2010 – Page 47 of 78

“Amadeus” director Hulce reflects on time in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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April 28, 2010

Tom Hulce, of "Amadeus" and "Animal House" fame, grew up in Plymouth and came of acting age in Ann Arbor. Here he reflects on how strong the theater community was in the 1960s.Excerpt:The late-19th-Century teens in "Spring Awakening" wrestle with guilt and shame imposed by a repressive culture.Their anxious and unhappy existence is a far cry from the boisterous mid-20th-Century youth that Tom Hulce, one of the show's producers, enjoyed in the Detroit area.Hulce, 56, was raised in Plymouth (his mother still lives there) but had gravitated to the Ann Arbor theater community by the time he reached his teens in the mid-1960s."It was a strange, wonderful time in this country, especially in Ann Arbor," he says. "Just walking down the street would be an adventure. The coolest thing to do was the most rebellious and unacceptable, the least mainstream kind of thing."Read the rest of the story here.

Jones Lang LaSalle stakes claim in Ann Arbor real-estate market

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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April 28, 2010

One of Chicago's primary real-estate players, Jones Lang LaSalle, is staking its claim in the Ann Arbor market, recognizing it as one of the up-and-coming areas in not only Michigan but the entire Midwest.Excerpt:Though Bluestone Realty Advisors L.L.C. is losing two brokers and most of its real estate listings, the company's owner says the firm will still be an Ann Arbor presence — just much smaller.First reported in Crain's Detroit Business, Chicago-based commercial real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle hired Bluestone co-founder Neal Warling and principal Newcombe Clark as Ann Arbor leasing specialists.But Bluestone's other co-founder, Jeff Hauptman, says the move is far from a business break-up between himself and Warling. As president of Ann Arbor-based Oxford Cos., Hauptman has hired Warling and Clark — through Jones Lang LaSalle — to oversee the leasing for most of Oxford's 1 million-square-foot property management portfolio.However, Hauptman will continue to operate the Bluestone firm, though only to market smaller properties and short-term vacancies that Jones Lang LaSalle might not handle. "Neal will be handling properties that might draw a national or regional tenant," said Hauptman. "And then we'll keep Bluestone to focus on local, smaller-scale properties. The Bluestone name is out there and has a positive reputation, so it will be a presence, just scaled-down."Read the rest of the story here.

Grant Thornton of Ann Arbor’s Merit Network named Innovator of Year

By Newsroom

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General

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April 28, 2010

Ann Arbor-based Merit Network's Grant Thornton beat out 46 other people to become the Innovator of the Year from Lawrence Technological University.Excerpt:Donald J. Welch Jr., president and CEO of Merit Network Inc. in Ann Arbor, has been named Grant Thornton Leader & Innovator of the Year.The award was announced at an April 22 reception at Lawrence Technological University, which co-sponsors the award along with Grant Thornton LLP and WWJ Newsradio 950. Welch was chosen from among 46 nominees profiled during the past 12 months in the radio station’s daily e-newsletter, the Great Lakes Innovation and Technology Report.Around 100 people attended the reception.The Leaders & Innovators program was developed by Lawrence Tech to recognize Michigan business executives who have demonstrated unique abilities or created unique products. The profiles that appear on Tuesdays in GLITR are edited by Matt Roush, who served as the MC at the reception.Since 2006, Welch has been the leader of Merit Network Inc., a nonprofit, member-owned organization formed in 1966. It developed the statewide backbone network that makes high-speed data networking available to all of Michigan’s universities, and many of its colleges and community colleges, schools, libraries, and research organizations. Merit provides connections to and from the global Internet for users at these organizations.Read the rest of the story here.

