Business

what crepe? to bring French rustic, 50 jobs to downtown Ann Arbor

Downtown diners in search of something new certainly have options in the Liberty area with a rush of new restaurants opening over the past few months. According to what crepe? manager Dennis Williams, however, the forthcoming creperie will have no problem standing out from the pack.  "[What crepe?] fits here," he says. "The crepe itself is traditional, but what we're doing with it is kind of unique. That's what Ann Arbor is; it's traditional, but it's unique." The former location of Squares Restaurant has been undergoing some serious renovations over the last four months, bringing what Williams calls a "Euro-sexy" feel to the third what crepe? that differentiates it from the first two restaurants. "We've got the chandeliers and the warm colors here, and the wood makes it French-rustic," he says. "If you look at the Royal Oak location, it looks more like Parisian living room. In Birmingham it's like downtown Paris." As for food, Williams says the classic French crepes will come with a variety unusual fillings, making the classy-meets-casual restaurant appropriate for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  "It's that classic crepe, but [owner Paul Jenkins] asked, 'Why can't you have chicken or steak or salmon inside a crepe? Why can't you think outside the crepe?'" The new restaurant will open with 50 employees. While Williams says an opening date is uncertain at this time, he expects to start serving guests in mid-February. "We don't have a date just yet," he says. "We'll shout it to the heavens when it's time." Source: Dennis Williams, what crepe?Writer: Natalie Burg, Development News Editor

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Tony Sacco’s set for March opening in Cranbrook Village

A growing national chain with Michigan ties will be opening this March in the Cranbrook Village Shopping Center on Eisenhower Parkway. The 3,600 square foot Tony Sacco's Coal Oven Pizza will share a building with Potbelly Sandwich Shop, a move that franchise founder and East Lansing-native Chuck Senatore says will benefit the new restaurant, as well as others in the shopping center. "There's a lot of synergy in that area," says Senatore. "The other restaurants are complementary, but not competing. We like being in busy area, typically with higher end tenants like Whole Foods."  Though Tony Sacco's began in Florida, Senatore's Michigan roots have given his home state big role in the restaurant's early growth. The Ann Arbor location will be the third Tony Sacco's in the state, with locations in Grand Rapids and Traverse City forthcoming. Franchise-wide, the restaurant will be the eleventh or twelfth location, depending upon the opening date of a Charlotte, North Carolina branch. Twenty new Tony Sacco's locations are underway, and five additional franchise locations are in negotiation.  "The nice thing is that the franchises are locally owned and operated," Sentore says.  The secret to the restaurant's success, according to Senatore, has been the unique made-from-scratch cooking methods, as well as an economy that has many people seeking out franchise opportunities.  "People right now are looking for looking to make their own careers," he says. "They are deciding they want to control their own destiny a little bit. This way, they can be their own boss." The local owner of the Ann Arbor Tony Sacco's is Keith Gulian. The restaurant will feature a full bar and will employ approximately 30 workers.  Source: Chuck Senatore, franchise founder Writer: Natalie Burg 

Texas-based Siam Logistics picks A2-area talent pool for first satellite office

Siam Logistics, a provider of freight and shipping services, has selected a Pittsfield location to complement its Texas headquarters and hired five employees, the first of several it expects to need in coming months. The satellite office, which opened about a month ago and is Siam's first branch, gives the company access to one of its main customers, an auto supplier, and also lets it tap into local resources, says branch manager Matthew Navan. "I was pushing for Ann Arbor the whole time because of the talent and the graduating students and their abilities, and because it's really and up and coming area," says Navan, who convinced the company to settle in the Ann Arbor area after first trying offices in Brighton and then Plymouth. Besides hiring five new employees, the new office is leading to work for Ann Arbor and metro trucking companies and truck owner/operators. Unlike many freight and shipping companies, Siam Logistics, which is minority owned, does not own its own trucks. Its philosophy is to save in overhead and provide more customized and personalized service by connecting its customers with the trucking companies and truck owner/operators who can move their goods, Navan says. "We're looking to hire another six to nine people in the coming year year and half," Navan says. "We couldn't be happier in Ann Arbor. There's no doubt we're going to grow here." Source: Matthew Navan, Michigan branch office manager, Siam Logistics Writer: Kim North Shine

Video Building A Competitive Downtown

Whether it's business, residential, economic, or cultural development, Ann Arbor's downtown is a vital puzzle piece in our community's future health and prosperity. Our May speaker event asked the question: What makes a downtown economically vibrant and attractive? We had experts and business leaders weigh in. If you missed it, we've got the video.

