Venue: Tearoom CRUMBLE: 2 Chome-2-54-5 Kakyoin, Aoba Ward, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0013 

(〒980-0013仙台市青葉区花京院2-2-54-5）https://share.google/EUHL0iM8FwYhPxX8D
9 minute walk from Sendai Station. There is also nearby carparking.

Fee: Free for JALT members, 500 yen for students, 1000 yen general admission

Title: Entrepreneurial Life in Tohoku and Beyond

Speaker(s):  Julian Carl Crocker, Rob LoBreglio, Simon Moran, and Mai Vanbergan

Speaker bio: Julian Carl Crocker

Julian arrived from Cornwall on the JET Program in 1988 and is a founder of multiple businesses mainly in preschool education and private language schools in Miyagi. https://www.carl.jp/

Speaker bio: Rob LoBreglio

Rob from America is the co-founder and CEO of the American Great Dane Brewery. He set up a new brewery in Japan which opened in 2024 in Akiu, Miyagi. https://greatdanebrewing.jp/

Speaker bio:  Simon Moran

Simon arrived from England in 1995 and is a successful entrepreneur in the education industry, and part-time journalist based in Osaka, Kansai. https://www.modernenglish.net/

Speaker bio: Mai Vanbergan

Mai, a Sendai native, moved to England as a teenager and returned with her family to start up her own business in 2020. Tearoom Crumble is an authentic English tearoom in Sendai. https://tearoomcrumble.wixsite.com/intro

Abstract: Friday Sessions is a new concept to explore topics of interest for educators in Japan in a relaxed setting to encourage lifelong learning, building networks, and providing a welcoming first interaction for prospective JALT Sendai members. This inaugural Friday Session is about entrepreneurship in local, national, and international settings. Curated speakers will talk about how they became successful entrepreneurs in Japan, pass on their hard-won wisdom to the JALT community, and answer questions from the participants. Participants will have the opportunity to mingle with proven entrepreneurs in local, national, and international markets. They will leave with a greater understanding of entrepreneurship in Japan to pass onto their students or to have a go themselves.