Government

Ann Arbor Muni Center gets LEED Gold

By Newsroom

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November 7, 2012

Say what you will about the new city hall's aesthetics, at least it's more sustainable than its predecessor. Excerpt: "The municipal center project includes the new Justice Center, landscaped municipal plaza rain gardens, green roof promenade, and porous pavement in the parking lot. It obtained a total of 44 LEED points. Quinn Evans was the architectural firm for the Ann Arbor Municipal Center. The landscape architects were InSite Design Studio Inc. with Conservation Design Forum." Read the rest here.

Latest in Government

Violin firm Weinreich Labs scores Michigan microloan

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 24, 2012

Weinreich Labs is reinventing the violin in Ann Arbor, creating technology that preserves the quality of the amplified and recorded sounds of the instrument. The 2-year-old start-up was founded by a violin maker, a physicist, an engineer and a designer. The company's instrument is a violin that produces heirloom quality music when amplified or recorded. It is expected to give musicians the ability to amplify a acoustic sound (think stereo speakers) without feedback or loss of tonal character, problems that have long plagued the music industry. "If a players buys one of our products they're buying an instrument that sounds great in an amplified setting," says Alex Sobolev, CEO of Weinreich Labs. "It also works in a recording studio where it can be very challenging to properly mic stringed instruments." Weinreich Labs' four person team is putting the finishing touches on its prototypes and plans to begin commercializing its violins early next year. The firm recently received financing from the Michigan Microloan Fund (each microloan is worth about five figures worth of seed capital on average) that it is using to buy production-quality electronics and develop a mobile app. "This loan does a number of things for us," Sobolev says. "In the worst-case scenario, this gets us to a trade show with a number of prototypes to showcase." Source: Alex Sobolev, CEO of Weinreich Labs Writer: Jon Zemke

Washtenaw Community College lands $2.9M grant for tech training

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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October 3, 2012

The U.S. Dept of Labor is giving Washtenaw Community College a $2.9 million grant to help the institution of higher learning retrain more workers in tech and IT careers. The two-year grant, made through the Labor Dept.'s Trade Adjustment Assistance for Community Colleges Career Training program, will fund an initiative called IGNITE Michigan that will develop new IT employees in the state. "There are people who are still out of work or are underemployed or are returning from war and need the opportunity to get a job in a high-growth area," says Michelle Mueller, associated vice president of economic & community development for Washtenaw Community College. Washtenaw Community College is partnering with Ann Arbor SPARK to get IGNITE Michigan off the ground. IGNITE Michigan will help train workers in software development for Java and network and systems administration in Microsoft and Linux/Unix platforms. The programs will be designed to meet the needs of the adult, non-traditional learner and will combine online and classroom instruction approaches. "Hopefully, we will be able to help a couple hundred people over the life of the grant," Mueller says. Source: Michelle Mueller, associated vice president of economic & community development for Washtenaw Community College Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Accelerate Michigan levels playing field in student competition

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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August 22, 2012

The student portion of last year's Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition drew a pleasant surprise that caused organizers to reform the rules to this year's competition. Are You A Human, a venture-backed start-up co-founded by University of Michigan students, won the grand prize worth $25,000. It was the second year in a row U-M start-ups won the student portion of the contest and it prompted organizers behind the business-plan competition to reform the rules for eligibility so seed-funded start-ups led by students must compete in the main competition. "We didn't think we would get a student team with $250,000 in private seed capital sign up," says Lauren Bigelow, executive director of Accelerate Michigan. This year Accelerate Michigan is moving the competition to downtown Detroit where it will be held in the Book Cadillac Hotel on Nov. 13-15 with the competition's awards gala on Nov. 15 at Orchestra Hall. It had previously been held in Ann Arbor around the University of Michigan. This year the organizers plan to capitalize on the Motor City's urban atmosphere and rebounding narrative. More than 300 start-ups have applied to compete at Accelerate Michigan for the competition's $500,000 first prize. The contest regularly attracts the cream of the crop of start-ups from the Great Lakes region and a smattering of others from across the U.S. who are looking at moving to Michigan. The deadline for signing up for the student-led portion of the event is Sept. 27. For information, click here. Source: Lauren Bigelow, executive director of Accelerate Michigan Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

U-M grads leverage microloan to grow start-up Rippld

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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August 22, 2012

Another $200,000 in financing has been dispersed by the Michigan Microloan Fund Program, a large portion of which is helping start-ups run by University of Michigan graduates get off the ground. The Michigan Microloan Fund Program provides five-figure loans around $50,000 to locally based start-ups in need of seed capital. The funding helps support the commercialization of their products. More than $2.5 million has been loan through the fund since its inception. Among the most recent recipients is Rippld, a Detroit-based start-up that is creating a connection, collaboration and services exchange platform for creative professionals and the clients that need their talents. Rippld was founded by a trio of U-M grads, Adrian Walker, Wilbert Fobbs III and Lander Coronado-Garcia. "It's going to help both the tools and the man-hours needed to build it out," Coronado-Garcia says. "Some of those funds are going toward the cost of the independent contractors and employees. It is also going toward the infrastructure cost of hosting the site." Another recent recipient is Seelio, formerly known as TruApp. The Ann Arbor-based start-up created by U-M alumni provides a stage for college students to distinguish themselves through an online portfolio of work and connect with companies. The microloan is funding Seelio's recent beta launch, and served as a bridge to the company’s recently closed seed funding round. Source: Lander Coronado-Garcia, co-founder of Rippld Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Carlisle/Wortman grows community development work, staff