Got A Robust Local Business Ecosystem? A Conversation with Zingerman’s Paul Saginaw

Mark Maynard, local blogger extraordinaire, shares his recent tete-a-tete with Paul Saginaw about the upcoming Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) conference in Grand Rapids, why it's crucial to develop a vibrant local business environment, and the meaning of "real prosperity."

Not one, two, three, but four new restaurants coming to downtown Ypsi

The restaurant scene in downtown Ypsilanti is heating up times four with the upcoming openings of four new eateries, one of them a reopening of a beloved institution that feels to some as old as Ypsi itself. Wolverine Grill on Michigan Avenue, a diner-style restaurant with kitsch galore and a reputation of being like one of the family to locals, will be reborn under the same name and operated by a new chef and manager. "It's going to keep parts of the menu and the things people loved. But it's going to be rebooted. It's going to be great," says Teresa Gillotti, city planner for Ypsilanti. Some freshening-up improvements are being made to the restaurant with the possibility of completing a more extensive renovation down the road, Gillotti says. Across the street from Wolverine is a major overhaul of the former T.C.'s Speakeasy, which is making way for Red Rock, a barbecue restaurant that is being reconfigured to put an impressively crafted bar in the center. Parts of the building are being repurposed and the overall history is being preserved and enhanced, Gillotti says. Wolverine is expected to re-open for business in early February and Red Rock should open in February or March. Going through a soft opening in prep for an official launch in coming days is Wurst Bar on Cross Street in downtown. It replaces Theo's Bar & Grille, a popular Eastern Michigan University bar. Wurst Bar will offer a menu of gourmet brats and burgers for meat eaters and vegetarians and also specialty beer and freshly prepared foods. It may team up to smoke a sausage for the new Red Rock. The fourth of the new bunch of restaurants and the last to open, as the owner is just now beginning official planning on the foreclosed property, will be an Italian restaurant on Washington Street. The Italian owner will complete a major renovation of the two-story building. The first floor will house the restaurant and the second floor will be a continuation of the restaurant or separate retail. "It's funny how all this is happening at once," Gillotti says. "It's exciting that we're going to have such a mix of restaurants, new styles of restaurants to add to downtown." Source: Teresa Gillotti, city planner, Ypsilanti Writer: Kim North Shine

Are You Satisfied? A Conversation with ForeSee Result’s Larry Freed

Ann Arbor-based ForeSee Results has seen growth every quarter of its existence. That's a pretty impressive track record for this U-M spin out. CEO and co-founder Larry Freed talks about his home grown approach to hiring, our area's startup climate, and what we need to keep and attract more young talent.

Video Start-up 101: Mentoring new U-M businesses

Sometimes a little guidance goes a long way. U-M's Tech Transfer office along with its new Michigan Venture Center have started a mentorship program that turns technologists into entrepreneurs. As a result they expect to see a 20% bump in start-up launches.

U-M’s Ross School ranked 6th best in nation

Another day, another best of list. This time the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business found its way onto Bloomberg Businessweek's Top Ten.Check it out here.

Purpose Driven: A Q&A with Whole Foods CEO Walter Robb

Whole Foods CEO Walter Robb is an unabashed entrepreneur, a true believer that business is the ultimate engine for change. He also believes that corporations must have a deeper purpose than just profit. Concentrate chats with Robb about the way those seemingly disconnected impulses come together and why the next generation of business leaders should embrace them.

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