Q&A: How to get into U-M’s Ross School of Business

By Newsroom

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Entrepreneurship

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April 28, 2010

Getting into University of Michigan's Ross School of Business is one of the most sought after tickets in the nation. Here is some inside information on how to score one, thaks the U.S. News & World Report.Excerpt:We posed questions to admissions officials at the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor Stephen M. Ross School of Business regarding the application process, what they look for in applicants and what sets their school apart. These are their responses:1. What can applicants do to set themselves apart from their peers? They really don't need to do much to set themselves apart other than tell their unique stories—through their résumés, their essays, their interviews, and their recommendation letters. No two applicants, even if they live and work in the same place, will have the same stories to tell. Differentiation shouldn't be a goal; telling one's own story well should.2. What do you look for in the application essays? What do the essays tell you about a candidate?We look for several things in the essays: Do they have clear and compelling reasons for wanting to get an M.B.A. now? Do they have a clear sense of their goals and why they've set those goals? Can they communicate well?The essays tell us whether an applicant has taken the time to think about where they've been, what they hope to achieve and why. Essays tell us whether an applicant understands what an M.B.A. is about, whether our program is a good fit for them, and whether they'll be a good fit for our program.Read the rest of the story here.

What U-M grads want to hear from Pres Obama

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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April 28, 2010

President Obama is known for his inspiring words. Here is a sampling of what his audience at Michigan Stadium wants to hear this Saturday.Excerpt:Last year, when President Barack Obama's commencement addresses drew protests at the University of Notre Dame and Arizona State University, Rebekah Sharpe was spurred to action. She figured if Obama was invited to the 2010 commencement at the University of Michigan, the reception would be different."I thought, 'He will be welcomed with open arms,' " said Sharpe, who is graduating with a degree in communications.It's an idea others at U-M had. Sharpe, 22, of Southfield was among many students and staff members who spent months working on a campaign to get Obama to Ann Arbor to address the graduates on Saturday.During a meeting with reporters several weeks ago, U-M President Mary Sue Coleman jokingly referred to the quest to secure Obama as the commencement speaker "as my obsession.""Everyone who had a connection with the White House, we told about our desire and they were putting in a good word for us," Coleman said. Obama, Coleman said, was a natural choice. "Ever since he was elected and I saw the outpouring of enthusiasm from our students, I thought this would be terrific."We asked some members of the Class of 2010 to share what they want to hear from Obama. Their responses:Read the rest of the story here.

$30M in fed cash set aside for building retrofits

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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April 28, 2010

The numbers are impressive: nearly $452 million in federal stimulus funds to help retrofit existing structures into more energy efficient buildings split between 25 communities/states. Michigan is one of those areas, roping in $30 million.The details of how that money will be put to work and where are still being sorted out. However, the macro impact has the potential for not only shrinking carbon footprints but helping contain suburban sprawl."The idea is to go into these houses and retrofit them so they're more energy efficient," says Sam Offen, director of energy program for the Michigan Suburbs Alliance. "It will allow them to stay longer because they will be more habitable."The Michigan Suburbs Alliance, headed up by Washtenaw County Commissioner Conan Smith (D-Ann Arbor), played a key role in helping score these funds. The money will be used for both residential and commercial properties. That could mean everything from owner-occupied, single-family houses to retail spaces."The residential neighborhood component also includes small businesses," Offen says. "It could be for rental homes as well."Residential and commercial buildings consume 40 percent of the energy and represent 40 percent of the carbon emissions in the U.S. Existing techniques and technologies in energy efficiency retrofitting can reduce energy use by up to 40 percent per home and lower total associated greenhouse gas emissions by up to 160 million metric tons annually. Residential and commercial retrofits also have the potential to cut energy bills by $40 billion annually.Work could begin as soon as this fall.Source: Sam Offen, director of energy program for the Michigan Suburbs AllianceWriter: Jon Zemke

Restaurants, coffee shops open in downtown Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Development News

