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Entrepreneurs continue to find happy homes in Ann Arbor. Excerpt: During his 20 years working in advertising for Saturn and firms including JWT and Leo Burnett, Dave Goldschmidt always had the entreprenuerial itch. He saw a niche in the $35 billion, new-vehicle incentives market left untouched — one that, if addressed, could be the new way for car companies to deliver incentives. Now, he's filling that void through Buycentives L.L.C., an online system in which prospective new-car buyers submit personal information along with the type of vehicles they're shopping for and what they're currently driving. The company then sends that information to an automaker, which can tailor an incentive package for that customer, potentially offering a better deal on a new car. It also gives automakers much more information about their buyers and what they're looking for. “The opportunity to help make that system more efficient was just screaming at me,” Goldschmidt said. Read the rest of the story here.
One local business is getting some high profile mentions in one of the world's most respected magazines. Excerpt: Small drones, by contrast, cost just tens of thousands of dollars. With electric motors, they are quiet enough for low-altitude spying. But batteries and fuel cells have only recently become light enough to open up a large market. A fuel cell developed by AMI Adaptive Materials, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, exemplifies the progress made. Three years ago AMI sold a 25-watt fuel cell weighing two kilograms. Today its fuel cell is 25% lighter and provides eight times as much power. This won AMI a $500,000 prize from the Department of Defence. Its fuel cells, costing about $12,000 each, now propel small drones. Read the rest of the story here.
The first luxury student housing development has set off a trend that is reshaping Ann Arbor's skyline. Excerpt: This fall’s opening of the final phase of The Courtyards high-rise near North Campus closes at least seven years of development by two successive companies that saw potential in building new student housing near the University of Michigan. The project at the eastern intersection of Plymouth and Broadway still has vacancies as the third and final building in the complex opens to residents, developers said this week. But they also said the original vision for the project - to build hundreds of upscale rentals with privacy and onsite amenities - has taken hold in Ann Arbor as three additional new projects reconfigure the student rental market. “We were in a bit of a pioneering situation,” said Jim Smith, managing principal at Kensington Realty Advisors. Read the rest of the story here.
One group at the University of Michigan is gearing up for 1,000 pitches and it's not the baseball or softball teams. Excerpt: For Lauren Leland, president of the University of Michigan’s MPowered Entrepreneurship club, entrepreneurialism needs to be more than just a core focus for the university. It needs to be a cultural value. That’s why the group is sponsoring the second annual 1,000 Pitches competition - a campus-wide solicitation for entrepreneurial ideas of all sorts. In 2008, the competition grew far beyond the university’s expectations - so much so that U-M President Mary Sue Coleman has promoted the event at least nine times in public appearances. Leland said the competition underscores the importance of entrepreneurialism in rescuing Michigan’s economy. Read the rest of the story here.
Surprise, surprise, there really is more to do in Ann Arbor than going to University of Michigan football games. (that sarcasm btw) Excerpt: ANN ARBOR, Mich. — College football season kicks off this month, and gridiron grudge matches are a good excuse for parents to make a campus visit. If you’re among the 110,000 headed to University of Michigan’s Big House this Saturday to watch the Wolverines take on Notre Dame, you’re in luck. Ann Arbor — or A2 as the locals call it — isn’t just home to the country’s largest college-owned stadium. It’s also a great getaway, about four hours from Chicago, with lots to see and do over a long weekend. But good luck getting sightseeing suggestions from your college-age kids. News flash: Parents and students have different ideas on what constitutes a rockin’ weekend. So while Johnny and Jenny "study," hit an all-night kegger and scarf down fried veggies at Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger (whose motto is Cheaper Than Food), here are some extracurricular activities to keep the grownups busy in this quintessential college town: Read the rest of the story here.
