Electric scooter company to zoom into business college for first entrepreneurship forum

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The president of Fido Motors, an electric scooter company, will be the next speaker in the Entrepreneurship Forum speaker series at Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business.

Jeb Gast will speak at 8 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11, in 2150 Schneider Hall. The event is free and open to the public and begins with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (269) 387-5050 or at wmich.edu/business/e-rsvp. Free parking is available in the Fetzer Center lot, 72F.

Fido Motors

Fido Motors began with Gast's search to find an electric scooter that could compete with gasoline-powered scooters. Gast started Soundspeed Scooters in 2008 and quickly realized that the electric scooters he was selling in the Seattle store were not meeting his expectations or those of his customers.

Gast set out to create an electric scooter that provided the low-maintenance, reliable and fun ride that his customers expected, with an elegant and simple design. In 2011, Gast built his first Fido scooter in the Seattle shop and has since brought the company to Kalamazoo to continue his scooter revolution.

In November 2014, Gast took the Fido scooter to Milan, Italy, for the Milan Motorcycle Show, the largest two-wheel vehicle trade show in the world. Fido quickly received attention, with many companies looking to purchase dozens of scooters for rental use.

About the Entrepreneurship Forum

The Entrepreneurship Forum is a monthly series hosted by WMU's Haworth College of Business to bring stories of entrepreneurial success to the greater Kalamazoo community. This series is devoted to entrepreneurs and unique stories of startup success. To learn more about the series, visit wmich.edu/business/entrepreneurship-forum.

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.