Concentrate - In the News

U-M continues to build, no matter what

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Continual growth for the foreseeable future is the name of the game at the University of Michigan, which makes it a point to keep building up its campus and curriculum even if its local peers are not.

Excerpt:

The University of Michigan and Michigan State University are separated by 60 miles and a few billion dollars. Both are public universities. Both have fiercely loyal alumni and are a few thousand apart in numbers of students. Yet MSU is enacting painful program cuts and layoffs, while U-M is adding staff and is in the midst of one of the biggest building booms in school history. The budget gap between the two schools has ballooned to almost a half-billion dollars per year and is growing.

Read the rest of the story here.

Tech Brewery comes of age as home for Ann Arbor start-ups

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Tech Brewery in Ann Arbor is more about the former than the later (Ie. tech not beer) as a good cross section of Tree Town's new economy entrepreneurs continues to congregate where the good beer is made.

Excerpt:

Ann Arbor�s technology entrepreneurs chose office space in the Northern Brewery building on Jones Drive over the years because of its location, its historic loft-like offices and its reputation as a creative hub.

But for nearly a year, a portion of the building has been building its own identity as a unique collaboration among many early-stage companies.

Dubbed the Tech Brewery, a vacant 2,000-square-foot space now offers short-term desk space in a collaborative environment that makes it unique among Ann Arbor offices.

Most office incubators provide services and shared resources, founder and entrepreneur Dug Song said.

"That's not really what we're doing here," he said. "�There's a lot more social interaction. More synergistic relationships, since there are a lot of companies doing similar kinds of things."

Read the rest of the story here.

Sakti3's Sastry points way to Mich recovery with green jobs

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Green businesses are the path to sustainable firms that produce long-lasting jobs and improving the over all environment in Michigan. At least that's what one of Ann Arbor's best known entrepreneurs believes.

Excerpt:

Ann Marie Sastry, CEO and co-founder of Ann Arbor-based Sakti3, said Michigan can lead the way in vehicle electrification and, in doing so, reduce the state�s carbon footprint and oil dependence and create green jobs.

Read the rest of the story here.

U-M's silver medalist skaters recount Olympics

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

It ain't gold but it's hardly a loss. After all, second best in the world is still second-freakin'-best in the world. Two University of Michigan students have quite the story to tell after doing just that in the Winter Olympics.

Excerpt:

It's not every day that University President Mary Sue Coleman calls students on their cell phones.

But after University students and ice dancers Charlie White and Meryl Davis won silver medals in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games last month, Coleman did just that.

"I was just listening to my voicemails after the free dance, and I came upon one that said, 'Oh, hi Meryl, this is Mary Sue Coleman,' and I was a little shocked but very excited and honored," Davis said in an interview last week.

Read the rest of the story here.

Ypsilanti biz helps IdeaPaint become reality

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

When only family and friends believed in IdeaPaint, a promising Massachussetts-based start-up, Ypsilanti's CAS-MI Laboratories gave them a shot at the big time.

Excerpt:

The young entrepreneurs refused to believe it. "Our joke was, if we could put a man on the moon, we can make dry-erase paint," says Newman, 25.

Then they found CAS-MI Laboratories in Ypsilanti, Mich., where the scientists were willing to give their plan a shot and even cover some of the development costs.

With the help of $1 million from family, friends and a few angel investors, the group spent the next four years fine-tuning their recipe.

Read the rest of the story here.

Unique Ann Arbor house turns heads

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

No two houses are exactly alike in Ann Arbor, and this little cottage is definitely one of a kind.

Excerpt:

Tim and Cyndy Vachon took a 500-square-foot, single-story, cinder block house, added creative touches that come from being artists and eco-friendly touches that come from being green to create what they call the "Curious House."

This whimsical, eclectic and - yes - curious house is hidden behind a stand of trees on South Maple Road near Pauline Road in Ann Arbor. It is a showcase for stone and tile, with leanings toward Arts and Crafts style and a cottage look.

