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KALAMAZOO—The founder of a popular Mac-only software community on the Internet will be the next presenter in a speaker series at Western ¾ÅÒ»Â鶹ÖÆƬ³§ University focusing on entrepreneurship.

Joel Mueller, founder of MacUpdate, will speak at 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 8, in 2150 Schneider Hall, as part of the Haworth College of Business Entrepreneurship Forum. 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 nearby Fetzer Center parking lot.

Joel Mueller

Mueller's entrepreneurial story started in high school when he developed companies as a teenager and grew them into some of the most popular and well-respected companies in their niches. At the age of 16, Mueller began MacUpdate, a centralized location where users can find software, reviews, demos and more. Reaching more than seven million visits each month, the company sells hundreds of thousands of copies of third party applications directly from its nearly hidden online storefront. While earning his bachelor's in business administration at WMU, Mueller was both a full-time student and a full-time CEO.

The company has since been recognized by Inc. Magazine as a Top 500 fastest growing company in the U.S. in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and was recognized as one of the 2011 ¾ÅÒ»Â鶹ÖÆƬ³§ 50 Companies to Watch.

Due to Mueller’s entrepreneurial success, he was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in 2011. Interested in helping people in situations of poverty, Mueller spends much of his time traveling the world and living in different cultures while growing MacUpdate remotely.

2013-14 Entrepreneurship Forum dates and speakers

• Dec. 6: Matthew Moersch, winemaker/distiller at Entente Spirits
• Jan. 10: Dale Anderson, owner of Confections with Convictions
• Feb. 14: Steve Hartmeier, president and CEO of Vestaron
• March 14: Amy Proos, owner and CEO of Proos Manufacturing