Concentrate

WGN America's quirky Sky Dives show flies in and saddles up at the top niche restaurants in America. It recently landed in Ann Arbor and produced a handful of glowing video reviews about Zingerman's and Blimpy Burger.

Watch the videos here.

Lots of manufacturers parrot the virtues of diversifying their product portfolios. Ann Arbor-based Nagel Precision talks the talk and walks the walk with its expansion into the aerospace and medical device sectors. The move has allowed it to expand operations at a time when many automotive manufacturers are shrinking and disappearing.

Excerpt:

Michigan's manufacturing ingenuity is still very much alive at Nagel Precision.

Since 1982, the U.S. subsidiary of Germany's Nagel Group has been building high-volume honing machines for automakers and their suppliers at its factory in Ann Arbor, shipping many orders to customers in Europe and Asia.

Honing machines are giant, million-dollar-plus, custom-designed pieces of equipment that improve the shape and the surface finish of gears, connecting rods and other parts that go into engines and transmissions.

...Despite being a dominant player in this market, Nagel knew it needed to diversify, a goal that became more urgent as auto sales took a dive in recent years. So today, the company has begun selling a line of less-expensive, smaller honing machines called the Eco Series. They are geared toward low- and medium-volume production for small auto suppliers, auto racing teams and companies in expanding, nonautomotive industries such as aerospace, medical devices and industrial equipment.

"We want to capture that growth," said Sanjai Keshavan, manager of Nagel Precision's new Eco Hone division. "If you're not diversifying, it's suicide."

Read the rest of the story here.

Business students at the University of Michigan aren't making venture capital investments with monopoly money. They have millions of dollars at their disposal and they're making some smart investments in local start-ups.

Excerpt:

Tom Kinnear says he is a great "theoretical golfer." It is the implementation that is lacking.

In the same way, business students who learn how venture capital works without ever investing real money in real companies may be at a disadvantage, Kinnear says. That's why, 11 years ago, Kinnear and colleagues at the University of Michigan's business school launched the Wolverine Venture Fund, what he calls the country's first student-led venture capital initiative.

"The way I look at it is you can theoretically teach how to do this, which is interesting, but it's like an athlete being theoretically taught how to play a sport. You've really got to play the sport. So, this is the playing of the sport," says Kinnear, who is executive director of the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and managing director of the Wolverine Venture Fund.

Read the rest of the story here.

Bucking conventional wisdom, Domino's Pizza has learned that a little self-deprecation goes a long way. Poking fun (and correcting) of their poor-tasting core product has paid them some big dividends .

Excerpt:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In the test kitchen at the corporate headquarters for Domino's Pizza Inc., a chef dressed in a starched white coat was going through the familiar motions: Sauce on crust, cheese on sauce, pepperoni on cheese, then bake.

But this pizza's different, as it has been in Domino's stores across the U.S. since late December. The 9,000-unit chain took a big chance, not only reformulating its signature product for the American market but also disparaging its long-standing recipe in a straight-talk marketing campaign.

The old crust? "Cardboard," the company admitted in its ads. The old sauce? "Ketchup." The staff? Weary of customers trashing the food.

Read the rest of the story here.

American automakers have been leaning on Ann Arbor-based research to push forward the electrification of the automobile, and evidence of that was on display at the Michigan Electric Vehicle Show in Ann Arbor.

Excerpt:

ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) - People interested in electric cars can see everything from a 1916 Detroit Electric to a Tesla Roadster at the Second Annual Michigan Electric Vehicle Show on Saturday.

The Chevy Volt may also make an appearance.

Also at the show, production cars made in the 1990s to meet California's emissions standards, along with popular hybrids like the Toyota Prius, Ford Escape, Honda Insight and Honda Civic Hybrid.

Electric car hobbyists have been converting gasoline-powered vehicles to battery-drive for decades in the U.S. Some of those - all road-worthy and street-legal - will also be on display.

Read the rest of the story here.

Matt and Kelly Grocoff have gone from gathering local publicity to national publicity for their work to turn their house into the greenest in Michigan.

Excerpt:

Matt Grocoff has an ambitious goal. He aims to make his 110-year-old Victorian in Ann Arbor, Mich., produce more energy than it uses.

That's no easy task, considering how leaky the 3-bedroom house was when he and his wife, Kelly, bought it in the fall of 2006 and began restoration. "You could stick a spatula through the window," he recalls. There was also asbestos siding, lead paint, zero insulation and a half-century old furnace.

Yet Grocoff is game. As a contributing writer to Old House Web and host of greenovation.TV, he's been studying green building for years.

Read the rest of the story here.

Keith Jefferies, Concentrate's resident video maker, brought home a Silver ADDY Award® for Promotion Media – Non-Profit for his video profile of 826Michigan. The video had been recognized locally and regionally before going on to win at the national level.

Originally created for Concentrate as a story, Keith allowed 826Michigan to use "Ann Arbor's Robot Repair Superstore (And Really Cool Non-profit)" for promotional purposes. It was an instant hit with the organization.

"This film has meant the world to us," It captures the imagination and offbeat sensibility that distinguishes 826Michigan and our programs," says Amanda Uhle, 826Michigan's executive director. "We are so proud to show the film to donors and the community."

On a whim, Jefferies decided to enter the video in a local competition hosted by the Ann Arbor Ad Club. From there the trophies began to snowball.

"This piece about Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair/826 Michigan was really fun to make. It feels really worthwhile to create something for folks who do such a fantastic job," Jefferies says.

The musical soundtrack for the video, "An Introduction to Science" by Solvent, was provided by Ann Arbor music label, Ghostly International.

Jefferies has produced hundreds of hours of television programming including documentaries, entertainment, and promotional work, as well as professional sports coverage such as UK national league basketball, soccer, rugby, skiing, athletics and more. He is Resident Filmmaker at the Michigan Theater and owns Ascalon Films, a Michigan-based independent film production company.

Source: Keith Jefferies, Ascalon Films and Amanda Uhle, executive director 826Michigan
Writer: Jeff Meyers, Managing Editor

Ann Arbor might not be the happiest about its country being at war, but it knows how to take advantage of all of the defense homeland security jobs that come with it.

Excerpt:

University spinouts and intellectual capital for innovation are turning Washtenaw County into a burgeoning defense research and engineering cluster to design the devices of high-tech warfare.

Private-sector employers in Ann Arbor and neighboring Ypsilanti with major defense and homeland security contracts could account for up to 1,500 jobs — or nearly 2 percent of the combined employed workforce for those two cities in March, according to recent employer data furnished to Ann Arbor Spark and Crain's.

That number could climb soon: The Procurement Technical Assistance Center at Schoolcraft College reports 63 other companies in Washtenaw County became clients in 2008-2009, up from just 12 new client companies in 2007. The PTAC centers help client small businesses obtain new government contracts in defense and other areas.

Read the rest of the story here.

Two of the biggest institutions in Michigan have been working together more and more as of late. Seems about right for two titans of the new economy that share a region.

Excerpt:

A little over a year ago General Motors and the University of Michigan announced the formation of the Institute of Automotive Research and Education with nothing less than the goal of "reinventing the automobile." With initial research in battery technology, engine systems, smart materials and advanced manufacturing techniques, the intent was to find a route to greater fuel economy and the electrification of the car.

One year into this extensive collaboration, I had the chance to attend one of the regular review meetings where Institute progress is tracked. Building upon the four initial focus areas, GM and U-M have begun developing opportunities for additional research work in safety, alternative energy and infotainment.

Read the rest of the story here.