But it is also a repository for discarded material that could have ended up in the landfill: A sturdy glass light shade that turned on its head and is used as a bathroom sink, the soapstone kitchen countertops with a rich patina that once served as the tabletops in a chemistry lab of a old Detroit high school and the walnut and oak discarded by relatives used for trim and to make the stairway that leads to the second floor.

While the Vachons had the artistic and architectural skills to create the Curious House, they also had the building skills to turn the vision into a house. Except for part of the framing, the drywall and the roof, the couple built Curious House themselves, adding another 1,200 or so square feet to the original structure.

Read the rest of the story here.

New invention leads to cleaner hands in hospitals

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Experts from the University of Michigan are easy to find, even if you are a reporter from The New York Times looking for the inside dope on new plasma hand sanitizers.

Excerpt:

HOSPITAL workers often have to wash their hands dozens of times a day � and may need a minute or more to do the process right, by scrubbing with soap and water. But new devices could reduce the task to just four seconds, cleaning even hard-to-reach areas under fingernails.

Instead of scrubbing, the workers would put their hands into a small box that bathes them with plasma � the same sort of luminous gas found in neon signs, fluorescent tubes and TV displays. This plasma, though, is at room temperature and pressure, and is engineered to zap germs, including the drug-resistant supergerm MRSA.

The technology is being developed in several laboratories. Gregor Morfill, who created several prototypes using the technology at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, says the plasma quickly inactivates not only bacteria but also viruses and fungi.

Dr. Morfill and his colleagues have tested their devices on hands and feet. �It works on athlete�s foot,� he said. �And the nice thing is, you don�t have to take your socks off. They are disinfected, too.� (The cleaning takes a bit longer when socks are added to the job, he said � about 25 seconds. �And it doesn�t yet work through shoes,� he added.)

Plasmas engineered to zap microorganisms aren�t new. During the last decade, they have come into use to sterilize some medical instruments. But using them on human tissue is another matter, said Mark Kushner, director of the Michigan Institute for Plasma Science and Engineering and a professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. �Many thousands of volts drive the generation of plasma,� he said, �and normally one doesn�t want to touch thousands of volts.� But the design of the new hand sanitizers, he said, protects people from doing so. Reassured by that design, about five years ago he put his naked thumb into a jet of microbe-destroying plasma at the lab of another plasma researcher.

Read the rest of the story here.

U-M libraries bid farewell to their card catalogs

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Not all mediums of information are eternal at the University of Michigam. It's graduate library is getting rid of its card catalogs ...and maybe even its books one day in the future.

Excerpt:

Nothing lasts forever.

So it will be said about the University of Michigan Library's card catalogs when they are removed from their home in the bowels of the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library on March 8.

Twelve and a half million volumes strong, the card catalog has been in disuse for more than 20 years, ever since the university established the MIRLYN electronic catalog in 1988.

By 1991, every book in the library system had been catalogued onto MIRLYN, and the card catalogs were a relic of the past.

"I'm sad to see them go," said Paul Courant, U-M's Dean of Libraries. "This is truly the end of an era. But it is time to move on."

Read the rest of the story here.

Small Company Innovation Program helps U-M start-ups

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

More and more non-traditional ways are materializing to help local start-ups bridge the seed capital gap. One of the latest from the University of Michigan involves the Small Company Innovation Program and the $30,000 it recently awarded.

Excerpt:

Software that translates drawings of chemical compounds into standard notation is moving from a campus research project toward commercial application, with help from the University of Michigan.

Officials say it's part of a broader effort at Michigan to encourage a spirit of entrepreneurship on campus.

Read the rest of the story here.

Longer hospital stays maybe cheaper, U-M study says

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Researchers from Ann Arbor continue to prove conventional wisdom wrong. This time it's that longer hospital stays are indeed cheaper in the long run.

