Ann Arbor

U-M launches Venture Shaping Program to turn ideas into startups

By Newsroom

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February 1, 2012

Business ideas don't always make profitable businesses. A new program at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business hopes to make that transition more commonplace in Ann Arbor. U-M is launching the Mayleben Family Venture Shaping Program through the Zell-Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. The new program is being funded by a gift from Aastrom Biosciences president & CEO Tim Mayleben (a U-M graduate) and his wife, Dawn Mayleben. The grant program will teach student teams from across the University how to transform identified opportunities into businesses. "It takes an idea and transforms it into a business structure," says Tim Faley, managing director of the Zell-Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. "We see a lot of ideas." The U-M Venture Shaping Program will provide teams of student entrepreneurs with guidance from faculty while going through a three-part process. That process includes directed discovery, value system synthesis, and profiting from capabilities framework evaluation. The idea is to prove that the startup meets a validated market need and will provide a cash prize so they can take the business to the next level. Breaking through that key wall of building a business (taking it from an idea to a reality) is the major constraint that has been identified by U-M officials. The Venture Shaping Program hopes to help 25 student-led business each year. "We see it as the big bottleneck in the process," Faley says. "We're happy to have a program to handle that program." Source: Tim Faley, managing director of the Zell-Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Buses, bikes catch up to cars as a way to get to work in Ann Arbor

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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February 1, 2012

Buses, bikes, and plain old-fashioned feet are upending the solo-passenger car as the only route to work in Ann Arbor, as shown by a recent survey of about 250 employers and 275 employees released by getDowntown. The study was funded by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) and the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. The most significant finding, says Nancy Shore, executive director of getDowntown, was "Seventy percent, the overwhelming majority of employers ... said it was very or somewhat important to have a variety of transportation options, not just parking, to attract high-quality workers and customers." Additionally, about a quarter of businesses with 20 or more employees indicated that the availability of the go!pass, a downtown employer-funded unlimited-use transit pass for employees, was a factor in their choice of a downtown office location. go!pass usage in 2011 was 28% higher than in 2009, with 11% of respondents commuting regularly by bus and another 29% occasionally using buses, according to getDowntown. Cycling also saw a significant bump from 2009, with 6% of those surveyed reporting regular bike commutes, up from 2% in 2009. While seemingly small, that's pretty large compared to most communities nationwide, Shore says. "And if you go off the 2000 census numbers that say there's about 10,000 employees downtown, 6% of 10,000 employees is a lot of bike commuters." The winter bike commuting workshops held earlier in the season were also a success, according to Shore, with well-attended workshops and that portion of getDowntown's website attracting over 1,000 hits in a few months. getDowntown will use the survey findings to help the AATA tailor its transit master plan and will also continue to advocate for more bike lanes, Shore says. The survey also reinforced "the value of downtown living," Shore notes. Of employees within a half-mile to two-mile radius from work, 52% are walking, 18% are biking, and only 22% are driving. At two to four miles, 32% are driving and 33% are busing it. Within four to 10 miles, though, 74% are still driving solo. getDowntown will be focusing on this group in particular, she says. "That's potentially a distance where using the bus actually might be not so hard." Source: Nancy Shore, executive director of getDowntown Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Clean Energy Coalition launches online green products store

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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February 1, 2012

