Ann Arbor

Michigan biotech firms turn to services; funding obstacle hurting discovery firms

By Newsroom

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February 11, 2009

The down economy appears to be providing opportunity for Ann Arbor's biotech firms.Excerpt:Pressure on the world's major pharmaceutical companies to develop new sources of revenue to replace expiring drug patents promises to be a boon to Michigan's drug discovery sector. Yet at the same time, the global financial crisis and a shortage of funding for local biotech firms is pushing Michigan's life sciences industry further into the services sector, several industry observers said. Pfizer's proposed $68 billion acquisition of Wyeth may trigger a series of mergers and acquisitions in the biotech industry as the industry's major players seek to freshen their drug pipelines with new drugs.Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor’s Cielo MedSolutions hits triple-digit growth in 2008

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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February 11, 2009

Cielo MedSolutions growth is starting to break a few barriers, posting triple digit gains in 2008, bad economy or no.The Ann Arbor-based company's revenues grew 300 percent while its base of clinician users jumped 400 percent. The number of clinical sites using the firm's software also increased 220 percent. That's a lot of percents!The University of Michigan spin-off develops new software for the healthcare industry. That technology helps make sure doctors connect with their patients when its time for a checkup, test or treatment they might otherwise forget. It claims that the software, if used properly, can help cut down on unnecessary procedures and provide doctors with up to a 200 percent return on their investment.The company employs about a dozen people today, but expects to multiply that number a couple of times over the next few years to keep up with its growth.Source: Cielo MedSolutionsWriter: Jon Zemke

If Only Every Town had a Zingerman’s…

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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February 11, 2009

Zingerman's, the business every city wishes it had. Now, if only they'd move their business here. Anyone want to throw in a few sandwiches to sweeten the deal?Excerpt:If only every town had a Zingerman's …what a wonderful world it would be! We had the great fortune to spend a couple days in Ann Arbor last week with the team from Zingerman's, exploring ways we might be able to work together and learning more about the great business model they have developed.Read the rest of the story here.

Ex-Ann Arborites who moved with Pfizer now laid off amid Wyeth merger

By Newsroom

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General

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February 11, 2009

Oh, the cruel irony. Looks like those Pfizerites who choose to stay are becoming the champions. And the ones that left? Some are slated to be laid off.Excerpt:As Pfizer preps to lay off some 20,000 employees in connection with its $68 billion acquisition of Wyeth, several workers who accepted transfers from Pfizer's ex-Ann Arbor site can expect to be among those losing their jobs, several sources said.David Canter, former site director of Pfizer's 2-million-square-foot Ann Arbor campus, said it's likely that some ex-Ann Arbor Pfizer workers who accepted transfers would be laid off."It's inevitable that some of them will just be hit by that," he said.Stephen Rapundalo, who left Pfizer in 2003 and serves as executive director of MichBio, the state's life sciences association, said he knew of several ex-Ann Arbor Pfizer employees who stayed with the company and have been laid off."Some of them have already gotten their notices. Quite a few actually," he said.Pfizer announced in January 2007 that it would close its Michigan research operations as part of a global restructuring plan. More than 2,100 Ann Arbor employees, including thousands of world-class scientists, were displaced.Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor’s Retail Incubator

By Jon Zemke

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Community Development

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February 11, 2009

From small things, big things one day come. That's the philosophy of tech incubators like SPARK. But with all the attention Ann Arbor gives to start-ups, one has to ask: Where's the love for small downtown retailers? Some entrepreneurs are finding it at East Liberty Plaza.

Middle Managers Learn To Shift Gears

By Constance Crump

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Economic Development

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February 11, 2009

Sometimes size does matter. Working for a large company like Visteon can be very different than taking a position at a start-up. As Ann Arbor's new economy seeds the ground with small tech firms, transitioning employees must adapt to changing job expectations.

Border2Border

By Terry Parris Jr.

