MASTERMIND: Linda Meloche

As corporate mass media severs its ties to local communities homegrown media steps in to fill the gap. Meet Linda Meloche, Chelsea's very own version of Barbara Walters. Four times a week she captures the more-interesting-than-you-might-think stories of town residents. And people are watching.

filterD Event Of The Week: Brendan Benson

We only pick six events each week (after all, even the big guy in the sky took a day off) and Michigan-born, Raconteurs bandmate Brendan Benson is the tasty foam at the top of this week's cultural cappucino. A master of sublime powerpop gems, he's celebrating the release of his first solo disc in four years with a free show at A2's downtown Borders then a gig at The Blind Pig.

A Passage From India

With a population of nearly 1.2 billion, India occupies a rather large corner of the world. And with its growing technological industries it was bound to discover Ann Arbor's deep well of innovation. But is our region making the kinds of international connections that are necessary to thrive in today's global economy?

Ann Arbor’s ProQuest doubles in size

The company that is ProQuest today hasn't changed its business philosophy since it was started in Ann Arbor 71 years ago.Back then the company focused on commercializing microfilm. Today it focuses on offering specialized information --journal articles, dissertations and newspaper stories (it has agreements with The Detroit News and Free Press)-- electronically. They sell it to researchers at every level, from grade school to commercial."The last two years we have grown substantially," says Elliot Forsyth, senior vice president of human resources for ProQuest. "We have literally doubled in size. A lot of that has been through acquisitions and strategic investments back in the business."Today the company employs 1,700 around the world, including 550 in Ann Arbor. It has been sold a couple of times over, including to the likes of Xerox, before becoming a subsidiary of the Cambridge Information Group two years ago.The company plans to streamline its business so it can offer one-stop shopping options to its customers. It is also looking at some strategic acquisitions or partnerships in the near future."We will still continue to grow," Forsyth says.Source: Elliot Forsyth, senior vice president of human resources for ProQuestWriter: Jon Zemke

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

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

MediQlogix plans for big expansion in Ann Arbor

MediQlogix is a small firm with big plans to achieve big growth. And most of that will be centered on its home base in Ann Arbor.The year-old start-up is in its final phase of development, which means it has 15 people working to spread its gospel of improving healthcare quality. Some of those people are based in Ann Arbor and the rest are based around the world, in places as close as Philadelphia and as far away as India.The University of Michigan spin-off, and tenant of Ann Arbor SPARK's downtown business incubator, is putting the finishing touches on developing its software and plans to aggressively market it soon. The software helps manage healthcare quality in hospitals."We want to be the platform for quality in hospitals," says Deepak Adoni, founder and CEO of MediQlogix.If and when that happens, that will signal a big expansion for the firm. Adoni expects MediQlogix to grow across the U.S. (with Ann Arbor as its headquarters) and employ as many as 150 people. That's the future, but right now he is still looking for funding to get the company off the ground.Source: Deepak Adoni, founder and CEO of MediQlogixWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor’s uRefer plans to hire 12 over next year

Global View Services sets up eco-friendly shop in Ypsilanti

Wastewater isn't something that people want much of anything to do with, but it's the sort of thing that Randall Cobb's business runs on.The Ypsilanti resident started Global View Services last spring. The start-up sells a clay-based additive that separates suspended particles in wastewater, like oil, soaps, and paint. "It will cause the waste to precipitate out and clump up so they can be easily removed," Cobb says.The product is manufactured in Warren and Cobb is the only person selling it for his company, located between downtown and Depot Town. He hopes to add a person or two to his payroll by the end of the year.Source: Randall Cobb, owner of Global View ServicesWriter: Jon Zemke

White Pine Systems secures financing, plans to hire

The story behind White Pine Systems is very personal for its founder, Doug Dormer. Dormer grew up in a house where both of his parents were blind and his dad suffered from diabetes. One day his dad fell sick, was taken to the wrong hospital --one that didn't know his medical history-- and died waiting on a gurney because doctors didn't realize the seriousness of his situation.That led to the creation of White Pine Systems, a provider of online personal health records. The company helps make sure doctors get the most information about a patient's medical history so they can maximize the effectiveness of treatment and avoid misdiagnosis."He obviously has some passion behind this," says Jonathan Smolowe, vice president of sales and marketing for White Pine Systems.The downtown Ann Arbor-based firm employs about a dozen people on a full- or part-time basis, along with some independent contractors. 3-year-old White Pine just went live with its product and is watching customers start to line up. Helping make that happen is $450,000 in financing from angel investors, including $225,000 from the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund. The company hopes to hire a few more people soon."It's really starting to get off the ground now," Smolowe says.Source: Jonathan Smolowe, vice president of sales and marketing for White Pine SystemsWriter: Jon Zemke