Domino’s Pizza to open 70 new stores… in India

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Healthy Communities
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August 18, 2010

Domino's is famous across the U.S., especially in its hometown of Ann Arbor. But the Tree town-based pizza chain is rapidly becoming popular in India, where it is opening 70 new stores.Excerpt:Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd. rose to a record after the Indian franchisee of Domino's Pizza Inc. said it plans to add 70 stores in the year ending March to tap demand for pizzas and western food in the South Asian country.Jubilant, which operates 320 Domino's Pizza stores in India, will also spend as much as 60 million rupees ($1.3 million) to set up three outlets in neighboring Sri Lanka, Ajay Kaul, Jubilant's chief executive officer, told reporters in New Delhi today. The company is considering alliances with other global food brands, though it hasn't signed any deal, he said.Shares climbed 14 percent, the most since April 7, to 420 rupees in Mumbai, the highest closing level since their debut in February. The stock gained as much as 15 percent earlier on the Bombay Stock Exchange.Domino's, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is expanding in the world's second-most populous nation as overseas sales outpaced demand at home. India will be among the five biggest markets for the second-largest U.S. pizza maker in the next three years as rising incomes and taste for foreign food boost local sales 42 percent annually, Chief Executive Officer J. Patrick Doyle, said in March. Read the rest of the story here.

A Festival All Our Own
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Economic Development
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August 18, 2010

Communities like Austin (music), Sundance (film), Aspen (comedy), and now Grand Rapids (ArtPrize) have discovered the economic opportunities that come with developing an internationally recognized festival. Though Ann Arbor doesn't lack for cultural events, it has yet to find one that inspires half as much interest as U-M football. Concentrate's Constance Crump looks into why, and what might be next.

Ann Arbor improves transit, environment with bike lanes, permeable pavement
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Community Development
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August 18, 2010

Ann Arbor's permeable pavement project is wrapping up as the city begins work on building new and improving existing bike lanes.Permeable pavement filters rain water, creating a surface that absorbs water instead of forcing it to run off into storm sewers. The original plans for completion by the end of June were delayed because of gas main issues, but the final paving is expected to be finished today. "At that point the project will be essentially done, except for minor cleanup," says Nick Hutchinson, project engineer for the city of Ann Arbor. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for Friday.There are no further plans for such projects, Hutchinson says, but "we're keeping our eye out for good candidates, maybe using some slightly different technologies that accomplish the same thing with lower costs."The pavement was installed on two blocks of Sylvan Avenue, east of Packard Road. The city will tear out the old road and rebuild its base so the water filters down into the ground as it would naturally. Most road are built on a clay surface that allows the water to pool under the pavement and create havoc through freeze-thaw cycles.The $300,000 project is more expensive than just slapping another layer of concrete on the old road bed, but cost-competitive with rebuilding the whole stretch of street and using regular, non-permeable pavement.The city also announced plans for improving its bicycle and pedestrian transportation systems, in part through federal stimulus funding. It will be adding approximately nine miles of new bike lanes, improving more than 24 miles of existing lanes, and augmenting pedestrian and bicycle safety in the downtown through the addition of new signage and pavement markings.Work will take place along Catherine Street, North University Avenue, Ashley Street, and First Street, where travel lanes will be narrowed or eliminated to increase accessibility for cyclists. These improvements are a part of Ann Arbor's larger efforts to make active transportation, such as bicycling and walking, more accessible to visitors and residents.Source: City of Ann Arbor and Nick Hutchinson, project engineer for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Kristin Lukowski

Pollution prevention garners grants for Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti
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Community Development
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August 18, 2010

Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti are among several Michigan communities to receive grants to reduce their carbon footprints.The Department of Natural Resources and Environment is awarding $246,547 in Community Pollution Prevention (P2) grant funding to five municipalities for projects that focus on climate action planning, improving efficiency in their operations, reducing waste and lowering emissions, as well as reducing costs. Dearborn, Hazel Park, and Southgate are also receiving funds; the cities will all receive around $50,000.Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann Arbor, says plans for the grant money include pulling together all of the climate-related activities the city has done in the past in an effort to help the city look at other available grants and see where future resources should be focused.Another portion of the grant funds will be used to hold a friendly greenhouse gas reduction competition, educating and working with residents on monitoring their energy use."We'll have neighbors, in a friendly way, competing with each other to see who can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions," Brix says.The city will also be using the funding to work with the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan on an attempt at developing a master's degree project to study what it would take to become climate neutral, or at least as close as possible, considering funding and how to attack problems more comprehensively.The grant requires municipalities to develop a greenhouse gas inventory and a plan that addresses emissions and climate and energy challenges. The five community grant recipients will be required to match the state funds by at least 25 percent.Brix looks forward to the prospect of allow the city to help itself and its residents become more energy efficient. "Obviously, municipal governments are not flush with cash right now, and outside help, especially from the state of Michigan, is fantastic," he says. "I think some of the things we do in our operations set a precedent for other people in the city."Source: Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Kristin Lukowski

Thompson Block work begins anew in Ypsilanti’s Depot Town
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Community Development
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August 18, 2010

After a few months of delays, controversy, and butting heads with the city of Ypsilanti, work on the Thompson Block project is on again.Phase one of the current plan is to stabilize the structure and move the shoring and scaffolding out of the right of way, developer Stewart Beal explains. Phase two involves rebuilding the structure to its condition prior to a fire last fall, and the third is renovations and build-out of tenant spaces.Due to a clash between Beal and the city, when the parties sued each other over building permits, work stopped in June and July. It resumed last week with the issuing of building and right-of-way permits. Cleaning is being done in preparation for additional work, Beal says."We're working as quickly as possible," he says. "Now we have the ability to do what we wanted to do; stabilize the facade, and remove shoring and scaffolding."The three-story, Civil War-era building sits at the eastern edge of Depot Town. It has become controversial in recent years. For the later half of the 20th Century, it was neglected and allowed to become a blight while the rest of Depot Town revitalized itself into a destination. Beal acquired the property in recent years and promised to redevelop it into a combination of ground-floor retail space and luxury loft apartments.He also recently received word of eligibility for a historic state tax credit, which is returned after the project is complete. The 40-percent credit could amount to $1.6 million of the expected $4 million project cost.However, Beal believes he'll have to find new tenants due to bad press the project has received. "Once the building is stabilized and we have a better idea of timelines, then we can start advertising for space again," he says.Writer: Kristin LukowskiSource: Stewart Beal, developer of the Thompson Block

Swift Biosciences nails down $3M in VC
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Economic Development
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August 18, 2010

Usually a few million dollars in venture capital doesn't go all that far with life sciences start-ups, but Swift Biosciences expects to stretch its $3 million in seed capital all the way to commercialization."We expect to have products ready for the market with this money," says David Olson, president and CEO of Swift Biosciences.The Ann Arbor-based start-up is developing molecular biology reagents for research and diagnostic applications that provide new ways to examine disease-related genes. This technology is expected to help researchers analyze samples faster, at a higher volume, and at a lower price-per-sample.The 1-year-old firm started with two people and now employs four. It is in the process of hiring a fifth. It expects to make two more hires within the next six months as it ramps up research, development, and commercialization of its product. Houston-based DFJ Mercury led the latest round of fundraising and helped form the company at its outset.Source: David Olson, president and CEO of Swift BiosciencesWriter: Jon Zemke

Ypsilanti’s Ergun Technology hires 3, readies cash register software
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Economic Development
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August 18, 2010

When Verdi Erel Ergun graduated from the University of Michigan in 2006 he started an eatery in Ann Arbor called Burrito Joint. Quickly, he learned about the limitations of cash register technology. That tickled his entrepreneurial funny bone. He sold the restaurant and formed Ergun Technology. "I used those systems as an operational system and they were terrible," Ergun says. "I just decided to do something about it."The downtown Ypsilanti-based start-up is in the later stages of perfecting its software, Own, for cash registers and is readying it for market. The software allows owners and managers access to real-time activity on their registers, and, hence, higher bottom lines.The 4-person company recently received a microloan from the Michigan Microloan Fund Program and will use the money to finish Beta testing and begin rolling the product out to coffee shops across the state. Ergun expects to expand to fast-food franchises and other similar retail establishments, creating a customer list 2,000 businesses strong by the end of 2011.Source: Verdi Erel Ergun, president of Ergun TechnologyWriter: Jon Zemke

