Innovation & Job News

Ann Arbor SPARK lands $1M to expand reach regionally

Concentrate Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Ann Arbor SPARK has landed $1 million in funding from the Michigan Strategic Fund that will help the economic accelerator expand its reach across Washtenaw County.

"This broadens the geography and the number of companies that we can serve," says Paul Krutko, president & CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK.

The money will go toward creating the Washtenaw County Incubator Collaborative, which will help bring Ann Arbor SPARK's business incubator activities across the county. The idea is to help further the growth of tech-based start-ups and jobs across the county.

Ann Arbor SPARK will partner with the MC3 Business Accelerator and the Michigan Research Institute to leverage the $1 million in state funding (and $722,500 in matching funds from the participating agencies) to create the the Washtenaw County Incubator Collaborative. The new partnership will focus on the medical device and defense industries as well as other high-growth industries in Washtenaw County.

"We need to deal with regional solutions," Krutko says.

Source: Paul Krutko, president & CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Chelsea's TorranceLearning continues to grow, hire

Concentrate Wednesday, August 22, 2012

TorranceLearning is taking a more comprehensive and scalable approach to its business.

The downtown Chelsea-based e-learning firm is moving from providing just e-learning solutions to providing a best-practices education solution that can be easily customized for clients. TorranceLearning has also strengthened its strategic partnerships with other local firms, like Brightwing and SRT Solutions, that allows it provide a more comprehensive product.

"Customers aren't just looking for e-learning," says Megan Torrance, CEO of TorranceLearning. "They're looking for a broader solution."

The new approach also gives TorranceLearning the flexibility to scale up to its meet its clients requirements. The five-employee firm, which also has the occasional intern, has hired two people in the last year as it works to provide more "end-to-end solutions."

"We have bid on a number of interesting projects in the last year," Torrance says.

Source: Megan Torrance, CEO of Torrance Learning
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

TorranceLearning doubles staff in downtown Chelsea

Concentrate Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The last time we checked in with TorranceLearning, it had moved into new offices in downtown Chelsea and expanded to seven people. Today, the education firm has nearly doubled its staff to 13, thanks to a slew of new projects.

"We about doubled our staff this summer," says Megan Torrance, president of TorranceLearning. "In fact, we hired five new people this summer."

TorranceLearning creates educational material and courses for businesses and institutions. It found a number of new clients through promoting its eLearning products, including a how-to-prevent-concussions lesson for youth and high school athletes for the University of Michigan.

Torrance expects her firm to keep growing, but not doubling in size again over the next year. She sees another five hires as new business continues to come in, and perhaps more in the future.

"I don't know where I am going to put them all," Torrance says.

Source: Megan Torrance, president of TorranceLearning
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Home brewer/biochemist plans Chelsea microbrewery

Concentrate Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Chris Martinson dreams of beer, but unlike most guys, consumption is secondary to brewing. That's part of the reason why he is holding an informational meeting for investors for the Chelsea Alehouse project in late October.

The Grass Lake resident is a biochemist by day and a home brewer with years of experience otherwise. He wants to turn brewing into his full-time job by opening a microbrewery in downtown Chelsea within the next year.

"I have spent more and more time in Chelsea," says Martinson, whose wife is director of the Chelsea Center for the Arts. "I was really surprised to that there wasn't a brewery there."

He says the new microbrewery will be similar to the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. It will have a small, deli-style kitchen and a tap room focusing on a full lineup of ales ranging from IPAs to wheat ales. "There will be a line of bottle beers but the focus will be on the tasting room," Martinson says. "I want to make beers that appeal to a wide variety of beer drinkers."

Martinson has already lined up some seed funding but hopes to raise another $350,000 from the informational meeting. He has tried getting loans from traditional sources, such as banks, to no avail. He hopes to find a combination of primary investors and community investors to close the funding gap. Afterwards, Martinson expects it will take about eight months to get the right permits and finish build out of the space.

The informational meeting will take place at 10 a.m. on Oct. 23. Each person attending will receive a free bottle of Profit Share Pale Ale. For information on how to get on the guest list, send an email to info@chelseaalehouse.com.

Source: Chris Martinson, owner of the Chelsea Alehouse
Writer: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor was the set for three movies premiering at Toronto Film Fest

Concentrate Wednesday, September 15, 2010

It's not just what's in Ann Arbor's water that has filmmakers drinking the Tree Town Kool Aid. Ann Arbor-made films are surfacing in some prominent places.

Three of the five Michigan-made movies premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival were shot, at least in part, in Ann Arbor. That's more than any other southeast Michigan municipality, including Detroit. Other local communities also served as filming locations, including Dexter, Chelsea, and Ypsilanti. The reason for this phenomenon includes the variety of locals, ranging from urban to rural, and the overall high quality of life.

"It's also a city where the cast and crew can enjoy themselves when they're not filming," says Michelle Begnoche, spokeswoman for the Michigan Film Office.

The three movies created 687 local jobs and spent more than $33.2 million. They include:

- Conviction, a Tony Goldwyn film about a working mother who puts herself through law school so she can represent her wrongfully convicted brother. The $10.8 million production created 332 jobs and stars Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Juliette Lewis and Minnie Driver.

