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Alex Bandar, PhD, is an engineer by training and entrepreneur by accident. After having worked for 10 years as a computational metallurgist with clients ranging from GE to Apple to Honda, he founded the Columbus Idea Foundry, which has been called by TechCrunch, “The World's Largest Maker Space.” It's home to a wide assortment of artists, metal workers, carpenters, designers, small businesses, musicians – the list goes on and on. As you might expect, he is passionate about the culture of innovation neighborhoods and speaks and consults regularly on this exciting emerging topic. Alex grew up with a love of science fiction. He was fascinated by the technological possibilities depicted on the big screen. As he got older, he decided engineering was what would put him closest to making that magic a reality, but that wasn't the case. Along the way, he learned to combine his fascination with technology and love of making things in a unique way that opens up those same opportunities for the rest of his community. His point of view on creativity and expression are as refreshing as they are familiar. It's great to interview and highlight people like Alex who are having an impact on their community in ways that so directly align with what Gravity is all about. Enjoy. What Brett asks: [02:09] Can you tell us about your childhood? [09:25] When did you make the connection between your childhood spark and what you do today? [14:22] Why do some persevere while others give up? [18:35] How did your interests as a kid fall into alignment with who you are today? [33:04] What is the meaning behind your tattoo? [38:05] How did the Idea Foundry get started? [51:32] Where do you see things going in the maker space? [1:00:27] What are your thoughts on the metaverse? To learn more about intentional living, and for the complete show notes, visit: http://brett-kaufman.com (brett-kaufman.com) Resources: https://www.ideafoundry.com/ (ideafoundry.com) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ideafoundrycolumbus/?hl=en (@ideafoundrycolumbus) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbandar/ (linkedin.com/in/alexbandar) Gravity is produced and published by http://crate.media (Crate Media).
Summary: Casey McCarty is the CEO of the Idea Foundry. Before taking over as CEO a year and a half ago, Casey had served as the COO for 7 years. The Idea Foundry is a community of makers, designed to inspire creativity and help their members bring out new ideas and unleash their passion to …
Summary: Alex Bandar founded the Columbus Idea Foundry, a community of makers, designed to inspire creativity and help their members bring out new ideas and unleash their passion to make things; from learning to weld, make video games, launch a startup, or even just take a class or two, you can do it all at …
When Casey McCarty first joined the Idea Foundry, her role was largely behind the scenes. She was in charge of operations, something she compares to your organs, in that "you don't really think about them unless there's something going awry. But then, last August, she ascended to the top job at the makerspace. Early in her tenure as CEO, though, she learned an important lesson about what it takes to be the "frontman" of an organization. "I was still running into situations where'd I be, say, upstairs in our coworking space, chatting with people around some coffee and someone would say … 'Which business do you run?" McCarty recalled during a recent taping of our Women of Influence podcast. Sheepishly, she would answer, "This one." "So that's a lesson learned," McCarty said during our interview. "Even if your job description isn't necessarily out if in front, if you have career aspirations, you better make sure people know your face." Check out our full conversation with McCarty for more leadership lessons and to learn more about how her background in criminal justice impacts the way she does her job today.
When Casey McCarty agreed to help out the Columbus Idea Foundry, she thought she knew what kind of response she would get. "Who even is she?" McCarty said she imagined the (largely male) members of the makerspace saying when they saw McCarty, a neophyte to the world of the "maker" industry, trying to make necessary operational changes. "I was just expecting all of this pushback," said McCarty, who joined the Idea Foundry as COO about eight years ago. "That's not what I encountered at all." "The members … wanted it to be successful" she said. "All these anxieties about being in this overly male-dominated space didn’t end up coming to fruition.” McCarty, now a year into her tenure as CEO of the makerspace, shared that memory in a recent conversation for our Women of Influence podcast. The experience taught her that there's not much to be gained from being nervous about entering a male-dominated space as a woman in leadership. That's not to say, of course, that she's never encountered some "toxic sexism" in her work life. Check out the teaser below to hear how McCarty handles those issues, plus my own recap of some conversations about women in leadership that came up at this week's L Brands investor day.