Excerpt:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hospitals that send patients home earlier can save money and the policy does not end up costing more later, researchers reported on Monday.

The intensive look at two common conditions -- pneumonia and heart failure -- showed that it may be possible to lower costs in the U.S. system without hurting patients, the researchers reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"Most evidence did not support the 'penny wise and pound foolish' hypothesis that low-cost hospitals discharge patients earlier but have higher readmission rates and greater downstream inpatient cost of care," Dr. Lena Chen of the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Medical Center and colleagues wrote.

Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor subcultures step into spotlight

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Ann Arbor's sub cultures aren't always completely underground. Recently its comic book and body modification (think piercing, tattoos, etc.) scenes stepped into the limelight for a quick bow.

Excerpt:

Proudly perched among the fine dining and fancy boutiques of Ann Arbor's Main Street is Vault of Midnight, a store whose vibrant blue exterior transfixes the gaze of any casual passerby. �Comic Books & Stuff� reads its wittily vague subtitle, and a peek inside clarifies why �stuff� is perhaps the only term that can sufficiently summarize the store�s impressive assortment of merchandise. Aside from new comic books, Vault of Midnight is packed wall to wall with graphic novels, figurines, board games, T-shirts, statues, manga and an enormous six-foot Uglydoll named Icebat.

Indeed, Vault of Midnight is a veritable paradise for Ann Arbor�s aficionados of comic books and other cool �stuff.� The store offers almost 100 new comic issues each week and its entire comic collection runs into the tens of thousands. But behind the stacks of old back issues of �The Goon� is an incredible success story of an independent, locally owned business.

Vault of Midnight first opened in 1996 in a one-room house on South Ashley.

�We were so small when we opened, it was ludicrous. I opened with my entire collection and a couple thousand bucks,� said Curtis Sullivan, co-owner of Vault of Midnight, who was just 21 when the store opened.

Read the rest of the story here and about body modification in Ann Arbor here.

Michigan announces Pure Michigan Living winners

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Is it any wonder that the two winners of the Pure Michigan Living contest come from places in the heart of the state?

Excerpt:

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) today announced the winners of the "Why I Choose Michigan" essay contest. The contest helped kick off the recent launch of PureMichiganLiving.com, a new Web site featuring the people, places and things that make Michigan a great place to live, work and play.

The recipients are:

Gerry Callison of Jackson, who chose to relocate in Michigan last year after his job was eliminated in Wisconsin and now works at Commonwealth Associates in Jackson, an engineering and consulting firm that specializes in electrical transmission and distribution projects; and,
Rita Noel, of Howell, was born and raised in Michigan and has chosen to raise her family in Howell because she believes Michigan is one of the nation's most attractive places to enjoy cultural and recreational opportunities.

"The essays submitted by Rita and Gerry exemplify the reasons why Michigan is retaining and attracting the people our state will need to succeed in the new knowledge-based economy," said Joe Borgstrom, a Division Director with MSHDA. "We are delighted to reward their efforts with free weekend getaway packages to two of Michigan's most outstanding resorts."

Read the rest of the story here.

Domino's CEO Brandon comes home to U-M

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

David Brandon might not have strayed too far from Ann Arbor in his professional life, but the new athletic director is receiving quite the homecoming as he takes the reigns of one of the biggest college sports enterprises in the U.S.

Excerpt:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. � David Brandon may be the nation's only CEO who says leaving a job with total annual compensation of $2.6 million for one that pays up to $825,000 is a promotion.

But Brandon says he barely thought twice before deciding to step down from Domino's Pizza (DPZ) after 11 years running the franchise delivery giant and sign a five-year contract as athletic director for his alma mater, the University of Michigan.

In part, that's because the new job he starts in March will take him full circle � returning him to the place where he played college football, served on the Board of Regents and that he relied on to save the lives of his twin sons and to treat him for cancer.

