Ann Arbor

Saagara moves to Kerrytown to accommodate growth

By Newsroom

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October 10, 2012

Saagara has moved to a new home in Kerrytown and is preparing to launch a worldwide platform for its meditative technology from the office overlooking Ann Arbor's Broadway Bridge. Saagara, which is Sanskrit for ocean of ideas, provides a holistic approach to better health, centered around a breathing technique called Pranayama. The company's CEO, Dr. Bobby Peddi, started the company shortly after he left his surgical residency about three years ago. Today the company has 2 million users and is looking to launch its worldwide platform when it hits the 3 million user mark later this year. "We want to be the platform for people around the world to use these things," Dr. Peddi says. "We're prepared to launch that very shortly." Saagara's new office is in Kerrytown are 3.5 times larger than its previous office in the Tech Brewery. The new space is in a building its sharing with Duo Security and Resonant Venture Partners. Saagara now employs 10 people after hiring five people (some of them replacement hires) in the last year. Source: Dr. Bobby Peddi, CEO of Saagara Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

From boarded-up gas station to flatiron office and condos

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 10, 2012

The nothingness of a boarded up gas station on Detroit Street in Kerrytown is likely to make way for a building that a local architect sees becoming a landmark for the city. Though small, the proposed flat iron style building - roughly a triangular shaped structure with a nose that faces the convergence of two streets, will stand out, says Marc Rueter of Rueter Associates Architects. And true flat iron structures in Ann Arbor are rare - though there is one down the street near Zingerman's deli at Fifth and Detroit. Rueter is the architect on the project that's being developed by Dan Williams of Maven Development. "He recognized this was a really cool site..It's a hard site to develop because it's such a small footprint, but it could be very much a landmark, something to be seen when you cross the bridge over the river, something people will notice and remember." The building would be three stories and about 4,000 total square feet. The ground floor would be office space, and the second and third floors would each be condominiums of about 1,650 square feet. The top condo would have access to a rooftop patio and a view of the Huron River. Parking would be located underground. And the location to Kerrytown market makes it attractive. "I think it's one of the nicer areas to live in Ann Arbor if you want the urban lifestyle," Rueter says. "It's a short walk to a lot of the things you need and great places." The project, which involves demolishing a Clark service station that was boarded up about 30 years ago, is supported by city officials but most go before the historic district commission because of its location in a historic area. The commission meets Thursday. If it is approved, as expected, the project would go for other approvals and likely be done by year's end. Construction could start in the spring, Rueter says. Source: Marc Rueter, Rueter Associates Architects Writer: Kim North Shine

MGoBlog hires 4 team members as it expands U-M coverage

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 10, 2012

MGoBlog was riding high last year, clocking big gains in readership as the University of Michigan went through the turmoil of a coaching change, a surprise run in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and a largely unexpected 10-win season in football. Growth was spiking nicely for the leading U-M athletics fan site until things flattened this year. Brian Cook knows what happened and who caused this dip. He epically double points at U-M Head Football Coach Brady Hoke. "We had a pretty bad summer (readershipwise). I blame Brady Hoke," says Cook, founder of MGoBlog, with his tongue planted in his cheek. "He had the entire (football) recruiting class signed up by March." As a diehard U-M football fan, Cook knows that landing most of a top-tier recruiting class before spring officially arrives is good for the team's long-term prospects and therefore good for MGoBlog and his own sanity on football Saturdays. But recruiting news is what keeps sites like his going in the college sports offseason between the NCAA Basketball Tournament and the first game of football season. Success can be painful sometimes. That dip hasn't been fatal for the growing media empire based in Ann Arbor that is MGoBlog. The 7-year-old website had expanded to a three-person team when we check in with Cook in 2011. Since then it has grown its team to five people, bringing on a photographer and sales manager. It has also had to replace two of its writers after more established competitors with deeper pockets (Rivals and ESPN) cherry picked its two writers. "It was kind of upsetting and validating at the same time," Cook says. MGoBlog has also expanded into the football season preview magazine market with its initial offering of "Hail To The Victors" this fall. The glossy magazine done in MGoBlog's distinctive voice became a reality thanks to a $26,000 Kickstarter campaign that largely came from the site's legions of fanboys. Cook sees working out the kinks in the magazine and solidifying its readership as one of MGoBlog's top goals in the next year. "The most important thing for us to do is to solidify the magazine," Cook says. "I really want year two of the magazine to be solid and turn into a product that can be sold year after year." Source: Brian Cook, founder of MGoBlog Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

