Rescued from the ashes: Discarded trees find new life as handcrafted products
Still looking for that holiday gift? You might consider local artisanal wood crafts made from Michigan's urban forests.
Ann Arbor
ContentOro provides marketeers with access to authoritative content
It's one thing to get consumers' attention but its quite another to get their respect for your product. The new Ann Arbor-based startup ContentOro specializes in providing marketeers with access to authoritative content.
Renewable Roundup: Ann Arbor builds wind exhibit, solar facility proposed for Ypsilanti
More alternative energy projects are coming to Washtenaw County next year, and they range from job creation to education. The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum is leveraging federal dollars to create a traveling wind energy exhibit that will crisscross Washtenaw County for the next year or two. Ypsilanti Township officials are also reviewing plans for a solar production facility.
Local Orbit’s new software connects big institutions with local food producers
Local Orbit is currently beta testing a new platform, LocalEyes, that connects major institutions, like college campuses and corporate entities, with local food producers.
Fraser Bicycle opens new store in Ann Arbor
What was once old is new again when it comes to bicycle sales in Ann Arbor now that Fraser Bicycle is opening a store in Tree Town. ?The Fraser-based bicycle retailer took over the old Two Wheel Tango space at 3162 Packard earlier this year and turned it into its newest store, employing six people.
Ann Arbor’s PriceLocal browser app compares Amazon pricing to local retailers
When PriceLocal launched a little more than a year ago it was a spunky, local startup carving out a niche by helping local retailers compete with e-commerce prices. Today it is a significantly bigger startup looking to make grow even more during the holiday shopping season.
Ann Arbor Distilling Co opens doors in downtown Ann Arbor
Patrons began walking into the newly opened Ann Arbor Distilling Co's tasting room in downtown Ann Arbor a few days ago and Rob Cleveland hopes they notice one thing, the combination of industrial and rural aesthetics. "We're industrial meets farm," says Cleveland, managing director of the micro distillery.
IDI takes hassle out of time management with Quick Time Entry
Integrated Design Inc has been in the software business for a long time. The Ann Arbor-based firm is a year shy of celebrating 30 years of delivering customized application-integration software for its clients. It plans to spend the next year introducing a new, time-management software platform.
The Ann Arbor-Area comics scene, unmasked!
From movies to publishing, graphic novels and the comic books have overtaken popular culture - and Ann Arbor is a significant player. Yet local creators don't quite realize just how many of their comrades in arms are also neighbors.
Campus Inn matriculates to Graduate Hotel with big renovation project
The Campus Inn in downtown Ann Arbor has begun its transition to become the newest member of the Graduate Hotel chain, with a extensive renovation project that starts this week. "The hotel just checked out its last guest (on Monday)," says Ben Gottlieb, vice president of acquisition for AJ Capital Partners, which owns the Graduate Hotels chain. "We are in the process of taking out some of the old furniture fixtures." The Chicago-based investment group bought the 45-year-old hotel in September with the intention of adding it to its Graduate Hotels chain. The 14-story building at the corner of State and Huron comes with 204 hotel rooms and several thousand square feet of flexible space for meetings, events and normal hotel guest amenities. Graduate Hotels plans to keep the structure of the building and the number of hotel rooms the same with its renovation. However, it does plan to modernize the hotel in functionality and design while also making it a more open part of the community. "We are working on something really special," Gottlieb says. "It will really activate the space." The new hotel will feature a more open layout to both patrons and passersby. The idea is to make it more inviting for both hotel guests and neighbors can enjoy its ground floor amenities. "We like to say our lobbies are an extension of ourselves," Gottlieb says. "We like it to be a living room for our communities." The renovation project is expected to take 4.5 months and be open in time for spring commencement at the nearby University of Michigan. The newly redone hotel will also feature a locally-centric food and beverage program designed to foster interaction between hotel guests, Ann Arborites, and the University community. Source: Ben Gottlieb, vice president of acquisition for AJ Capital Partners Writer: Jon Zemke
