2009 – Page 19 of 98

ACES International doubles staff, has 6 job openings

By Newsroom

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October 14, 2009

The Green Economy is nothing new to ACES InternationalThe downtown Whitmore Lake-based firm has made its money around an ethos of sustainability since 1997. That includes everything from installing alternative energy-generating systems (solar panels and wind turbines) to weatherizing homes. It's now looking to break into the lithium-ion battery improvement game."For anything to be sustainable you need to be diverse," says Tina Greenough, president and CEO of ACES International.She had climbed corporate ladders in the engineering and IT sectors for 13 years before striking out on her own with ACES International. "I thought I learned enough that I could do it myself," Greenough says.Today ACES International employs 14 people and has job openings for six more, specifically those in the trades that can help make buildings more energy efficient. The company has been able to double its staff in the last year as government spending has taken a greater interest in all facets of sustainability. ACES International is also looking at opening a New Jersey office and moving into a bigger building in downtown Whitmore Lake.Source: Tina Greenough, president and CEO of ACES InternationalWriter: Jon Zemke

University of Michigan looks at remaking Ann Arbor transit landscape

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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October 14, 2009

The Google effect is starting to ripple out to Ann Arbor's transit community, too.Excerpt:The University of Michigan is on the cusp of transforming Ann Arbor’s transportation network.Creating more efficient transportation options from U-M’s North Campus, which now includes the 174-acre ex-Pfizer site, to its Central Campus and medical facilities, rose to a top priority this week as part of a new university-driven transportation initiative.The move could fundamentally alter the city’s transit infrastructure: All options are on the table, officials said, which could mean intra-city rail or trolleys.U-M President Mary Sue Coleman signaled Oct. 5 in her “State of the University” speech that the university would jump into the local transportation mix - beyond an existing proposal to create a transit station at Fuller Road near the hospital.The university’s involvement promises to add a sense of legitimacy, if also a layer of political complexity, to the region’s transportation ambitions.“We are completely intertwined as communities, so it’s going to be very important for us to plan together,” Coleman told AnnArbor.com. “I’m excited about our trying to do a better job on the North Campus-Central Campus connection. Clearly that has impacts on the city and the state, so we want to involve everybody in that discussion as we get some ideas for what we might do.”Read the rest of the story here and here.

Ann Arbor’s Commie High newspaper up for Pulitzer of High School journalism

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 14, 2009

Community High School's student newspaper, The Communicator, is up for a big award from the National Scholastic Press Association. It's up for News Magazine of the Year Award, which is the equivalent of the Pulitzer for high school newspapers. Community High School is located in Kerrytown and commonly referred to as Commie High. It's known for its academic excellence and the academic flexibility it gives its students. More about the award and Commie High's chances can be found here.

Ann Arbor’s Main Street named one of Great Places in America: Streets

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 14, 2009

Main Street, Ann Arbor is a known quantity of vibrancy not only locally, but nationally now, too.Excerpt:South Main Street is downtown Ann Arbor's center of activity and community gathering place. The continuous rhythm of detailed masonry building storefronts right at the sidewalk's edge contributes to an exciting pedestrian environment. The City of Ann Arbor's continuous efforts to preserve these buildings — most housing locally owned businesses — ensures that the street's unique appearance and character remain intact.Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor and Detroit, a match made of necessity

By Newsroom

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General

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October 14, 2009

Both of these cities can't thrive without the other.Excerpt:Detroit, meet Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor, meet Detroit.Sounds simple, but information technology executive Bruce McCully says it’s critical to his business.McCully, founder and CEO of Ann Arbor-based IT consulting firm Dynamic Edge, believes that southeast Michigan can’t fully recover from its economic disaster without Ann Arbor and Detroit joining forces.Read the rest of the story here.

The movie going habits of Ann Arbor and Sioux City, Iowa

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 14, 2009

What's the tie that binds Ann Arbor Sioux Center, Iowa? Movies.Excerpt:In many cases, the cultural differences in our communities stand out the most – more than economic or political differences.This week, we are traveling with PBS’s “NewsHour” to what may be two of the most culturally different communities in our breakdown: Ann Arbor, Mich., a young and collegiate “Campus and Careers” locale, and Sioux Center, Iowa, a rural and agricultural “Tractor Country” site.But using at least one cultural marker, we find that the cities share something in common – or they appear to: a love of the movies. We analyzed a 2006 survey from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and found interesting similarities in moviegoing habits between “Campus and Careers” and “Tractor Country.”Those two community types have the most avid moviegoers, according to the survey. About 14 percent of the people polled in each type say they attend the movies once a week or more. That’s far more than the average of about 5 percent.Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor SPARK collects on one of its first investments

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 14, 2009

The venture capital game is starting to pay off handsomely for Ann Arbor SPARK.Excerpt:Ann Arbor Spark, Detroit-based NextEnergy, and Troy-based Automation Alley each have been repaid $250,000, with interest, for early support of Deerfield-based Limo-Reid Inc.Limo-Reid Inc. has paid back the money that the three organizations loaned in 2007. At the time of the loan, the company was known as Hybra-Drive Systems L.L.C.Read the rest of the story here.

