KALAMAZOO ? Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest and Southwest Michigan First will be co hosting an entrepreneurial program this fall that will feature training for angel investors as well as presentations by Michigan companies looking for possible investments.

While details remain sketchy, the program would replace the former two-day summer symposiums that had been hosted several times yearly by Southwest Michigan First under former CEO Barry Broome. Last year, Broome took the top job at the Phoenix economic development organization and was replaced by Ron Kitchens, who had run the Corpus Christi, Texas, economic development agency.

Kitchens, in a brief email, said the event will have a full day training session for angel investors as well as presentations by companies seeking venture capital funding.

GLEQ Executive Director Art DeMonte said details have not yet been firmed up.

Earlier this year, Southwest Michigan First signed a three-year pact with the Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest to provide program support and a $10,000 award to a team from Southwest Michigan competing in the statewide business-plan writing contest.

The $10,000 will be awarded each Fall at the GLEQ Awards Ceremony and is in addition to any other prizes won in the statewide competition. SMF will back up the award by helping the Award winner commercialize their products.

?We have supported the GLEQ consistently over the past five years and feel we have the opportunity to take this alliance to a new, more effective level in providing technology networking and assistance to fledging companies in this region of the state,? said Paul Neeb, Vice President at SMF. ?Southwest Michigan First will host the GLEQ Fall 2006 Business Plan Awards Ceremony and present the top team from this region with our Innovation Award as part of our bigger effort to impact the growth of new companies.?

GLEQ Board Member David Brenner described Southwest Michigan First’s strong commitment, “As a leap forward in providing a complete commercialization process for growth companies in Southwest Michigan. These companies will be the ones to watch in the years to come.”

For more details, click on GLEQ.Org