Ann Arbor

U-M’s student neighborhoods grow denser with 3 new projects

By Newsroom

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January 21, 2009

Not all University of Michigan student housing projects are high-rises or require the demolition of existing housing stock. Some are just additions to what started off as single-family houses and are now multi-unit student tenements.Three large student rentals just south of the university are about to get a bit larger. The Ann Arbor City Council approved multi-room additions to 808 Tappan, 1012 Hill and 833 East University streets.All three homes date to either 1910 or 1920 reflect the Midwestern architecture that defines the surrounding neighborhood. They are large buildings that that intend to add on a couple thousands square feet each. In the case of 833 East University the 3,000 square feet building will more than double to 6,600-square-foot. Michael Van Goor of Van Goor Architects is the petitioner for each project. Attempts to reach Van Goor were not returned.Student rental projects are the only ones that are being pushed in the Ann Arbor area during the housing crisis. Other projects have been high-rises, suburban-style apartment buildings or denser buildings made to look like single-family homes. They have all called for the demolition of existing buildings.Source: City of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

U-M takes in big grants for sustainability, smart-bridge research

By Newsroom

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Education

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January 21, 2009

We've all heard of smart phones and smart cars and and a whole host of other gadgets that seem to have minds of their own. Now the University of Michigan is working on smart infrastructure, specifically smart bridges.The $19 million federally funded project will create a system that monitors the strengths and weaknesses of bridges as they age. It will also study the effects of heavy trucks and corrosion on the bridges.The project will take place over five years and on bridges yet to be determined.Six U-M students have also received $50,000 fellowships from the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute to support interdisciplinary research related to environmental sustainability.These doctoral candidates will use the money for research on sustainability projects. The U-M now has 25 students who have received these fellowships.Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor SPARK raffles off Ypsilanti incubator space at ACE

By Newsroom

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Entrepreneurship

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January 21, 2009

Everything an ambitious start-up needs to be successful will be up for grabs at the Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship tomorrow.A whole lot of start-up know-how will be available at the conference, but something more valuable will also be on hand – free space in Ann Arbor SPARK's new East Business Incubator in downtown Ypsilanti. Ann Arbor SPARK plans to raffle off one free year's lease.That free space, worth $4,800, will include access to a VOIP phone system, T-1 internet connection, a full kitchen, two conference rooms, free parking and administrative resources such as copiers and cleaning services. There will also be access to Ann Arbor SPARK's business acceleration services.Ann Arbor SPARK is also offering discounts on its Ypsilanti incubator space. Start-ups can have one month's rent free with a commitment of at least three months for a total of four months. Officials at Ann Arbor SPARK are negotiating with two major anchor tenants for the Ypsilanti incubator. Both companies are expected to bring in up to half a dozen employees each."We're hopeful we'll know by the end of the month if either are going to sign," says Elizabeth Parkinson, managing director of marketing and public relations for Ann Arbor SPARK.Ann Arbor SPARK has 8,000 square feet available in the ground floor of the Mack & Mack building on Michigan Avenue. Workers are finishing up the details of the renovation right now. The first companies are expected to move in during February."They're in the process of putting in the cubicles," Parkinson says.Ann Arbor SPARK has incubator space in downtown Ann Arbor where about three or four spots are still available. It also has incubator space for life science-based companies at a laboratory incubator in Plymouth.Source: Elizabeth Parkinson, managing director of marketing and public relations for Ann Arbor SPARKWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor’s JV BioLabs shows start-ups are more than skin deep

By Newsroom

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Education

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January 21, 2009

Not all University of Michigan spin-offs are taking big multi-national companies by storm. Some are just getting their feet under them, finding their way in the world.That's JV Biolabs. The Ann Arbor-based firm consists of Kent Johnson and Jim Varani, two U-M professors who started the firm a little more than year ago. Both men have long resumes in medical research, especially when it comes to skin tissue research."We're really just getting up and running," says Kent Johnson, president of JV Biolabs. They have been helping other research companies with their work for the time being. But they are also doing their own research on the skin repair and regeneration. Johnson hopes he and his partner can develop some compounds to assist those processes."Especially with diabetics because they have significant issues with their skin," Johnson explains.Source: Kent Johnson, president of JV BiolabsWriter: Jon Zemke

Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship to mix it up in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Education