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April 28, 2010

Downtown Ann Arbor has come so far as a city center that a new coffee shop or restaurant isn't exactly groundbreaking news. However, the recent openings of two new such businesses is the latest example of how the downtown has evolved into a vibrant destination.The latest additions are a new restaurant from Eve Aronoff of "Top Chef" fame called Frita Batido in the old Café du Jour space at 117 W Washington. The new eatery adds some Cuban-inspired cuisine to downtown's diverse food offerings. The second is a coffee shop called lab in the McKinley Town Centre on Liberty Street next to Google's AdWords headquarters. This latest addition is an independent coffee shop run by former University of Michigan students in an area where corporate coffee houses are becoming a bigger and bigger force in the local market.It's part of what Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority executive director Susan Pollay describes as downtown's "healthy ecosystem" that is "always refreshing itself" a little bit at a time."There is always a new reason to come downtown, because you never know what you might find," Pollay says. "She points out that a list of downtown businesses from 1954 shows only two businesses that are still in operation today – White Market and Van Boven Shoes. In those days, traditional retail options like department stores and other small stores dominated the 9-5 downtown. Today, it's sports a much more diverse portfolio of firms, including bars, restaurants, performance venues and retail options, creating a 24-7 vibrancy."It's slowly crept up on us," Pollay says. "The downtown is equally vibrant and active in the night as it is during the day."Source: Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development AuthorityWriter: Jon Zemke

Argo Dam issue takes next step toward resolution

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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April 28, 2010

Whether the Argo Dam stays or goes within the next year, it's a bit cleaner today after a few dozen volunteers cleared out the millrace area last weekend.The Pioneer Rowing Club marshaled 40-50 volunteers between student athletes, parents and other supporters to help clear the overgrown area of trash and invasive plants while working with the city's Natural Area Preservation Group. "We take the stewardship of the pond and river area very seriously," says Jeff DeBoer, president of the Pioneer Rowing Club Board of Directors. The group helps the rowing teams for Pioneer and Huron high schools, which row on the Argo Pond section of the Huron River just north of Argo Dam next to North Main Street, and is the major proponent for saving the dam.The dam has been quite controversial over the last year, dividing Ann Arbor into camps of those who want to remove the 90-year-old dam and those who want it saved. The state ordered the city to close the mill race over the winter months, but it will reopen in May for the summer. A decision has not been made on removing the bridge, preserving the status quo."The dam is staying," DeBoer says.That appears to be the situation for the time being as city leaders continue to kick the can down the road of what to do with it. A city-commissioned study has said the dam embankment is not in danger of failing, but there is still question of how saturated it has become and whether that will compromise its integrity.Most, if not all, of the dam's toe drains need to be rebuilt to help alleviate saturation, a project that could cost between $300,000-$500,000. Laura Rubin, executive director of the Huron River Watershed Council, which is advocating removal of the dam, says that big-ticket maintenance will keep removal on the table as an option."Next year they will either fix the toe drains or remove the dam," Rubin says. "The issue is not going to go away."Source: Jeff DeBoer, president of the Pioneer Rowing Club Board of Directors and Laura Rubin, executive director of the Huron River Watershed CouncilWriter: Jon Zemke

Know Y: Part II of Young and Entrepreneurial

By Kate Rose

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Arts and Culture

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April 28, 2010

Kate Rose returns with the second half of her investigation into what makes young entrepreneurs tick. Thrill to the other-worldly philosophies of Ghostly International's Sam Valenti! Gasp at the cutting edge tribulations of Henrietta Fahrenheit! Shudder in anticipation over what Davy Rothbart has found with FOUND! Is it passion, opportunity or cold calculated economics that spurs these local risk-takers on? Discover the truth by clicking

NIGHT & DAY: A New Voice For FilterD

By Richard Retyi

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Arts and Culture

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April 28, 2010

To paraphrase Mr. Jagger: Please allow him to introduce himself... Richard Retyi takes over FilterD duties for the next six weeks, pointing you, our fearless readers, toward the half dozen best event bets for the week. What tops his list? Click and find out...