With the opening of its online Clean Energy Outlet, the Clean Energy Coalition (CEC) now has a new line of energy-efficient products available to complement the services and programming it offers to communities all over Michigan. "We're working with well over 40 communities across the state right now and we see a real need for business owners and for residential customers, whether they're renters or homeowners, to break down the barriers to access to these products and be able to get them into their businesses and their living spaces quicker and easier," says Joshua Brugeman, division manager at the Clean Energy Coalition. On offer are CFL and LED lightbulbs, shower heads, water aerators, and a variety of other efficiency products. The CEC carries a more specialized selection than what's available at big-box retailers. And you don't have to push the cart for miles with the blind faith that that 6-watt LED you need is in aisle 14. "The real advantage is that everything's in one location, whereas when you go to Lowe's and Home Depot it's scattered throughout the store and they're often hard to find if you're trying to complete your comprehensive energy project at home," says Brugeman. Home energy monitors utilizing real time web-based tracking of energy use are a more tailored type of item that the outlet carries, he adds. "By being able to see that information in real time people tend to make behavioral changes right away because they have that instant feedback loop." Brugeman says CEC is in the process of adding a brick-and-mortar component to its online store to help further its focus on building a Michigan-based clientele. Source: Joshua Brugeman, division manager, Clean Energy Coalition Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Student demand grows SE Michigan’s rental landscape

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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February 1, 2012

Three of the five top real estate deals in 2011 were in Ann Arbor... and fueled by the student rental market. SE Michigan has long lagged behind other metro areas when it comes to rental options - particularly in downtown settings. But it look like the market is slowly changing. Excerpt: "The vacancy rate for apartments in Ann Arbor was 3.6 percent at the end of the third quarter, according to information from Washington, D.C.-based REIS Inc.; compared with 5.4 percent for the region. That trend follows other sectors of real estate in metro Detroit. Ann Arbor enjoys a vacancy rate that is much lower than in other parts of the region. " Read the rest here

POTUS returns to Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Education

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January 25, 2012

Maybe it's that he can't get enough Zingerman's. Whatever the reason, Barack Obama will be landing in Ann Arbor to give a speech at U-M, just three days after his State Of The Union speech. Excerpt: "This is the president's 10th visit to Michigan since taking office. He was in Michigan in October to visit GM's Orion Assembly plant with the South Korean president and spoke in Detroit on Labor Day. It will be his second visit to speak at the University of Michigan. In May 2010, he delivered the commencement address at Michigan Stadium, where he urged students to participate in democracy and get all points of view." Read the rest of the story here.

U-M students’ waste-to-energy startup looking to raise $2M

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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January 25, 2012

A quartet of University of Michigan students came up with an idea for a bioreactor that could use methane to heat water. After winning several business plan competitions, the founders of ReGenerate are finally being asked to turn their concept into a real-world technology. Excerpt: "Having proven adept at winning business plan competitions, it's time for waste-to-energy company ReGenerate Solutions LLC to win some actual customers. The Ann Arbor-based startup, founded by four University of Michigan students, is in the midst of raising a seed round of up to $2 million to move it from proof-of-concept stage to commercialization." Read the rest of the story here.

Former U-M student hosts NPR’s “Snap Judgment”

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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January 25, 2012

Before Michigander Glynn Washington created Snap Judgment (and won the Public Radio Talent Quest contest), he was a U-M law school student and a spoken word poet in Detroit. Now, he hosts the weekly story-telling show on National Public Radio (which can be listened to as a podcast). This week his show, entitled Hand Of Fate, features a tale of being a transfer student at U-M. Check out the show here.

Ann Arbor’s Real Time Farms triples staff, goes national

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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January 25, 2012

Real Time Farms got its start in Ann Arbor 18 months ago and is going national today as it continues to spread food transparency across the U.S. The Ann Arbor-based start-up is a combination social media tool for foodies and a nationwide online directory of farmers markets and what's available there. Users can share pictures of local markets and farm stands by posting them on the site, along with product information and handy tips for other patrons. "This isn't about sustainable or local," says Cara Rosaen, co-founder & director of vegetable outreach for Real Time Farms. "It's about transparency." Cara Rosaen co-founded Real Time Farms with her husband Karl, a former Google employee who moved back to Michigan to start the venture. They have tripled their team to six core members and another 20 interns. "Part of it is that this is the right time," Rosaen says. "The other part is we have a really solid tech team. That has really helped us grow." Real Time Farms has recently launched its software and has been gaining traction with users. More than 32,000 photos have been uploaded to its site. It just launched its software for restaurants so it can spread food awareness further into the food chain. "It's really just a matter of capturing people's enthusiasm that exists and creating systems to channel it," Rosaen says. Source: Cara Rosaen, co-founder & director of vegetable outreach for Real Time Farms Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Startup Michigan set to launch from ACE competition in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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January 25, 2012

