2009 – Page 33 of 98

U-M, Ann Arbor chip in for new rail station near U-M hospital

By Newsroom

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August 26, 2009

Half a million dollars from the city of Ann Arbor and University of Michigan has been invested to create conceptual plans for a new railroad-centric mass transit center on Fuller Road near University of Michigan Hospital."This enables us to take the next steps," says Eli Cooper, transportation manager for the city of Ann Arbor.The next steps include figuring out how many bike racks such a station would need, what the traffic projects would be and how best to connect the various modes of mass transit there. The city and university are working with Ann Arbor-based JJR, which is bringing in out-of-town experts in mass transit to make it work.The Fuller Road transit station would replace surface parking lots at the intersection of Fuller and Maiden Lane. It would connect the Border-to-Border Trail, AATA buses, the proposed Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line, Chicago-Detroit high-speed rail line and bus rapid transit/streetcar line to downtown."This facility is conceived to create that gateway that would replace the Amtrak station," Cooper says.This project is part of the Ann Arbor Connector Feasibility Study - a study that would call for creating a crescent moon-shaped line for either streetcars or bus rapid transit system or enhance bus service.Source: Eli Cooper, transportation manager for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

filterD Event Of The Week: Great Lakes Swimmers

By Jeff Meyers

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Arts and Culture

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August 26, 2009

Toronto's Great Lakes Swimmers run the emotional spectrum from heartache to heartbreak. Drenched in reverb and boasting luminous melodies that evoke such artists as Nick Drake, Emmy Lou Harris, and Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol), this new-to-you band is only one of six scintillating events we spotlight in this week's filterD, your local guide to what's worth checking out.

A Tale Of Two Cities

By Terry Parris Jr.

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Arts and Culture

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August 26, 2009

As Brooklyn is to Manhattan. Or Oakland is to San Francisco. Or just plain Ypsitucky. Over the years Ypsilanti has been endlessly compared to Ann Arbor. But now, with the elbow grease of its growing creative class, the former factory town is creating an identity all its own. Terry Parris looks at the community's emerging DIY arts identity and how it squares with Ann Arbor's more established institutions.

Ann Arbor SPARK’s Micro Loan Fund takes aim at east side

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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August 26, 2009

Business on the east side of Washtenaw County is getting some special love from Ann Arbor SPARK.The business development agency and Washtenaw County have teamed up to create the Eastern Washtenaw Micro Loan Fund. The $225,000 will provide precious capital for start-ups based on the east side of the county.The idea is to help get more promising start-ups up and hiring by providing funding at the outset of their lives, usually the most delicate time of their existence. These companies must be based in the new economy, which covers sectors like alternative energy, homeland security and defense, life sciences, IT and social networking. It will also help some old economy businesses, such as manufacturing, hitting all of the sectors the state is targeting for growth."It all ties in nicely," says Elizabeth Parkinson, vice president of marketing and communications for Ann Arbor SPARK.Each loan will be between $10,000 and $50,000 and last between 2-3 years. The fund is expected to last at least one year and could be expanded if proven successful. The plan is to eventually make it self-funded.The eastern side of Washtenaw County (think Ypsilanti/Willow Run area) has been heavily based in manufacturing and other industrial pursuits for generations. As those sectors have contracted, leaving a business void that creates blight and opportunity for emerging businesses. This new money is expected to help create more businesses to fill that void.The Eastern Washtenaw Micro Loan Fund is modeled after two other existing state and regional funds - the Michigan Pre-seed Capital Fund and the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Local Development Financing Authority. Both funds are managed by Ann Arbor SPARK. Source: Elizabeth Parkinson, vice president of marketing and communications for Ann Arbor SPARKWriter: Jon Zemke

EMU biz prof wins national award for student mentoring

By Newsroom

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Innovation News

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August 26, 2009

Many professors at major colleges have a reputation for focusing more on research or start-ups (or both) more than students. That's now the case with Nesa Wu.The Eastern Michigan University business professor recently won a mentor award from the Association for Operations Management. She won for her efforts at mentoring students in the university's Advancing Productivity, Innovation, and Competitive Success chapter."Nes is a great example of a number of the faculty we have here that work with the students on a one-on-one basis," says, David Mielke, dean of the college of business at Eastern Michigan University. He adds that EMU business professors also spend a lot of time working with students on everything from class projects to job searches to getting a start-up off the ground. "There is quite a bit of that that goes on here," Mielke says. "It's part of the culture here."Wu is a professor of Computer Information Systems and has been at the university for 30 years. This is the second time she has received the award.Advancing Productivity, Innovation, and Competitive Success was founded in 1957. It focuses on operations management, including production, inventory, supply chain, materials management, purchasing, and logistics. Source: David Mielke, dean of the college of business at Eastern Michigan UniversityWriter: Jon Zemke

