2010 – Page 50 of 78

Ann Arbor to install permeable pavement this spring

By Newsroom

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April 21, 2010

Workers will begin installing permeable pavement on the two blocks of Sylvan Avenue, east of Packard Road. Permeable pavement filters rain water, creating a surface that absorbs water instead of forcing it to runoff into storm sewers. "It's almost like a Rice Krispies treat that has been painted black," says Nick Hutchinson, project engineer for the city of Ann Arbor. "It has a lot of little holes in it so it looks like a sponge."The city will tear out the old road and rebuild its base so the water filers down into the ground like it would naturally. Most road are built on a clay surface that allows the water to pool under the pavement and create havoc on the road through freeze-thaw cycles.The $300,000 for the project is more expensive than just slapping another layer of pavement on the old road bed, but cost competitive with rebuilding the whole stretch of street and using regular, non-permeable pavement.Source: Nick Hutchinson, project engineer for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor’s Nixon traffic circle, Arb sewer projects win awards

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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April 21, 2010

Who says local government does everything wrong? Two infrastructure projects in Ann Arbor have won awards from the Michigan chapter of the American Public Works Association.The first project singled out for applause is the traffic circle at Nixon Road and Huron Parkway on the city's northeast side. The second is a storm-water-improvement project at the Arboretum and Harvard Drain. "The Huron Parkway & Nixon Road Improvements Project was only one of the two forwarded on to the APWA National Office for competition at that level," Glenn Chinaware, spokesman for the Michigan chapter of the American Public Works Association, wrote in an email. "Not all APWA State awards are forwarded/endorsed for National Competition."Both projects hit the six mandatory criteria for the awards. That criteria include use of good construction management technique, safety, community relations, environmental impact and unusual/adverse conditions impacting construction. Source: Glenn Chinaware, spokesman for the Michigan chapter of the American Public Works AssociationWriter: Jon Zemke

Main Street Assoc suggests more parking ideas for Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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April 21, 2010

The Main Street Area Association has a novel idea for helping business in downtown Ann Arbor: Free parking.Well, that's an over simplification of the debate over reforming downtown's parking policy. Currently, there is a plan to extend the enforcement period from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., similar to what downtowns like Royal Oak have done. The association that represents downtown businesses is advocating for a free first hour of parking in any parking structure along with any extension of the enforcement period. Birmingham has a similar arrangement, offering two free hours but enforcing street fees until 9 p.m.."It's a great incentive to get people in the parking structures and keep more cars off the street," says Tony Lupo, a board member of the Main Street Area Association. "It keeps the street spots turning over."Street parking turnover is one of the primary reasons why the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority is proposing the enforcement period extension, along with other smaller reforms. The idea behind turnover is to help make more spaces available to newcomers to downtown so it's easier to do business in the city's center that has evolved to an almost 24-7 commercial center.Currently the DDA is proposing offering a free hour between 8-9 a.m., but Lupo brushes that off as a policy twist made of empty calories."No one is downtown from 8-9 a.m. to begin with," Lupo says. "There is no need for the turnover then."He adds that the free hour of parking structure parking would add a valuable marketing tool for downtown, which the association wants to be a part of. Lupo argues that Ann Arbor should be creating the perception that it's easier to do business in it downtown, not harder, through little things like parking policy."We believe we should be doing everything we can to get people to come to downtown," Lupo says. "We shouldn't be putting up barriers for people to come downtown."Source: Tony Lupo, board member of the Main Street Area AssociationWriter: Jon Zemke

From Meat To Muscle: Sparrow Gym Is Prime

By Leia Menlove

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Economic Development

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April 21, 2010

Butcher and body builder Josh Johnson demonstrates the kind of quirky entrepreneurship that inspires people to say, "Only in Ann Arbor." Wedged between Kerrytown's beloved meat counter and Sweetwaters Cafe is his Sparrow Gym, a private work out space that attracts a distinctly eclectic Treetown clientele.

Video Inside Aut

By Keith Jefferies

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Arts and Culture

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April 20, 2010

The Aut Bar is Ann Arbor's gay and lesbian Grand Central, where you can do everything from brunch to raise a toast. It's hopping with straight folks too. The popular Ann Arbor hangout has even spawned a sister bookstore, cabaret, and gallery in its Kerrytown courtyard.

Flagship Air expands private air service in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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April 14, 2010