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January 14, 2009

The call is going out for all new economy entrepreneurs in the Great Lakes to come to the Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship in Ann Arbor on Jan. 22. The event will serve as a forum and mixer for entrepreneurs and innovators from more than just the Mitten State but also all the states that border the Great Lakes. "We're trying to build education and we're trying to build growth," says Gerry Rosten, planning chairman for the Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship. He also runs his own consulting company for start-ups call Pair of Docs. This is not something new. The Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship has been at this for nine years, and has watched a number of successful start-ups participate over that time. They include ElectroJet, which has been sealing deal after deal in Asia, and Hybra-Drive Systems, a big winner of 21st Century Jobs Fund money."The companies we have been putting up for presentations and into the pitch competition have become very successful," Rosten says.This year's showcase presenter is Roger Newton, CEO of Esperion Therapeutics. There will also be an elevator pitch competition and an interactive workshop.The event will be held between 4-9 p.m. at the Morris Lawrence Building in Washtenaw Community College. Pre-registration costs $9 or $20 at the door. Source: Gerry Rosten, planning chairman for the Annual Collaboration for EntrepreneurshipWriter: Jon Zemke

GM taps U-M for battery research, to open $5 million research lab

By Newsroom

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Education

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January 14, 2009

In the race to develop batteries for tomorrow's electric-based cars, the University of Michigan is leading the pack.General Motors is partnering with U-M to develop the advanced batteries for its next generation of electricity-based automobiles, like the Chevrolet Volt. That means GM is giving the university $5 million to establish the Advanced Battery Coalition for Drivetrains Labratory, which will call Ann Arbor home. Ann Marie Sastry, a prominent engineering professor at U-M, will lead the lab. Satsry is a big player in advanced battery research and pushing forward the further electrification of the automobile. She is the director of the Energy Systems Engineering Program at U-M (where GM sends its engineers to learn about electric cars) and is the CEO of Satki3, an Ann Arbor-based start-up that focuses on developing high-powered automotive batteries.The lab will accelerate the design and testing of advanced batteries for electric vehicles. GM has been betting big on the success of that technology, pinning its future hopes of profitability to the likes of the Volt and recently announced Cadillac Converj.Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor’s Menlo Innovations opens Chicago office, plans to hire

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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January 14, 2009

Menlo Innovations isn't just an Ann Arbor firm anymore. It's an Ann Arbor and a Chicago business, now that the software design firm has opened a Windy City sales office - with a staff of one. For now. "I would almost call it a sales outpost at the moment," says Rick Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations.That's on top of the staff of 60, six interns and a gaggle of independent contractors who work for Menlo Innovations' downtown Ann Arbor headquarters today. That number is up from about 40 people just a year ago. The company also hopes to add another 15 people in 2009.Menlo Innovations has been able to achieve this growth thanks to a strong financial performance in 2008. Revenues are up 40 percent last year and are expected to grow at the same rate this year.The Chicago office is expected to help boost Menlo Innovations' client list (and thus revenues) this year. Lauren Taylor Sheridan, a graduate of Indiana University, is helping launch the Chicago office.Source: Menlo Innovations Writer: Jon Zemke

Advanced Photonix aims for 30 percent growth, signs new contracts

By Newsroom

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Education

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January 14, 2009

It's been a fast ride to growth for Advanced Photonix and its Picometrix subsidiary (a University of Michigan spin-off). The Ann Arbor-based business employed about 30 people in 2005. It has a staff of more than 160 employees and the occasional summer intern today. AP even has a couple of positions open right now, looking for people who specialize in optical engineering. "We've grown tremendously in the last four years," says Richard Kurtz, CEO of Advanced Photonix.The technology firm keeps aiming high, reaching for 30 percent revenue growth each year for the foreseeable future.Advanced Photonix specializes in making optimum electronic semiconductor sensors. These sensors are used by a wide variety of fields, ranging from homeland security's search for WMDs to eye scanners for the healthcare industry. Meanwhile, Picometrix focuses on making sensors for the telecommunications industry, one of the firm's most promising new sectors.Picometrix has also done work with NASA, which is also reupping with the company's technology this year.Source: Richard Kurtz, CEO of Advanced PhotonixWriter: Jon Zemke

Tech Transfer: Reinventing Ann Arbor’s Economy

By Jon Zemke

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Economic Development

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January 14, 2009

Tech Transfer is the university buzzword these days. Concentrate sits down with Stephen Forrest, Vice President for Research at U-M, to candidly discuss how the commercial exploitation of academic discoveries can transform Michigan's economy and create an environment for innovation and investment.

MASTERMIND: T.R. Durham

By Constance Crump

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General

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January 14, 2009

Who says you can't get great seafood in the Midwest? T.R. Durham's Tracklements and Smokery has earned an international reputation for its delectable smoked fish. How much of a reputation? In 2007 his shop sold seven tons of cold-smoked salmon.