Tech Transfer is the university buzzword these days. Concentrate sits down with Stephen Forrest, Vice President for Research at U-M, to candidly discuss how the commercial exploitation of academic discoveries can transform Michigan's economy and create an environment for innovation and investment.
Who says you can't get great seafood in the Midwest? T.R. Durham's Tracklements and Smokery has earned an international reputation for its delectable smoked fish. How much of a reputation? In 2007 his shop sold seven tons of cold-smoked salmon.
Kids come in all shapes and sizes. Kids clothes? Not so much. Ypsilanti's Merrill Guerra started RealKidz Clothing Company to put cool clothes on every body. And, no pun intended, her company has really taken off.
The Clean Energy Coalition's Rebuild Ypsilanti Program is off to a fast start with a number of commercial building owners signing up for the program's energy audits."We have 20 people already interested in energy audits," says Greg Vendena, project manager for the Clean Energy Coalition.The program offers energy audits for office, retail, restaurant and multifamily residential buildings. Organizers hope to perform 10-20 audits by July and have five actually follow through with the recommendations. The theoiry is that by improving a building's energy efficiency you'll prolong its usability."It's worth the money saved from the operating costs because that is money that could be put toward more important things," Vendena says. "It also reduces pollution and improves occupant safety and health."For information, contact Vendena at greg@cec-mi.org or (888) 818-0987 ext 702. Source: Greg Vendena, project manager for the Clean Energy CoalitionWriter: Jon Zemke
Roundabouts are popping around Washtenaw County with the ferocity of daisies, but not quite as annoying. The latest is planned for the intersection of Whitaker and Stony Creek roads in Ypsilanti. The area has experienced commercial development pressure in recent years, forcing officials at the Washtenaw County Road Commission to come up with the right way to make traffic flow smoothly through the intersection."We dug into out toolbox to save what else we could do with the intersection," says Mark McCulloch, project engineer for the Washtenaw County Road Commission.The options basically whittled down to expanding the traffic signal currently there or go with a roundabout. The commission chose the latter, planning to build the roundabout in 2010 for about $1-$1.3 million.There are currently seven roundabouts in existence in Washtenaw County today and another one on the way. Three more, including this newest one, are still in the planning stages. Most will be located in and around Ann Arbor. This is the first for Ypsilanti.Modern roundabouts include a central island to guide the vehicular traffic and splitter islands at each leg of an intersection. One-way traffic moves around the central island where entering traffic must yield to the traffic already in the roundabout.Traffic circles slow and calm traffic, resulting in fewer accidents. They also decrease delays and cut down on the number of idling vehicles, reducing air pollution.They are common throughout Europe and have been appearing more frequently in North America in recent years. More common on the coasts, roundabouts and traffic circles have been popping up in southeast Michigan's suburbs in recent years.Source: Mark McCulloch, project engineer for the Washtenaw County Road CommissionWriter: Jon Zemke
Dexter officials now have an idea of what the new Mill Creek Park will look like and they hope to start construction on it sometime next year.The plan calls for a combination of urban park with recreational resources and natural areas filled with trees, shrubs and small woodland creatures. The concept is the work of Ann Arbor-based JJR. Village officials plan to add more design details this year while applying for state funding."It could change once we get into the design phase," says Allison Bishop, community development director of the village of Dexter.The park will run alongside approximately one mile of the east bank of Mill Creek between Warrior Creek Park and Shield Road. It will be integrated into the city's proposed river walk, highlighting the section of Mill Creek that borders downtown.The idea behind the park is to open up the creek to more village residents and downtown patrons. The creek has turned into a mud-filled pond over the years as the old damn under the Main Street bridge has aged. The Washtenaw County Road Commission is tearing out that damn, rebuilding the bridge and the creek.Source: Allison Bishop, community development director for the village of DexterWriter: Jon Zemke
Five years ago Bryan Muthig and a business partner started A2 Hosting with the idea that website hosting was a good idea. It turned out to be a darned good decision. The firm, based out of Ann Arbor's southeast side, now employs 17 people. Some of them telecommute but they're all located in southeast Michigan. "Most of our growth has come in the last 2-3 years," says Muthig, the president and CEO of A2 Hosting. "We were at four people three years ago."The firm hopes to hire five people this year after enjoying 40 percent revenue growth. That's because it hosts the likes of Ubuntugeek.com, 43folders.com and the blog for a famous U.S. politician.Muthig expects to continue that growth and take on more sites as time passes. He is even looking into getting into design and applications development."Assuming the world doesn't fall into chaos," Muthig says.Source: Bryan Muthig, president and CEO of A2 HostingWriter: Jon Zemke
Growth isn’t exactly the easiest thing to achieve right now but Ann Arbor SPARK's Michael Finney thinks that's precisely what Ann Arbor's tech economy will do.Excerpt:The lack of access to credit threatens the short-term health of Ann Arbor's startup business community, but Ann Arbor SPARK CEO Michael Finney believes the region's tech economy can still grow in 2009. Finney said he expects there to continue to be significant opportunity to generate "high-value, knowledge-intensive jobs" in "innovation-based sectors" such as information technology, clinical services and medical devices.Read the rest of the story here and what other local leaders see for the Ann Arbor-area economy here.
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