Bringing Engineering to Life: How Digital Tools Drive Real-World Impact
Date: Friday, February 20, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Location: Delmonico’s Steakhouse 6001 Quarry Lane | Independence, OH 44131 Speaker: Mckenna Walker, Business Manager of Bloc Digital Join us for an exclusive Link Club luncheon hosted by the British-American Chamber of Commerce Ohio as we welcome Mckenna Walker, Business Manager at Bloc Digital, as our distinguished guest speaker. In this talk, Mckenna will unpack how Bloc Digital helps engineering-led organizations transform complex products, processes, and data into clear, engaging digital experiences. She’ll explore the practical application of design, 3D modelling, animation, immersive technologies (AR/VR), software, and data to support marketing, training, and digital transformation initiatives. Drawing on real-world examples from aerospace, defense, manufacturing, and beyond, she’ll will show how these tools help organizations visualize the invisible, communicate complexity, and deliver solutions that are accessible, scalable, and measurable. About Mckenna: Mckenna Walker leads the US side of Bloc Digital as Business Manager with a degree in mechanical engineering and a wide range of skills from the industries and roles she has taken on afterwards. At Bloc Digital, she leads the entirety of the US side of the business doing things such as development of strategies, processes, and roles that support a growing organization delivering cutting-edge digital solutions across diverse industries. Her work focuses on building strong partnerships and ensuring clients receive innovative, practical solutions that drive measurable results. Her experience is diverse including field engineering in the oil and gas industry, where she specialized in nondestructive testing methods, through to project management, partnerships, business strategy, customer service, and more at a fast-paced health start-up. Today, at Bloc Digital, she combines this breadth of expertise to help organizations in engineering industries harness digital transformation effectively. Mckenna is committed to continuous learning and collaboration, ensuring every engagement delivers value and strengthens client relationships. About Bloc Digital Bloc Digital is an award-winning digital solutions provider established in 2000, with offices in the UK and the US. We specialize in creating marketing, training, and digital transformation solutions through expertise in design, 3D modelling, animation, immersive technologies, software, and data. Our mission is to innovate, explore, and shape what’s next—helping clients visualize what their products or processes do through both interactive and non-interactive solutions. We deliver cutting-edge solutions such as AR, VR, hyper realistic CGI animations, web and mobile applications to clients in aerospace, aviation, defense, and manufacturing industries. At the core of our approach are accessibility, scalability, and ingenuity, ensuring every solution maximizes digital asset potential and delivers measurable impact for our clients.
International Chambers Christmas Luncheon
Russia's Military
Newcomer Spotlight: Hannah Chauvin
Cleveland newcomer Hannah Chauvin relocated from balmy New Orleans, Louisiana to tackle the role of Manager of Alumni Leadership and Community Partnerships at Teach for America (TFA), an organization that places a diverse group of leaders in low-income communities to teach for two years. Hannah says, “Being raised in the south, I had no concept of what a real winter would be like. Everyone made it seem like it was going to be a scene out of Day After Tomorrow where if you are outside you freeze to death. Luckily for me, it was not the case, and I safely made it through my first Midwestern winter.
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Find Your Next Opportunity Online
The NEO Talent Exchange has launched – just in time to find your summer internship, co-op or job. The Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education (NOCHE) and Global Cleveland have partnered with WorkFountain to implement the cutting-edge matching technology. NEO Talent Exchange transforms the recruitment process and streamlines how employers and jobseekers connect with each other during the job and internship search process. Check it out: www.neotalentexchange.com
What makes this site different is the way it assesses the student or jobseeker’s skills and interests and matches them to the prospective employer. Global Cleveland President Joy Roller said, "NEO Talent Exchange is to the job-matching industry what eHarmony is to date-matching. The interests and personal profile of the intern or jobseeker are matched to the desires of the employer."
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International Student Resources
Northeast Ohio is home to 28 colleges and universities with a total student enrollment of more than 210,000 students. As part of its mission to increase the flow of population into the region, Global Cleveland works to inform international students about Migration options and engage them in life beyond their school. For this reason it is critical that students have the most comprehensive, To get students up-to-date on visa requirements, Global Cleveland asked Erin Brown Farro, a Cleveland-area attorney specializing in Migration law, to provide tips on the latest U.S. Migration information.
Brown Farro has found that when it comes to visas, students are often more knowledgeable than prospective employers. For this reason, it is critically important that students familiarize themselves with the processes and application/extension dates. Read on for a brief overview of student and employment visa information, and be sure to check the United States government’s student and employment visa website for detailed information on each visa type.
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Industry Spotlight: Engineering
The Cleveland Engineering Society (CES) is a non-profit professional development organization that provides speaker series and conferences, professional certification test review sessions, and networking and leadership opportunities to engineering and technical professionals across Northeast Ohio. In addition to professional development, CES has an active community outreach program that promotes interest in engineering and technology.
Lubrizol: One of Greater Cleveland's Global Employers
David M. Barlaam, Tom Tomasula
Global Cleveland recognizes the critical economic and cultural contributions of International Newcomers and works hard to make newly arrived Cleveland area residents feel welcome in our communities. Currently, the organization is developing initiatives that will target retaining international students by connecting them to local employers. Our Talent Coordinators will provide resources for employers on hiring foreign-born talent, assistance to international jobseekers and training on cross-cultural issues that both employers and international applicants may experience during the hiring process.
International Newcomer Spotlight: Entrepreneur Cesar Sandoval
Entrepreneur Cesar Sandoval is the creator of EthnicQuest, an online advertising company that connects Cleveland-based ethnic and International Newcomer-owned businesses with anyone seeking international products or services. Explore EthnicQuest on Global Cleveland HERE.
Cesar Sandoval's family is originally from Spain, but he grew up in Mexico. He arrived in Cleveland with a student visa in 2001 to enter the MBA program at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). After completing his MBA, he began working for a business consulting firm and was able to stay in the United States, first on an OPT (optional practical training) visa, then on a NAFTA visa offered to Canadian and Mexican citizens. In 2010, Cesar was granted permanent resident status. He spent five years at a consulting firm, followed by a stint at Lincoln Capital, before branching out on his own as a business consultant.
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Global Cleveland Hits the Road to Washington, D.C.
Cleveland-connected residents living in the Washington, D.C. area will get a taste of the jobs and growing industries available in Greater Cleveland on June 26th. Business and civic leaders will travel to D.C.'s National Press Club to spread the word that Cleveland has gone through some dramatic changes since many of them left. The hope is that after the young professional crowd hears what the Clevelanders have to say, some of them may want to come back to fill the open jobs and start new businesses in Northeast Ohio.KNOW SOMEONE IN DC? send them the invitation: HERE
REGISTER FOR THE JOB FAIR: HERE
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