Serial entrepreneur and U-M lecturer Jim Price is not your everyday homegrown entrepreneur. He's a transplant who came to Ann Arbor in 1988 for a business opportunity and stayed, facilitating the success of several local companies. In a candid Q&A, Price weighs in on the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

To paraphrase David Lee Roth: "He's your Ice Cream Man, stop him when he's passin' by." ...Or pedaling by, as the case may be. Rob Hess is the bicycle-bound peddler (and pedaler) of Go! Ice Cream, the latest addition to Ann Arbor-Ypsi's army of hand-crafted, small-batch food artisans. We, for one, welcome their invading forces.

Why pedal on an elliptical or curl dumbells when you can fly? The newly opened Ann Arbor Aviary provides acrobatic exercises for those who'd rather soar with eagles than pump iron with gym rats. Silks, ropes, and trapezes are the equipment of choice for this alternative, aerial gym.

Call the term "taking ownership" a cliché, but that's literally what's in the works at some local businesses. This week, Maggie's Organics founder Bená Burda writes about forming 100% worker-owned co-operatives, from Nicaragua to North Carolina to Michigan.

Is it worth paying a 6% sales tax to keep jobs in Michigan and build vibrant downtowns? Ingrid Ault, executive director of Think Local First, writes a series on how to not just talk local, but how to live local.

Back in 2001 Larry Eiler, CEO of Eiler Communications and director of the Small Business Association of Michigan, wrote an essay comparing our entrepreneurial landscape with Silicon Valley. Needless to say Michigan came up lacking. Boy, what a difference 10 years makes. In this week's guest blog Larry updates his assessment and finds more than a few encouraging trends.

U-M's TechArb is a renowned student start-up incubator that helps nourish the Ann Arbor entrepreneurial ecosystem. At our last speaker event, they not only gave us the skinny on how it works, but had a trio of studentpreneurs pitch their up and coming companies to the audience. Check out the video.

The weather was perfect, the beverages were flowing, and the conversation was spirited at October's speaker event on food cart culture at Bill's Beer Garden. From economic costs to health codes to business opposition to entrepreneurial opportunity, a panel of experts discussed this exciting dining trend and what it might mean for Ann Arbor and communities around the region. Check out the video.

  From its gorgeous painted labels to its crafted oak barrel flavors, Dexter's Jolly Pumpkin Ales is all about bringing an artist's touch to brewing. It's an approach that's winning them fans (and awards) all across the nation, and has, of course, inspired one of A2's most popular brewpubs.