hourlong event is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
Askeroth said Barlow is expected to speak about his business, which started with five men erecting a single pole barn and has since expanded into a multimillion-dollar company with 400 employees.
“He’s very motivating to listen to,” Askeroth said of Barlow. “To hear the different ways that they have done so many different things, to just help them get off the ground, or to help the industry. They don’t just do things the old way that they’ve always done it. They find that faster, newer, better way.”
Last month, on June 9, the Innovation Talk series kicked off with BEX Sunglasses founder Jason Adams as the featured speaker.
Adams, citing his own rodeo background, spoke about how he started out with the idea of making a high-quality, durable pair of sunglasses that would stay on a rider’s head.
He then talked of the ups and downs he’s experienced since starting the company in 2009, giving insights and suggestions for others who might have similar ideas and aspirations.
“Day by day, there’s no manual to be an entrepreneur because every situation is different,” Adams said during his talk, which also featured a question-and-answer session. “Every situation is unique, and so you never really know what to expect.”
He also emphasized the absolute importance of staying committed and having the guts to keep going.
He said:
You’re never going to skip the hard work. Something might happen at the very beginning of the business, it might happen somewhere in the middle, or it might happen at the end. But you’re never going to be able to skip over that step of where it’s really hard … down and dirty, roll up your sleeves … whether that’s digitally, physically, mentally, emotionally … you’re going to go all in, you’re going to go through that. That, you’re not going to skip. Especially if you want to be the type of company that you intend to be.
Although BEX is headquartered in southern Nevada, Adams is in the process of opening up a small office in Cedar City, Askeroth said, noting that BEX has also signed on as the primary sponsor for a full year’s worth of monthly Innovation Talks, to be hosted at the center on the second Thursday of each month.
“I think he came here and saw what he liked,” Askeroth said of Adams. “He wants to launch into other markets.”
To watch last month’s Innovation Talk featuring Adams, click here (Facebook Live archive).
Event details
- What: Innovation Talk featuring James Barlow, CEO of BZI Steel.
- When: Thursday, July 14, 6 p.m.
- Where: Cedar City Business and Innovation Center, 510 W. 800 South, Cedar City.
- Admission: Free and open to the public. Viewers may also watch the event live on the center’s Facebook page.
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