Buycentives takes on $35 billion auto-buying incentive market

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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August 26, 2009

Pretty much no one buys a car these days without some sort of buyer's incentive. This market in the automotive industry represents $35 billion annually, or $140 million a day, and Buycentives wants just a small slice of it."It's a huge amount," says David Goldschmidt, who co-founded Buycentives with Sean Murphy.The year-old start-up specializes in making sense of this big bloated morass of incentives for both sellers and buyers. It software lets automakers target small groups or even individual consumers with the right incentives. It also helps make sure buyers get the best bang for their buck.This helps auto manufacturers eliminate inefficiencies in the buyer incentive pool, saving money. It also helps them track what their customers want and find out what sparked their interest in the first place.Buycentives, which is currently headquartered out of Ann Arbor SPARK's Central Incubator space in downtown Ann Arbor, plans to have launched its technology and signed up the major automotive manufacturers within the next year. Goldschmidt expects that will lead to some staff hiring."A year down the road, I think it's going to be more than just a handful of hires," he says.Source: David Goldschmidt, co-founder of BuycentivesWriter: Jon Zemke

Switchback hires six people in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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August 26, 2009

Last time we checked in with Switchback, the newly formed start-up's two partners were figuring out their business plan and fighting to gain footing in the competitive world of Ann Arbor start-ups. My how times have changed.The almost-2-year-old firm now employs 11 people, an intern and is looking to hire. The staff is expected to double within the next year. The software-development firm, started by Mike Monan and Stephen Colson, continues to bring new products to the market, bad economy or no."There are still deals to be done and relationships to be made," Colson says.Switchback's technology helps businesses better manage their websites without all of the hassle of IT departments or in-house experts. It utilizes a Drupal programming platform, since both Monan and Colson met at a local Drupal Users Group meeting."There is a lot of demand for us," Colson says. "People are realizing that their websites need to work for them."Source: Stephen Colson, co-founder of SwitchbackWriter: Jon Zemke

I Miss You looks to bring social conscience to fashion in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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August 26, 2009

David Merritt is one of those entrepreneurs who sees his business through a different lens than the rest of us.The recent University of Michigan graduate (he captained the U-M basketball team) started I Miss You with a bigger idea than selling clothing. He wants it to serve as a force for improving communities and a vehicle for making people feel better."We really feel we can change communities, change their perspectives," Merritt says.It starts with the brand. The words "I Miss You" are meant to inspire a feeling of belonging and being valued. It's the type of mindset that is meant to make people want to do better through the lifestyle that I Miss You offers. It accomplishes this by mandating its employees dedicate at least 8-10 hours a month to community service. Customers can also get a discount by giving their time or money to local causes that help impact communities, especially young people."This is a people company," Merritt says. "The brand is about people."Right now I Miss You is Merritt, an employee and handful of independent contractors. He hopes to bring on some interns, too. They are concentrating on making shirts to start but hope to expand to other forms of clothing as the business grows."I have plans for days," Merritt says.Source: David Merritt, president and CEO of I Miss YouWriter: Jon Zemke

Veteran reporter starts Chelsea Update webzine

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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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 UpdateWriter: Jon Zemke

Far From Standard plans to grow staff, offerings in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Entrepreneurship

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August 19, 2009

Lots of people and businesses offer tutoring tailored to certain subjects. Far From Standard tailors it to the specific class.The 2-year-old start-up from Ann Arbor provides highly trained and specialized academic tutors for university science and business students. These are focused on the University of Michigan and Michigan State University classes."There is really no one else who caters to the actual classes," says Neel Chheda, president of Far From Standard. "We really want to get into the university community."Chheda, a University of Michigan graduate, already knows what that means. He was inspired to start the company when he went to college and realized there were some classes he was naturally better at than others. Today he has two full-time employees, 18 part-time tutors and is looking for some interns.Most of his services are based around college courses in math and science, along with preparation for AP tests and the ACT. He plans to expand to offering tutoring in things like foreign languages and music. He also wants to start tutoring classes of 8-10 students who are in the same class and looking to excel."That learning environment really becomes amazing," Chheda says.Source: Neel Chheda, president of Far From StandardWriter: Jon Zemke