Ann Arbor

U-M student co-ops move forward on renovations

By Newsroom

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September 30, 2009

The Inter Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan is one of the biggest holders of historic homes in Ann Arbor, and those homes are in the midst of some badly needed upgrades.The 77-year-old 501c3 non-profit is working its way through a 10-year plan to maintain and upgrade its 19 homes (most of which are about 100 years old or so) in and around downtown. Those improvements include replacing heating and cooling systems, sealing up energy leaks in old buildings and freshening up their face. "We're constantly trying to update them for maintenance and energy efficiency improvements," says Eric Lipson, general manager of the Inter Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan.Take the Linder House, 711 Catherine on the north side of downtown. The Inter Cooperative Council plans to revamp the historic home by replacing its original windows with more energy-inefficient ones that respect the character of the original house. It also wants to tear off the old mid 20 Century asphalt siding shingles and replace them with hardy plank boards that emulate what the house originally looked like after filling the walls with insulation.The Inter Cooperative Council is still trying to get approvals from the city and local historic district before starting in the spring. It did similar work to the Ruth House on Thayer Street last year and won a historic preservation award."We're not only looking at the short term on this," Lipson says. "We're holding onto them indefinitely. We're in it for the long haul."Source: Eric Lipson, general manager of the Inter Cooperative Council at the University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

MetaSpring adds 4, plans to do it again in Ann Arbor

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Economic Development

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September 30, 2009

MetaSpring didn't just move because its old space was too small and the start-up was growing too big. The Ann Arbor-based firm needed a space that represented its creative personality."We really wanted to define ourselves with our space," says John Paul Narowski, strategic marketing director for MetaSpring.So the web-development-and-marketing firm moved out of its subleased corner of SpamStopsHere's office and set up shop in 2,000 square feet near Briarwood Mall. About one third of that building was office-space and the rest was warehouse. MetaSpring built the rest of it out in chic loft-style office space, decked out in bright colors and creative spaces. That is expected to give the company space for is burgeoning growth. MetaSpring (Meta is programmer jargon for fancy code and spring is a reference to a river or brook) started with four people in 1999. Today it employs seven people, two interns and an independent contractor. Two employees and two interns were brought on within the last year. "We have been expanding at a pretty consistent rate," Narowski says.It plans to develop internal software this year that it plans to turn into software as a service product. That would allow the firm to diversify into both a consulting and subscription-as-a-service model. MetaSpring plans to use that as a launching pad for hiring 3-4 more people (programmers and designers) within the next year.Source: John Paul Narowski, strategic marketing director for MetaSpringWriter: Jon Zemke

Downtown Ann Arbor, U-M expand Zipcar fleets

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Development News

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September 30, 2009

Ann Arbor's Zipcar fleets continue to rise in the downtown/university area of the college town.The downtown fleet plans to add two more (six total) this fall. That's on top of the two Ford Escapes that are about to be delivered to the University of Michigan's fleet, which will total 15 by the end of the month. About 1,400 students, faculty and staff at the university utilizing its Zipcar fleet. The fleet has a 45 percentage utilization rate over a 24-7 basis, which is considered ideal because it makes sure a car is always available."More and more people are taking advantage of it," says Nancy Shore, director of Ann Arbor's getDowntown program that oversees the downtown Zipcar fleet.Also up is the number of go!passes being ordered in downtown Ann Arbor. About 5,195 go!passes had been order at this time last year. So far that number is up almost 300 with 5,455 ordered. The go!pass is part of Ann Arbor's getDowntown program. The pass allows free unlimited usage of Ann Arbor Transportation Authority's buses to employees located downtown, except U-M employees. Businesses can purchase these for $5 per employee as long as it buys one for every full-time employee. For information on go!pass or Zipcar contact Shore at (734) 214-0100 or at nancy@annarborchamber.org. Source: Nancy Shore, director of getDowntownWriter: Jon Zemke

ICON Creative Technologies grows staff in Ann Arbor

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Economic Development

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September 30, 2009

There is a reason ICON Creative Technologies Group is moving into a bigger space, mainly to accommodate the new hiring its doing right now.The Ann Arbor-based firm super sized from its old downtown digs to the former second home for the Ann Arbor Art Center just outside of downtown. That nearly tripling of space is allowing the company to continue to hire. It recently brought two more people to its payroll and plans to hire more soon."The more business we bring in the more we will hire," says Jennifer Peak, a spokeswoman for ICON Creative Technologies Group. The 14-year-old Internet firm now employs 27 people around the world, including with people in as far away as Germany and as close as Northern Michigan. It's Ann Arbor contingent measures out to 20 people. It hopes to hit 60 people within the next five years.ICON Creative Technologies Group is an interactive marketing agency focusing on Internet marketing. Its 60-some clients include firms in the bio-tech, automotive and service industries.Source: Jennifer Peak, a spokeswoman for ICON Creative Technologies GroupWriter: Jon Zemke

U-M researchers push envelope with new morphine system

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Education

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September 30, 2009

University of Michigan researchers have developed a smart-drug technology that can help medics administer the correct amount of morphine to casualties on the battlefield.The intense challenge to administering morphine is two-fold: (1) stresses of the battlefield, coupled with erratic patient circulation caused by trauma and (2) no two soldiers are the same size. The results? Not enough morphine to blunt pain or too much, causing an overdose. The new U-M research has produced nanotechnology made up of ultra-small polymer particles that control the release of morphine. They are also working on an antidote that will sense and prevent the effects of overdosing before a patient actually ODs."We're creating a number of these drugs that have a number of release kinetics," says Dr. James Baker, director of the University of Michigan's Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological Sciences.This new technology also has other promising spin-off uses in the private sector, such as being used by first-responders or intensive care units in hospitals or to treat chronic pain at home. "We feel we could use this for a variety of drugs," Baker says.Source: Dr. James Baker, director of the University of Michigan's Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological SciencesWriter: Jon Zemke

