A New Way To Work
By: Ryan Allen, 8/20/2008
Tearing down the cubicle walls, four Ann Arbor tech companies are trading the generic, mundane work environment for something different and, hopefully, more inspiring.
MASTERMIND: Todd Sullivan
By: Amy Whitesall, 8/13/2008
If there's a gene for entrepreneurship, Todd Sullivan has it. He sold his first company before reaching grad school, holds multiple patents and is currently the president and CEO of two successful start ups, Spirit Shop and MyGarb. And this Ann Arborite hasn't even hit 40 yet.
The Map To Everything
By: Leia Menlove, 8/13/2008
Who we are. Where we've been. Where we're going. Ann Arbor-based ISciences has created software that can visualize global data in staggering sci-fi ways. And they give it away for free.
World Conquest In Scio Township
By: Terry Parris, Jr, 8/6/2008
Toss a rock into the air in Washtenaw County and it's not hard to hit someone involved with computer software development. But how many of them have plotted the overthrow of Prussia, Austria, and Turkey? Eric Babe and his team of game developers are the brains and brawn behind West-Civ, a strategy-based computer war game company. Once more into the breach!
Greenovation
By: Amy Whitesall, 7/30/2008
Whether it's cash or conscience, more and more people are going green when it comes to their homes. Meet the Grocoffs and the Chockleys, two local families that reconsidered the inconvenient truth of personal energy consumption and did something about it. Something really big.
MASTERMIND: Josie Parker
By: Amy Whitesall, 7/23/2008
We're told as children that books have the ability to transport you to worlds beyond your imagination. Josie Parker has taken that lesson to heart and transformed Ann Arbor's library system into a experience that challenges musty notions of brooding book stacks and "shushing" librarians.
Banking On The Future
By: Leia Menlove, 7/23/2008
New economy start-ups need banks that offer new economy know-how. Enter Bank of Ann Arbor's Technology Industry Group, the only program of its kind in Michigan. Modeled after the ground-breaking Silicon Valley Bank, it supports local emerging technologies and entrepreneurs in ways corporate banking giants can't.
Ann Arbor's On The List
By: Constance Crump, 7/23/2008
We're one of the brainiest, greenest and most walkable cities in the country. Not to mention a great place for sandwiches, bicycling and getting pregnant. Too bad we're one of the worst places to find a job. Best of, Worst of, what does it all mean? Concentrate wades through the lists and tries to figure out what we're all about.
MASTERMIND: Matt Morgan & Tommy York
By: Amy Whitesall, 7/16/2008
Food glorious food! And wine. And, oh, man, the cheeses. Okay, everything at Morgan & York is worth singing about. Even their candy crammed alcove. Tommy and Matt are the masterminds behind transforming the Big Ten Party Store (some food, lotsa beer and wine) to an epicurean wonderland for local foodies.
The Golden Touch
By: Terry Parris Jr., 7/16/2008
The story goes: If you work hard, offer a topnotch service and keep your wits about you, you'll be a success. Well, it took Sean Duval almost a decade but the strategy paid off. The self-made entreprenuer and his wife went from McDonald's to CEO of the fastest growing limousine company in the state.
The Shadow Art Fair
By: Tom Hendrickson, 7/16/2008
They're back! In answer to the flash and splash of Ann Arbor's Art Fair, the crafty crafters of Ypsilanti's Shadow Art Fair once again move into Depot Town's Corner Brewery to offer the ultimate in handmade brews, music and, of course, local art. Be there or be oh-so square!
Michigan's Blue Bubble
By: Andy Guy, 7/9/2008
Clean fresh water and, more specifically, the Great Lakes, is Michigan's most important and strategic natural resource. Will we ever start acting like it?
MASTERMIND: Curtis Sullivan
By: Jeff Meyers, 7/9/2008
From superheroes to world conquest, Curtis Sullivan has learned from his favorite pastimes to boldly blaze his own path. The Vault Of Midnight owner is the quintessential example of self-made success, building both a trendsetting business and vibrant sub-culture in Ann Arbor's evolving downtown.
The Economic Upside Of Historic Preservation
By: Jon Zemke, 7/9/2008
Everything old is new again. And profitable. Historic preservation is more than just a longing for the old ways. It can be an economic driver for communities that know how to leverage what they've got with where they're going.
Happy Fourth Of July
By: Concentrate, 6/26/2008
The editorial staff of Concentrate would like to wish you a happy and safe fourth of July. We'll be spending the week barbecuing, catching up on the gossip magazines and sampling Michigan's finest microbrews. Some time in a hammock may also be involved. We'll see you again on July 9th with a brand spanking new issue!
MASTERMINDS: Andy & Tim Patalan
By: Chris Handyside, 6/25/2008
After 20 years and two million record sales, it's safe to say that Saline's Loft Studios is an unqualified success. Meet Tim and Andy Patalan, gold record engineers who turned their family's 150 year old barn into the recording home for some of Metro Detroit's best-selling rock bands.
Mountain Biking Washtenaw
By: Tanya Muzumdar, 6/25/2008
Mountains? We don't need no stinkin' mountains! Catch the local mountain biker beat as we tread tire and shoot the chutes of Washtenaw County's bluffs and buttes.
Tall Vs. Wide
By: Jon Zemke, 6/18/2008
To build up or spread out? That is the question. With plans for a 26-story high rise near U-M's campus, some locals are protesting that Ann Arbor is no place for big buildings. Supporters, however, point out that it's a text book case of smart growth: increase the density of the core while restoring the student ghettos to family friendly neighborhoods. Concentrate looks at both sides of the argument.