Switchback to add positions in Kerrytown
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Economic Development
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August 18, 2010

Switchback is growing in Ann Arbor's Kerrytown, thanks to new projects with name-brand technology firms.The company has partnered with HealthMedia (Yes, that HealthMedia) to launch a website. It's also working with Weather Underground (the weather website jokingly named after the 1960s fringe group) on a joint project handling the national firm's Drupal work."In college I did a lot of work for them," says Mike Monan, co-founder and problem solver at Switchback. "Now they're in the same building. It was like, 'Hey, guys. How are you doing?' in the halls. Now we are managing their Drupal system for them."Switchback recently hired two engineers and is in the market for a salesperson. That leaves its workforce at about 11 people. Monan expects to add at least one more engineer in the next year as the company continues to expand its customer base. It utilizes a Drupal programming platform to create software that helps businesses better manage their websites without needing IT departments or in-house experts.  "We have seen increasing demand for the product," Monan says. "It's been a nice surprise."Monan and Stephen Colson started Switchback not long after meeting at a local Drupal Users Group meeting in 2007. Switchback utilized local programs, such as Ann Arbor SPARK's Entrepreneur's Boot Camp, to help grow the company from the two partners working on their kitchen tables to one of downtown Ann Arbor's promising start-ups.Source: Mike Monan, co-founder and problem solver with SwitchbackWriter: Jon Zemke

Local Orbit gets microloan; from harvest to table in hours
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Economic Development
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August 18, 2010

Local Orbit is shortening and strengthening local food chain.The downtown Ann Arbor-based start-up created online software that helps consumers order fresh food directly from local producers. The experience is similar to shopping on Amazon, where the farmer drives the food to a local hub so the buyer can pick up, say, produce within hours of its harvest."I saw a lot of fundamental problems and challenges in the food chain," says Erika Block, founder and CEO of Local Orbit. "I saw a way to use interactive technology to solve some of those problems."Block began cultivating the idea two years ago and really began putting it into practice in 2009. Today, the firm employs three people and creates work for another three independent contractors. She expects to hire 5-7 additional staffers within the next year. The hiring will take place after Local Orbit finishes proving its concept at pilot sites in Ann Arbor, Richmond, and Brooklyn. The start-up also recently received a microloan from the Michigan Microloan Fund Program to help finish its pilot projects and begin expanding its concept across Michigan. It expects to add a fourth site in Michigan later this year, as part of an expansion plan to tailors its operations to the communities it serves."Every community has different needs when it comes to local food systems," Block says. "One size doesn't fit all."Source: Erika Block, CEO and founder of Local OrbitWriter: Jon Zemke

Retailer Mythlogic caters to custom PC market
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Economic Development
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August 18, 2010

Conventional wisdom dictates computer retailing doesn't have much of a future outside of Apple and Best Buy stores. The guys behind Mythlogic weren't paying that much heed when they recently opened their store on the north side of downtown Ann Arbor.The 6-year-old start-up has carved out a niche of creating custom PCs for gamers and small businesses. The five-employee firm started as a partnership between Josh Tacey and Jeff Cline, who ran it primarily through Internet sales and word of mouth. One or two more hires may be imminent. The firm occupies 1,800 square feet of ground-floor retail space at 209 N Main, in an old UPS store across the street from the Washtenaw County Building."We wanted to be able to give people a customized computer, but back it up with great service," Tacey says. "Anybody can build a PC."Mythlogic now builds and works on laptops, desktops, tablets, netbooks, and game consoles. It does this for everyone from PC gaming nerds to video game centers to law firms. "We're kind of the all-in-one consultation shop," Tacey says. "We fix pretty much anything that will turn on."Source: Josh Tacey, co-owner of MythlogicWriter: Jon Zemke

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