Near North is doing something many big developments in downtown Ann Arbor haven't been able to do lately – move toward approval with some sort of consensus.The developer recently pulled its plans and the local coalition of neighbors around the project site dropped their opposition. The project is now set to go before the Ann Arbor City Council on Monday for approval thanks to the compromise. "It wasn't so much a deal as it was a collaboration on design changes that made the project so much better," says Bill Godfrey, the developer behind Near North.The neighborhood coalition came forward with nine proposed changes to make the development on North Main Street just south of Depot Street conform to the surrounding historic neighborhood. The developer and his architect, Damian Farrell, went back to the drawing board and came up with a plan that for once made just about everyone happy."To Damian's credit he kept an open mind and was able to incorporate all of the changes they suggested," Godfrey says, adding that it helped that the neighbors were working with professionals who were able to make key translations and explain the reasoning behind certain aspects of the development.Among the changes are taking one floor off the top, so it is at most four stories high. Previously, the development could have arguably reached five stories at one point (depending whether you viewed the lowest floor as ground or basement level) because of the way it was built into the surrounding hill. The developer also increased the setback from 10 to 15 feet, agreed to add more landscaping and make it more pedestrian friendly.The developer also pulled the two buildings apart to break up the massing of the building. The façade and unit design was also changed so the development has a more horizontal look. The developer also agreed to hold off on the ground floor market plans until grant money is secured to buy and clear the nearby party store and create an adjacent green space."We're starting to define Phase 2 of the project, which is the design of the floodway," Godfrey says. "A nice new greenway next to our building would be awesome."The new development will feature 39 one-bedroom apartments. Of those 25 will be dedicated to affordable housing (people who make less than $34,000) and the rest for supportive housing. Godfrey is hopeful the development will be able to incorporate previously announced environmentally friendly features, like a green roof."We're going to try," Godfrey says. "We think it's important that the green movement isn’t limited to people with large incomes."Whether that becomes a reality is up to funding. Godfrey expects to apply for housing tax credits and search out a primary investor who will own and run the building this winter. Construction is expected to begin this summer and be done as soon as eight months later.Source: Bill Godfrey, developer of Near NorthWriter: Jon Zemke
Every little bit counts. That's the new mantra for the Huron River Watershed Council when it comes to rain barrels. The non-profit is selling 500 discounted rain barrels this fall as a way to help keep water runoff in local gardens and out of local sewers, lakes and rivers. When distributed, the 60-gallon rain barrels are expected to catch up to 30,000 gallons of rain water during each rain fall. Rain barrels store this water and slowly release it into local gardens and plant life. Otherwise this excess water would normally run through yards into sewers and then end up in waterways unfiltered, taking pollutants like fertilizer, oil and dog poop with it. Even though this 30,000 gallons is just a literal drop in the bucket, it and other similar acts can add up in the big picture."To address the threats against the Huron River we need a lot of these little actions," says Laura Rubin, executive director of the Huron River Watershed Council.Local residents will be able to pre-pay for up to 10 rain barrels and pick them up on Oct.25 between 1-5 p.m. at Huron High School. The rain barrels will cost $95 each, a significant discount from the retail price. More information is available here.Source: Laura Rubin, executive director of the Huron River Watershed CouncilWriter: Jon Zemke
Washtenaw Community College is dealing with its highest enrollment ever, which means the commuter campus is experiencing its greatest demand for parking (and lack of supply) ever.Most other Midwest institutions would conclude they need to build more parking. Well Washtenaw Community College is dealing with the acute parking shortage by asking its students to take the vehicle less traveled to – alternative transportation."We still have a parking problem but we're redoubling efforts to alleviate the problem," says Janet Hawkins, director of public relations and marketing for Washtenaw Community College.Those efforts include encouraging more bicycling to class, car pooling and bus service. The college has sold 1,100 $10 bus passes to students and faculty. The passes allow them to park at a parking lot near Eastern Michigan University's Rynerson Stadium and bus to the college's campus between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.College officials are also trying to reschedule some classes to alleviate the student traffic at peak times of the day between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. They are also reminding students that the college is hooked into the Border to Border Trail and the campus features numerous bike racks."Bicycling is a wonderful alternative because we have great paths," Hawkins says.Source: Janet Hawkins, director of public relations and marketing for Washtenaw Community CollegeWriter: Jon Zemke
Cerenis Therapuetics is splitting time between Ann Arbor and France in more ways than one. The drug development company is based in France, but has a twin office in Ann Arbor. The 4-year-old firm's 26 employees are evenly split between the two locations, and its staff is up 25 percent. Ten of those employees are ex-Pfizer talent, including eight in Ann Arbor. The company's founders got their start at Esperion before starting Cerenis Therapuetics."The drugs we are working on now are all aimed at improving HDL production, even developing a synthetic HDL that could help prevent recurring heart attacks," says Bill Brinkerhoff, COO of Cerenis Therapeutics.If successful, that would be the first synthetic HDL available. The so-called good choloresterol would even be able to rapidly remove dangerous plaque from heart tissue. Cerenis Therapeutics is looking at continuing clinical trails for the near term and potentially commercializing the product by 2015.Source: Bill Brinkerhof, COO with Cerenis TherapeuticsWriter: Jon Zemke
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