Ann Arbor

Huron Valley Financial grows staff 27 percent, eyes big acquisition targets

By Newsroom

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February 15, 2012

Ann Arbor-based Huron Valley Financial is poised to take a huge step forward this year through a potential large acquisition. "We have definitely grown," says Eric Bradley, president & CEO of Huron Valley Financial. "We added a branch in Clarkston in late 2010. In October, 2011, we have acquired Approved Mortgages in Canton. We worked with them in the 1990s so it made a lot of sense to acquire them. Both the acquisitions have propelled our growth." Huron Valley Financial is a full-service mortgage banking firm specializing in every area of mortgage lending, such as construction loans or refinancing. The 15-year-old firm employs 61 people and has grown its staff by 27 percent over the last year, including two recent hires. Bradley sees 2012 as a "watershed year" for Huron Valley Financial. The company has been looking at acquiring a couple of larger competitors. It was close to a deal last year but didn't move forward with it. Bradley thinks a similar acquisition is distinctly possible this year. "What we're finding is there are a lot of mortgage companies with a lot of loan office staff but they don't have the capital to effectively build the infrastructure and manage today's regulatory environment." Source: Eric Bradley, president & CEO of Huron Valley Financial Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

U-M grad recruits serial entrepreneur pop to Ann Arbor to grow Avomeen

By Newsroom

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Education

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February 15, 2012

Shri Thanedar spent a few years in Ann Arbor in the early 1980s conducting post-doctorate work at the University of Michigan's Department of Chemistry, but the serial entrepreneur ended up elsewhere in the U.S., founding and exiting startups. He sold the last of his startups and retired when fate, or more specifically his son Neal Thanedar, came calling him back to Ann Arbor. "At the time I was living on the beach in Florida," Shri says. "My son's preference was to stay in Ann Arbor and start something in Ann Arbor." Neal had just graduated from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business in 2010 and recruited his father to help him launch Avomeen Analytical Services. The Ann Arbor-based startup features a full-service chemical testing laboratory specializing in pharmaceutical testing and investigative analysis. Avomeen Analytical Services has grown from the father-son duo 14 months ago to 10 employees, four independent contractors and a few interns today. It has a client list with more than 200 companies from across the U.S. It plans to keep growing, attracting new clients and growing its brand with wins like coming out on top of the Startup America Super Bowl Pitch Contest at this year's ACE event in Ann Arbor. "We're growing very rapidly, at actually twice the rate as my previous companies," Shri says. He credit's Neal's enthusiasm and skills for driving that growth, which Shri expects will allow Avomeen Analytical Services to double its revenue and staff this year. Source: Shri Thanedar, CEO & owner of Avomeen Analytical Services Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

HandeHolder tablet accessory aims to gain mainstream American traction

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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February 15, 2012

HandeHolder, the handheld tablet computer accessory, has gained traction as a Michigan-made product in the Great Lakes State, but the Ann Arbor-based startup has its eyes on going national this year. HandeHolder has watched its sales on Amazon take off in recent months, with more units moving in the last two months than the previous nine months. The 19-month-old startup is working to get its products in big box retailers this year and is also undergoing preliminary tests to sell its products to branches of the U.S. military. "We're working very hard," Mike Burns, president & owner of HandeHolder. "We have dozens of lines in the water. Hopefully, this will ramp up so we sell thousands and thousands per week." The device is a handstrap that allows users to easily hold and use tablet computers. The device was inspired when Burns, owner of Burns Computing, got his first iPad. He nearly dropped it right away while using it for his company's race event app. A few minutes later he had created the first version of HandeHolder. Today the company ships thousands of HandeHolders and is developing more versions, including a holster-style and shoulder strap version. The company employs about half a dozen people and a few independent contractors who are trying to get more and more of mainstream America to adopt the product. "We're in the process of going aggressively after business to business groups," Burns says. Source: Mike Burns, president & owner of HandeHolder Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Public bus service from A2 to DTW is on the roadmap

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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February 15, 2012

At long last, an inexpensive, convenient, and greener option to ride to the airport from Ann Arbor. At its board meeting on February 16, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) will consider a resolution to award a two-year contract to Indian Trails, Inc., doing business as Michigan Flyer, to provide regular bus service from Ann Arbor's Blake Transit Center and other city locations to Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Advance reservations on the service, to be known as AirRide, will cost $12 one-way and $22 round-trip (with restricted refundability); fully refundable and walk-up fares will be $15 one-way and $30 round-trip. Fare discounts are available for seniors, students ages 6-17, and those with AATA-issued ADA and Medicare cards. Children five and under will ride for free. An introductory promotional fare of $10 one way and $20 round trip will be offered, with possible volume discounts for groups of eight or larger. The AATA board meeting will be held on Thursday, February 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ann Arbor District Library. Source: AATA Feb. 16 board meeting packet Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Land use and access are covered in Ann Arbor’s sustainability forum series

