Ann Arbor

Transit use outpaces vehicle use in U.S.

By Newsroom

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March 19, 2014

Ann Arbor is just one of many communities cited where transit use is on the rise. While local naysayers argue that expanded public transit isn't a necessity, trendlines show that they may be on the wrong side of history. Excerpt: "Cities showing big ridership increases include Ann Arbor, Denver, Cleveland, New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles (yes, car-crazed L.A.), Indianapolis and Tampa. Some 17 of 27 transit systems report light rail drawing bigger crowds. Bus ridership, meanwhile, is stable, but up 3.8 percent in smaller cities (those with a population below 100,000.)" Read the rest here.

Backyard Brains continues global expansion, adds staff

By Newsroom

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Education

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March 19, 2014

Backyard Brains has come a long way since its inception in 2010. Back then it was a side project of a couple of neuroscientists looking to sell a few insect neuroscience kits to teach grade-school students how the brain works. Today it is a multi-national corporation selling those kits on three continents. The Ann Arbor-based company expanded into South America last year focusing on the Chilean education market. It has since cemented its presence there and is now expanding into Africa, making sales in Nigeria, Uganda, Morocco and Ethiopia, among other nations. "We're now in 60 countries," says Tim Marzullo, co-founder of Backyard Brains. "That's pretty exciting." Marzullo and Greg Gage launched Backyard Brains with its RoboRoach product. The testing kit enables students to control insects via antennas. Its flagship product is SpiderBox, a bioamplifier that allows users to hear and see spikes of neurons in invertebrates. Backyard Brains sales of these products have increased an average of 5 percent a month over the last year. Revenue spiked to $70,000 last November (the business’ busy season and when it struck a partnership with Harvard) and reached $40,000 in February, which was still up considerably from a year. International sales, especially in Chile, are helping drive the company's growth. "It (the Chilean market) is where Backyard Brains was three years ago," Marzullo says. "We're making sales there every month now." The growth has allowed Backyard Brains to add staff. It has hired three people (an engineer, an accountant and a designer) in the U.S. over the last year, expanding its staff to six full-time employees and six part-timers. It also employs one full-time person and three part-timers in Chile. Source: Tim Marzullo, co-founder of Backyard Brains Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

H3D reinvents nuclear radiation detection technology

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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March 19, 2014

Zhong He has been working toward a better way to detect nuclear radiation for most of his academic career. The University of Michigan professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences first started working on the technology in 1997 and has developed it through the years. Today it has been spun out of the university and is the principal product of H3D. The Ann Arbor-based startup launched almost two years ago after it saw an increased demand for it from government agencies and large corporations. "We realized the technology is ready for market," says He, CEO of H3D. H3D's Polaris H technology is a handheld radiation camera that helps nuclear plant operators find potentially dangerous hot spots and leaky fuel rods faster and more precisely. It accomplishes this by laying a gamma-ray map over an image of a room, allowing it to pinpoint radiation sources. "We have developed a very sensitive technology readout system," He says. H3D employs a staff of five employees and two independent contractors. It began marketing the product in earnest in early 2013 and has already taken orders for it. The Polaris H radiation camera is currently being used in four nuclear plants. "We are doing demonstrations to show people how it works," He says. "That way people will know more and more about the technology." Source: Zhong He, CEO of H3D Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Carcode SMS helps create conversation at car dealerships

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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March 12, 2014

A new tech startup is helping automotive dealerships spark more conversations with potential customers. Carcode SMS has come up with a website plugin that allows consumers to text automotive dealership staff and inquire about a specific car. The software assigns local cell phone numbers to dealerships so mobile shoppers can text them and provides the dealership with an app that allows staff to respond and manage conversations in a compliant environment. "We can keep track of all of the text conversations with that app," says Steve Schwartz, co-founder of Carcode SMS. Carcode SMS also has a feature enabling the consumer to end the conversation whenever he or she wants to and not have to worry about follow-ups from salesmen. The Ann Arbor-based startup that calls Tech Brewery home recently won the 2014 Edmund Hackomotive contest last month. The three-person Carcode SMS team has completed the initial development of the software and is testing it out at an automotive dealership. "We are currently talking to other dealerships," Schwartz says. Source: Steve Schwartz, co-founder of Carcode SMS Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

New 12,000 sq ft Blake Transit Center kicks off opening on March 17

By Natalie Burg

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Development News

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March 12, 2014

The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, or TheRide, will open its new, 12,019-square-foot, LEED Gold-certified Blake Transit Center to the public on Monday. After breaking ground in late 2012, TheRide says the completed building will offer a larger customer service lobby, improved restrooms and digital signage featuring real-time route information. "Staff, including myself, who have toured the new building are impressed with the new space, and believe it will be a welcoming, comfortable, convenient, and safe place for riders," says Don Kline, integrated marketing coordinator for TheRide. "Early reactions from the public we’ve spoken to have been very positive." Monday will be a soft launch for the Blake Transit Center, as the lane buses will eventually use adjacent to the center won't be finished until the ground completely thaws. A grand opening event will be scheduled at that time. Next week, light refreshments and customer service staff will be available to the public to kick off the opening. Kline says the long term goal of the new Blake Transit Center will be to accommodate TheRide's growing ridership, which has increased by more than 80 percent since the former transit center was built in the 1980s. "We are continuing to focus on improving connectivity in our urban core communities that in turn improves our economy, environment, and quality of life," he says. Next up for the ever-evolving organization will be a May 6 vote on TheRide's Five-Year Transit Improvement Plan, "TheRide Your Way." In 2013, the city of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township were officially added to the TheRide organization. Source: Don Kline, TheRide Writer: Natalie Burg