Flagship Private Air is spreading its wings across Washtenaw County, adding people to its Ann Arbor office and expanding its fleet of planes at Willow Run Airport.The year-old firm now employs three full-time pilots, two more part-timers and another four administrative staffers. That includes two recent pilot hires. Flagship Private Air expects to bring in another pilot and extra administrative support (probably one of its interns) this year. It has also purchased a fourth airplane, and hopes to buy another later this year."Our single-engine planes have been great options for our customers who need to go an hour away with 2-3 colleagues," says Erin Patton, marketing manager for Flagship Private Air.Her father, Tim Patton, started Flagship Private Air late in 2008, to make the most of his other company's (Domino's Farms-based Patton Holdings) plane. That plan proved to be so time and money efficient that he knew a number of other business leaders could use such a service close to their Ann Arbor bases.Flagship Private Air uses single- and dual-engine turbo-prop planes that fly to 47 locations throughout the continental U.S., mainly in the Midwest. The original idea was to fly out of Ann Arbor Airport, but the company switched to Willow Run because its hangars and runways were ready to go."Willow Run has been a very good fit for us because it has really long runways," Erin Patton says. "That has been an issue for us at Ann Arbor Airport."Flagship Private Air's chartered planes can carry private parties within 250 miles. Prices are usually kept under $1,000 per person with a minimum of two people. The company can also cater the flight's food with offerings from Zingerman's, as well as set up hotel or rental car reservations. And Patton plans to expand his business to summer resorts in northern cities, like Traverse City or Mackinac Island, turning a 4-5 hour car trip into a 1-hour plane flight. The idea of hiring out a small plane for a few people at a reasonable price makes it worthwhile to local business people, especially those concerned with time efficiency. For instance, customers don't have to drive far, go through extensive security checks or fly at the whim of notoriously late airlines.The planes can be rented out on a per trip basis or customers can buy blocks of time at a discount. Flagship Private Air even allows clients to become fractional owners in a plane. Think of it like a private-plane timeshare. The company has seen a bump in bookings for May and June and expects business to continue to rise as the economy recovers this year.Source: Erin Patton, marketing manager for Flagship Private Air Writer: Jon Zemke

Saline’s Latitude Learning plans to hire 5-10

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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April 14, 2010

Latitude Learning knows how to take a punch and come back swinging. That's what the Saline-based firm did after the recent recession clocked it good last year, setting the firm for a comeback.The technology consulting company cut its staff in half after the Big Three took it on the chin last year, leaving the downtown-based firm with 30 people and a couple of independent contractors. However, the software as a service product it launched last year is starting to gain traction this year, allowing the firm to begin hiring 5-10 later this year."This year we started to roll out marketing full force," says Jeff Walter, president of Latitude Learning. "We're adding people and we expect to grow."Its new learning management system product allows companies to train employees and track their training through systems large and small, local and global. Its open source philosophy has made it flexible and popular with its customers."It's very functionally rich," Walter says.Source: Jeff Walter, president of Latitude LearningWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor-based uRefer hires 4, plans to add 5 more

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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April 14, 2010

Ann Arbor-based uRefer is starting to gain traction with its innovative new business model, allowing the start-up to hire four people since last fall.The 2-year-old firm went live with its product last year and spent all of 2009 establishing it as one of the top up-and-coming business referral firms. Today it employs a dozen people, three independent contractors and an intern. It hopes to hire five more people before this year is out as it continues to grow."It's the business model we have," saus Dick Beedon, founder of uRefer. "We have a new, innovative way to generate leads and people really like it."The main product for uRefer helps companies either set up a referral program or maximize the one it has in place. This software package has allowed uRefer to open 30 new accounts and let it plan for expanding into new markets. Among those new markets is the hospitality industry."We think we can generate a lot of leads for the hospitality industry," Beedon says. "We have fun here. We're going to grow like crazy and make Ann Arbor a place to be."Source: Dick Beedon, founder of uReferWriter: Jon Zemke

Dangerous Architects plans to hire 1 in downtown Chelsea

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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April 14, 2010

Scott McElrath had been around the building-design block a few times when he started Dangerous Architects 16 years ago.The Chelsea resident had worked for architecture firms across the U.S. and even overseas in Scotland. Then he decided to make the leap into starting his own firm."It seemed like it was time," McElrath says. "I had absorbed enough information from other firms so I could start my own firm."Today Dangerous Architects employs three people and a summer intern or two. One of its interns has turned into McElrath's righthand man as the firm keeps its portfolio diverse with projects in residential, commercial, light industrial and education sectors. McElrath sees work picking up this summer to the point that he expects to a hire someone in the coming months.McElrath decided to name his company Dangerous Architects because he wanted something that stood out. He wanted to break away from the quiet, tree-hugging stereotype of architects and go with something that is a little more emotionally charged."I have a peculiar sense of humor," McElrath says. "I wanted something that might outlive me."Source: Scott McElrath, president of Dangerous ArchitectsWriter: Jon Zemke

Essen BioScience moves to new HQ in Ann Arbor, adds jobs

By Newsroom

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Innovation News

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April 14, 2010

Essen Instruments has become Essen BioScience and now housed in a bigger and better headquarters in Ann Arbor to accommodate its expanded staff.The biotech firm recently renovated 25,000-square-foot space on the south side of Ann Arbor next to the Michigan Research Institute. That new space now houses a staff that measured at 25 employees when we checked in with the company last spring. It expects to almost double that number in the next few years.Essen BioScience builds, sells and services pre-clinical cell-based research tools, the type of products used by pharmaceutical companies for research. The company has noticed that a lot of these firms are now outsourcing a large portion of their lab work, prompting Essen BioScience to create the Discovery Services Business Unit Development Project.The 11-year-old firm recently received a $490,940 tax credit over seven years from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation last year. That allowed the life sciences company to invest $3 million in its Ann Arbor facility. It has already created XX of the 43 new jobs over five years it expects to create over five years as part of the tax-break deal.Source: Essen BioScienceWriter: Jon Zemke