Alex Bandar is the founder and Chief Mischief-Maker at the Columbus Idea Foundry. An engineer by training and serial entrepreneur by practice, Alex is the kind of guy who likes to roll up his sleeves and solve problems – and inspire others do the same. The Idea Foundry is a multifaceted collaborative environment for exploring, learning, making; a makerspace for anyone with passion and an idea. Whether you want to launch a startup or teach a class, create a podcast or learn a new skill, collaborate on an idea or get into some mischief, it’s the ideal place to make things happen in a 21st century world. We unbox: The next generation of teaching and learning What is work in the 21st century? Tricking kids to learn tech through hands-on, functional artistic projects Becoming a center for creative and techy adults What innovation means in a world where sci-fi is becoming reality Columbus is a startup town – and a 21st century version of Renaissance Florence Italy Why the Columbus Idea Foundry works The role of makerspaces in a traditional education setting Why does a community need a culture of creation? What employers and industries want from today’s young learners Resources: Learn more at (https://ideafoundry.com/) IF on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ideafoundrycolumbus/ IF on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IdeaFoundryColumbus/ IF on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/columbus-idea-foundry/ IF on Twitter: https://twitter.com/IdeaFoundryCbus Alex on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexander.bandar Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbandar/ Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate Media Recorded by Eric French at (http://wosu.org/) in Columbus, Ohio
In the fourteenth episode we are joined by Alex Bandar the founder and CEO of the Columbus Idea Foundry located in Franklinton. During this episode we talk about what a makerspace actually is, how the Idea Foundry got started, and what the newest Franklinton location is used you. Finally we discuss what innovation will look like for Columbus, and how the Idea Foundry could be apart of it.
Justin discusses how OrisIntel approaches product and his career journey into product. This is the audio recording from the live event on 10/26/2017 at the Columbus Idea Foundry. www.meetup.com/ProductTank-Columbus www.orisintel.com www.awh.net https://ideafoundry.com
Summary: The CEO and Founder of the Columbus Idea Foundry, a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Lehigh University, and an all around passionate about knowledge and life individual, Alex Bandar joins us on this episode of Conquering Columbus – Alex talks with us about his childhood and learning to be curious about the …
Live from the Columbus Idea Foundry makerspace and incubator, I talk with Alex Bandar about protoyping products, neighborhoods, cities and the Idea Foundry itself. Alex Bandar is an engineer with a specialization in materials science and computer assisted design. In 2008, he founded the Columbus Idea Foundry, which has recently moved into a new and larger space, becoming the largest makerspace in the country. It is an anchor for the redevelopment of the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus, and an important part of the Columbus entrepreneurial ecosystem. September 19th and 20th, 2015, the CIF will take part in the Independents' Weekend and will hold an open house as part of the event. If you're in their neighborhood, please stop by for a visit. Show Notes & Links Columbus Idea Foundry Franklinton Development Corporation IC3D Printers Printers and high spec filament developed at the Foundry. "Scrape" the electric motorcycle, designed by Todd Perkins, who also developed "The Inhaler", a high speed electric car, and other high performance experimental vehicles. Jotnot The Four Hour Workweek Tim Ferriss
This week's Manufacturing Tomorrow podcast features Alex Bandar, founder and CEO of Columbus Idea Foundry. At the Foundry, Alex and his all-volunteer team teach classes on design and fabrication, provide consulting and production resources, perform micro-manufacturing services for local businesses, and incubate 30+ individuals, artists, entrepreneurs and small businesses within the walls of the shop. In leading the Maker Movement wave, he is redefining what it means to manufacturer. Covering the latest topics, our guests include company C-suite executives and engineers to industry-facing academics, supportive government and regional economic development agents of change. More information is at http://omi.osu.edu/podcast.