Ann Arbor

Seelio continues to expand software platform across U.S.

By Newsroom

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February 19, 2014

Seelio is starting to grow beyond its humble beginnings in Ann Arbor. The software startup's digital portfolio platform for college students is appearing at more and more universities across the U.S. Seelio is developing a software platform that allows college students to showcase their portfolio of work. The software enables the students to document how college projects came to fruition and use that to get a start in the professional world, such as for job interviews. Seelio’s software is actively being used at seven universities across the U.S., including the universities of Michigan, Toledo and Texas, among others. "We have a very strong pipeline of universities," says Moses Lee, CEO of Seelio. That growth has allowed Seelio to grow in a number of different ways. It raised a $1.5 million seed round last year. It also hired six people (mostly in sales and customer service), expanding its staff to 12 employees. It also moved to new space at Ann Arbor SPARK’s Central Business Incubator in downtown Ann Arbor. Seelio is looking to continue to grow its product use in more universities across North America. It currently has string footholds in the Midwest, East Coast and South, but would like to partner with more institutions of higher learning in other regions of the country in 2014. "It's all about growth," Lee says. "We want to provide stellar outcomes and services to university students." Source: Moses Lee, CEO of Seelio Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

City and U-M finalize plans for bike sharing

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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February 19, 2014

Looks like bike-sharing, dubbed ArborBike is going to become a reality for Tree Town this May. Excerpt: "Since August 2013, the Ann Arbor City Council has been working in tandem with the University and the Clean Energy Coalition, a local non-profit dedicated to the promotion of energy-independent communities, to ensure the program’s success. This collaboration included attaining federal, city and University funds to subsidize the project. From November 2013 through January, the CEC garnered community involvement for the new program by hosting an online naming competition. Among the top contenders were A2Go, MiBike and ArBike, but ultimately, the service was christened ArborBike on Feb. 5." Read the rest here.

Ann Arbor’s stkr.it adds 2 jobs after locking down Series A financing

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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February 12, 2014

Ann Arbor-based stkr.it may be about to turn three years old, but most of its growth took place over the last year. The software startup helps people create and connect new messages to items like greeting cards and scrapbooks. The company has landed a number of partnerships with larger companies that will utilize its technology. Some of those partnerships include deals with Epson (a printer company) and Walsworth Publishing (a yearbook firm). "It has been gratifying to see all of these partnerships come about," says Mike Newman, president of stkr.it. "As these products hit the market we expect to see a dramatic level of growth in the next six months." The startup, which has dual offices in Ann Arbor and New York City, also locked down a Series A round of seed capital worth $600,000. That has allowed it make two of its part-time employees full-timers, rounding out its staff to five people. It is also looking at adding interns this year. Newman hopes to leverage a growing staff and revenues to flesh out its product in 2014. "Now that we have built up a user base we want to give them the best product we can," Newman says. Source: Mike Newman, president of stkr.it Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

TLS Productions moves to new Ann Arbor location

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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February 12, 2014

TLS Productions has moved from Brighton to Ann Arbor, bringing 14 more jobs closer to the Washtenaw County seat. The 60-year-old firm specializes in providing sales, rental, and production for the stage part of special events. For instance, it provides the lighting for everything from theater productions to automotive and trade shows. It employs 20 people in total, and is also looking to hire two more people. "Ann Arbor is a fantastic hiring base," says Carl Kedzierski, director of marketing and new business development for TLS Productions. "We're hoping to get somebody local." TLS Productions' new space in Ann Arbor is twice as big as its previous one in Brighton. It began the move in November and finished just before the end of last year. "It took quite a while," Kedzierski says. "It was quite a production for us." Source: Carl Kedzierski, director of marketing and new business development for TLS Productions Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Forthcoming Style Trader store expands on local resale franchise

By Natalie Burg

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Arts & Culture

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February 12, 2014

The Ann Arbor-based children's resale franchise Children's Orchard now has locations in states all across the U.S. In addition to growing out, the business is now growing up, with a new store concept that will soon debut in Ann Arbor on W. Eisenhower. "Style Trader is a new concept that we're looking to franchise," says General Manager Jennifer Fields. "It's nice to be bringing it home to Ann Arbor, in a sense, but also to be building on the concept of walking from Children's Orchard to Style Trader in one trip." The Ann Arbor Style Trader, which will open in a 2,500-square-foot space in Colonnade Shopping Center, will be the second of its kind. The first opened in Livonia in July of 2012. According to Fields, however, this will be the first time the concept is tested in close proximity to Children's Orchard, which she suspects will be a winning combination. Style Trader will focus on upscale clothing lines and styles that are no more than two years old, giving shopper access to the newer fashions and lower prices. While Fields says she anticipates moms and teens will enjoy the store, she's already been surprised by the success of the Livonia location's men's apparel. "It's a fun environment that's not just for women," says Fields. "Nowhere else is doing resale for men. We couldn't believe how many men have been coming out in Livonia." Renovations are already underway at the E. Eisenhower store. Fields plans to open Style Trader in early March and celebrate with a grand opening later in the spring. The store will employ five to six workers. Source: Jennifer Fields, Style Trader Writer: Natalie Burg