"This feels to me like just such an appropriate next step. It's leadership, but a different kind of leadership," said Brandon, 57, discussing the impending move during an interview at Domino's headquarters, a few miles from the university's main campus. "This has provided me with an opportunity to connect with a place that has been incredibly important to my life."

Read the rest of the story here.

Start-ups discover Michigan's shores

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Could start-ups be the answer to saving Michigan's hard-hit economy? One tech magazine says so.

Excerpt:

A start-up IT services firm -- headed by veteran offshoring executives -- has opened up an offshoring alternative in Michigan, a state with a 17.5% unemployment rate and a well-educated labor pool.

Fremont, Calif.-based Systems In Motion Inc. (SIM) has 35 IT workers in Ann Arbor and hopes to employ about 1,100 in Michigan within five years.

SIM's plans for the state were cited by Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm in her State of the State address earlier this month.

SIM's business approach, which it calls "inshoring," emphasizes streamlined processes and an intensive worker training program to keep costs 30% below those of in-house IT departments.

Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor's VC community looks to student ventures

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The future of venture capital in Ann Arbor might not be in the start-ups about to break out into very profitable exits, but in the business students at the University of Michigan.

Excerpt:

Devin Chasanoff, a finance and accounting student at the Ross School of Business, graduated from the University last spring, entering one of the toughest job markets for a college graduate in recent history.

At the University he had studied to become an investment banker and had hoped to get a job right out of college. But after multiple interviews with recruiters from investment banks and consulting firms around the country, and not one offer in sight, he took an unpaid internship in New York City at Maxim Group � the investment banking firm he had interned with the previous summer. While the arrangement mirrored that of many of his B-school friends who were also having trouble lining up permanent jobs, Chasanoff was still disappointed.

"It hurt not to be able to find a job after putting in so much work, going to one of the most prestigious business schools in the country," Chasanoff said.

But just a week into the job, sitting in the company�s Chrysler Building office on the east side of Manhattan, Chasanoff thought of an idea that would pull the New York City native back to Ann Arbor.

Read the rest of the story here.

Latest skinny on the Fuller Road Station

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Want to know the transit oriented development possibilities in downtown Ann Arbor? The Ann Arbor Chronicle has every dirty detail in this story.

Excerpt:

Chris Leinberger was blunt in his assessment of the proposed Fuller Road Station: If the parking structure is built as proposed, in 20 years it will be torn down.

Speaking at a forum on transit-oriented development, Leinberger � a University of Michigan professor of practice in urban planning � said current plans for the joint UM/city of Ann Arbor project do a good job of incorporating different kinds of transit, from bikes and buses to perhaps, eventually, commuter rail.

But Leinberger criticized the project for taking some of Ann Arbor's most valuable land and turning it into something that won't generate revenue for the city. He told Eli Cooper, the city's transportation program manager, that "whoever's in your position 20 years from now will tear it down."

Read the rest of the story here.

Dexter's Good Harbor Golden Ale receives some golden press

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Local beer is famous in these parts, but some brews in Dexter are gaining big-time mainstream attention. This time The New York Times is providing the recognition.

Excerpt:

The diversity of these beers also makes their appeal very personal. I mentioned a beer that reminded me of a lambic � that was the No. 4 beer of our top 10, the Good Harbor Golden Ale from Leelanau, brewed in Dexter, Mich. We loved this beer, but it has an unusual flavor that some may find off-putting at first. I recommend sticking with it, though, because once you begin to like these sorts of beers you can�t help but seek them out.

Read the rest of the story here.

Former Ann Arborite now plays critical role in Detroit

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The woman who honed her skills at Ann Arbor's city government is now putting them to use as the new director of Detroit's Buildings and Safety Engineering Department.

Excerpt:

Karla Henderson decided to spend her first week on the job figuring out what her employees actually do.

So the then-new director of Detroit's Buildings and Safety Engineering Department had one-on-one meetings with supervisors to compare the job descriptions of employees with their actual jobs.