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Community Development

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February 15, 2012

Last week over 90 people attended a forum on land use and access, the second in a series of four sustainability forums held by the city of Ann Arbor from January through April. The forum covered transportation, biking and pedestrian issues, Ann Arbor's greenbelt, its downtown, and how the city connects to the rest of the region. The next forum, on climate and energy, will be held on March 8, and the last, on community, is scheduled for April 12. The forums fit into the construction of the city's sustainability framework, which will consolidate all 200-plus of the city's environmental goals currently cited in over 20 plans and resolutions into a web-based archive accessible to the public and centered on the realms of resource management, land use and access, climate and energy, and community, according to Jamie Kidwell, sustainability associate for the city of Ann Arbor. One aim of the sustainability framework is "to increase accessibility to our goals and create an awareness not only at the staff level but in the community as well, as to what are our goals and how are we measuring progress and how are we doing on those goals," Kidwell explains. The city is considering using an annual forum discussion series to report to the public on its sustainability outcomes, she adds. City officials hope to have the framework complete by Earth Day, Kidwell, says, and then begin the next phase, a sustainability action plan to monitor progress toward goals enumerated in the framework. A draft of the goals is available here. Source: Jamie Kidwell, sustainability associate for the city of Ann Arbor Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Ann Arbor singled out as Best College ‘Sports’ Town

By Newsroom

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Education

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February 15, 2012

Buried in the latter half of an article about a shopping / college savings web program is a pitch for college towns that have topnotch sports offerings. Not surprisingly, Ann Arbor is cited as the gold standard for athletes seeking the right mix of competitive edge, academic training, and quality of life. Excerpt: "The University of Michigan is most famous for its football team, the Wolverines, who play in the severely packed confines of the ‘Big House,’ but the town of Ann Arbor where the school is located is the true ‘star.’ A great college, low crime rate and affordable housing all add up to make Ann Arbor the highest ranked location on the lists of ‘best college towns.’ It even beats out Palo Alto – the home of Stanford; and Madison – the home of the University of Wisconsin." Read the rest here.

WSJ names local startup as part of national farm to table movement

By Newsroom

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Health

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February 15, 2012

Servicing the local food movement has become the mission of several Internet startups in search of better ways to connect growers to eaters. The Wall Street Journal surveys firms across the nation, including A2's own Real Time Farms. Excerpt: "Meanwhile, former Silicon Valley engineer Karl Rosaen co-founded Real Time Farms LLC and is building a database of farms and their growing practices, making it possible, for instance, to find a place to buy a tomato grown without synthetic pesticides with a few clicks. So far, the site has growing-practice information for a few hundred farms." Read the rest of the story here.

U-M prof explains what all those Super Bowl ads really meant

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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February 8, 2012

University of Michigan Ross School of Business professor Christie Nordhielm watches Super Bowl ads a little differently than the rest of us. Yes, the polar bears and Star Wars jokes and Dorito gags are a $3.5 million hoot, but they also reveal a little bit about what's going on in our economy. Beer and beverage ads have gone down. Auto ads have gone up. Hmmm. More importantly, who spent their money well and who threw millions away? Excerpt: "Super Bowl advertising can be viewed as a sort of bellwether, Nordhielm says. "The rise in automotive advertising is a signal that the auto industry is back, and quite possibly that the economy is turning around." Watch the video here.

U-M Solar Car movie premiere tonight at Michigan Theater

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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February 8, 2012

We've written about U-M's solar car team before. Now, you can watch their efforts on the glorious silver screen. Tonight at 7 p.m. the documentary, Racing With The Sun, will be screening at the Michigan Theater. Members of the Solar Car Team will be on hand to answer questions afterward. Best of all, it's free! Excerpt: "Students from disciplines across campus put their heart and soul into the October 2011 race that included a smoldering brush fire and wind-shearing road trains. Quantum placed third behind teams from Japan and The Netherlands. It wasn’t the first-place finish they were hoping for, but no other U.S. team has had back-to-back top-three World Solar Challenge finishes." Read the rest here.

Ann Arbor’s Craft Cocktail Comeback

By Richard Retyi

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General

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February 8, 2012

Why order a vodka tonic when you can have The Last Word? Or, better, a drink recipe that's created on site and with locally sourced ingredients? Custom cocktails (aka "mixology") have come to Ann Arbor and fans of unique libations are embracing the trio of downtown venues that sling more than just beer and shots.