Ann Arbor

RollingEdge strategy consultancy stabilizes clients

By Newsroom

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April 6, 2011

If experience is the best teacher, then it can also serve as a decent business model. That's how Rangarajan Tirumala's second business, Rolling Edge, got started.The techie and partner at InfoSoft hung on when the company recently went through a number of ups and downs thanks to the local and national economies. He and his partners steadied the tech firm, putting it on a profitable footing once again. Now Tirumala is turning that experience into a business consultancy based in downtown Ann Arbor.Rolling Edge provides software applications that help a business get its basics back under control. That includes work flow, supply chain management, and price analysis and simulation. The 5-year-old company's team of about half a dozen people also advises companies about when they should outsource and how to do it properly and within cost limits."I wanted to build a model that instills stability in an organization," Tirumala says. Rolling Edge focuses on small-to-medium-sized businesses and is based in Ann Arbor to avail itself to the area's vibrant ecosystem of tech firms. Tirumala is shooting for his company to hit $2 million in revenue within the next year and to add a few more people to his team in that time. He is looking for experienced candidates who have been through the ups and downs of the economy."If they have seen the ups and downs then they will bring an ocean of experience," Tirumala says.Source: Rangarajan Tirumala, owner & founder of Rolling EdgeWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Rudolf Steiner Lower School playground will be one with nature

By Newsroom

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Development News

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April 6, 2011

In the growing realm of eco-friendly re-dos, some things've had extensive airtime: LED lighting, LEED-certified construction, and whatnot. Now we're seeing the trend creep towards lesser-known turf – playground design. The Rudolf Steiner Lower School in Ann Arbor has a new master plan to renovate its playground, which sports the ubiquitous circa-1950s equipment and expanse of blacktop, into a natural playscape that will better handle water runoff.Rather than climbing grids or man-made objects, the play area will have logs and boulders, hills and valleys sculpted from the earth, and a natural amphitheater formed from a hill embedded with stumps and rocks, according to Katrina Klaphake, development director at the Rudolf Steiner School. The plan deletes half of the hardscape and replaces it with stepping stones and rain gardens to absorb water runoff from the roof. Students will also be able to use natural materials for building dams in a water play area to come in the form of a trough feeding into the rain garden."We're... managing more responsibly the water that comes off of our roof and any hardscape in the area and filtering that through rain gardens and also creating a really beautiful space for our kids to play in and interact with the natural world," she explains. A $3,000 grant from the James A. and Faith Knight foundation helped fund the master plan. And Washtenaw County has committed to awarding a grant for the rain gardens once the project has commenced, says Klaphake. Though the county has awarded grants for other commercial and residential rain gardens, Rudolf Steiner is the first educational institution to receive one.The school is in the process of raising the roughly $150,000 needed to complete the project. Installation should begin in summer 2012, Klaphake says.Source: Katrina Klaphake, development director at the Rudolf Steiner SchoolWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

Taking The Stage In Ann Arbor & Ypsi

By Nicole Rupersburg

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Arts & Culture

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April 6, 2011

If you've a musical or bust-a-gut act you're ready to air, open mic nights are the perfect opp to take to the stage at the likes of The Ark, Oz's Music, or the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase. These venues give artists the chance to mix with other entertainment folkies and pick up a fan audience. And some, like The Ark, even have a winnowing system where the best musical and student songwriter talent are graced with a full evening showcase.

CADcorporation poised to grow through Friends Learn 3-D video game arm

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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April 6, 2011

