Economic Development

Got scones? Depot Town’s Let’s Get Sconed sees rising fortunes

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October 17, 2012

Scones are the new muffin, at least in Ypsilanti's Depot Town, where scone-baking operation Let's Get Sconed has been heating up the kitchen of Café Ollie. Let's Get Sconed co-owner Danielle Teachout, who also owns MI General Store and Café Ollie with her scone-loving husband Mark, has been helping her employee, Ben Lewis, to run the business. Lewis, aka "head sconer" of Let's Get Sconed, was inspired to turn the scones into a full-time venture last spring. "It was a collaboration of my recipe and his name..." Teachout says. "We encourage our people to be little entrepreneurs." Flavors run from sweet – blueberry-lemon, apple cinnamon, and pumpkin; to savory – zucchini red pepper cheddar. A reuben scone (corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss) is in development. The scones are popular at Café Ollie, and are also sold at the Corner Brewery, at the Ypsilanti Farmers Market on Tuesdays, and at the Wednesday Kerrytown Farmers Market in Ann Arbor (now closed for the season). And the bakers want to get the scones out to hungry masses everywhere. "Right now we are just waiting on our [packaging] labels and we're going to start taking them around to other stores and coffee shops and stuff like that, and starting to sell them there," Teachout says. Source: Danielle Teachout, co-owner of Let's Get Sconed Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Latest in Economic Development

Bank of Ann Arbor to open Saline branch, add 5 jobs

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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October 17, 2012

The Bank of Ann Arbor is branching out with the opening of a new Saline location. A new branch is coming to 179 E. Michigan Avenue, close to Saline's downtown. A mid-December opening is planned, according to Hans Maier, a senior vice president at the bank. The 1,600-square-foot building has been home to branches of various financial institutions since 1968. The bank is capitalizing on Saline's growing residential population. "With the proximity of Saline in our market area, we thought that would be a great location because of the number of Saline customers we already have in our Ellsworth [Road] office," Maier says. Five employees will staff the branch, according to Maier. Source: Hans Maier, senior vice president, Bank of Ann Arbor Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Downtown Saline to add outdoor dining to spiffed up alley

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Arts & Culture

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October 17, 2012

The alley is becoming the next promenade in cities like Saline. Saline Main Street, an organization charged with improving the vitality of the downtown, has signed an agreement with the city to spearhead an improvement project in a one-block alley off of Ann Arbor Street, behind the Brecon Grille and Mangiamo Italian Grill on Michigan Avenue. Alley enhancements include replacing a wooden planter with a wrought-iron fence, raising concrete, stringing overhead lighting, adding planters, and installing an entryway feature of a design yet to be determined. The lighting should be in place later this fall, in time for Saline's holiday parade. The restaurants plan to install outdoor seating in the alley when the weather warms next year, according to Rebecca Schneider, the design team leader for Saline Main Street. "It's a wonderful way for us to get more community gathering space, and one of the wonderful things about when you find that space in an alley is that utilizing the space doesn't require closing the street or closing a parking lot, which disrupts commerce and traffic in your downtown," Schneider says. The total project cost is still unknown, says Schneider, due to the expense of overhead lighting and the yet-to-be-determined entryway feature. The city of Saline has contributed $10,000 towards the project. Saline Main Street will raise additional funds as necessary. Saline Main Street will also hold up to six public events a year in the alley. "It's not just outdoor seating for Mangiamo and Brecon Grille, it's also community space which will be utilized for different functions, where we hope to engage all different facets of our city in that space," she adds. Possibilities include wine tastings, art displays, musical performances, and events for children. Source: Rebecca Schneider, Saline Main Street design team leader Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Density may actually reduce traffic

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 17, 2012

Here's some counterintuitive food for thought... communities with higher mixed use denisty demonstrated reduced congestion. Excerpt: "[The study] found that roadways in more compact, mixed, multi-modal communities tend to be less congested. This results from the lower vehicle trip generation, particularly for local errands, more walking and public transit travel, and because the more connected street networks offer more route options so traffic is less concentrated on a few urban arterials. This contradicts our earlier assumptions." Read the rest here.

Ann Arbor has the cutest street art

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 17, 2012

Blink and it's gone. Ann Arbor artist and street quirkmaker David Zinn catches the attention of a UK writer with his delightful chalk drawings. Excerpt: "David Zinn makes streets a little brighter, if only for a few hours. The chalk artist has become known in his hometown of Ann Arbor, America, for his brightly coloured little creatures dotting the pavement. Zinn, who has been "drawing for as long as [he] can remember", started the project because he wanted to create "something absurd, anonymous and temporary"." Read and see the rest here.

20 years of murder and mystery

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 17, 2012

It's murder most foul in downtown Ann Arbor every day of the week at Aunt Agatha's bookshop. And this oasis for mystery devotees in celebrating two decades of poisonings, stabbings, shootings, and whatever fatal deeds villains hope to get away with. Excerpt: "When asked her thoughts on the store's success, Agnew said that she and her husband had created not just a store, but a "community space." "We're small. We know our customers," she said. Agnew added that they are careful about how much inventory they keep and tend to order one copy of a new book at a time." Read the rest here.

