In The News

Silicon Valley firm hosts gamer summer camp in Ann Arbor

Most kids go to camp to play sports or escape into the wilderness. Kids in Ann Arbor go to camp to capitalize on their nerdiness thanks to iD Tech, a Silicon Valley firm looking to cultivate the next generation of video game creators.Excerpt:Remember this: In a world where computers run everything, nerds rule.So you might think the 31 kids glued to glowing screens last week at the Ann Arbor summer camp run by iD Tech, a company out of California's Silicon Valley, were just a bunch of campers who prefer computers to campfires. But you would be wrong.These are future masters of the universe, acquiring sophisticated programming skills in video-game design with Flash and Maya animation and other programs that most adults who design games don't get under their belts until they hit college or the professional world.The campers wore their nerdiness with a cheerful swagger."Oh yeah, I'm definitely a nerd," said Alex Eichner, 15, a camper from Alexandria, Va. "No doubt about it."The week-long program was one of seven iD Tech sponsored this summer at the University of Michigan, as well as at other universities around the country. The last U-M session begins Sunday and winds up Aug. 8.Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor’s Salon Vox named one of ELLE’s Top 100 salons

Make it two years in a row for Salon Vox and its place in ELLE magazine's Top 100 Salons in the U.S. The downtown Ann Arbor salon was recently features in the magazine's Best Hair in America's story, which highlights the most sought-after celebrity styles on the continent. For more on the ranking, click here.

Ann Arbor’s Vault of Midnight receives San Diego Comic Con award

If you're a comic book geek, you know the significance of an award from the San Diego Comic Con. If you're not, trust us on this one. It's a big deal that a little comic book store in downtown Ann Arbor, Vault of Midnight, won. Excerpt:The Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award, presented under the auspices of Comic-Con International: San Diego, is given to an individual retailer who has done an outstanding job of supporting the comics art medium both in the community and within the industry at large.Read the rest of the story here.

Chicago Tribune looks at AnnArbor.com: An uptick for print and online journalism?

HealthMedia’s Ted Dacko steps up to executive role at InfoReady

Ted Dacko earned his reputation as one of Ann Arbor's big-name entrepreneurs because of his runaway success with HealthMedia. Now he's taking another swing for the fences with his latest start-up, InfoReady.Excerpt:Ted Dacko thinks he may have spotted the next HealthMedia Inc., and he's signed on with Ann Arbor-based InfoReady Corp. to try to make another success.HealthMedia, a provider of online health resources and wellness programs, headed by Dacko and backed by local venture capitalists, saw dramatic growth and a successful sale to Johnson & Johnson in 2008 for as much as $200 million.InfoReady is a spinoff of Ann Arbor-based GDI Infotech Inc. that has raised almost $1 million in seed and angel funding, including loans from both Ann Arbor SPARK and the Detroit-based First Step Venture Fund.InfoReady collects information about new grants from federal, state, and philanthropic sources and alerts university researchers and government units about them daily. It also serves as social media for the grant-seeking community, allowing would-be collaborators to share ideas and to track progress on grant work. "They built a cool, exciting product that could make them another HealthMedia," says Dacko, who will serve for now as a part-time consultant in the role of vice president of sales and marketing.Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor fosters entrepreneurial ties with Silicon Valley

Lots of people want southeast Michigan, and the Ann Arbor area in particular, to do everything it can to become a rival to Silicon Valley. Local leaders are now going the extra mile to form relationships with business leaders in what is arguably the world's most dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem.Excerpt:Ann Arbor is getting cozy with Silicon Valley - and local economic development officials hope the budding relationship leads to more jobs for this area.Local companies, investors and economic development leaders are seeking to leverage Ann Arbor's connections with businesses based in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco region. In Silicon Valley, life sciences, information technology, research services and environmentally friendly products account for 33.6 percent of total employment, according to the Silicon Valley Economic Development Alliance.Cultivating relationships with West Coast business leaders is a central goal of several California trips organized by Ann Arbor leaders in recent months. Read the rest of the story here.

Money magazine ranks Ann Arbor #46 in Best Places to Live

Ann Arbor has made so many "Best of" lists lately, is anyone surprised it made this one? It would probably be more surprising if the college town didn't make it.Excerpt:Football season may be this city's most popular pastime, but residents of Ann Arbor would insist that the city is always a great place to be. This friendly college town has all the perks of a much bigger city. The downtown area is a Mecca of arts and culture, with museums, theatres, and galleries. Golf courses and biking and hiking trails are never far away. Read the rest of the story here.

GQ magazine calls Ann Arbor, Chelsea Top 10 places for ethical eats”

Ann Arbor’s Nagel Precision leads way for manufacturing diversification

Lots of manufacturers parrot the virtues of diversifying their product portfolios. Ann Arbor-based Nagel Precision talks the talk and walks the walk with its expansion into the aerospace and medical device sectors. The move has allowed it to expand operations at a time when many automotive manufacturers are shrinking and disappearing. Excerpt:Michigan's manufacturing ingenuity is still very much alive at Nagel Precision.Since 1982, the U.S. subsidiary of Germany's Nagel Group has been building high-volume honing machines for automakers and their suppliers at its factory in Ann Arbor, shipping many orders to customers in Europe and Asia.Honing machines are giant, million-dollar-plus, custom-designed pieces of equipment that improve the shape and the surface finish of gears, connecting rods and other parts that go into engines and transmissions....Despite being a dominant player in this market, Nagel knew it needed to diversify, a goal that became more urgent as auto sales took a dive in recent years. So today, the company has begun selling a line of less-expensive, smaller honing machines called the Eco Series. They are geared toward low- and medium-volume production for small auto suppliers, auto racing teams and companies in expanding, nonautomotive industries such as aerospace, medical devices and industrial equipment."We want to capture that growth," said Sanjai Keshavan, manager of Nagel Precision's new Eco Hone division. "If you're not diversifying, it's suicide."Read the rest of the story here.