Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor Energy Office on lookout for new energy ideas

By Newsroom

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March 18, 2009

The Ann Arbor Energy Office doesn't have all of the answers. It's staff knows it, and that's why they're looking for your ideas.The energy office has created a list of projects it hopes to put into action with the help of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds. These ideas (about a baker's dozen) range from expanding the getDowntown program to installing more LED streetlights to creating a crash course energy efficiency program for homes.But the energy office wants more. It wants local residents to send in their ideas and suggestions for promoting more sustainable options in Ann Arbor. "Our goal is to be more transparent and let more people participate in the planning process," says Andrew Brix, energy programs manager with the Ann Arbor Energy Office.The ideas will be rated on a combination of CO2 and energy use reduction, along with job creation. All ideas must include enough information so they can be fairly evaluated and be able to be implemented within one year or less.The deadline for submissions has been extended to Friday. For information, send an email to energy@a2gov.org.Source: Andrew Brix, energy programs manager with the Ann Arbor Energy OfficeWriter: Jon Zemke

Coalition formed to save Shaman Drum

By Newsroom

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General

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March 18, 2009

The words "Save Shaman Drum" have entered the local lexicon, as fans of the indie bookstore try to keep it an Ann Arbor institution.Excerpt:A new coalition has been formed to save Ann Arbor literary institution Shaman Drum Bookshop, according to a letter distributed Friday by University of Michigan professor Julie Ellison.The group envisions turning the store into a nonprofit "humanities commons," possibly linked in some way to U-M through a campus/community alliance.Read the rest of the story here.

Cybernet Systems approved to bid as primary defense contractor

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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March 18, 2009

Ann Arbor's Cybernet Systems is branching out into a whole new part of the business world.Excerpt:Ann Arbor-based engineering research and development firm Cybernet Systems Corp. this week received two contracts allowing it to bid on up to $17.5 billion in defense simulation projects through the U.S. Army Simulation, Training and Instrumentation program. The contracts themselves have only a nominal $5,000 value, but give Cybernet the standing to bid competitively with dozens of companies nationwide on military projects over the next 10 years, said Charles Cohen, vice president of research and development for Cybernet. The company signed the first of the two contracts on Monday. “The real significance is in relation to what could have happened if we had not won the contracts,” he said.Read the rest of the story here.

The Ann Arbor bubble

By Newsroom

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Education

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March 18, 2009

Is the Ann Arbor bubble protecting the college town from today's economy?Excerpt:Just a few miles from downtown Ann Arbor, American bison roam near the M-14 entrance ramp, peacefully grazing in front of a sprawling office park.These bison aren’t exactly wild. They live at the Domino’s Farms Petting Zoo. But the visual does encourage a certain notion of an urban city surrounded by frontier.In many ways, Ann Arbor seems to be isolated. Sitting a comfortable 35-odd miles from Detroit, the city also enjoys some economic and geographic distance from the Motor City’s current woes.At just below seven percent, Ann Arbor boasts one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state. In December 2008, the most recent regional statistics available from the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, the unemployment rate in Wayne County — where Detroit is located — was 11.7 percent. The unemployment rate in Oakland County, where much of metro Detroit’s upper crust reside, was 8.6 percent.Washtenaw County’s rate was 6.9 percent, nearly four percentage points lower than the state average of 10.6 percent for the same month.Read the rest of the story here and five ways U-M benefits the region here.

Ann Arbor invention clocks hours of sunlight

By Newsroom

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Education

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March 18, 2009

They're not exactly building sun dials at the University of Michigan. The hours of day light clock is coming to a computer near year courtesy of a local inventor.Excerpt:ANN ARBOR -- John Rosevear's opus, 40 years in the making, can be seen projected on a wall at the Slusser Gallery on the University of Michigan North Campus. Or you could order one for your computer desktop. It's called the Skyclock -- an invention that takes a standard analog clock view and uses precisely calibrated data for geographic points to mark sunrise, sunset and how long twilight will last on any given day in any given place. Rosevear and his business partner, Rob Baxtresser, are hoping the concept will open new horizons for clock-watchers everywhere. Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor’s Tweet

By Terry Parris Jr.

