Ann Arbor

Greenview Data expands into email security, plans to hire

By Newsroom

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June 22, 2011

Greenview Data has had an interesting journey since its founding as a software firm in 1980. The Ann Arbor-based company then expanded into spam prevention with SpamStopHere in 2002. About 18 months ago it moved into the email world."We have expanded into the email security system sector," says Ted Green, CEO of Greenview Data. "That's everything from email archiving to email encryption."That new service has increased Greenview Data's revenue take by 20 percent. That has allowed the company to grow to 25 people and the occasional intern. Green expects to add more people to its staff later this year, creating a few new jobs for programmers and IT support."Our main competitive advantage is the support we give people," Green says. "We have high-level, quality people who answer our phones 24/7."Source: Ted Green, CEO of Greenview DataWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Akervall Technologies scores DOD contract, doubles revenue

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Arts and Culture

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June 22, 2011

Akervall Technologies has watched its revenue jump by triple digits and new contracts with the likes of U.S. Dept of Defense roll in, thanks in large part to the start-up's social media outreach efforts.The 3-year-old company makes an ultra-thin mouth guard called Protech Dent that allows users to drink, talk, and breathe normally while playing sports. Akervall Technologies brought in an outside consultant last year that performed a marketing analysis and created a marketing master plan. The result was a game plan that called for heavy focus on leveraging social media outlets, which contributed to the company's doubling of revenue."It's really helpful for someone to come in with fresh eyes and look at your company," says Sassa Akervall, COO of Akervall Technologies. "They have a lot of great ideas."Enabling that consultant's work was a microloan from the Michigan Microloan Fund. Akervall Technologies is on track to repay that microloan by early next year. The Ann Arbor-based firm is also looking at expanding its team beyond its core group of three and a small group of independent contractors later this year with a new hire or two.The product was developed by Dr. Jan Akervall, a local ear, nose and throat specialist, and husband of Sassa Akervall. It is made of non-compressible, perforated material and is 30 percent stronger than conventional mouth guards. Medical patients, athletes, and even soldiers are among the targeted clientele. Akervall Technologies recently scored a contract with the U.S. Dept of Defense to develop a second generation of the mouth guard for use by soldiers in combat."Our mouth guard stands up to the test," Sassa Akervall says. "It's quite strong, even though it's so thin."Source: Sassa Akervall, COO of Akervall TechnologiesWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Nearly $10 million to be invested in cancer treatments at U-M Hospital

By Newsroom

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Development News

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June 22, 2011

Nearly $10 million in improvements and new equipment are coming to the University of Michigan Health System, and also bringing about innovation in cancer treatment.Two projects, one at $4.9 million, the other at $4.8 million, will upgrade treatments and treatment facilities in radiation therapy and angiography.The larger project will establish a new MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) system to the Department of Radiation Oncology and require the renovation of 1,800 square feet at the hospital. The MRI machine will replace an 11-year-old CT (computed tomograph) simulator.The MRI as a preferred treatment approach over CT scanning is believed to be a first in the state and possibly in the country, says Ian Demsky, an associate public relations representative for the University of Michigan Health System.The second project will bring in a CTA, computed tomography angiography, technology that lets doctors examine blood vessels with more detail than an MRI or ultrasound. It will require the renovation of two radiology rooms that total about 1,400 square feet. The upgrades will be completed in the coming months.Source: Ian Demsky, spokesperson, University of Michigan Health SystemWriter: Kim North Shine

U-M’s BioBolt has potential to help cure paralysis

By Newsroom

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Healthy Communities

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June 22, 2011

Researchers from the University of Michigan have developed a new technology called BioBolt that can use human skin to transmit neural signals and has the potential to help treat or cure paralysis.The BioBolt is a minimally invasive technology that allows a person to send signals through their skin in order to induce a paralyzed limb to move. It resembles a bolt and is about the circumference of a dime, with a thumbnail-sized film of microcircuits attached to the bottom. It is implanted in the skull beneath the skin and the film of microcircuits sits on the brain. The microcircuits act as microphones to listen to the overall pattern of firing neurons and associate them with a specific command from the brain. Those signals are amplified and filtered, then converted to digital signals and transmitted through the skin to a computer."We are sending signals through the skin," says Euisik Yoon, an electrical engineering and computer science professor at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. "We're using the skin as a conductor."BioBolt could also potentially be used to control epilepsy and diagnose certain diseases, such as Parkinson's. The University of Michigan is pursuing intellectual property protection for the BioBolt and is looking for potential partners to help bring the technology to market. Source: Euisik Yoon, electrical engineering and computer science professor at the University of Michigan College of EngineeringWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Center for Automotive Medicine at U-M wants to make driving safer

By Newsroom

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Development News

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June 22, 2011

Years of research into automobile crashes will be part of the new Center for Automotive Medicine, or ICAM, a University of Michigan facility that will put medical professionals and auto engineers and their crucial information in close contact.The $800,000 ICAM facility will encourage past and future research into crashes, both from the automotive safety side and the human behavior side, be put into recommendations, informing changes that could save lives and money."In our many years of research, here's what we know is important," says Dr. Stewart Wang, founder and director of ICAM and director of the U-M Burn Center, says in a statement. "The vehicle is important. The restraints are important. But the occupant is the most important," he says. "Our mission is to better understand, treat and prevent crash injuries. And to really understand injuries requires doctors and engineers working together in equal partnership."ICAM is also the creator of www.crashedu.org, and is looked to as a leader in automotive safety research.Source: Ian Demsky, spokesperson, University of Michigan Health SystemWriter: Kim North Shine