U-M grad catches entrepreneurial bug in college, starts Casey’s Head

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 17, 2012

Casey Frushour first got a taste of being his own boss while going to college at the University of Michigan. There he worked on freelance graphic design projects while studying art and design at the university. When he graduated he didn't have enough of that sort of work to support himself so he became the in-house graphic designer at a local bio-tech firm. He kept with the freelance gigs during his four years at his day job until it reached a point where he had to decide whether he wanted the job of being his own boss or continue under someone else. "It got to the point where I was making more money with side jobs than I was working full-time," Frushour says. "I just couldn't do the 80-hour work weeks anymore so I went out on my own." That was the beginning of Casey's Head. The Ann Arbor-based graphic design agency has served as Frushour's bread and butter ever since. It has reached a point now where he is starting to feel himself being stretched thin and expects to hire his first staffer within the next year. "It's a matter of finding the right person," Frushour says. Source: Casey Frushour, founder & creative director of Casey's Head Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Perich Advertising & Design adds 7 as it grows digital team

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 17, 2012

Perich Advertising & Design is beefing up its digital presence now that is has been hiring more web programers, software developers and other similar professionals. The Ann Arbor-based advertising firm has hired seven people over the last year, expanding its staff to 31, along with a handful of interns at any given time. Those new hires will be handling both traditional and new media projects. "It's a little bit of everything," says Ernie Perich, president & creative director of Perich Advertising & Design. "Staying on top of everything digital is very important to us." He adds that his company's growth is coming evenly from both traditional and digital revenue sources. The 25-year-old company got its start handling more traditional work, such as TV and radio. It has moved more and more into the digital spectrum as the Internet has grown and taken a more prominent position in the advertising world. Making that transition to handling both ends of the advertising spectrum has allowed Perich Advertising & Design to continue to grow throughout the years. "We're going to project a steady growth," says Ernie Perich, president & creative director of Perich Advertising & Design. "We're going to keep doing it the same way we have done it all this year." Source: Ernie Perich, president & creative director of Perich Advertising & Design Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Coherix expands staff by 20, looks to hire another 10

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 10, 2012

Coherix is growing sales and staff, and is currently eyeing an even bigger payday in the near future. The 8-year-old Ann Arbor-based tech start-up has hired 20 people over the last year and is looking to add another 10 employees in software programing and sales. Its staff currently stands at 43 employees and three interns after the firm doubled its sales over the last year. "We're on a path to double our revenue growth over the next year," says Dwight Carlson, chairman & CEO of Coherix. "We're looking at an initial public offering in 2014." Coherix creates high-speed, high-definition 3D visualization and inspection software designed to improve the management of manufacturing processes. Its high-tech optical-based measurement and inspection products help find efficiencies in the automotive and semiconductor industries. The company originally set up shop in southeast Michigan because of the region's high concentration of manufacturing. Today with the global shift in manufacturing eastward, about 70 percent of Coherix's customers are in Asia, and that's with the boost in manufacturing in Michigan thanks to the rebounding automotive industry. "Coherix China will be the biggest Coherix operation in five years," Carlson says. Source: Dwight Carlson, chairman & CEO of Coherix Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

MGoBlog hires 4 team members as it expands U-M coverage

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 10, 2012

MGoBlog was riding high last year, clocking big gains in readership as the University of Michigan went through the turmoil of a coaching change, a surprise run in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and a largely unexpected 10-win season in football. Growth was spiking nicely for the leading U-M athletics fan site until things flattened this year. Brian Cook knows what happened and who caused this dip. He epically double points at U-M Head Football Coach Brady Hoke. "We had a pretty bad summer (readershipwise). I blame Brady Hoke," says Cook, founder of MGoBlog, with his tongue planted in his cheek. "He had the entire (football) recruiting class signed up by March." As a diehard U-M football fan, Cook knows that landing most of a top-tier recruiting class before spring officially arrives is good for the team's long-term prospects and therefore good for MGoBlog and his own sanity on football Saturdays. But recruiting news is what keeps sites like his going in the college sports offseason between the NCAA Basketball Tournament and the first game of football season. Success can be painful sometimes. That dip hasn't been fatal for the growing media empire based in Ann Arbor that is MGoBlog. The 7-year-old website had expanded to a three-person team when we check in with Cook in 2011. Since then it has grown its team to five people, bringing on a photographer and sales manager. It has also had to replace two of its writers after more established competitors with deeper pockets (Rivals and ESPN) cherry picked its two writers. "It was kind of upsetting and validating at the same time," Cook says. MGoBlog has also expanded into the football season preview magazine market with its initial offering of "Hail To The Victors" this fall. The glossy magazine done in MGoBlog's distinctive voice became a reality thanks to a $26,000 Kickstarter campaign that largely came from the site's legions of fanboys. Cook sees working out the kinks in the magazine and solidifying its readership as one of MGoBlog's top goals in the next year. "The most important thing for us to do is to solidify the magazine," Cook says. "I really want year two of the magazine to be solid and turn into a product that can be sold year after year." Source: Brian Cook, founder of MGoBlog Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.