- Stone, a $14.8 million movie that put 186 local people to work. The film stars Robert De Niro, Ed Norton, and Milla Jovovich, and is directed by John Curran. It's about a convicted arsonist trying to manipulate a parole officer through his beautiful wife.

- Trust is about a teenage girl who is targeted by an online predator. The $7.6 million film employed 169 people and stars Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, Liana Liberato and Viola Davis. It's directed by David Schwimmer.

Source: Michelle Begnoche, spokeswoman for the Michigan Film Office
Writer: Jon Zemke

TorranceLearning triples office space, moves into Chelsea's Clocktower

Concentrate Wednesday, September 08, 2010

TorranceLearning has a new face or two in its office, and a new location in downtown Chelsea.

The consulting-and-education firm has recently hired a new employee and moved into bigger digs, in Chelsea's iconic Clock Tower complex. The 4-year-old firm now employs eight people and expects to add two more within the next year as it continues to attract clients. TorranceLearning recently landed the likes of the Be The Match bone marrow program and has a host of others nearly ready to sign on. It specializes in training for companies and non-profits.

"We're close to signing a couple of significant contracts," says Megan Torrance, president and CEO of TorranceLearning. "If we land them all, we will be able to hire 2-4 people. We now have the space to do it."

Its new office is now three times as big as its former digs, now boasting elbow room and a few niche amenities, such as a brain-storming pit and voice-over booth in an open work space.

Source: Megan Torrance, president and CEO of TorranceLearning
Writer: Jon Zemke

Women�s Exchange of Washtenaw wins SBA champion award

Concentrate Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Women's Exchange of Washtenaw is making room on its shelf for a new award and room in its ranks for a new chapter or two.

The U.S. Small Business Administration will present the non-profit's co-founders, Carrie Hensel and Debra Power, with the "U.S. Small Business Administration�s Michigan Women in Business Champion of the Year for 2010" award later this week. That will come as the duo make preparations to grow the organization across the state in the near future.

"We think we have found something very unique and special and we want to share it," Power says.

Women's Exchange of Washtenaw was founded two years ago as a place for businesswomen to network and create new business opportunities, generate referrals and find work. It now has a database of 800 women who partake in the organization. Women's Exchange of Washtenaw is not a membership organization, which allows participants the freedom to pay as they go.

Hensel and Powers have enjoyed quite a bit of success with this model, creating an open and engaging environment for entrepreneurs without a Y chromosome. They expect to try and spread this model into the Lansing market later this year.

Women's Exchange of Washtenaw will host the Women's Exchange of Washtenaw Forum 10 on May 21 at Kensington Court, 610 Hilton Blvd in Ann Arbor. The all-day event will feature regional speakers, workshops, breakout sessions and networking activities to engage the business community and work through the common issues women business leaders face in their efforts to grow and improve their companies. The event costs $75 before May 1 and $95 after. For information, click here.

Source: Debra Power, co-founder of Women's Exchange of Washtenaw
Writer: Jon Zemke

TorranceLearning grows to 7 people in downtown Chelsea

Concentrate Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Megan Torrance likes to say her start-up, TorranceLearning, started with her and the spare bedroom in her house in 2006.

Today her training company employs seven people in downtown Chelsea after hiring three people last year. Her firm is now shopping for bigger office space in downtown Chelsea to help accommodate yet more expected growth.

"It's a great walkable community," Torrance says. "It's great to walk into stores and be recognized."

Torrance spent 15 years specializing in process consulting or change management. It always revolved around some sort of training. Torrance decided to turn that into her own company as a way of spending less time on the road and more time making money for herself.

She is seeing more companies spending money on training now that the economy is starting to expand a little. The big argument is that it costs much less to hire a company like TorranceLearning than building up an in-house department.

"The telephone is ringing again," Torrance says. "It's ringing from places it hasn't rung before."

Source: Megan Torrance, president of TorranceLearning
Writer: Jon Zemke

Dangerous Architects plans to hire 1 in downtown Chelsea

Concentrate Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Scott McElrath had been around the building-design block a few times when he started Dangerous Architects 16 years ago.

The Chelsea resident had worked for architecture firms across the U.S. and even overseas in Scotland. Then he decided to make the leap into starting his own firm.

"It seemed like it was time," McElrath says. "I had absorbed enough information from other firms so I could start my own firm."

Today Dangerous Architects employs three people and a summer intern or two. One of its interns has turned into McElrath's righthand man as the firm keeps its portfolio diverse with projects in residential, commercial, light industrial and education sectors. McElrath sees work picking up this summer to the point that he expects to a hire someone in the coming months.

McElrath decided to name his company Dangerous Architects because he wanted something that stood out. He wanted to break away from the quiet, tree-hugging stereotype of architects and go with something that is a little more emotionally charged.

"I have a peculiar sense of humor," McElrath says. "I wanted something that might outlive me."