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Community Development

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February 4, 2009

Imagine commuting by bike between Ypsi and Ann Arbor, along an idyllic trail, no motor vehicles in sight. How about Dexter? Or beyond? The Border To Border Trail is nearly that route. Almost 60% complete, this ambitious multi-use thoroughfare could offer more than just a nice ride along the river, it could become an alternative mode of transportation.

LED streetlights begin lighting downtown Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Development News

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February 4, 2009

Downtown Ann Arbor is getting brighter and brighter every day ...now that city officials are in the home stretch of installing the energy-efficient LED lights."We're more than halfway done," says Andrew Brix, spokesman for the Ann Arbor Energy Office.That means nearly 700 of the downtown's 1,100 streetlights have been relamped with LEDs. The remaining ones are set to be in by summer. The cost of replacing the incandescent bulbs with LEDs is pegged at $640,000. City officials expect to recoup those costs through electricity savings within 3.8 years.LED (short for light-emitting diode) lights are commonly used in traffic and tail lights. They require less than half of the energy of a normal incandescent light bulb and last five times the normal two-year lifespan of an incandescent. The city is also looking to start a pilot program to install LEDs in normal cobra-head streetlights in neighborhoods. The $100,000 pilot project will occur in a student neighborhood."It will happen this year," Brix says. "Realistically, I think late summer is when it could happen."Source: Andrew Brix, spokesman for the Ann Arbor Energy OfficeWriter: Jon Zemke

Retail grows at Plymouth Green Crossings

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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February 4, 2009

Businesses are snatching up leases in Ann Arbor's Plymouth Green Crossings and now the developer is working to make that possible for people who want to live there, too.About two-thirds of the 24,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space is occupied. Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea and Umi Sushi recently joined Olga's restaurant, Ink Stop and Fifth Third Bank in the development on Ann Arbor's northeast side.The development's location on a 10-acre parcel of land at Plymouth and Green roads between U.S. 23 and the old Pfizer site has played a key role in making that success possible. It is within a few driving minutes of downtown Ann Arbor, Domino's Farms, University of Michigan and the Toyota Technical Center."The retail portion is doing really, really well," says Julie Svinicki, real-estate agent for Plymouth Green Crossings.Sales aren't going so well for the 23 lofts above the businesses in the development's two main 3-story buildings. The development began sales just as the real-estate market started to crash and credit lines began to crunch. So even though there have been offers on some of the units, none have sold.That has prompted the developer to look at switching the development from for-sale to possible for-lease or a combination of the two. Other high-end developments in Metro Detroit have also made the switch, including The Fifth Royal Oak high-rise and The District Lofts in Birmingham.The lofts range in size from 1,400 to 1,900 square feet and will be elevator accessible. Those units come with amenities such as open floor plans, balconies and storage space. Each unit will have access to a detached garage with attic storage space above the carport.Plymouth Green has a number of environmentally friendly features. Six of the project's 10 acres are devoted to open green space. The units also include green amenities, such as bamboo floors, Freon free AC, carpet made from recycled material, Low-E windows and Energy Star appliances.For information on the project, call Svinicki at (734) 358-7700.Source: Julie Svinicki, real-estate agent for Plymouth Green CrossingsWriter: Jon Zemke

Michigan Eye Bank moves into new Ann Arbor space

By Newsroom

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Health

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February 4, 2009

Michigan Eye Bank has called Ann Arbor home since 1957, so it's no wonder why its choosing to expand in Tree Town."This is where we are established to do business," says Dan Reynolds, communications manager for the Michigan Eye Bank.The division of Midwest Eye Bank, also headquartered in Ann Arbor, is growing into an extra 6,400 square feet of space and hiring 11 more people this month.The eye bank is moving its administrative offices into the new space on Avis Driver. This will make room for a call center and base for logistics and screening of tissue donation. That space currently serves as the work center for the non-profit's 50 employees.The eye bank is dedicated to helping restoring sight by recovering, evaluating and distributing human eye tissue for transplantation. This is becoming increasingly in demand as the technological advances makes it more widely available."There is always a demand for transplantation of eye tissue similar to organ donation," Reynolds says.Source: Dan Reynolds, communications manager for the Michigan Eye BankWriter: Jon Zemke