Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor considers motorcycle/moped parking strategy

By Newsroom

●

February 16, 2011

Come spring, two-wheeled transportation will be driving downtown Ann Arbor. On an ongoing basis, the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has been observing areas of heavy bicycle use to determine where to install bike racks and bike hoops. And in a more recent sign of the times and an extension of the DDA's successful on-street bike racks program, DDA staff has been monitoring motorcycle and moped use to bolster its case for the installation of on-street motorcycle and moped parking this spring.To encourage more eco-friendly motorcycle and moped use and expand the menu of options available for getting downtown, the DDA transportation committee will take up this issue at its March board meeting, says Amber Miller, a planning and research specialist at the DDA.In one possible setup, four on-street parking spots would be divided into four spaces each, at a charge of one-quarter the rate, Miller says. The $1.20 hourly rate for a car would equate to 30 cents an hour per motorcycle or moped. Exact locations are yet to be determined and depend on the DDA's mapping of high-usage areas, vetting from the transportation committee, and subsequent feedback from area business owners. Spots using e-park machines would be likelier candidates, she says, because those machines are already configured to handle multiple spaces. Such a parking scheme has already been successfully deployed in San Francisco and Boston. Mopeds and motorcycles can already dock for free in parking structures and lots, but those tend to attract commuters, Miller says, while "the on-street spaces hopefully will target a higher turnover crowd, people that are coming down to dine, or go to an entertainment venue, or pop into a coffee shop.""When we hit it on the mark like we did with the on-street bike racks you actually get more accessibility out of that space, because rather than just serving one car, we can serve four mopeds with high turnover," Miller envisions. "It's been very beneficial to both businesses and customers."The DDA welcomes public input on motorcycle/moped/bike parking via an online request form. Source: Amber Miller, planning and research specialist at the DDAWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

SPUR Studios opens second space in Pittsfield Twp

By Newsroom

●

Arts & Culture

●

February 16, 2011

In a monument to visual artists, last weekend SPUR Studios opened a sister location to its successful Ypsilanti set of private workspaces for creatives. SPUR Studios - Number Two occupies the front of the building housing the Color Express print shop at 625 State Circle in Pittsfield Township. The 1,500-square-foot space is currently leasing six studios ranging from 150-350 square feet apiece, with room to build out for a seventh. There is a one-year minimum lease requirement. Space constraints mean the new locale is for visual artists only, whereas the Ypsilanti location is split between artists and musicians, says James Marks, founder of SPUR Studios and custom screen printing venture VG Kids.About 20 artists, mostly photographers and graphic designers, attended an open house held on February 12. FLY Children's Art Center will be moving its commissary in and there is interest in several other units, according to Marks.While the current number of locations can still be counted on one hand, Marks would like to add more over time. "It's definitely on my mind to open something larger in Ann Arbor if this works. We've considered other locations in Michigan and ultimately other locations outside of Michigan. But...," he qualifies, "one step at a time.""There's a new change of habits as the creative economy is becoming a larger piece of the overall economy, and different people are reacting to that in different ways," Marks feels. While there are membership situations where artists can rent space in an open room, as of yet there are no similar options, he says. With this set-up, "you would come in, you would remodel it, you would make it your own. You could bring clients in there, but in an overall building that's made of like-minded people."Source: James Marks, founder of SPUR Studios and VG KidsWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

A Hand Made Business

By Leia Menlove

●

Arts & Culture

●

February 16, 2011

Siobhan Lyle always wanted a place where artisans and crafters could gather, learn and share. So, she did what any good maker does: she made her own. The Blue House is Ann Arbor's go-to destination for hand-crafted hipness, building a community where do-it-yourself doesn't necessarily mean do it by yourself.