Video Ann Arbor’s Veggie Fueled Party Bus

By Keith Jefferies

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Entrepreneurship

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October 7, 2009

The B2B Party Bus is everything sustainable new urbanist hipsters ever dreamed of: An entrepreneurial enterprise that runs small scale private transit on secondhand cooking oil in order to transport young party-goers around downtown.

City Place developer, neighbors restart negotiations

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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October 7, 2009

The developer behind the controversial City Place project and the neighbors it would affect are back to the table, negotiating what everyone hopes will be the long-awaited compromise.The developer, Alex de Parry of Ann Arbor Builders, is scheduling a neighborhood meeting next week to talk about the project near the southern border of the central business district. The meeting is open to the public even though it's designed for neighbors of the development to give their input."We all want to try to work something out," de Parry says.City Place has turned into the red-headed stepchild of downtown development in Ann Arbor in recent months. Vocal neighbors have rallied against it, stalling the development which has gone through several changes. So much so that developer has pushed through a by-right design that calls for an ugly, suburban design complete with surface parking lot. That met with a demolition moratorium from the city while it studies the merits of historical status for the newly named Germantown neighborhood - something critics have called an end-run attempt to thwart the project from moving forward..The developer wants to level a handful of historic homes (including one of the city's oldest) that have mostly served as student rentals on Fifth Avenue just north of Packard Road. The original proposal called for 90 brownstone-style condos in a long 4.5-story building in what he describes as Beacon Hill-style architecture. The original project proposal included some big green, urban features such as 98 underground parking spaces and a geothermal heating-and-cooling system. The 750-1,500-square-foot units were geared toward young professionals looking to live in a vibrant downtown. This proposal was rejected by local residents.The by-right proposal calls for two, 4-story buildings that will hold 24 apartments for students. The two buildings will be split by 36 surface parking spaces. The developer is currently working on a proposal that would spare the houses and build dense housing behind them. Think C-style apartment buildings from the early 20th Century where arms would wrap around a courtyard.Source: Alex de Parry, developer of City Place.Writer: Jon Zemke

Ypsilanti’s Freighthouse plans to raise more money

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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October 7, 2009

Just when the road to recovery for Ypsilanti's Freighthouse seemed golden, the local grassroots group driving the rehab of the historic building has found some more bumps in the road. The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse had consistently pegged the cost of renovating the structure at a little more than half a million dollars. Then it got that amount from a combination of grants and federal stimulus money. Now that the metal is hitting the rail it seems like they're going to need about as much more to make the building what they want it to be."Even after the stimulus grant there is still half a million dollars that needs to be raised," says Ed Penet, trustee of the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse.Once the friends group received the stimulus money, the state stepped in and looked at the business plan for renovating the freighthouse. Several holes appeared, such as s seismic survey ($6,000) to determine if there are any problems under the ground that could inhibit the project. The development also needs six-figures worth of an operational funding cushion for when it its ready for operation."It's true for any construction project that you set aside money for contingencies," Penet says.The friends group is unphased and concentrating on raising the rest of the money. The idea is to have all of the paperwork done, in and approved by the state in time for the New Year. Construction is set to begin later this winter and wrap up in time for it to serve as the Ypsilanti station for the first train of the Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter train a year from now.The freighthouse, located in Depot Town, will also serve as a tourism information and community gathering space. The 130-year-old Freighthouse closed in 2004 due to a couple of significant-but-not-insurmountable issues, such as a bowing west wall and deck filled with unsafe trip hazards. The friends group recently had the surrounding grounds regraded so water will be directed away from the building's base.The 5,000-square-foot, red-brick structure was used as a freighthouse until right after World War II, when it was converted into a warehouse. In 1979 the city bought it and turned it into a community center. It made the state Register of Historic Places in 1997.Source: Ed Penet, trustee of the Friends of the Ypsilanti FreighthouseWriter: Jon Zemke