Orange Egg Advertising works on PBS series, adds 4 new jobs

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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March 12, 2014

Orange Egg Advertising has been adding more clients and members to its team over the last year. The Ann Arbor-based firm and its sister company, Hadrout in Ferndale, has grown by 25% and added four new positions, expanding its staff to half a dozen people. "We keep adding interesting projects," says Amy Grambeau, director of Orange Egg Advertising. Among those projects is the PBS station's series, Start Up. Orange Egg Advertising helped produce the first season that profiled entrepreneurs. It is now working on the second season for the show. "There are some cool things coming out of southeast Michigan," Grambeau says. Grambeau expects Orange Egg Advertising to expand in a similar fashion in 2014, powered by word-of-mouth referrals. "We just keep doing a good job for our clients," Grambeau says. "We keep on the cutting edge of technology for our clients." Source: Amy Grambeau, director of Orange Egg Advertising Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Carrabba’s, Five Guys and more coming to Ann Arbor-Saline Rd.

By Natalie Burg

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Community Development

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March 12, 2014

A slew of national chains including Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Subway, Sport Clips and others will soon be part of Pittsfield Place, a 12-business restaurant and retail development that is scheduled to break ground later this month. According to Landmark Commercial Real Estate's Michael Lippitt, who is marketing the spaces, the Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. location is ideal for the project. "Pittsfield Place is strategically located in front of a very long-established and high-volume Meijer," says Lippett. "The surrounding retailers are some of the highest-volume stores in all of Southeast Michigan. And the market, if you compare it to the rest of Southeast Michigan, is underserved." The project, which is being developed by Versa in Southfield, is divided into two phases. The first, which will include eight restaurant and retail spaces, is set to break ground this month with businesses, including Carrabba's, opening by the end of the year. About 6,500 square feet of commercial space is still available in Phase I. All properties in Phase II have been spoken for, and construction is scheduled for completion in 2015. "The economy is very good and leasing is very strong," Lippitt says. "Support from the township was very strong, and Meijer was very interested. All of the moon and stars aligned at the right time." The 6.4 acres of land on which Pittsfield Place will be developed was purchased from Meijer. The development will sit between Lohr Rd. and Oak Valley Drive on Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. with parking in the rear. Source: Michael Lippitt, Landmark Commercial Real Estate Services Writer: Natalie Burg

CareEvolution aims to hire 40 on strength of healthcare software sales

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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March 12, 2014

Change is the one consistent thing in healthcare today, and it's a trend that is playing into CareEvolution's favor. The downtown Ann Arbor-based company has hired about 20 people over the last year to keep up with the demand for its software platform. Most of those new hires were software developers and clinical analysts. The firm currently employs 60 people. It plans to add three interns this summer, along with a consistent stream of hires along the way. "This year we intend to add 40 people," says Vik Kheterpal, principal of CareEvolution. "We're looking at 10 people per quarter." He adds that the company currently has 35 open positions, primarily for software developers, that it would fill right now if it could find the right candidates. CareEvolution's software specializes in breaking down information silos in healthcare systems primarily by sharing of electronic medical records and information. The idea is to streamline patient care. As the healthcare industry has transitioned to put a bigger focus on efficiency, technology like CareEvolution’s software climbs. "As that need is growing the demand for our product is growing," Kheterpal says. "We can't keep up." CareEvolution's growth has been organic. It is projecting 80-percent revenue growth in 2014 based just on the business it has today. Kheterpal expects that number to climb as the year goes on. "We have very robust growth," Kheterpal says. "We will be almost double our growth this year." Source: Vik Kheterpal, principal of CareEvolution Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

The customer is king at new Syrian restaurant, Damas

By Natalie Burg

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Arts & Culture

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March 12, 2014

Syria native Jawad Seif may be the owner of the new Damas Restaurant in Woodland Plaza on S. Main St., but he leaves no room for doubt who his boss is. "The customer is the king," says Seif. "Any customer only has to pay if he likes the food. I'm looking to have a customer that trusts me, and I trust them every time." After moving to Ann Arbor from Syria just a year and a half ago, Seif opened Damas Restaurant on Feb. 17. His Mediterranean style includes the hummus, chicken shawarma and falafel diners expect, as well as specialty items, such as stuffed zucchini and okra with rice. All of his foods, Sief says, will have freshness in common. "The rule here is that everything must be fresh. Every morning we have new ingredients," Seif says. "I'm happy because most of the customers say it's the best Mediterranean food in Ann Arbor." For Seif, Ann Arbor was the perfect place to open his restaurant, as he says the community loves Mediterranean food and has made his family feel welcome from the first day they arrived. The 1,800-square-foot restaurant seats 40 and employs a staff of six. Seif decorated Damas himself with decor reminiscent of Syria. Source: Jawad Seif, Damas Restaurant Writer: Natalie Burg

Ben Connor Barrie in a classroom he teaches in at the Dana Building at U of M

#A2Council Is Now In Session

By Patrick Dunn

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Arts & Culture

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March 12, 2014

Twitter has entered Ann Arbor City Council chambers. Twice a month local tweeters comment live on what our local council critters are up to. Sometimes informative, sometimes snarky, they turn what can be an evening of dry procedure into an energetic community conversation. And they even hold council-viewing parties!