Few matched. And some employees had never seen their job specifications.
One meeting was with a woman who said she was a special events coordinator.

"Here, I'm thinking she's talking about coordinating the vendor licenses (for big events) at Hart Plaza," Henderson said. "But when I talked to her, she said, 'No, I coordinate the employee picnic and the party and office stuff.' That was a job responsibility."

Henderson needed fewer parties and more help, so she transferred the employee. The woman, whose salary was $60,000 a year, soon retired.

Welcome to change.

Henderson, who joined Mayor Dave Bing's team last July after years of city service experience in Highland Park and Ann Arbor, is bringing Bing's no-nonsense approach to the department that deals with everyday business: inspections, permits, licenses, zoning questions and demolitions. She and her deputy director, Kimberly James, an attorney with institutional memory and a keen sense of savings, form a dynamic duo who want to change the conversation in Detroit about buildings, property maintenance and beauty.

Read the rest of the story here.

President Obama to speak at U-M commencement

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

For those who missed the news... Ann Arbor's connections to President Obama's administration (via U-M alum Eugene Kang and Valerie Jarret) are paying off inow that the leader of the free world will give the commencement speech at the University of Michigan this spring.

Excerpt:

Yes, it's cold now, but soon comes the warmth of spring with fresh flowers, thoughts of love, and college commencements -- and presidential college commencement speeches as well.

President Obama will address graduates of the University of Michigan on May 1, school president Mary Sue Coleman announced.

"President Obama has captured the imagination and enthusiasm of many students with his inspiring words of hope and change," Coleman said.

In addition to being a fine school, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor has seen its fair share of presidential history

Read the rest of the story here, how former Ann Arborites helped lobby for it here and the top local firms Obama should visit while in Ann Arbor here.

Ann Arbor's entrepreneurs multi-task with a variety of start-ups

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Ann Arbor's entrepreneurs are starting to act like musicians trying to hit the big time by joining as many bands as possible. Only this time replace the word "band" with "start-up".

Excerpt:

They�re extremist entrepreneurs - that is, an economic antidote of sorts for Michigan�s ailing economy.

For many entrepreneurs, starting and managing a new company is supremely stressful and time consuming.

But for a few Ann Arbor business leaders, managing two startup companies at the same time is second nature.

Read the rest of the story here.

Accuri takes aim at next big profitable exit in Ann Arbor

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Accuri Cytometers is trying to become the next big entrepreneurial homerun in Ann Arbor, and it's pitch hitting a locally known slugger to make that happen.

Excerpt:

Jeffrey Williams was looking for some time off, maybe a beach somewhere, with a few good books to read.

Instead, he's looking for a three-peat ... and so are his investors. Having led two Ann Arbor biotech companies to successful sales, he hopes to lead another to a profitable exit.

Williams, 43, was named the CEO of Ann Arbor-based Accuri Cytometers Inc. on Jan. 29, replacing company co-founder Jennifer Baird in a move that stunned the local high-tech community.

Read the rest of the story here.

U-M represents at the Winter Olympics

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Ann Arbor area is famous for its athletics, and not just the revenue sports at the University of Michigan. A number of amateur athletes are making a name for themselves at this year's Olympic games.

Excerpt:

He was eight years old and had been skating since he was three but after playing ice hockey he had developed bad habits. To improve his skating, White�s parents decided to sign him up for ice dancing lessons.

One town over in West Bloomfield, Mich., nine-year-old Meryl Davis was in a similar situation. She, too, had decided to take up ice dancing and was looking for a partner. The choice seemed obvious. The two young skaters had both trained at the Detroit Skating Club for years, and White�s single skating coach at the time, Seth Chafetz, thought to himself, �Why not give it a try?�

The way White, who grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and Davis came together couldn�t be further from a storybook beginning. Their first skating session was so insignificant at the time that Davis said she barely even remembers when she met her partner.

