Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor looks to update, diversity its transporation plan

By Newsroom

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March 4, 2009

The last time the city of Ann Arbor updated its transit plan it focused on just one form of transportation – automotive. Today city officials are looking to diversify that a little bit.The update calls for the city to implement more comprehensive plans for an integrated multi-modal system. This means the plan will meet the needs of all transportation users, such as pedestrians, bicyclists, mass transit users, commercial trucking and motorists. The plan includes eight goal statements and lists recommendations for short, medium and long-term investments. A significant new component in this plan is the better incorporation of transportation and land-use concerns. A more comprehensive outline of the changes can be found here.The city recently held a public meeting on this subject that will be rebroadcast on Ch. 16. For information, send an email to planning@a2gov.org or call (734) 794-6265.Source: City of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

U-M develops new earthquake-proof building, cancer patent

By Newsroom

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Education

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March 4, 2009

Two great discoveries in one.Researchers at the University of Michigan have come up with some creative breakthroughs in both the building and health-care industries. On the one hand, recent discoveries could mean the creation of earthquake-proof buildings. On the other, university scientists are advancing the hunt for the cure to cancer.A new technique for bracing high-rise concrete buildings proved quite successful at U-M's laboratories after an off-the-charts earthquake simulation. The engineers used steel fiber-reinforced concrete to develop a better kind of coupling beam that requires less reinforcement and is easier to construct.Such beams are normally difficult to install and require intricate reinforcing bar skeletons. The U-M's version is simpler because it uses a highly flowable, steel fiber-reinforced concrete.At the same time U-M biological chemist Ray Trievel and two scientists filed a patent application for a new technology that could help in the fight against cancer. It detects enzymes that can alter DNA molecules, sometimes leading to the onset and progression of a number of cancers. Demethylase enzymes remove methyl groups attached to DNA, proteins and toxin, which produce formaldehyde. Trievel and his colleagues found a new way to detect the formaldehyde. This allows tests from around the world to be standardized.Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor spends $1.3 million to add 146 acres to Greenbelt

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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March 4, 2009

Ann Arbor is throwing a lot more money at expanding its Greenbelt.The City Council just approved spending $1.3 million to acquire the development rights to the Merkel-Heller farms in Webster Township. The city, Federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program and Webster Township Land Preservation Fund are all chipping in to make the purchase.The city's Greenbelt Program has been on a bit of a spending spree as of late as developers and locals sell the development rights to land to the Greenbelt in this tight economy. Voters approved the Ann Arbor's Greenbelt Program in 2003. The program collects a 0.5-mill millage for the next 30 years. That money is used purchase the development rights to rural land around the city, preserving and protecting open space, natural habitats and farms. The program has acquired the rights to hundreds of acres or rural land.Source: City of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Adaptive Materials adds 13 staff, named top women-owned biz

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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March 4, 2009

Last year was a good year for Ann Arbor's Adaptive Materials. The University of Michigan spin-off recorded 64 percent revenue growth in 2008. That allowed it to add 13 people to its staff and another 16 interns. "Almost every engineer had an intern last year," says Michelle Crumm, chief business officer for Adaptive Materials.The company was also named as one of the Top Women Owned Businesses in the State of Michigan by DiversityBusiness.com, the nations' leading multicultural Internet site. It's the second year in a row the company received this honor. It hopes to continue that success this year. The firm has several pending contracts this year, so it could be a grow-like-gangbusters or hold-the-line year. Crumm expects to keep hiring as her company takes on more work. Adaptive Materials got its start in 2001 when University of Michigan grad Aaron Crumm came up with a way of turning fuels like propane into electricity instead of heat. That means its technology can convert a small propane tank used for camping into a generator that can keep a fridge going in a blackout. Think an emergency generator strong enough to power appliances but small enough to carry in your pocket.The technology has taken off so fast that its had to move to three newer/bigger locations to handle the growth. It employs 61 people today and calls a 60,000-square-foot space on Ann Arbor's south side home. Adaptive Materials has also received a $6.2 million cash infusion from the state's 21st Century Jobs Fund that helped make all of this possible.Source: Michelle Crumm, chief business officer for Adaptive MaterialsWriter: Jon Zemke

ICON Creative Tech buys Ann Arbor Art Center annex

By Newsroom

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Development News

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March 4, 2009

Creative people have inhabited 220 Felch for years but the type of creatives are changing now that ICON Creative Technologies Group has bought the building from the Ann Arbor Art Center.The single story structure, a block west of Main Street just north of downtown, served as an annex for the Ann Arbor Art Center, which has its headquarters in the heart of downtown. ICON plans to slowly yet steadily renovate and move into the space. The idea is to establish a bigger home for the 14-year-old Internet firm, which is about to burst at the beams at its current office. The company has 20 people at its 3,500-square-foot office on State Street in downtown. It expects to grow its staff to 60 people within five years. The 11,000 square feet of 220 Felch gives the company more than enough room for that growth."As we continue to grow, we don't want to be confronted with space issues every few years," says Rob Cleveland, CEO of ICON Creative Technologies Group. "With this footprint, we can easily accommodate our 5 year growth plans and open up other opportunities for services that we previously were not able to provide to our customers."ICON will occupy 6,000 square feet of the space this year, allowing a few of the building's tenants to stay on for the time being. Some of the space will also be leased back to the Ann Arbor Art Center so it can finish its classes through June.Purchasing 220 Felch gives ICON a bit of a port in the financial storm these days. Rents in downtown Ann Arbor have been steadily increasing and the other costs have swung violently. The addition of 220 Felch gives ICON a dependable and controllable overhead cost while giving the company enough space to expand.Source: Sara Johns, project manager for ICON Creative Technologies GroupWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor’s Cybernet Systems hires 3 PhDs, looks for staff