NovoDynamics expands staff as it releases new products

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 3, 2012

NovoDynamics has a new home in downtown Ann Arbor to accommodate all of the software firm's growth. The 15-year-old company took over the top floor of the City Center Building, 220 E Huron St, earlier this year. It gutted the space and designed its new office from scratch. That space is also the new home for NovoDynamic's recent hires, which company president & CEO David Rock describes as less than 10 hires over the last year for a total staff of just under 50 people. "We moved in specifically for growth purposes," Rock says. "This is double the size of the office we had before." NovoDynamics has made a name for itself by helping businesses digitize their paperwork and make the most of the information that is gathered. It has three products (NovoDocufier, NovoImage+ and NovoVersus) that are driving the company's growth over the last year. "As the demand for understanding digital data becomes greater there is more demand for our technology," Rock says. Source: David Rock, president & CEO of NovoDynamics Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Big House Businesses

By Kim North Shine

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General

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October 3, 2012

Half a dozen Saturdays a year Ann Arbor's population practically doubles, as U-M football brings in Big Ten gridiron fans. Some see the game day influx as an inconvenience. Others see it as an economic opportunity.

Zombies in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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October 3, 2012

The Freep has a great photo slide show of Saturday's zombie walk. Excerpt: "The undead came to life Saturday for the annual Zombie Walk to benefit Food Gatherers of Ann Arbor. Participants met at Pinball Pete’s in Ann Arbor to drop off nonperishable food donations. From there, they hobbled and crawled to the Three Corpse Circus Horror Film Festival at the Michigan Theater. Organizer Bambi Slevin, 32, of Ypsilanti said about 60 people participated this year and donated two bins of food." Check it out here!

Ann Arbor AutoBike seen as a “promising disruptive technology”

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 3, 2012

What is the Disruptive Investor? Well, according to their site they are "dedicated to uncovering the most commercially promising disruptive technologies. Our mission is to connect the most disruptive technologies to the investment, licensing and acquisition communities." Get it? Ann Arbor's AutoBike gets singled out for notice. Excerpt: "For most people, the purpose of a bicycle is to take leisurely rides and have fun. Some riders, however, do not shift gears at the right time. They therefore exhaust themselves faster or may have to walk their bicycles up otherwise manageable hills. These situations tarnish the entire cycling experience and make people less likely to ride. The AutoBike solves this problem by automatically shifting gears for the cyclist." Read the rest here.

Hacker Tour stops in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 3, 2012

The SF start-up ReadyForce has decided that the current job search process is broken. With that in mind they've launched HackTour 2012,"n 8 week national bus tour designed to connect fast growing startups and tech companies to top computer science and engineering students across the country." Ann Arbor U-M was one of its 27 stops. Excerpt: "At the College of Engineering career fair Tuesday, the van was parked outside emblazoned with the logos of the 26 companies sponsoring the eight-week swing through 27 campuses across the country. The website is a cross between LinkedIn, Match.com and Monster.com that connects college students with companies interested in hiring them." Read the rest here.

Video Art In Public Places

By Roger Rayle

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Arts & Culture

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October 3, 2012

Next month Ann Arborites decide whether to fund a millage for art in public places. Last week, Concentrate's speaker series invited Deb Polich, executive director of the Arts Alliance, and city councilmember Christopher Taylor to provide some background and insight. No worries if you couldn't be there. We've got the video.

Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, & Saline are on the National Solar Tour map

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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October 3, 2012

The sun may be lower on the horizon now, but solar activity is rising, beginning with the National Solar Tour in October. Nine installations in Ypsilanti, along with one each in Saline and Ann Arbor, will be open to visitors interested in seeing solar. Eight of those sites are within approximately one mile of each other in and near downtown Ypsilanti. The Ypsi Food Co-op and River Street Bakery at 312 North River Street sport three installations. Other hotspots are: Krzyzanski Apts A,B,C at 403 Huron Street; Ypsi City Hall at 1 South Huron Street; Adams School at 503 East Oak Street; Frog Island Park at 600 Marketplace; and the Corner Brewery at 720 Norris Street. Power Panel, the provider of the large installation at the Corner Brewery, will be presenting at the brewery at 12 and 2 p.m. And local solar installer John Wakeman will be speaking about the "25% by '25" legislation, an initiative to require that Michigan utilities obtain 25% of their energy from renewable sources by 2025 (the current requirement is 10% by 2015), will be speaking there at 1 p.m. "We have [panels] on roofs, things on awnings on the side of buildings. We have micro-inverters, regular inverters...it's a lot of examples in a short distance," says Dave Strenski, volunteer coordinator of Solar Ypsi, points out. Strenski will be at City Hall throughout the day to answer questions, and Solar Ypsi volunteers will staff some of the other spots. Other displays within driving distance will be at the Graf residence at 6232 Munger Road in Ypsilanti and the Bredernitz residence at 2114 Windmill Way in Saline. All sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Also in conjunction with the National Solar Tour, Novi, Michigan-based Srinergy will host a bus tour of residential and commercial solar installations that day. Ann Arbor's AMMA Center will be a featured stop. Click here for more information and to register. Both tours take place on Saturday, October 6. Sources: Dave Strenski, volunteer coordinator of Solar Ypsi; Srinergy Writer: Tanya Muzumdar