Ann Arbor

A2’s Performace Network gets spotlight on Broadway site

By Newsroom

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October 10, 2012

Local theater depends on the kindness of strangers. The Broadway World theater site has an interview with Performance Network associate artistic director and actress Carla Milarch. There, now, you're not strangers anymore. But they probably could still use a little of your kindness... Excerpt: "While Milarch has been away from the stage these past years, she has not been away from the theatre. She has been working on the creative side of Performance Network Theatre for over thirteen years in a range of positions. Most recently, she has been the associate artistic director of the company and helping to get its children’s theatre and Second Stage Theatre up and running. “I really love PNT and being part of it for so many years,” she says, “it also has let me realize that you can do what you love for your work and be a professional actor in Michigan.”" Read the rest here.

Ann Arbor gets smartest cars of all

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 10, 2012

Are crash-proof cars on our horizon? The Ann Arbor area is ground zero for the testing of autos that communicate with one another in order to avoid colission. No word yet on whether the system will be called Skynet. Excerpt: "If you want to find the smartest drivers in the world, you need to head for the home of the US car industry. Just outside Detroit, lies the town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The drivers there are not any more intelligent than other parts of the world, despite it being a famed college town. However, their cars are. That’s because the roads of Ann Arbor are now home to a fleet of several thousand cars that constantly “talk” to one another. The scheme, known as the Safety Pilot Model Deployment project, offers a potential blueprint for the future of road transport. Like many projects it aims to cut congestion and make the road network more efficient. But this vision of the future is missing one thing: crashes." Read the rest here.

Ann Arborite featured on National Storytelling Blog

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 10, 2012

Longtime Ann Arbor resident Barbara Schutzgruber has been spinning yarns (the vocal kind) for nearly 30 years. Her Acme Tattoo Parlor gets spotlighted on the site. Excerpt: "‘Acme Tattoo Parlor’ is my own story of resilience after a turn of events changed my life forever. It is part of a longer program called “Parts is Parts” which uses folktales, family stories and personal narrative to explore the questions: Are we the sum of our parts? If so… what if we don’t have them all? How do we see ourselves then?" Listen here.

Liberty Title clocks triple-digit growth in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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October 10, 2012

Liberty Title is enjoying a lot of growth in recent years thanks to its emphasis on the local market. The family owned title company has enjoyed a 300 percent revenue increase since 2007. It has acquired four local real-estate companies in the last year while also enjoying some organic growth by working with local banks on mortgages and refinancing. "There has been a lot of opportunity in Metro Detroit," says Tom Richardson, CEO & general counsel of Liberty Title. That opportunity has allowed the Ann Arbor-based company to expand to 92 employees in 10 branches, stretching from Jackson to Port Huron, including 24 people in Tree Town. It has hired 35 people over the last year for mostly closing, processing and title work positions. It currently has six job openings. "All of these jobs have a starting salary of $44,000," says Michele Richardson, president of Liberty Title and Tom Richardson's wife. Source: Tom Richardson, CEO & general counsel of Liberty Title and Michele Richardson, president of Liberty Title Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

U-M hosts first Indie Korean film fest in U.S.

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 10, 2012

Yeah, "Gangnam Style" has thrust Korean pop culture into the U.S. mainsteam but the Korean film industry has really been making its mark on international cinema. This year sees the national debut of a Korean independent film festival. And it's happening at U-M. Excerpt: "“I decided to go with independent film because independent film has not been considered important, not even in South Korea,” Lee said. “I just want to show the diversity of Korean cinema.” Lee explained that an independent Korean film is produced outside of the three main production studios in South Korea — CJ Entertainment, Showbox and Lotte Entertainment, which are comparable to Paramount, 20th Century Fox and Universal Studios in the US. Lee said about 90 percent of South Korean films are produced through these three studios." Read the rest here.

Underground Printing opens three new locations

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 10, 2012

If the term "slow retail" were to ever catch on like say "slow food," it would be because of companies like Underground Printing. The Ann Arbor-based custom printed apparel provider (think t-shirts and embroidered clothing) has grown thanks in part to its enhanced technology and burgeoning Internet presence. However, its real growth is coming with new retail spaces. "The technology is what we bring to back up the retail stores," says Rishi Narayan, owner of Underground Printing. "The physical presence is why we have been able to grow. People feel comfortable with that." The 11-year-old business has retail spaces across the U.S. that employ 150 people. Those include three new stores in Nebraska, North Carolina and in a former Blockbuster space in Ann Arbor. That growth has allowed the company to add a second shift to its production line and expand its Ann Arbor staff to 100 people. "Our services have caught on and continue to grow primarily through word of mouth," Narayan says. Source: Rishi Narayan, owner of Underground Printing Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Better downtown parking coming for Ann Arbor cyclists

By Newsroom

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In The News

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October 10, 2012

The Ann Arbor DDA is making room for bike riders in the popular Maynard St parking garage - 50 bikes. Given that it means giving up just two auto spaces that seems like pretty good math to us. Excerpt: "The authorization of $30,000 from the DDA’s parking fund – for design, fabrication and installation of the bicycle storage facility – was given at the board’s Oct. 3, 2012 meeting. Similar “cages” in other cities use a chain-link fencing material. However, the DDA hopes that a more aesthetically pleasing option can be identified." Read the rest here.

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.

Clean Energy Coalition adds 2, in process of hiring 5 more

By Newsroom

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Environment & Sustainability

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October 10, 2012

If every problem is an opportunity in disguise, the Clean Energy Coalition is enthusiastically seizing its problems and turning them into opportunities. The Ann Arbor-based non-profit, focused on spreading green practices, lost about a third of its revenue a year ago. Before that the 6-year-old organization had been growing at a rapid pace, helping sustainable causes like improving fuel efficiency in local government automobile fleets and hiring a number of people. The Clean Energy Coalition's leadership improvised. It beefed up its consulting services (a strengthening revenue source) and approached foundations. Today it has closed the gap and grown, hiring two people this year and in the process of hiring five more by the end of the year. "That has been an extremely successful endeavor on our part," says Sean Reed, founder & executive director of the Clean Energy Coalition. "I attribute that success to all the talent we have on staff." Today the Clean Energy Coalition employs 17 people and three interns. Reed hopes to double the size of the non-profit by the end of next year as it continues to create new revenue streams and expand its services. Source: Sean Reed, founder & executive director of the Clean Energy Coalition Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Pear Tree gift shop stamps British influence on new Ann Arbor store

By Newsroom

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Development News

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October 10, 2012

Jan McCormick is putting her British stamp of style and changing American tastes into The Pear Tree, a gift shop in the Dixboro community of Ann Arbor. The nearly three-month-old shop is at 5153 Plymouth Road and joins the burgeoning, historic village with its village green and specialty businesses. Next door to Pear Tree is a coffee shop Across the street is a general store. It's a combo that attracts shoppers with an appreciation for quaint. McCormick, a former Londoner who's married to longtime Detroit News car columnist John McCormick, has stocked Pear Tree with goods she feels are special or unique. There's jewelry, pottery, clothing and other merchandise, which changes often and comes from Michigan whenever possible. Source: John McCormick, co-owner The Pear Tree Writer: Kim North Shine