Huron Valley Financial makes third acquisition in the last year

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

February 16, 2011

If you were wondering about that noise, don't worry, it's just Huron Valley Financial acquiring again.The Ann Arbor-based mortgage banking firm recently acquired Professional Mortgage Associates in Clawson, its third acquisition in the last year; more such deals are expected. Its revenue is up 76 percent in the last year and net income is up 112 percent."We think we'll see some additional organic growth, too," says Eric Bradley, president and CEO of Huron Valley Financial.The full-service mortgage banking firm specializes in every area of mortgage lending, such as construction loans or refinancing. Its loan volume was up 30 percent in 2010 and 140 percent since the financial crisis hit in 2008. It has $10.5 million in total assets.Huron Valley Financial employs 51 people spread in offices in Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Brighton, Clarkston, and Fenton. Of those employees, 30 are based in Ann Arbor, where five more employees were added in 2010. The company got its start when Bradley and his partner, both local mortgage brokers for another firm, decided they could give the same level of service or better to their clients on their own."That was July 1997 and we have been growing ever since then," Bradley says.Source: Eric Bradley, president and CEO of Huron Valley FinancialWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Natural Intelligence

By Dennis Archambault

●

Economic Development

●

February 9, 2011

It's not quite artificial intelligence but it sure comes close. Named one of the ten "World Changing Ideas" of 2010 by Scientific American, swarm intelligence is a biology-inspired computer algorithm that's starting to see commercial application. And most of that development occurred here, in Ann Arbor area research labs.

Wolverine Technical Staffing sees 20% job growth

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

February 9, 2011

Wolverine Technical Staffing is one of those companies that can serve as a bellwether for Michigan's new economy.The 25-year-old firm helps place knowledge workers in IT jobs. The company has watched the number of IT job openings jump 20 percent over the last year. "We're just seeing more job opportunities," says Caroline Wessel, general manager of Wolverine Technical Staffing. "Our clients have more openings than we can fill."Wolverine Technical Staffing has also seen its client list expand by 20 percent in the same time period, allowing it to grow its staff to 11 people in Ann Arbor, plus 50-100 independent contractors in the field. It sees 2011 panning out the same way, which should allow the company to add another 1-2 positions."We have really expanded our client base," Wessel says. She adds that many of those clients are having a hard time filling those positions because the workforce hasn't caught up with the elevated skill set demanded by these companies. Source: Caroline Wessel, general manager of Wolverine Technical StaffingWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Becton, Dickinson and Co. adds Accuri Cytometers to its stable of Ann Arbor acquisitions

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

February 9, 2011

Becton, Dickinson and Co. has acquired Ann Arbor-based Accuri Cytometers, making it the second University of Michigan spin-off exit in two consecutive business days.Although terms of the deal have not been disclosed, one of the start-up's shareholders, former CEO Jen Baird, described herself as "one happy camper" with the exit. Both she and a spokesperson from Becton, Dickinson and Co., commonly known as BD, declined to say how much the deal went for. However, Baird had a hard time containing her glee. "All of the investors are pretty happy right now."Accuri Cytometers develops and manufactures personal flow cytometers for researchers, specifically ones that measure T-cell counts while tracking and treating diseases like AIDS and cancer. It was spun out of U-M in 2005 and had grown to 87 people as of last July. Becton, Dickinson and Co., commonly known as BD, is the same medical device company that bought HandyLab last year and moved its operations out of Ann Arbor shortly after. It does not look like that will happen this time with Accuri Cytometers."Our current plan is to continue operations in Ann Arbor for the foreseeable future," says Colleen White, director of corporate communications for BD. Such statements from corporate spokespeople can often be taken with a grain of salt, but Baird, who no longer has an active role with the company, remains optimistic. "I am hopeful they will continue to invest in their Ann Arbor operations," she says.Accuri Cytometers is led by Jeff Williams, who was the CEO at HandyLab when it was acquired. He took the reigns from Baird a year ago in search of another profitable exit. Baird is now the CEO of Accio Energy, one of Michigan's most innovative renewable energy start-ups that promises to reinvent the wind turbine. She has no plans on taking her exit money and cashing out. In fact, the news couldn't have come at a better time for her when she is raising seed money for Accio Energy this week."I love building companies," Baird says. "I am looking forward to building Accio Energy up into an even bigger success."Source: Jen Baird, former CEO of Accuri Cytometers and Colleen White, director of corporate communications for Becton, Dickinson and Co.Writer: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Advisory Board Co. plans to double Cielo MedSolutions’ staff after acquisition