MASTERMIND: Rob Reinhart
By: Shannon McCarthy, 6/11/2008
For a man who's sunk his roots as deeply into Ann Arbor as Rob Reinhart has it makes sense that he's built a career spotlighting roots music. For 13 years (that's 700 shows, folks), Reinhart has locally broadcast his nationally syndicated radio show, Acoustic Cafe, bringing a veritable pantheon of unplugged musical acts to the Deuce.
When Did Ann Arbor's Library Get So Cool?
By: Leia Menlove, 6/11/2008
It ain't your grandpappy's library anymore. The Ann Arbor District Library does more than sling books. It's evolved into a vibrant , tech-savvy resource renown for its innovative approach to community outreach and involvement. Whether it's tweenage gamers, literary elites, film buffs, music fans or hobbyists, AADL's ever-expanding repertoire of services, events and resources attracts fans from every generation.
The Next Evolution In Power: Adaptive Materials
By: Lucy Ament, 6/4/2008
As America's "Arsenal For Democracy" goes high-tech could Ann Arbor become its main innovator? The husband-wife team behind Adaptive Materials thinks so. Developers of long-lasting portable battery cells, this local alternative energy company not only supplies power to soldiers in the field but is also looking to expand their inherently 'green' technology into medical, transportation and consumer markets.
MASTERMIND: Bhushan Kulkarni
By: Amy Whitesall, 5/28/2008
It's been a twenty year summer for Bhushan Kulkarni, who washed up in Ann Arbor in 1988 for a short stay and never left. President and CEO of GDI Infotech, he is a textbook example of the entrepreneurial dream, building successful businesses from the ground up while remaining an enthusiastic booster of his adopted hometown.
New Product Works
By: Amy Whitesall, 5/28/2008
Shampoo with "A Touch of Yogurt"? Arbor Strategy Group's unique collection of 110, 000 consumer products allows their clients to view past successes (and notable flops) in their quest to get innovative.
Ready, Set, Print
By: Shannon McCarthy, 5/21/2008
Jokingly referred to as the 'Michigan Mafia', book printers like Edward Brothers, McNaughton And Gunn, and a veritable bookshelf of other binding, printing and publishing companies bring millions of dollars and well over a thousand jobs to Washtenaw County. Whether it's Harry Potter, college text books, or U-M's partnership with Google's book digitization project, it's clear that the last chapter in our publishing history has yet to be written.
Internet Deuce
By: Terry Parris Jr., 5/14/2008
The future is here! Or, at least, it's being developed here in Ann Arbor. Internet2 will revolutionize the information age, allowing the seamless delivery of information across the globe. Its implications are vast and wide, transforming everything from astronomy to media to medicine. Think the world's small now? It's about to get a whole lot smaller.
Michigan Growth Capital Symposium
By: Jeff Meyers, 5/14/2008
Once upon a time, our auto industry was founded on the visions of its leaders and the risks investors took supporting them. Venture capital is the fuel that drives the engine of innovation. So, where do promising new local companies go to raise funds? For 27 years the
Michigan Growth Capital Symposium has helped provide an answer. The annual two-day event starts today in Ypsilanti. Could it provide the missing link in Michigan's economic evolution?
Down On The Farm With Zingerman's
By: Terry Parris Jr., 5/7/2008
First it was bread. Then butter and cheese. Now it's veggies. Zingerman's lives up to the saying: "If you want to do something right, do it yourself." Case in point: The six acres (expected to grow to 100) at Cornman Farms, where 'authentic' produce is grown to fill the dinner plates at Zingerman's Roadhouse. Come and get it!
MASTERMIND: Wendy Batiste-Johnson
By: Amy Whitesall, 5/7/2008
It's one thing to improve the look of your customers. It's quite another to improve the look of your neighborhood. And yet, that's just what Wendy Batiste-Johnson has done with her downtown Ann Arbor boutique. While street after street fills up with chain-store restaurants and retail, Possh proves that locally owned businesses can not only compete but become community tastemakers.
A3C: Greener Than Thou
By: Jon Zemke, 4/30/2008
Green construction may be all the rage but the truth is very few buildings actually achieve a smaller carbon footprint. And then there's the Ann Arbor Architects Collaborative (A3C). Retrofitting an 80+ year old storefront in downtown, the 25 year-old firm has spared no detail in its quest to create a model for urban sustainability.
MASTERMIND: Linda Girard
By: Amy Whitesall, 4/23/2008
Whether it's web optimization or life optimization, Linda Girard has the kind of vision, energy and confidence others look up on Google. Co-founder of the successful Internet marketing company, Pure Visibility, she's translated a Life 2.0 philosophy into Web 2.0 business savvy.
Information Evolution
By: Tanya Muzumdar, 4/23/2008
Computer science + design + social science = Innovation. Concentrate checks out the student projects at the University of Michigan's School of Information and witnesses the next evolutionary stage in information technology.
Art Counts In Washtenaw County
By: Leia Menlove, 4/16/2008
Not only can arts and culture mean big bucks for the local economy, it's an important part of the formula for attracting and keeping young professional talent. But how do you meaningfully track the health of Washtenaw County's arts community? The Ann Arbor Arts Alliance hopes to find the answer with its "Arts Count," artists' census.