Accent Reduction Institute adds big name clients, adds staff

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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June 22, 2011

The Accent Reduction Institute recently hired an intern that graduated from the University of Michigan, a relatively new practice that is paying off quickly for the downtown Ann Arbor-based firm.The 6-year-old company that helps people reduce their accents started its intern program three years ago, and has since hired two of its participants. That new talent pipeline has helped the company grow and round out its staff to 14 people."It's not just that they know the material and how to teach it," says Judy Ravin, president of the Accent Reduction Institute. "We know they have that passion to help people eliminate language barriers and maintain their cultural identity."The Accent Reduction Institute, which calls Kerrytown home, has watched its revenue jump substantially over the last year. It has also added some big-name clients, including NATO and Hewlett Packard, among others. Its existing customers, such as Ernst & Young, have also heavily increased their workload.Part of what is making that growth possible is the establishment of new technology such as a software system that works a lot like Facebook, Ravin says. "We are developing these learning communities online."Source: Judy Ravin, president of the Accent Reduction InstituteWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ann Arbor’s Merit Network looks to complete statewide fiberoptics network

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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June 22, 2011

Merit Network, an Ann Arbor-based nonprofit owned by the state's public universities, is further expanding into the upper peninsula of Michigan as it continues building one of the largest fiber optic networks in the country.The 2,297-mile fiber-optic line will run across the state of Michigan and bring access to technology to more people than ever. The BTOP (Broadband Technology Opportunities Program) project is a partnership between Merit, its subcontractors, and the federal government, which has awarded $102 million to Merit to build the network. Merit and its partners put in a 20-percent match to design and lay the network, which will serve 52 counties in the lower and upper peninsulas."The economic development opportunity that this infrastructure brings to the area is significant," says Elwood Downing, vice president of member relations, communications and services at Merit, in a statement.Merit currently provides connectivity to universities and school districts in the U.P. Its decision to open an office there and appoint a member relations manager is aimed at making the UP and Michigan an appealing place to live and work.Merit Network owns and operates America's longest-running regional research and education system and provides networking services to universities, college, school districts, libraries, state government, and health care and nonprofit organizations.Sources: Patty Giorgio, spokesperson, Merit NetworkWriter: Kim North Shine

Zingerman’s Ari Weinzweig waxes poetic about the perfect bacon strip

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Arts and Culture

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June 22, 2011

Vegetarians might want to avert their eyes while perusing this month's The Atlantic. Zingerman's co-founder Ari Weinzweig is a guest writer and he explains how the 'threatened' Tamworth Pig was bred to make bacon. You can get a taste, of course, at the Zingerman's deli.Excerpt: ""Unfortunately," Herb continued, "when we went back to get more meat, we couldn't find any. The breed is classified as 'threatened' and there aren't that many of them to be found—just a few here and there. Russ Kremer, who is one of our favorite—probably now our favorite—pig farmers, because he really does offer his pigs a place to roam outside on the hillside once they are out of the nursery, is also is a Tamworth enthusiast. He has Tamworth lines that he has kept free of the modern pig breeding that has made pork too lean and caused the animals to become prone to stress. After four years of asking, begging, pleading, cajoling, guilt-tripping, and visiting ... we finally got a Tamworth program going with him. Our first delivery was October 2010. Now we buy all of the legs and bellies he's got!" "Read the rest of the story here.

Cooler By The River: Yan Ness, CEO of Online Tech

By Jon Zemke

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Economic Development

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June 22, 2011

Every day more and more data is being stored in the cloud. But what does that mean for our local economy? Yan Ness, CEO of Online Tech answers questions about what's next for his industry, what would bring more start-ups to Ann Arbor, and why he opposes policies that rely on economic incentives. Oh, and his advice for naming your next company? Stick to two syllables.

“Goodnight Keith Moon”

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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June 22, 2011

Ann Arbor authors Bruce Worden and Clare Cross got cited as baby book trend-makers, with their decidedly-for-adults spoof of Margaret Wise Brown's kiddie classic, Goodnight Moon. The big question now is whether Goodnight Keith Moon will be able to land someone as prominent as Samuel L. Jackson for the audiobook version. The Pulp Fiction star did narration honors for the recently released Go the Fuck to Sleep. Excerpt: "Now comes the backlash – in the form of children's bedtime books designed for adults. Goodnight Keith Moon by Bruce Worden and Clare Cross published in the UK this week, is already a cult hit in the US. "Morbidly funny," according to the New Yorker, it's a spoof of the children's classic Goodnight Moon, told through the eyes of the Who's late drummer. A trashed hotel room replaces the sleepy child's bedroom. Instead of the bowl of mush featured in the original, there are pills everywhere: "And some whiskey and fish and some more in a dish, And the ghost of Cass Elliott whispering shhh."" Read the rest of the story here.Order Goodnight Keith Moon here..