2009 – Page 39 of 98

EPA praises Ann Arbor for sustainable energy usage

By Newsroom

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August 5, 2009

It almost seems like Ann Arbor's hat is about to run out of room for any more feathers these days, especially after the EPA has recognized the city for its sustainable energy efforts.Tree Town made the new Top 20 On-site Green Power Users List from the EPA. The City annually generates almost 9 million kilowatt-hours of biogas, hydro and solar power. That equates to about 20 percent of its electricity use and 12.5 percent of energy for its entire municipal operations.And that's just from last year. The city expects to bring in even more from iis sustainable operations this year. It's also looking at purchasing alternative energy (wind power anyone?) later this year to help power the city's everyday operations."I would say most cities are 1-2 percent," says Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann Arbor.There are local exceptions to the rule like Grand Rapids, Taylor, and Wayndotte. However, none of those cities are pushing the renewable energy envelope quite as hard as Ann Arbor.Source: Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Volunteers finish work on Luna Lake in Ypsilanti

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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August 5, 2009

Luna Lake fills a bit more of Ypsilanti's Prospects Park now that volunteers have finished improving the emerging rain garden.These volunteers began removing and replanting the stagnant swampy area in the park near Adams Elementary School. It had become such a miserable bog that local residents called it Luna Lake.This summer they battled with heavier than expected rain fall that killed some of the original native plantings, which they replaced with shrubs like swamp rose and about 30 yards of mulch. They focused much of the work around local festivals and plan to also recruit students from the nearby school to help with plantings."We're trying to build more activities around the lake," says Rachel Blistein, Ypsilanti resident and organizer of the Luna Lake project.A rain garden uses perennial plants, shrubs, and trees to soak up the rainwater that pools there. It also filters water and helps reduce storm runoff problems. For information on the project, contact Blistein at rachel@veris-design.com or (734) 485-3990.Source: Rachel Blistein, Ypsilanti resident and organizer of the Luna Lake projectWriter: Jon Zemke

Allen Creek Preschool expands in 2 phases

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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August 5, 2009

It appears that Allen Creek Preschool is growing almost as fast as the youngsters it watches over.The Ann Arbor-based school is in the midst of a two-phase expansion. The school bought an adjacent property that allowed it to double its acreage, bring another building into its fold, and provide ample space to add onto its first building."It will allow us to offer more programs to a wider variety of families," says Kerry Kelly Novick, co-founder and teacher of Allen Creek Preschool.The school opened in 1994 and built its current 3,000-square-foot home in 1996. Its three classrooms, office space and great hall handle 40-50 kids daily. It sits on about an acre of land at 2350 Miller Ave. "And of course we have outgrown that," Novick says.The first phase of the expansion included buying another acre of adjacent land and the small house that sits on it. The $300,000 project is turning the small house into space for its 0-3 age group and community outreach. Work is expected to wrap it up in January. The second phase, expected to begin next year or in 2011, will add another 2,000 square feet to the school's original building.Source: Kerry Kelly Novick, co-founder and teacher of Allen Creek PreschoolWriter: Jon Zemke

FROM SCRATCH: ThinkStretch

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Entrepreneurship

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August 5, 2009

Summer break is a plus for students' bodies but a minus for their minds, according to research from Johns Hopkins University. Enter Donna Lasinski, an Ann Arbor entrepreneur and the brains behind ThinkStretch, a summer learning program for public and private elementary school students.

A2D2: Evolution Or Status Quo?

By Jon Zemke

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Community Development

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August 5, 2009

Faced with a citywide population decline, determined Ann Arborites are looking for ways to attract more residents to make a truly bustling 24/7 downtown. Historically, developers and urban fans have had to battle with fractious city factions and, now, a proposed cap on building heights. See whether A2D2 (Ann Arbor Discovering Downtown), the latest initiative to reform downtown's zoning and architectural guidelines, can get the city over these stumbling blocks.