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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August 15, 2012

For most of its 25 years, Carlisle/Wortman Associates spent its time helping growing communities, often younger ones, create master plans that help make them develop more livable, healthy areas. When the recession hit, the downtown Ann Arbor-based urban planning firm began to take on more work with older communities to grow its business. "We have been spending more time with local governments helping them with local government functions," says Dick Carlisle, president of Carlisle/Wortman Associates. For instance, the company now runs community development for the city of Riverview. It has also taken on similar functions for other downriver communities, such as Woodhaven. That has allowed Carlisle/Wortman Associates to make inroads with established communities, allowing it to grow itsclient list to 70 municipalities. It has also hired three people and a number of independent contractors over the last year, expanding its staff to 20 employees and three interns. "Over the last five years of the downturn we have picked up more communities with little development," Carlisle says. "Now we're seeing more development activity." One of those communities is the city of Detroit, which Carlisle/Wortman Associates is now helping with the Detroit Works Project, the initiative to transform land use in the Motor City. Carlisle/Wortman Associates will advise Detroit-based Hamilton Anderson Associates, the local lead on all technical planning for Detroit Works Project Long Term Planning, on zoning strategy. "It's really trying to transform the vision of Detroit Works into a reality that will reinvigorate areas of Detroit," Carlisle says. Source: Dick Carlisle, president of Carlisle/Wortman Associates Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor biz pros promote entrepreneurship in Detroit

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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July 25, 2012

More and more business professionals from the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area are staking a claim in Detroit by working with programs that are helping spread entrepreneurship and technology across the Motor City. The Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (which is run by Eastern Michigan University Business Prof Richard King) is launching its new statewide New Venture program from Detroit. New Venture aims to help aspiring and early stage entrepreneurs establish their business through a 10-week course, which teaches the basics about opening a business, how to make sure the venture is viable and consulting with the entrepreneurs after they are up and running. It has already graduated its first two entrepreneurs. "It's going to be offered in a number of locations," says Wendy Thomas, associate regional director for the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center. Dave Koziol, founder of the downtown Ann Arbor-based mobile app firm Arbormoon Software, is the co-founder of Develop Detroit. The new initiative looks to help expand the mobile app workforce in the Motor City through a 12-week course that teaches the participants how to build their own mobile app. Develop Detroit is modeled after a similar program in Chicago called Code Academy. Bruce McCully, CEO of Dynamic Edge, has been growing a technology club in the Detroit Institute of Technology. The institute is one of four schools from Detroit Public School's inside the former Cody High School on the city's west side. The Ann Arbor-based tech start-up's employees teach the students how to use cutting edge technology and how to make it work for them, such as applying for job or colleges. Source: Wendy Thomas, associate regional director for the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund pumps $600K into 3 Ann Arbor-based start-ups

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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July 18, 2012

Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund is on a tear this year, investing $2.6 million in 12 start-ups so far this year and on pace for several more. "Our average is 12 per year," says Skip Simms, manager of the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund and a senior vice president at Ann Arbor SPARK. "I don't anticipate we will make 12 more this year. It probably will be 6-10 more. We have approved three more. We just haven't closed on them yet." The three most recent investments, totaling $600,000, have gone to a variety of Ann Arbor-based start-ups, including FlockTAG, FreeStride Therapeutics, and Larky. FlockTAG is creating a mobile app loyalty system for quick service restaurants which creates a cross promotional platform with customized deals. FreeStride Therapeutics is developing therapies for treatment of bone-related conditions. Larky's application helps consumers manage discounts from retailers, membership organizations increase loyalty, and merchants generate business. To date, the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund has awarded 75 Michigan companies with seed funding totaling more than $16.5 million. Those investments have allowed local start-ups to attract more than $22 million in matching grant and equity funds. They have also helped to create more than 120 jobs in Michigan. The Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund is an equity fund that invests in technology-based companies to support business formation and acceleration. Ann Arbor SPARK serves as the Fund's administrator. Source: Skip Simms, manager of the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Hines Industries hires 7, plans to bring on 20 more this year

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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June 27, 2012

Hines Industries is making a six-figure investment in expanding the family owned company's Ann Arbor operations. The automotive supplier has received a $250,000 loan from the Michigan Economic Development Corp that it plans to use as working capital to grow its business. The 32-year-old company has hired seven people in the last year, bringing on engineers, manufacturing personnel and technicians. It plans to hire another 20 people over the next year, growth that will include new jobs in software development, engineering and marketing. "The family has decided it wants to expand the business," says Dawn Hines, CEO of Hines Industries. "There is a lot of opportunity out there." Hines Industries specializes in the design and manufacture of balancing equipment with a goal of improving efficiency of manufacturing processes. It offers standard dynamic balancing machine models and specialized balanced configurations for the automotive industry. Hines received the $250,000 loan from the state because it has a new agreement with Chrysler that promises to generate $3.3 million in revenue and $1.4 million in gross profit. "This program has allowed us to build up our talent in the company," Hines says. "We're building up our engineering department and our service department." Source: Dawn Hines, CEO of Hines Industries Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

The Governor’s Strategy Man Talks Transit

By Tom Clynes

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Community Development

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May 23, 2012

William Rustem says everybody who believes in a better future for Michigan agrees that we’ve got to both take care of our roads and bridges as well as address public transit. Tom Clynes gets the details.