U-M hosts design leaders with Future of Design conference

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Arts & Culture

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September 30, 2009

Famous architects and designers will converge on the University of Michigan next week for the university's Future of Design conference on Oct. 9-10.About 30 people who dabble in design in one way or another will talk about where design is heading in the near and long term at U-M's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Participants will include architects, landscape architects and designers in the interactive, industrial and interior industries. Attendees making presentations include the dean of Princeton's School of Architecture, managing director of Goldman Sachs, along with the editor and chief of Architect Magazine and Metropolis.The event is free and open to the public. The 15-minutes presentations will be recorded and put on YouTube as of Oct. 19. For information, click here.Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

U-M’s Crisler Arena project grows, soccer field shrinks

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Development News

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September 23, 2009

Upcoming development projects on University of Michigan athletic facilities are calling for a bigger Crisler Arena construction project and a smaller version of a new soccer stadium.The U-M Board of Regents approved designing a new $23.5 million player development center (aka new practice facility) as an addition to Crisler Arena. Also in the works is an upcoming proposal to replace and upgrade Crisler’s infrastructure, such as plumbing, heating and cooling and electrical. The regents are expected to green light construction on the player development center project earlier next year.The university is also downsizing its plans to expand the school's soccer stadium next to the Varsity Tennis Center. Earlier this year the university planned to spend $6 million to create 2,200 seats and 26,000 square feet of locker rooms, offices and other facilities. That is now down a few thousand square feet and a few hundred seats. However, Athletic Dept. officials are hopeful they can get the project closer to the original goals if bids come in low enough."We will build what we can afford," says Michael Stevenson, executive associate athletic director for the University of Michigan.Source: Michael Stevenson, executive associate athletic director for the University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor City Council approves City Place plans

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Development News

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September 23, 2009

The City Place development got its approval from the Ann Arbor City Council Monday, clearing the path for the downtown development, or not.The future of the project that has become the poster child of downtown development gone awry is about as clear as mud. Yes, the development now has the city's blessing, but it doesn't with the recently enacted demolition moratorium on the small neighborhood on the southern edge of downtown. The city is studying the idea of designating the newly named "Germantown" neighborhood a historic district.Ann Arbor Builders wants to raze seven historic homes (including one of the city's oldest) along Fifth Avenue just north of Packard Road to create a dense housing development. Original plans called for 90 brownstone-style condos in a long 4.5-story building that is reminiscent of Beacon Hill. Several months of wrestling with local neighbors and city officials created a number of different versions of the plans, but a consensus has proven elusive.The latest plans call for two apartment buildings separated by a surface parking lot. The 3-story buildings will have 144 bedrooms in 24 units geared for college students and 36 surface parking spaces. The developer says this suburban-style development (a far departure from the original plans) is what city ordinances and regulations call for. It's not clear whether there is a construction timeline for the project. A call and email to developer were not returned by press time. Source: City of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Systems in Motion to hire 1,084, invest $15M in Ann Arbor

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Community Development

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September 23, 2009

One of Silicon Valley's fast growing start-ups has chosen Ann Arbor as the place to make its first investment.Systems in Motion plans to invest $15 million and create 1,084 jobs at a new IT support center in Ann Arbor over the next five years. The IT firm also looked at making its first investment in other marquee college towns, like Austin, Texas and Durham, North Carolina before deciding on Ann Arbor."I think Ann Arbor is a marquee name in college towns as well," says Debashish Sinha, chief marketing officer for Systems in Motion.The California-based firm is only 3 months old but has already been able to lock down some venture capital funding and hire 20 people. Systems in Motion plans to create the next generation of IT infrastructure and workers by setting up IT support center at college towns across North America. The combination of the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University and Washtenaw Community College made the Ann Arbor area a prime target for Systems in Motion. To help make this happen was a tax-incentive package the state put together. Systems in Motion will receive up to $1.5 million in workforce development funding and a 100 percent employment tax credit over seven years.Source: Debashish Sinha, chief marketing officer for Systems in MotionWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor’s EDF Ventures secures funding for 2 firms

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Economic Development

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September 23, 2009

Ann Arbor's EDF Ventures is scoring some investment hits on the road these days.The downtown-based venture capital firm recently announced that it helped line up millions of dollars in VC cash for two of the firms it has under its wings. That includes $22 million in Series B stock financing for California-based ValenTx and the third tranche of funding for Byron Center-based TransCorp. Nearly 1-year-old TransCorp develops surgical instruments for neurosurgical and orthopedic applications. ValenTx develops a less-invasive, implantable medical device to address morbid obesity. EDF Ventures has about $170 million worth of assets under management and has organized four investment funds since 1987. About a third of those are based in Michigan. Today the company employs five members and one intern and is looking at possible making more investments before the year is out. "We always hope there is more," says Linda Fingerle, chief financial officer and principal of EDF Ventures. "Nothing is definitive but we're hopeful."Source: Linda Fingerle, chief financial officer and principal of EDF VenturesWriter: Jon Zemke