�I have absolutely no recollection of it,� she said trying to think back to the introduction. �I can only remember someone asking me to skate with this crazy kid and thinking that I had no idea what I was doing.�

Read the rest of the story here and more about Ann Arbor's Olympic prowess here and here.

U-M researchers play key part in concussion test

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Researchers at the University of Michigan are just about done hitting their heads on the wall when it comes to developing a new test for concussions - something professional sports is particularly interested in.

Excerpt:

NEW YORK - A simple, inexpensive test of reaction time may help determine on the sidelines whether an athlete has suffered a concussion, according to research released today that will be presented in April at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd annual meeting in Toronto.

Research has shown that reaction time is slower after a concussion - even as long as several days after other symptoms have resolved. However, tests currently used to measure reaction time rely on computers and special software. That rules out their use in real-time situations such as games.

"We view their reliance on computers a limiting factor for use in many clinical settings," Dr. James T. Eckner of the University of Michigan Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Ann Arbor told Reuters Health by email.

Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor art gallery feels Haiti quake all the way in Michigan

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A Haitian art dealer who now calls Ann Arbor home was a little bit more than shaken when the earthquake hit.

Excerpt:

Ann Arbor -- Lee Jean-Gilles was with two interior design clients around 5 p.m. Jan. 12 when his wife called to inform him of the terrible earthquake to hit Haiti.

Jean-Gilles, a Haiti native and owner of the Pierre Paul Art Gallery in Ann Arbor, canceled the appointment and immediately went home, worried about family members living in Haiti. He tried desperately to reach his brother and sister in Port-au-Prince.

"For close to four days I stayed at home, not sleeping, not eating, just watching the news," Jean-Gilles, 49. Finally, he reached his family members. They were safe.

Read the rest of the story here.

U-M Prez sees economic opportunity in Michigan

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Ask University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman about economic and entrepreneurial opportunity, and she'll say there is no better place than Michigan and no better time than now.

Excerpt:

University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman said Friday that she believes that Michigan is filled with economic opportunity.

Coleman, speaking Friday to the media at an event organized to highlight U-M's University Research Corridor coalition with Michigan State University and Wayne State University, said the state still faces significant challenges. But she said she's "very optimistic" about the future.

"One of the things that I hear from, at least, business people is we�re become actually a very economical place," she said. "We used to be a high-priced place for companies to come. Now, hey, you can get some pretty good deals here. And it�s beginning to get attention."

Read the rest of the story here.

Saline's use of Google apps saving money

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Name the Washtenaw County municipality creating the most efficiencies with Google-based software. Nope, it's not Ann Arbor. It's not Ypsilanti either. Try Saline.

Excerpt:

Still, Google�s momentum within schools seems real. One recent example involves a Michigan school district that claims to have saved an estimated $400,000 by switching an on-premises e-mail solution over to Google Apps Education Edition. The Saline, Michigan, school district may only claim 600 employees, but I think it�s a perfect demonstration to MSPs on the power and potential of software as a service (SaaS) solutions.

Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor, Scotland lead way in LED lights use

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Ann Arbor isn't just leading Michigan, the U.S. or even North America when it comes to LED lights. It's a world leader comparable to cities in places like Scotland.

Excerpt:

Major corporations like Starbucks have adopted LED lights to cut costs and save energy. Cities in Scotland and Michigan are now embracing the benefits of LED lights on their streets.

Home to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor has made efforts to be a national leader in energy efficiency. In 2007, the city decided to switch all of their aging street lights in the downtown area to greener LED lights. Not only were the lights going to save the city energy and maintenance costs, they didn�t contain mercury like the older street lights.

Ann Arbor had over one thousand lights in the downtown area that needed to be switched from old 120-watt bulbs to 56-watt LEDs. The replacement LEDs had the added benefit of being mercury free unlike the older street lights.

Read the rest of the story here.