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Economic Development

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March 18, 2009

Are you a follower or do you have a following? Who's tweeting who? Social Media is this year's buzz word and Twitter is its newest doo-dad. Our story would end here (if we stuck to the 140 character limit) but Twitter has only just begun in the Ann Arbor area.

Video Tech Transfer

By Keith Jefferies

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Economic Development

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March 18, 2009

From laboratory to marketplace, U-M's Tech Transfer Office plays matchmaker, introducing local venture capitalists to promising new technologies. And with $850 million in research and over 300 discoveries each year at the university the potential for crossover is tremendous.

Thixomat hires in Ann Arbor as it rolls out new products

By Newsroom

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Innovation News

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March 18, 2009

Thixomat has come up with a product so special that it's about to make the company the exception to the rule.The research-and-development company's M.O. is to create new technologies and license them out. That's not the case with Thixomat's latest product NanoMag, an environmentally friendly process for the production and marketing of high strength, light weight magnesium sheeting with nanometer microstructures."NanoMag is going to by dynamic," says Herb Pritzker, director of marketing of Thixomat. "We're going to market it directly. It can be used anywhere from automotive to military to healthcare."The Ann Arbor-based recently hired a new person, bringing its staff to nine people. Many more could be on the way if Thixomat achieves everything it hopes for with NanoMag. It's gearing up to create a manufacturing facility in the local area, a move that could create a significant number of jobs soon.Source: Herb Pritzker, director of marketing of ThixomatWriter: Jon Zemke

Biotechnology Business Consultants adds to staff

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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March 18, 2009

For a long, long time Ann Arbor's Biotechnology Business Consultants stayed the same size, toiling at the firm's downtown office. Recently the company added a sixth person to ease the load.The company started in 1990 helping biotech start-ups get their feet under them. Today the company has expanded its reach beyond that, working with economic development agencies, like Ann Arbor SPARK.Some of the time their clients will be both the start-up and the business incubator assisting its growth. That has allowed the firm to add more customers both inside and outside of Michigan. "The demand of what we do has grown significantly but the funds to pay for it have been challenged," says Lisa Kurek, managing partner with Biotechnology Business Consultants.But she sees that challenge downsizing as more and more communities focus on economic development to grow their tax base and revitalize their areas. Enough so that she hopes to break with her company's habit of staying small and adding 1-2 more people within the next few years.Source: Lisa Kurek, managing partner with Biotechnology Business ConsultantsWriter: Jon Zemke

Ilium Software creates smart phone applications in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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March 11, 2009

More and more people get hooked on iPhones and Crackberries...er... Blackberries every day, and that's just fine with the folks at Ilium Software.The software company creates applications for those phones. For instance, one of Ilium Software's bread-and-butter programs is its eWallett program. The application encrypts important account numbers, PIN numbers and passwords in the phone, protecting the information while giving its users easy access."That's really been popular over the years and it continues to be," says Ken Morse, CEO of Ilium Software. "We keep on updating it."Most of Ilium Software's applications sell for about $30 a pop, so Morse is confident the economic downturn won't hurt his company's business too much.But the economy is scary enough to give Morse pause when it comes to expansion plans. The firm has jumped from its original two founders a dozen years ago to nine people today, along with the occasional independent contractors and interns. Ilium Software has been able to self-fund that growth over the years. Today it's free of the strings that come with things like venture capital and angel investors and firmly based in Ann Arbor. Morse plans to grow it there as long as smart phones continue to grow in popularity."As the hardware devices so better so do we," Morse says.Source: Ken Morse, CEO of Illium SoftwareWriter: Jon Zemke