Featured Stories
Concentrate Staff
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
We're giving our hardworking staff a well-deserved break as summer winds down and back-to-school efforts begin. We will return with more inspired Concentrate stories and events on September 12. See you then!
Tanya Muzumdar
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Grab your lederhosen and get your spaetzle on! This weekend is the last of the German summer shindigs at Ann Arbor's German Park. Since 1938 this Teutonic social club has been hosting dances and parties. Today it attracts summer crowds in the thousands. No surprise really. The Mitten is home to nearly 350 German-owned companies.
Denise McGeen
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Michigan's electric vehicle industry is poised to churn out more and more of the long-awaited, zero-emission vehicles. As the market grows, the AnnArbor-based Clean Energy Coalition and its partners are leading a statewide effort to make sure Michigan communities are ready for the rush.
Concentrate Staff
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
From the Woodward Avenue Corridor to Downtown Detroit to DTW Airport to U of M's campus, how we connect our communities via mass transit is vital to Michigan's future growth and prosperity. Concentrate has invited Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United, and County Commissioner Conan Smith to talk about the development of regional transportation and what it means for both Metro Detroit and Washtenaw County. Sign up now for Thursday's event!
Jon Zemke
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
What happens when you give 24 college students a few million dollars to invest in start-ups? They double their investment value within a few years. The Wolverine Fund is one of three venture capital programs created by the University of Michigan to give students an insider's view of investment and entrepreneurship.
Tanya Muzumdar
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Art Fairs as a business incubator? There was a time when that was possible ...and Bradley Cross is proof. Founder and owner of Harmony Hollow Bell Works, he's built his successful Ann Arbor studio into one of the only three bell making companies in the United States.
Patrick Dunn
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
From a dairy to an organ donation headquarters, the building at 2203 Platt Road has morphed and mutated over the years, making it a challenge for anyone new to call it home. Enter the progressive private school Summers-Knoll, which saw a diamond in the rough. Now classroom "front porches," courtyard gardens, and a cavernous music room are key features in this ambitious architectural transformation.
Concentrate Staff
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
How do you create a downtown that accommodates the current character and changing needs of the community? How do those choices impact our cultural institutions? Concentrate and the Ann Arbor DDA present the last in our "Great Places" speaker series. Melanie Piana of the Michigan Suburbs Alliance will talk about building a redevelopment ready community, and local cultural leaders will weigh in on what they desire from Ann Arbor's downtown. Sign up now for tomorrow's event!
Tanya Muzumdar
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
It's no surprise when Ann Arbor gets singled out for its academically inclined achievements. Writers, thinkers, researchers, and innovators are an obvious by-product of the University's presence. Add to that list runners. For nearly 45 years the Ann Arbor Track Club has produced not only topnotch runners, but world-class Olympic hopefuls.
Tanya Muzumdar
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Add another unique first to Ann Arbor's CV: U-M's professor of gastronomic history, Janice Longone. Making the case for the U.S.'s culinary heritage, Longone is not only a vital contributor to the Clements Library's ever-growing archive, she is the founder of the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor, a nationally-recognized group of food historians.
Richard Retyi
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Since Ann Arbor will be jam-packed with Art Fair goers and coverage this week, it seems only right to check up on the Ypsilanti-based Shadow Art Fair, which opens Saturday. Created five years ago as both a reaction to and comment on A2's venerable happening, it has defiantly resisted the call of "bigger and better." Concentrate's Richard Retyi digs in with the organizers as to why.
Natalie Burg
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
The University of Michigan's TechArb and Center for Entrepreneurship are fostering a new class of student entrepreneurs, from a food truck operation to a note-taking app developer to a maker of unmanned aerial vehicles. As such, these young founders are deciding between business, books -- or both.
Jon Zemke
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Entrepreneurship isn't what it used to be. The scene today is explicitly about social engagement and collaborative leadership. This special report finds examples in three key Michigan places where new models for growth are being created and nurtured.
Tanya Muzumdar
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Ever wanted to spin pizza dough on your fists like a New York pizzeria pro? At Zingerman's Bakehouse aspiring pizzaiolos and deep dish devotees come from as far away as the coasts to learn how to properly knead, shape, and cook their pies. Concentrate's Tanya Muzumdar offers a first hand account of the growing popularity of culinary tourism.
Concentrate Staff
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
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 summer movies, and sampling Michigan's finest microbrews. Some time in a hammock may also be involved. We'll see you again on July 11th with a brand spanking new issue!