Fresh U-M grad continues push of IMU clothing line

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

David Merritt is becoming the conductor of the little fashion start-up that can now that his IMU brand is starting to gain traction in Ann Arbor.

Excerpt:

At Sunday's IMU photoshoot, LSA sophomore Courtney Cox took a brief break from tweeting giveaways to describe her unique internship experience. Like many Michigan students, Cox had been hopelessly looking for internship opportunities in merchandising, until she came across the Facebook fan page for I Miss You, Inc. (IMU), a brand founded by David Merritt, former captain of the Michigan men�s basketball team.

"Have you ever had someone tell you that they miss you?" Merritt asked. "It makes you feel special. It makes you feel valued."

David Merritt is not the typical self-absorbed all-star-athlete-turned-fashion-designer. If you�re looking for an entourage or the arrogant swagger that comes with leading a team to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 11 years, you won�t find it here. Instead, Merritt is so admirably humble, it�s almost frustrating. He just keeps it real � and stylish. He has everything you�d hope to find in the president and CEO of one of Ann Arbor�s hottest up-and-coming fashion lines.

But how did the former hoops player combine his two seemingly disparate interests of basketball and fashion?

According to Merritt, he never had any intentions of getting involved in fashion. But his experiences playing basketball with selfless teammates like School of Public Policy graduate student and former captain C.J. Lee ultimately became his inspiration for IMU.

The IMU brand sells T-shirts which combine the urban style with joy and color. The shirt designs serve perfectly to illustrate the meeting point of style and service.

"As a captain, I learned the importance of selflessness and giving of yourself to reach team goals � goals that are bigger than you personally." Merritt said. "Like watching C.J. Lee come in every day just to motivate people in order to make the team as good as it could be. These types of goals are what's really behind IMU as a brand."

Read the rest of the story here.

Proof that Ann Arbor still has a viable arts community

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Is Forest Juziuk's existence proof of the viability of Ann Arbor's arts community or that Ypsilanti's arts community is not only on the rise but has arrived? Two stories from AnnArbor.com and MarkMaynard.com examine both angles.

Excerpt:

Forest Juziuk is a bit of a Renaissance man. Managing Wazoo Records (336½ South State) by day and upping Ann Arbor�s cultural clout on the side, Juziuk hosts popular experimental film and music events; performs as a DJ, comedian and performance artist; designs posters for the Ann Arbor Soul Club; runs record label Hall of Owls; and has published stories by artist/musician Brent Van Daley.

Juziuk says, �I don�t know exactly what the impetus was� for initially getting involved in the film, performance and music scene. However, he shares a clear vision of what he thinks is lacking from Ann Arbor�s creative scene and how he thinks his events and performances fill a cultural void.

"Ann Arbor is a strange place. It seems like it wants to be a big city, but it really isn�t. We don�t have all of the amenities that they do in a big city,� which include a lot more venues to choose from and more avant garde, experimental happenings. �Part of it is to make Ann Arbor livable for ourselves, by featuring the kinds of acts I want to see and the films I want to see,� he says.

Read the rest of the story here and Mark Maynard's take on it here.

Rapidly growing Ann Arbor convent to appear on Oprah

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Two organizations from Ann Arbor have basked in the Oprah spotlight in recent months. The first is an easy choice � Zingerman's. The second? Try the Dominican Sisters of Mary, a Roman Catholic convent that is growing at a rapid pace.

Excerpt:

Ann Arbor, Mich. - The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist have made waves across the nation for their rapid growth and their devout orthodoxy. Now, they are once again in the national spotlight, being featured on the popular Oprah Winfrey Show.

�They phoned us and asked if they could do a program on us with Oprah. That's all we know!� Sister Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz, OP, vocations director for the community, told CNA in an email.

The show featuring the sisters will air on Tuesday, February 9, 2010. The same day happens to be the congregation�s 13th anniversary.

Read the rest of the story here.