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

February 9, 2011

Lots of people in Michigan get nervous when they hear the word "acquisition" mixed with local companies. That is not the case with The Advisory Board Co.'s recent acquisition of University of Michigan spin-off Cielo MedSolutions.Paul Roscoe, an executive with The Advisory Board Co., said the Washington, D.C.,-based multi-national corporation plans to not only keep the start-up where it is, it also expects to expand Cielo MedSolution's presence in Ann Arbor beyond its current staff of eight people. "We're probably going to double their staff in short order," Roscoe says.Roscoe is the CEO of Crimson Business Intelligence Technology, a company that was acquired by and subsequently became a division of The Advisory Board Co. in 2008. The Advisory Board Co specializes in software and business intelligence solutions for the health-care industry, such as the digitization of medical records. About 15 percent of admissions into about 400 hospitals nationwide utilize the company's technology.Cielo MedSolutions, spun out of U-M in 2006, develops new software that ensures doctors connect with their patients when it's time for a checkup, test, or treatment they might otherwise forget. When The Advisory Board Co. went looking for a software firm that specialized in point-of-care solutions in the health-care industry, Cielo MedSolutions' name came up quickly."They were among the leading members in the market," Roscoe says.Source: Paul Roscoe, CEO of Crimson Business Intelligence TechnologyWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Downtown Ann Arbor City Apartments to break ground this summer

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

February 9, 2011

Coming soon to Tree Town: sorely needed new downtown housing units. This summer, Farmington Hills developer Village Green will commence construction of Ann Arbor City Apartments, a 156-unit, 11-story building (with eight floors above grade) at the corner of First and Washington St. In a public-private partnership, the city of Ann Arbor will sell the corner lot to Village Green for approximately $3.3 million, says Tom Crawford, CFO for the city of Ann Arbor. The deal is set to close shortly before construction starts. A city-owned parking garage with approximately 244 spaces will sit below; the garage is to be financed with a $9 million DDA-issued bond.The partnership has been successful because "It meets a lot of the criteria the city's been looking for as far as building some affordable housing, increasing downtown density, and underground parking," Crawford notes. Sixteen of the units will be designated affordable housing. He also points to the city's flexibility while the developer pulled together financing in the midst of the economic turndown. Washington Street, says Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor DDA, has become a vital downtown corridor. "We would now have at least 150 people living in an area that would help to activate the area, that would be going to the YMCA, would be going up to Main Street for a cup of coffee, that would be heading to work in the morning up at the university campus.""It's very exciting to us to see West Washington taking shape," Pollay adds. "What's there now are surface parking lots, which are not the best use of land."Sources: Tom Crawford, CFO for the city of Ann Arbor; Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor DDAWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

Ann Arbor lights up with LEDs, solar, Energy Challenge Month

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

February 9, 2011

A tip for Ann Arbor residents wanting to cut emissions during Ann Arbor's Energy Challenge Month while keeping a modicum of driveway sanity: Try electric snow throwers, an eco-friendly option to CO²-spewing engine-powered snow blowers. The first annual Energy Challenge is asking residents to cut their carbon footprints by 5% this month."It doesn't sound like a huge number but if we were able to do just 2% [reduction] each year we would get ourselves to 80% below 2000 emissions by 2050, and that's where the science says we need to get," says Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann Arbor. Residents can log their eco-saving actions each week on the Energy Challenge website, which then calculates the shrinking footprint of those deeds. Those activities are experimental and open-ended in some ways, Brix says. "It's everything from inflating your tires to taking the bus to buying local food to just as simple as turning your thermostat down." While February is the month for residents to show off their numbers, CO² savings is a year-round blitzkrieg for the city's energy department. In other project updates, the LED lights are in at Cobblestone Farm, Mack Pool, and fire stations 1 and 6. The exterior lights at the Wheeler Service Center are also in, with the exception of the fueling canopy. And over the course of last summer and fall, the city installed 250 LED streetlights in residential neighborhoods, Brix says. Bids came in last week for another 500 of those lights to be installed this summer along commercial corridors such as Stadium Blvd, Washtenaw, and Maple Rd.By this summer, the shade structure that's being installed at Veterans Pool deck will be topped with solar panels. "Instead of just putting a fabric covering or a roof on it or something like that, we're going to use solar so that we actually make use of the sunlight that hits that," Brix explains. Solar hot water and photovoltaics at Fire Station 6 are also planned for the warm months.Source: Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Tanya Muzumdar