Ann Arbor

Former brewery gets remake as office for tech firm HookLogic

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January 25, 2012

At the southern reaches of Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor, a brewery-turned-tech-firm transformation will be emerging this spring when e-commerce and digital marketing software provider HookLogic takes over the former Leopold Brothers Brewery building at 523 S. Main St. The New York-headquartered firm will be consolidating from two other downtown Ann Arbor offices totaling 5,000 square feet. A $9.5 million venture capital infusion from Massachusetts-based Bain Capital Ventures last September is facilitating the firm's move into the 11,000-square-foot building. Besides the downtown location, other interior features the company found attractive were brick walls and dozens of windows and skylights. After some remodeling, the property should be ready for an April move-in, says Gary Evans, general manager of HookLogic. Renovations include adding shared offices, glassed-in conference rooms, and a break room, though the floor plan will primarily be open. "We tend to not use a lot of cubes and we don't even use a lot of offices," Evans says. "We like to create open working areas where you can share a lot of information and ideas pretty easily and you can get a lot of energy going in the space, so this is really well suited for that as well." The firm, which had about 30 employees as of September, is currently hiring and plans to add another 35 positions over the course of the year, according to Evans. He figures the new space can hold up to 100 people. "Our headquarters is in Manhattan but a lot of our growth is scheduled to be in Ann Arbor, and there's lots of reasons for that. Not least because of access to outstanding talent here," Evans points out, adding, "But we've also got a much bigger space here as well, which really makes it logical for us to build out teams here whenever we can. I think the majority of our growth moving forward is going to be in this office." Source: Gary Evans, general manager, HookLogic Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Got Talent? A Conversation with Kurt Riegger

By Jon Zemke

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General

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January 25, 2012

When it comes to building a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, Kurt Riegger, COO of OcuSciences, argues that there's no lack of ideas or innovations in Ann Arbor. Talent with enough experience to execute on those ideas may be another question. Riegger has launched, funded, and advised 26 companies, and chats with Concentrate about what our community needs to succeed.

Amplifinity hires 4 as it adds services, clients, and rebrands

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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January 25, 2012

What was once uRefer is now Amplifinity, and it's growing. The downtown Ann Arbor-based startup landed a multi-million dollar seed capital round last year and has leveraged it to hire four people in the last year. The 5-year-old firm also plans to bring on interns this summer as it continues to build up its team beyond its staff of 15 people. "You'll definitely see us growing," says Molly McFarland, marketing director of Amplifinity. "You'll definitely see us hiring." Amplifinity specializes in referrals and helping companies, such as ESPN and Direct TV, maximize these referral systems. The company rebranded in December to reflect that the referral business has changed to the point where it's not just as simple as one person telling another to use this product. "What we found is that the world of advocacy and building brands is much bigger than that," McFarland says. "There is so much more than that linear referral process." To capitalize on this, Amplifinity has expanded its product and service offerings. For instance, it has added software that allows people to upload video testimonials and other similar services where companies can capitalize on Internet advocacy through channels like social media. Source: Molly McFarland, marketing director of Amplifinity Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ann Arbor’s re:group adds 3 jobs, expands into healthcare field

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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January 18, 2012

Ann Arbor-based re:group is growing its bottom line and staff by adding more health-care businesses to its customer list. "We really have made a concerted effort to grow our business," says Carey Jernigan, director of business development for re:group. "We expect to grow significantly this year. I hope to double our revenue." The downtown-based firm that specializes in branding and Internet marketing has added the likes of St. Joseph Mercy Health System to its roster. The firm now serves companies in a variety of industries, such as finance, bio-tech, retail and franchising. re:group has hired three people over the last year, expanding its staff to 20 employees, a few independent contractors, and an intern. It is also looking to add an account executive later this year, on top of a few more expected hires. Source: Carey Jernigan, director of business development for re:group Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Michigan Business Challenge Competition attracts 45 teams

By Newsroom

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Education

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January 18, 2012

The Michigan Business Challenge, a business plan competition at the University of Michigan, is entering its second of four rounds this week, judging 14 student-led start-ups that span a wide variety of industries. The Michigan Business Challenge attracted 45 teams, comprising 145 students interested in starting their own business. They are competing for $60,000 in cash prizes, including the grand prize of $20,000. "We have a number of web-based businesses," says Anne Perigo, program coordinator for the Zell-Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and the manager of the Michigan Business Challenge. "We have a number of student teams that are looking at medical devices or assistive technologies." The student-led start-ups complete an executive summary for their proposed business. Those that make it to the later rounds of the competition write a marketing and financial overview for their company and finish a complete business plan. These teams also pitch their businesses to a panel of judges comprised of entrepreneurs and investors. The competition will wrap up by Feb 17. "The Michigan Business Challenge is one of several programs the Zell-Lurie Institute and Ross School of Business runs that engages student entrepreneurs across the university," Perigo says. "Our number one goal is to give these students the tools and experience to become successful entrepreneurs." Source: Anne Perigo, program coordinator for the Zell-Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Hyundai’s $15M investment to lead to 50 new jobs