Source: Scott McElrath, president of Dangerous Architects
Writer: Jon Zemke

Chelsea Milling Co invests $5M in plant, R&D expansion

Concentrate Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The marquee business Chelsea is known for is growing. Chelsea Milling Co. is investing $5 million to expand its facilities.

The 105-year-old firm, known for making Jiffy Mix, employs 310 people in downtown Chelsea and another 14 in Marshall. It added 10 people last year and hopes to continue hiring in 2010.

It's expanding its presence in Chelsea to accommodate this growth. It's building a pilot plant that will connect its corporate offices and main production facility. It is also upgrading its research and development facility.

"We wanted to get a good feel for how our products would play in the real world," says Jack Kennedy, vice president and general manager for Chelsea Milling Co. "We wanted that intermediate step."

Currently new Jiffy Mix products go straight from the R&D oven to full production. Adding the pilot plant allows the company to do some smaller test runs on the products before investing large amounts of cash into a costly full production.

Right now the expansion is about 70 percent complete. Kennedy expects his employees to occupy the new addition by the end of May.

Source: Jack Kennedy, vice president and general manager for Chelsea Milling Co.
Writer: Jon Zemke

Get the 411 on things to do in Chelsea

Concentrate Wednesday, September 02, 2009

When Leslie Surel moved to Chelsea, she started looking for something to do. That basic need turned into a nice little Internet start-up � Things To Do In Chelsea.

In 2005, Surel started by putting together a simple website featuring the links of places she liked to get information on city events. She told about a dozen friends and now has 17,000-plus visitors a month, turning it into the top hit in Google searches for Chelsea, Michigan.

"It's growing every month in regards to visitors and content," Surel says.

The downtown Chelsea-based business has relied mostly on viral marketing and word-of-mouth to build its loyal base of followers. Things To Do In Chelsea is now utilizing social media outlets, like Facebook and Twitter, to further drive traffic.

Surel wants to turn the website into (or maintain its presence, depending on whom you ask) the definitive news source for events and things to do in Chelsea. She could even see expanding it to other nearby cities like Dexter or Saline in the not-too-distant future.

"The more I added to it the more I realized there was more to add," Surel says. "It was inspirational to see everything there is to do in this town."

Source: Leslie Surel, owner of Things To Do In Chelsea
Writer: Jon Zemke

Veteran reporter starts Chelsea Update webzine

Concentrate Wednesday, August 26, 2009

It's hard for reporters to stop tapping on that keyboard, which explains why Chelsea is now in the webzine game with Chelsea Update.

The news website is the baby of Heather Newman, a veteran reporter with 20 years experience in newspapers including a recent stint at the Detroit Free Press. She is the founder, owner, editor and writer for the website that posts news stories on an almost daily basis.

"It's kind of a tough itch not to scratch," Newman says.

Even when she has a full-time job. The Chelsea resident left the Free Press last winter to take a marketing job with the University of Michigan Press, the university's book publisher. She runs Chelsea Update in her spare time, writing stories on nights and weekends.

Newman hopes to make the month-old website break even by this time next year. She plans to eventually get the point where she can even hire a freelancer or two and become known as the definitive news source for Chelsea. But now its just a good reason to ask questions.

"It gives me a good excuse to be officially nosy in my town," Newman says.

Source: Heather Newman, owner of Chelsea Update
Writer: Jon Zemke

Chelsea's Servant Systems grows by designing software for franchises

Concentrate Wednesday, January 07, 2009

There is a decent chance the clerks at your favorite local franchise can do their job thanks to Servant Systems.

The Chelsea-based firm creates the software that franchises use to run their operations at both the store and corporate level. And it now provides these services for the likes of Domino's, Molly Maid and Mr. Rooter.

Servant Systems started in 1991 and now employs eight people and the occasional independent contractor. The firm is in a holding pattern right now in regards to growth as it tries to take on a few more franchise customers.

"We hope to take on two more franchises this year," says Don DeSmith, president of Servant Systems. "If that happens we could add a person or two this year."

It's part of the company's goal for steady, sustainable growth. It's trying to avoid rocketing success that can so quickly and easily turn into a shooting star.

Source: Don DeSmith, president of Servant Systems
Writer: Jon Zemke

Chelsea's International Discovery Sourcing Consultants grows to 9 people

Concentrate Wednesday, October 01, 2008

In the wake of disaster, some people stare into the abyss and see doom, others see opportunity. Mark Creswell saw opportunity when Pfizer closed its Ann Arbor campus early last year.

"There was a tremendous amount of talent displaced," Creswell says.

That led him to create International Discovery Sourcing Consultants. The Chelsea-based company focuses on helping start-up companies get off the ground, especially bio-tech and pharmaceutical companies.

IDSC started with Creswell as its sole employee 18 months ago and now employs nine people. The firm hopes to add another 15-18 people within the next two years and build new office space in downtown Chelsea to house them.

IDSC's growth is attributed to its increasing number of clients. It started with just a handful and now has nearly 30, including the likes of Velcura Therapeutics. Yet more are expected in the near future.

Source: Mark Creswell, president and CEO of International Discovery Sourcing Consultants
Writer: Jon Zemke

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