Visualization Network expands offerings with Happy Hour app

Tom Crawford has been working in software since the 1980s, and working on mobile software when it first started to come into its own in the mid 2000s. Now he has turned that wealth of programming experience into his own business, Visualization Network. The Ann Arbor-based start-up creates custom mobile apps for clients and its own apps for sale. Some of its work includes VizChef (an interactive recipe app) and OnStage Now (for presentations). It's latest offering is Happy Hour, an app that helps its users find the best deals for drinks and foods during…you guessed it, happy hours. It allows users to search by location, day, time or their favorite type of drink. So far the app is viable in communities across Metro Detroit and is in the process of adding in Lansing, East Lansing and Grand Rapids. "We're adding more and more cities as we grow," Crawford says. "Toledo will be our next target as we finish our Michigan cities." Visualization Network is currently a one-person operation that often employs a stable of independent contractors to bring its apps to life. Crawford hopes to add an employee to his team this year to help accommodate the demand for Happy Hour. Source: Tom Crawford, owner & principal of Visualization Network Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.