By Newsroom

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Innovation News

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January 18, 2012

Hyundai is sinking $15 million into its Hyundai America Technical Center, an investment that promises to create 50 jobs in the Ann Arbor-based facility. "The Ann Arbor area has had the good fortune of being an increasingly bigger cluster of automotive research and development activity among a number of different nameplates," says Paul Krutko, president & CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK. The Ann Arbor area is home to a number research and development centers for automakers, most notably Toyota, which employs more than 1,000 people at two technical centers. Hyundai plans to invest $5 million into its technical center, the Hyundai America Technical Center, in Ann Arbor over the next five years. The Korean automaker is also building a world class Hot/Cold Weather Dynamometer Test facility at its Superior Township location south of Ann Arbor. To help make this investment attractive, the state of Michigan will fund the construction of a new power substation that will power the building. Ann Arbor SPARK also played a key role in making this investment possible. The economic accelerator agency helped Hyundai secure more than $2.5 million in new business development incentives from the state and Superior Township. Source: State of Michigan and Paul Krutko, president & CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ann Arbor’s Cybernet Systems aims to hire 10-20 this year

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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January 18, 2012

Cybernet Systems watched its revenue numbers climb in 2011 and expects its staffing numbers to rise this year. The Ann Arbor-based tech firm has enjoyed 10 percent revenue growth in 2011 through increasing sales of its Information Assurance Management System (a data protection service) and new contracts with the U.S. armed forces. Cybernet Systems plans to keep going after this business this year and expects to expand its Ann Arbor headquarters staff to 50-60 people by adding 10-20 jobs in 2012. "We're going after these larger types of contracts and more sales," says Charles Cohen, vice president of research & development for Cybernet Systems. "That will tie into more jobs in Michigan." Cybernet Systems has made a large chunk of its sales to the U.S. armed forces. It has created and sold an ammunition sorting machine used by ground troops. It has also developed an enhanced PC tablet computer called the Xplor that helps soldiers with data collection and inventory maintainence. "Our other programs are growing quite nicely," Cohen says. Source: Charles Cohen, vice president of research & development for Cybernet Systems Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Kids TV show shot in Ann Arbor helped by film incentives

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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January 18, 2012

What do you get when you combine three talented tots and $191K in film incentive support? Ariel, Zoey & Eli Too, a syndicated kids show that reaches millions of cable subscribers. Excerpt: "The nationally syndicated weekly children's show features Ariel and Zoey Engelbert, 13 -year-old twins from Ann Arbor, and their 10-year-old brother, Eli. The siblings perform skits, musical numbers and interview special guests. The show is carried nationally on THECOOLTV nationally Monday-Friday at 4:30 p.m. An episode this week—scheduled to be rebroadcast Feb. 1—featured former University of Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr as a special guest. Locally, the show can be seen on Comcast 296, WOW 102, or digital channel 20.2 over the air from Detroit." Read the rest of the story here.

Could NHL Winter Classic come to Michigan Stadium?

By Newsroom

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Education

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January 18, 2012

The Big House entered the Guinness Book of World Records last year for attendance when it held The Big Chill, the Michigan - Michigan State hockey game. Could the NHL top that? Excerpt: ""They play on Jan. 1st. It's a holiday. It's long after our stadium is closed up. Everybody is out of town, and in fact I hope a lot of people are at a bowl game and watching our football team. So there's a lot of complications as it relates to that. "We're still having conversations, and we'll see if we can work something out. But it's still a work in progress." Being able to sell alcohol at Michigan Stadium is another issue that would have to be addressed." Read the rest of the story here.

AATA’s new transit center takes shape, more hybrid buses carry the load

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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January 18, 2012

The floor plans and designs for the new Blake Transit Center for the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority are nearly finalized as the AATA folds in public feedback on how the center should look and function. The new transit center will replace the current one on Fourth Street in downtown Ann Arbor. It will be larger and built with improved signage, customer service technology and other amenities. The opening comes as the AATA, or The Ride, looks to expanding service beyond Ann Arbor, connecting it beyond Ypsilanti to Detroit and in other destinations, adding more stops and adjusting routes to fit its Reimagine Washtenaw proposal. In addition, The Ride has added 10 hybrid vehicles to its fleet, bringing its fleet to 51 percent hybrid. It's also taken out of service old buses that were purchased in 1996 and replaced them with hybrid electric-diesel models. Public feedback was received last week on the new transit center at two meetings where plans were on display and surveys were taken. “We’re looking for input from the community to make the new transit center a dynamic transportation hub and a welcoming destination in the downtown area,” TheRide’s manager of maintenance and BTC Project Manager Terry Black says in a statement. Source: Mary Stasiak, manager of community relations, AATA, The Ride Writer: Kim North Shine