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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March 4, 2009

When local leaders talk about creating the next generation of start-ups that will create the jobs that carry Washtenaw County into the future, they must have something like Cybernet Systems in mind.The Ann Arbor-based firm is celebrating its 20th year as a center for local research and development in the medical and defense fields. It employs about 50 people, along with a handful of independent contractors and interns. Last year it added three PhDs and grew its revenue by 20 percent. It expects to grow its revenue at least another 20 percent this year while adding another 8-9 people. Those are conservative estimates, according to Cybernet Systems' CEO Heidi Jacobus."Probably more," she says.The company plans to build on its existing federal contracts this year to propel its growth in 2009. That's a long way from where Cybernet Systems started on Jacobus' kitchen table two decades ago. Among its products are the Large Caliber Automated Resupply, which loads ammunition into tanks and unloads unwanted casings or ammunition remotely. Its Automated Tactical Ammunition Classification System sorts ammunition a costly and time-consuming task in the military. Cybernet Systems medical division developed a telemedicine service that enables physicians to remotely gather and review outpatient physiological data over the Internet. It was used in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.Source: Heidi Jacobus, CEO of Cybernet SystemsWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor asks developers for new plans for 415 W Washington

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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March 4, 2009

The city of Ann Arbor is pulling a bit of a Mulligan with the redevelopment of 415 W Washington.The city is about to ask the three developers who presented plans for the 2.5-acre property just northwest of downtown to resubmit updated plans for slightly changed guidelines. The new request for proposals will probably go out by mid March. Only the original three developers can submit proposals."It's very similar to the previous one," says Wendy Rampson, city planner for Ann Arbor. "It presents some additional guidelines in a couple of areas."Among the changes to guidelines regard the flood plain, use of space and access points to the site. City officials would like to see the developers present plans that lets the city keep the flood plain as a greenway, incorporate residential space and have vehicle entryways to both Liberty and Washington streets.Besides that, pretty much everything remains the same. It's still same-sized parcel next to the railroad tracks that once served as the city's old Department of Public Works. The city no longer has use for it and issued a request for proposals early last year.The three developers that responded include the Ann Arbor Art Center, Chicago-based developer Morningside Group (the Liberty Lofts people) and the Old West Square LLC (a partnership that includes Peter Allen of Kingsley Lane and Lower Town fame).Source: Wendy Rampson, city planner for Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Genetics Squared’s cancer test to create 15 jobs in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Entrepreneurship

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March 4, 2009

Genetic Squared thinks it's onto something big when it comes to cancer treatment. The Ann Arbor-based firm is close to marketing a prognostic test for a certain type of cancer. It's a test company officials believe could lead to significant cost savings in treatment."This is potentially a very big deal," says Bill Worzel, CEO of Genetics Squared.About 70 percent of the cancer patients that could use the test don't need to undergo chemotherapy after successful removal surgery. The remaining 30 percent do and they face grave consequences if they don't get it soon after their operation.Genetics Squared's test would be able to tell which category the patients fit into, potentially saving hospitals loads of money in unnecessary treatment and patients debilitating chemotherapy. The company hopes to begin marketing the test by the third quarter of this year."We think the uptake will be pretty quick," Worzel says. "A lot of people will be talking about it by January, 2010."He adds that the product, one of the first to come from the human genome project, helped the company land a $1.6 million investment from the Michigan 21st Century Jobs Fund and another $500,000 in additional venture capital. Genetics Squared started in 2002 with two people. Today it employs eight people full-time, a handful of independent contractors and the occasional intern. It just hired two people last year and expects to hire another 4-5 people this year. Another 10 people are expected to come on board in 2010.Source: Bill Worzel, CEO of Genetics SquaredWriter: Jon Zemke

Toyland 2.0

By Julianne Mattera

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Economic Development

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March 4, 2009

Hans and Tricia Masing take their toys seriously. But that wasn't always the case. Once upon a time they made their living in engineering and IT. Then their son took an interest in Thomas the Tank Engine and everything changed. Combining tech savvy with a love for toys, the couple has built a small Internet empire that still understands the value of community connection.

U-M plans to upgrade East Quad, lab space, utility tunnels

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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February 25, 2009

The University of Michigan has OKed more upgrades for the school's campus, including millions of dollars in projects for the university's dorms, laboratories, hospital and utility tunnels.The university plans to spend $2.1 million renovating the 11,300-square-foot auditorium in East Quad. The venue, built in 1970, is used for for musical and theatrical petformances, and for poetry readings. The work will improve the facility's technology, lighting, stage, seats and architectural finishes. A vertical lift and second fire exit will also be added to make the auditorium compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and safety codes. Work is set to begin this fall.About $6.6 million will be spent fixing the university's tunnel system. Those tunnels house things like electric lines and water pipes. About 600 feet of tunnels and 125 feet of pipes will be replaces, starting this fall.Another $1.2 million will be spent modernizing the Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Building. Approximately 8,300 gross square feet of existing student laboratory will be reconfigured into three new research laboratories for faculty and students. Work is also set to start this fall.Not to be left out, the University of Michigan Hospital will receive $3.25 million in upgrades for its air-conditioning system. That project is slated to begin in the spring of 2010.Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke