ForeSee Results expands in Ann Arbor, plans to hire 30-60

ForeSee Results isn't suffering from survivor syndrome, but people would understand why if the Ann Arbor-based came down with a case of it.As the economy continues its downward spiral, ForeSee Results continues to enjoy success and grow. "We've been growing at a pretty significant rate in the last couple of years despite the economy," says Larry Freed, CEO of ForeSee Results.The 7-year-old company is moving to bigger spaces on the city's north side, expanding from 15,000 to 40,000 square feet. It needs to after hiring about 50 people last year to create a staff of 140, 85 of which work in Ann Arbor. Freed expects to hire another 30-60 this year.The website-information firm captures "voice of customer" feedback and uses it to measure customer satisfaction for the likes of as Kohler, Citibank and Ameriprise. It uses uses the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index to find out the satisfaction of website visitors and pinpoint opportunities to improve the site.ForeSee Results is doing it so well that it's experience double-digit revenue growth, a trend it expects to continue this year whichever way the economy turns.Source: Larry Freed, CEO of ForeSee ResultsWriter: Jon Zemke

Chelsea’s Servant Systems grows by designing software for franchises

There is a decent chance the clerks at your favorite local franchise can do their job thanks to Servant Systems.The Chelsea-based firm creates the software that franchises use to run their operations at both the store and corporate level. And it now provides these services for the likes of Domino's, Molly Maid and Mr. Router.Servant Systems started in 1991 and now employs eight people and the occasional independent contractor. The firm is in a holding pattern right now in regards to growth as it tries to take on a few more franchise customers."We hope to take on two more franchises this year," says Don DeSmith, president of Servant Systems. "If that happens we could add a person or two this year."It's part of the company's goal for steady, sustainable growth. It's trying to avoid rocketing success that can so quickly and easily turn into a shooting star.Source: Don DeSmith, president of Servant SystemsWriter: Jon Zemke

Single Source Procurement steps into Pfizer’s wake, opens Ann Arbor office

Bob Engster is picking up the pieces left behind by Pfizer and making quite the nice chunk of change.The Kalamazoo resident founded Single Source Procurement in 2003 after Pfizer bought Upjohn. It was the corporation's move that left Engster looking for a new job, so he created his own. He was Single Source Procurement's only employee those first few years, helping small companies and start-ups save money whenever they bought, stored or fixed biotech and life sciences equipment. Today he oversees a staff of six in Kalamazoo and plans to open an Ann Arbor office with three employees later this month. It's looking for instrument repair people right now.Engster's company has discovered that there is a demand for his services in places where Pfizer has pulled up stakes and left a wake of start-ups, such as Ann Arbor, Holland and Kalamazoo."We kind of follow Pfizer," Engster says. "We have a lot of opportunities in Michigan."Most start-ups or small companies have to pay high prices for bio-tech equipment. Single Source Procurement leverages the vendors by buying in bulk for a large number of these small firms. It also does stockroom management and helps fix these bio-tech instruments. That usually works out to about 30 percent savings for the companies and another company created in Michigan.Source: Bob Engster, CEO and founder of Single Source ProcurementWriter: Jon Zemke

The paradox of cheap parking, in real time

Free parking is far from free.Excerpt:Last spring, I heard about an interesting dataset about Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I lived for four years as an undergraduate student. Busy with the flurry of activity leading up to my completion of graduate school, I stored it away to look at later. After all, real-time information on cities is hard enough to come by, let alone on the simultaneously ubiquitous and fascinating topic of parking.Read the rest of the story here.

A rust belt oasis, the University of Michigan is spending billions to grow

The University of Michigan's light is so bright The New York Times has been drawn to its construction boom like a moth to the flame.Excerpt:An army of ironworkers, masons, carpenters and laborers are swarming the campus of the University of Michigan these days, as the university undertakes a construction campaign budgeted at $2.5 billion, ranking it among the largest university building programs in the United States.Nine major buildings for science, medicine, health, art, business, sports, food service and student housing are in various stages of construction here. They encompass nearly three million square feet, at a cost of about $1.66 billion. Five others are in the design stage. This comes after the completion in the last two years of 10 other buildings — for biomedical research, cardiovascular treatment, science, technology, engineering, public health, public policy and drama — covering 1.7 million square feet at a cost of $836.4 million. The square footage in the new and renovated buildings comes to the equivalent of 105 acres."Having the right facilities is crucial to a thriving public research university," said Philip J. Hanlon, vice provost for academic and budgetary affairs at the University of Michigan, where the first building was completed in 1840. "We are producing the work force of the future in the industries of the future. And we are doing that even as the help our state government provides is declining."Read the rest of the story here.

Is Ann Arbor one of America’s most literate cities?

If you're reading this then you're part of the reason Ann Arbor is considered one of the world's most literate cities.Excerpt:No list of America's Most Literate Cities would be complete without Ann Arbor.Or would it?A recent study ranked Seattle and Minneapolis as tied for first place on the literacy list. Ann Arbor - a city that finds itself near the top of all kinds of lists - wasn't ranked.But there's a reason. The literacy list, published since 2003, only ranks cities with populations above 250,000. Detroit is the highest ranked Michigan city at 51st, just ahead of Newark, N.J.Many local book experts say Ann Arbor could hold its own against any metro city.Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor SPARK’s Finney: Tech economy can grow

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.

High-tech boost seen for region as U-M buys Pfizer property

Ann Arbor’s Arboretum Ventures becomes state’s leading VC fund