Ann Arbor

SimuQuest builds software from mathematical models; 40% sales growth last year

The story of SimuQuest is a testament to the idea of "I can do it better." When it came to developing mathematical models for software creation, the company's founder, John Mills, decided he could do it one better than his former employer. Today he is preparing for a significant growth spurt after taking on the marketing efforts for his Ann Arbor-based firm.SimuQuest creates algorithms that enable software to be automatically generated from mathematical models. The company's special sauce lies in providing the final step to make this solution a viable reality for clients, such as manufacturers."I see this paradigm taking off," Mills says. "We have really been pushing some unique ideas."Which means SimuQuest has been faring well. The nearly 10-year-old company has added two people over the last two years, expanding its staff to six employees and a handful of independent contractors. It has also pushed its revenue from $600,000 to $850,000 last year and expects to cross the $1 million mark in 2011. Helping this along is the ability of Mills and his team to sell their product. Mills has undertaken sales training and plans to launch a digital marketing campaign this year with a number of new tools, such as a fresh website. He expects these efforts to double the company's income by the end of next year.Source: John Mills, president & CEO of SimuQuestWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Impact Everyday turns credit card points into sustainability projects

It's hard to find the silver lining in a major ecological disaster like last summer's BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but one candidate to flash a little glint of silver is Impact Everyday.The University of Michigan student-led start-up was created by a handful of young people frustrated with the response to that disaster. Their vision is to channel the energy from that anger into something more positive."There is a groundswell of people who want to create change, just like there was a groundswell of outrage from the BP oil spill," says Adam Carver, founder of Impact Everyday.The 1-year-old start-up has created a funding mechanism that aggregates consumer credit card reward points to finance local renewable energy projects. The idea is to make a difference through everyday activity. Carver and his team of eight, all U-M graduate and undergrad students, have already won $10,000 in seed capital from a third-place finish in this year's Michigan Clean Energy Prize competition. The team plans to make a deep dive into the project this summer and have 50,000 cardholders helping to finance 5-10 visible alternative energy projects within the next year."We're hoping to have the credit card available by this fall," Carver says. "We're accepting proposals for renewable energy projects now."Source: Adam Carver, founder of Impact EverydayWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Adeona Pharmaceuticals receives $409K grant for MS drug development

Adeona Pharmaceuticals recently received a $409,426 grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to further the development of its drug Trimesta, a move that has capped a year of growth for the Ann Arbor-based staff and business."It's a vote of confidence in our work on Trimesta," says Dr. James Kuo, CEO of Adeona Pharmaceuticals. He adds that the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is the pre-eminent non-profit geared toward fighting multiple sclerosis. Adeona Pharmaceuticals has already received a $5 million grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, along with another $1.1 million in funds for the clinical trials of Trimesta. So far the clinical trial for the oral drug is 85 percent enrolled and is expected to fill completely later this year. A handful of executives have been added to the staff of about a dozen people over the last year. They include a new vice president of finance, vice president of research & development, and a director of communications.  The 8-year-old company specializes in drugs that address problems in the central nervous system, such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's. It commonly licenses these drugs at the clinical stage to large pharmaceutical companies. Source: Dr. James Kuo, CEO of Adeona PharmaceuticalsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta digs Main St., Ann Arbor

Delta's in-flight magazine SKY features U-M alum Sunjay Gupta waxing poetic about his favorite street: Main Street in Ann Arbor. Though the good doctor could use a refresher course on Tree Town's geography (Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum are listed as features), it's nice to know we hold a special place in his heart.Excerpt:"The food scene is a highlight for Gupta, who says there are plenty of great mom-and-pop restaurants to compete with the chains. “The names keep changing,” he says, “but there’s always great Korean, a dozen sports bars, ice cream, whatever you want.”“The Ark is one of those great small concert venues,” Gupta says. The noted music hall supports folk and roots music: “It is the kind of place where the Indigo Girls will go to play for a night. Wynton Marsalis and his brother Branford put on a great show there."Read the rest of the story here.

Smart lighting pilot project glows at U-M’s Hill Street parking structure

MASTERMIND: Dr. Jeff Masters

"Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get."-Mark TwainAnn Arbor is home to the first (and second biggest) weather website in the country – Weather Underground. The brainchild of weather guru Jeff Masters, it's the culmination of a life-long love affair with that most temperamental of subjects.

More links coming to Border to Border Trail

Mayor’s Green Fair puts spring in your eco step

Lakeside Software to open downtown Ann Arbor office, add 73 jobs

Lakeside Software is set to open an office in downtown Ann Arbor later this spring, a move that will bring 73 new jobs to Tree Town's city center."We were impressed with the amount of resources available and the community support," says Dan Salinas, vice president of business development for Lakeside Software.The Bloomfield Hills-based firm was aiming to set up its new office in Palo Alto, California, the heart of Silicon Valley. The 14-year-old company's leaders, University of Michigan graduates, weren't really considering Metro Detroit or even Michigan until a Michigan Economic Development Corp official cold-called them and made the case for the Great Lakes State.The argument worked. Lakeside Software dropped plans to expand in California and instead focused on growing its Metro Detroit home base and a new office in Ann Arbor. The MEDC included a five-year tax credit worth $731,000 to seal the deal. "In Palo Alto, quite frankly, we would have been one of many companies," Salinas says. Lakeside Software creates management software solutions for the Windows operating system. Its SysTrack software combines comprehensive system monitoring capabilities with sophisticated analysis for applications and users to create a total management solution.Source: Dan Salinas, vice president of business development for Lakeside SoftwareWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.