Higher education has been a major inspiration in Bhargav Sri Prakash's business life. It inspired him to start CADcorporation and reinvent it with a potentially big video game spin-off, Friends Learn.Sri Prakash started CADcorporation in 2001 after taking a business class at the University of Michigan entitled, "Idea to Ideal in 14 Weeks." A little bit of seed capital and team work later, and the budding entrepreneur began to sink his business roots in Ann Arbor."The goal of the class wasn't just to work on a business plan but to start a company," Sri Prakash says. "That got me thinking about how I could do this for real."Today CADcorporation, a simulation technology firm, has 11 employees and six independent contractors and interns. It began experimenting with video games a few years ago and ended up helping the U-M Law School create 3-D video games, now commonly called Vmerse, to recruit students.That blossomed into Friends Learn, which is producing a line of 3-D video games that revolve around higher education. About 3-5 people at CADcorporation are working on its video game arm. Sri Prakash expects Friends Learn to develop four game titles with 200,000-500,000 users, while expanding the project team to a dozen people. It's part of his plan to spin Friends Learn out into its own company."It's poised to take off," Prakash says.Source: Bhargav Sri Prakash, CEO of CADcorporationWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Goldfish Swim School to open in Ann Arbor this August

By Newsroom

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Development News

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April 6, 2011

If your early swimming lessons were held in a dingy natatorium, a newer company has figured out how to warm the mini-set to what's often a fearsome affair. Goldfish Swim School, which first opened in Birmingham, Michigan in 2006 (it also has a franchise in Farmington Hills and others planned for Rochester and Macomb), will be adding a new location in Ann Arbor this August. CEO Chris McCuiston cites Ann Arbor's family friendliness and walkability as reason for opening there.Goldfish offers year-round lessons for babies, toddlers, and kids in bright Caribbean environs topped by thatch and tiki. "It's very welcoming and warm to kids so that when they walk in they don't feel like it's a sterile environment like typical pool enclosure areas," explains McCuiston, who co-founded the company with his wife Jenny, an avid swimmer and two-time Olympic trials qualifier. The pools are heated to 90 degrees and the air temp is a steamy 92, versus a standard gym pool that might be 83 degrees, he says.The co-franchisers, Richard Simtob and Jack Barbat, have just leased the 10,000-square-foot property, a former bike shop, at 2107 W. Stadium Boulevard and are starting construction of a 75-foot-long, 28-foot-wide pool in the next month. The interior will have the same island tropic theme and new windows will be added.Besides daily lessons, the school will host birthday parties and open swim for families. And in case you left your tyke's suit hanging to dry on the clothesline, a retail shop for swimsuits, goggles, and other gear will be on site.Chris Thompson, a 2000 Olympic bronze medalist in the 1,500 meter swim, will be the general manager. Thompson is a former swimmer at Club Wolverine in Ann Arbor. And a new business brings, of course, new job posts. The school will be hiring a bevy of swim instructors who will be cross-trained in front desk duties. "We're looking to hire up to 40 people," Simtob says. Sources: Chris McCuiston, CEO of Goldfish Swim School; Richard Simtob, co-franchiser, Goldfish Swim School (Ann Arbor)Writer: Tanya Muzumdar* Interested parents can pre-register by emailing swimannarbor@goldfishswimschool.com. Job applicants may also inquire there.

MASTERMIND: Audrey Wong Chung

By Natalie Burg

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Arts & Culture

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April 6, 2011

Talent: some have to work at it, some are just natural-born. Jewelry designer Audrey Wong Chung, whose baubles line the gift bags of Oscar nominees and Dancing With The Stars performers, is the latter. A computer science grad and former guest actress on The Cosby Show, Audrey is jewel outfitter to the stars, and she runs worldwide operations supplying her pieces to national retail brands.

Ann Arbor SPARK, other biz accelerators invest $18 million, help create 1,000 jobs

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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April 5, 2011