U-M Biz School varies degree options with new Weekend MBA

By Newsroom

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Innovation News

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August 5, 2009

Getting a MBA from the University of Michigan is getting a little bit easier these days now that the school is offering a Weekend MBA program.The new program is the second part-time program offered by the Ross School of Business, which already has an evening format. The Weekend Program, which will begin next May, is expected to allow MBA students to earn their degrees within two years compared to the three to four years for the evening class option.Students in the Weekend Format will take classes Friday afternoon and evening, and all day Saturday during six 14-week terms. The classes will be mostly held in Ann Arbor, with a few more in the Southfield satellite campus. For information on the part-time options, click here. Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

Veris Landscape Design turns yards into jobs

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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August 5, 2009

Rachel Blistein spent enough time taking orders from her boss. Now she makes her living taking orders from her clients.The Ypsilanti resident started her own business, Veris Land Design, three years ago after working for other landscaping architecture firms for a number of years. "I just felt I was ready to strike out on my own," Blistein says.She has done the big-company gig, designing streetscapes and campuses, as well as similar-yet-smaller projects with smaller firms. Now she focuses on working for local residents, mainly on the appearance of their yard."Most of my clients are in Ann Arbor," Blistein says. "I'd like to see more Ypsilanti people take advantage of my business."The landscape designer is already is working on one big project in Ypsilanti – Luna Lake. She is quarterbacking volunteer efforts to turn the stagnant swamp area of Prospect Park into a sustainable rain garden, decked out with native plants.Source: Rachel Blistein, owner of Veris Land DesignWriter: Jon Zemke

Innosynth plans to turn Ann Arbor base into 15 jobs

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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August 5, 2009

Dante Bishop has some big plans for his start-up - Innosynth Technologies.The one-year-old firm employs three people now in Ann Arbor SPARK's downtown business incubator. But he expects employment to shoot up dramatically within the next year, as he plans to hire up to 15 people."I see our growth as being tremendous in terms of potential," Bishop says.Innosynth (a combo of the words innovative and synthesis) Tech specializes in creating social networking software as a service for internal communities. Think businesses, non-profits and other large organizations. It does everything from content management to running blogs and other forms of social media outlets.Bishop is confident in this idea because he used to work in a similar unit for his old employer. He sees a large market opening up for companies looking to find ways to more efficiently facilitate communication with their employees.Source: Dante Bishop, president of Innosynth TechnologiesWriter: Jon Zemke

Allinova’s software keeps partnering companies together

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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August 5, 2009

A lot of businesses get their start when the founder(s) draw upon years of experience working for someone else as the base of their new venture. The story of Allinova is no different.Joost Allard has a decade of experience in partnership management and years more in the IT industry. So it made sense to combine the two as the foundation for his new start-up. Allinova specializes in ensuring the success of business partnerships through its software and consulting services."The failure rate of alliances is too high in my estimation," Allard says. "It's over 50 percent."The company is testing a pilot version of its software that is supposed to help these partnerships survive, thus leading to consulting work."We see it more as a blue ocean area," Allard says. "We think there is plenty of opportunity for us and other consultants going down this path."Right now Allinova is just Allard and a few independent contractors. The firm is occupying space in Ann Arbor SPARK's business incubator in downtown Ann Arbor. Allard hopes to establish the product within the next year, which means bringing on 10 companies to use it, including one of the big boys like IBM, Cisco or Eli Whitney. Source: Joost Allard, founder and CEO of AllinovaWriter: Jon Zemke

200 entrepreneurs reach out to Ann Arbor SPARK this year

By Newsroom

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Entrepreneurship

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August 5, 2009

About 200 entities, think singular or a pair of entrepreneurs, have reached out to Ann Arbor SPARK so far this year about creating their own start-ups, and that type of contact is expected to continue.Thirty three of those 200 ideas for new companies are actually starting the process of coming to fruition with Ann Arbor SPARK. They are taking advantage of the business accelerator's resources to develop, fundraise, prototype, license, or commercialize their products or services.The 200 contacts are a modest increase from years before as the 4-year-old economic development agency starts to gain traction from its years of community outreach. Many of them come from a combination of Ann Arbor SPARK's outreach events or referrals with other partnering organizations, such as the University of Michigan's Business Engagement Center, Tech Brewery, and TechArb, among others. "SPARK has been around," says Elizabeth Parkinson, vice president of marketing and communications with Ann Arbor SPARK. One of the big draws for growing these businesses is SPARK's renowned Entrepreneur's Boot Camp. It has run 15 of these weekend business cram sessions so far and has another set for this fall. About 15 start-ups attend each boot camp, with 225 participants to date. Of those, 181 have gone on to employ 662 people and garner $19 million in funding.Source: Elizabeth Parkinson, vice president of marketing and communications with Ann Arbor SPARKWriter: Jon Zemke