Ann Arbor is America’s 12th most romantic city

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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February 12, 2014

No Valentine's date yet? No worries. If you're looking for V-Day dinner out in Ann Arbor, you're in good company. Excerpt: "OpenTable calculated a city's romance level by ranking the percentage of restaurants in the area rated as "romantic," according to OpenTable diner reviews, the percentage of tables seated for two, and the percentage of people who dined out on Valentine's Day last year. More here.

Study shows alternative transportation important to downtown Ann Arbor

By Natalie Burg

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Community Development

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February 12, 2014

A recent survey conducted by Ann Arbor's getDowntown program found that more than 80 percent of respondents rate the availability of alternative transportation options as important to attracting customers, clients and employees to downtown. The survey included responses from 194 employers or decision makers and more than 600 downtown commuters. "Employers recognize that to attract and retain the talent they need, we need to have a strong alternative transportation system," says getDowntown Program Director Nancy Shore. "Over time, this means that employers are more likely to purchase go!passes and find ways to accommodate their employee’s interest in walking and biking to work." That's exactly what is beginning to happen. The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority and Downtown Development Authority have recently reported a "sharp increase" in the number of getDowntown's go!passes used by commuters to downtown. Twenty percent of decision makers also reported having employees who would not be able to get to work without their pass. According to Shore, the good news only encourages getDowntown to continue to develop the go!pass program. They are now looking at the possibility of making the go!pass into a "smart card." "This would make it even easier to board the bus and we might be able to find ways to connect it to other transportation options like the Bike House or even parking," Shore says. "I’d also like to see us develop a way for go!pass users to track their go!pass use online." Additionally, Shore says the AATAs 5-year transit plan would be a huge benefit for the downtown commuters and employers, giving riders access to bus options later in the evening and on weekends. Source: Nancy Shore, Get Downtown Writer: Natalie Burg

Old House Gardens grows national reputation for flowers

By Newsroom

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Entrepreneurship

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February 12, 2014

It's early yet for flowers, but the nation's gardeners are setting aside space to plant bulbs from Ann Arbor's Old House Gardens. Excerpt: "Although I have never met owner Scott Kunst, I consider him an old friend. His newsletters and catalog entries are delightfully conversational. Charlie the company cat lived a good life, and now there is a rescued black-and-white terrier named Toby installed in Charlie’s place... I have planted numerous pint-size hardy gladioli from the Ann Arbor, Mich., company’s American-grown inventory, with great success, in big pots and in the ground. Their colors and markings are remarkable, and they come back year after year." More here.

Dilip Nigam of Arborwind with a model of his wind turbine

Ann Arbor Startups That Don’t Start in Ann Arbor (But We Wish They Did)

By Patrick Dunn

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General

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February 12, 2014

Ann Arbor may be Michigan's hotbed for innovative startups but sometimes those innovations have trouble gaining a toe-hold in the local market. From healthcare apps to wind energy technology, Concentrate takes a look at a trio of technologies we'd like to see more of here.

First Martin plans for hotel, mixed-use on Huron and Ashley

By Natalie Burg

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Community Development

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February 12, 2014

The intersection of W. Huron and N. Ashley has long been a sleepy one, but plans for a new mixed-used hotel development aim to change all that. Local developer First Martin has proposed a 85,000-square-foot, six-story hotel for the site that would include 110 rooms and about 6,000 square feet of first-floor commercial space for a retail or restaurant tenant. "There aren't a ton of vacant or nearly vacant parcels downtown," says Mike Martin, vice president of First Martin. "This site has just two single story buildings, and is certainly not improved to its full potential." While the project has the potential to bring temporary and permanent jobs to the site, as well as a new option for Ann Arbor visitors, Martin says one of the most visible impacts of the hotel would be creating new pedestrian activity on the relatively quiet intersection. "We think there is a strong benefit for this type of use to activate the corner," he says. "A lot of the positive feedback we've heard is that this will help energize and add a pedestrian experience to a corner that is anything but that now." First Martin will partner with a national chain to manage the all-suite style hotel, though the developer is not yet ready to release the name of their partner. The total amount of investment the project will bring to downtown is also yet to be determined. Martin is hoping the project will receive final approval in July and the approximately one-year long construction will begin in the fall. Source: Mike Martin, First Martin Writer: Natalie Burg