Startup Michigan, the Great Lakes State's node for the Startup America entrepreneur network, is set to launch from the Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurs event next week. The Startup America Partnership is a national effort dedicated to helping startups grow by connecting entrepreneurs, investors and more than $1 billion in resources across the U.S. Regional affiliate Startup Michigan will launch with 10 other states next week. "It's the first time on a national level that there is a concerted effort on a national level to communication in the entrepreneurship community," says Diane Durance, executive director of the Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest, which oversees this year's Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurs, or ACE 12. She went on to compare Startup America's potential impact to the interstate highway system and how it connects businesses and people from states across the country. ACE 12, which will be held at Ann Arbor's Skyline High School on Tuesday, is an annual event that revolves around entrepreneurship in Michigan. The event features opportunities for entrepreneurial education, networking, funding and mentoring resources. This year's attendance is expected to exceed 1,000 participants. "We have a great entrepreneurial infrastructure," Durance says. "Other states don't have this kind of infrastructure." Source: Diane Durance, executive director of the Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

U-M’s sustainability scoreboard released

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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January 25, 2012

The University of Michigan is balancing growth in its campus population and facilities with an overarching goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as per its recently released Annual Sustainability Report. Total greenhouse gas emissions for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011 climbed by 7.5% as compared to the 2010 fiscal year, an increase significantly attributed to the ramping up of the new C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital and the opening of the North Campus Research Complex last January, according to Terry Alexander, executive director of the U-M Office of Campus Sustainability. By the end of fiscal 2012, U-M is looking at having over 1,000 people working at the North Campus Research Complex, Alexander says. "Our goals just look at total numbers, but if you look at it on a per square-foot basis and per person basis, our energy use has actually reduced by about 21% since 2004," says Alexander. "That's a good trend, but we continue to grow and we're adding more people, we're adding more building space, so that number is going to continually change as we move forward." The year's highlights include completion of the Campus Sustainability Integrated Assessment, a plan of long-term goals in the realms of climate action, waste reduction, healthy environments, and community awareness. Action items include, for example, reducing greenhouse emissions created both onsite and through purchased electricity by 25% and cutting waste tonnage sent for disposal 40% by 2025. Other successes were achieved by the university's Planet Blue operations teams, which implement energy-saving measures in buildings and train occupants on proper usage of those systems. The teams scoured 71 buildings, resulting in an 8% less energy usage and $3.8 million in cost savings over the year. The university also reports cleaner-running buses and increased ridership. 6.9 million bus rides were taken in fiscal 2011, up from 6.5 million over 2010. Two new diesel electric hybrid buses are on the road, with another two are on the verge of being deployed. Three more are on order, to bring the total to seven such hybrid buses in circulation by the end of 2012, Alexander says. And now the athletic campus and other venues are under the green microscope for 2012. University officials are working with a group of student athletes interested in incorporating more sustainable features into campus athletic events. The new law school building and women's and children's hospitals are under review for LEED certification. And officials are also in the final stages of negotiating with DTE Energy for solar panel arrays for the engineering campus and the North Campus Research Complex, says Alexander. Already underway is the Planet Blue Ambassador program, in which students and staff members attend class together and then raise community awareness of energy conservation issues. "We hope by a certain time we'll have a couple of ambassadors in every building on campus so it can be our outreach effort on campus," Alexander notes. Sources: Terry Alexander, executive director, U-M Office of Campus Sustainability; U-M Annual Sustainability Report, 2011 Writer: Tanya Muzumdar