A recent study by the Kauffman Foundation shows some impressive numbers from southeast Michigan's budding entrepreneurial ecosystem, spearheaded by the efforts of regional business accelerators like Ann Arbor SPARK. Jobs created, more than 1,000. Cash invested in local start-ups by local business accelerators, $18 million. Number of start-ups that have received portions of that pool of money, 339. Amount of seed capital start-ups have been able to leverage thanks to these investments, $101.2 million."We've come back," says Skip Simms, vice president of entrepreneurial business development for Ann Arbor SPARK. "People are feeling better in general. The private sector in general is more aware of the opportunities in our state -- opportunities that provide good investment return for their capital."The Kauffman Foundation study, conducted in the first half of 2010, also identifies the strengths for the Business Accelerator Network for Southeast Michigan, which is composed of TechTown, Automation Alley, Macomb-OU INCubator and Ann Arbor SPARK. Among those strengths are maximizing and growing relationships with local universities, such as the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University, and providing mentoring for entrepreneurs.Ann Arbor SPARK has been able to claim a number of profitable exits as strengths, several of which have come after the study completion. Some of those include high-profile acquisitions of Mobiata, Adaptive Materials, and Accuri Cytometers."The entrepreneurial activity and opportunity has grown a lot in the last few years," Simms says.Source: Skip Simms, vice president of entrepreneurial business development for Ann Arbor SPARKWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

SimuQuest builds software from mathematical models; 40% sales growth last year

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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March 30, 2011

The story of SimuQuest is a testament to the idea of "I can do it better." When it came to developing mathematical models for software creation, the company's founder, John Mills, decided he could do it one better than his former employer. Today he is preparing for a significant growth spurt after taking on the marketing efforts for his Ann Arbor-based firm.SimuQuest creates algorithms that enable software to be automatically generated from mathematical models. The company's special sauce lies in providing the final step to make this solution a viable reality for clients, such as manufacturers."I see this paradigm taking off," Mills says. "We have really been pushing some unique ideas."Which means SimuQuest has been faring well. The nearly 10-year-old company has added two people over the last two years, expanding its staff to six employees and a handful of independent contractors. It has also pushed its revenue from $600,000 to $850,000 last year and expects to cross the $1 million mark in 2011. Helping this along is the ability of Mills and his team to sell their product. Mills has undertaken sales training and plans to launch a digital marketing campaign this year with a number of new tools, such as a fresh website. He expects these efforts to double the company's income by the end of next year.Source: John Mills, president & CEO of SimuQuestWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Impact Everyday turns credit card points into sustainability projects

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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March 30, 2011

It's hard to find the silver lining in a major ecological disaster like last summer's BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but one candidate to flash a little glint of silver is Impact Everyday.The University of Michigan student-led start-up was created by a handful of young people frustrated with the response to that disaster. Their vision is to channel the energy from that anger into something more positive."There is a groundswell of people who want to create change, just like there was a groundswell of outrage from the BP oil spill," says Adam Carver, founder of Impact Everyday.The 1-year-old start-up has created a funding mechanism that aggregates consumer credit card reward points to finance local renewable energy projects. The idea is to make a difference through everyday activity. Carver and his team of eight, all U-M graduate and undergrad students, have already won $10,000 in seed capital from a third-place finish in this year's Michigan Clean Energy Prize competition. The team plans to make a deep dive into the project this summer and have 50,000 cardholders helping to finance 5-10 visible alternative energy projects within the next year."We're hoping to have the credit card available by this fall," Carver says. "We're accepting proposals for renewable energy projects now."Source: Adam Carver, founder of Impact EverydayWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Adeona Pharmaceuticals receives $409K grant for MS drug development

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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March 30, 2011

Adeona Pharmaceuticals recently received a $409,426 grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to further the development of its drug Trimesta, a move that has capped a year of growth for the Ann Arbor-based staff and business."It's a vote of confidence in our work on Trimesta," says Dr. James Kuo, CEO of Adeona Pharmaceuticals. He adds that the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is the pre-eminent non-profit geared toward fighting multiple sclerosis. Adeona Pharmaceuticals has already received a $5 million grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, along with another $1.1 million in funds for the clinical trials of Trimesta. So far the clinical trial for the oral drug is 85 percent enrolled and is expected to fill completely later this year. A handful of executives have been added to the staff of about a dozen people over the last year. They include a new vice president of finance, vice president of research & development, and a director of communications. The 8-year-old company specializes in drugs that address problems in the central nervous system, such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's. It commonly licenses these drugs at the clinical stage to large pharmaceutical companies. Source: Dr. James Kuo, CEO of Adeona PharmaceuticalsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.