Ann Arbor

University of Michigan fundraising campaign tops $3 billion

By Newsroom

●

October 29, 2008

The University of Michigan is setting its sights high with its fundraising goals, $3 billion high. Ranked second among public institutions, U-M's endowment reached $7.6 billion.Excerpt:The University of Michigan's massive fundraising campaign has topped $3 billion, U-M President Mary Sue Coleman announced Monday.Coleman touted the milestone in the Michigan Difference campaign, which ends in December, during her annual address to the university's faculty."And we will be the first public university in the country to realize this accomplishment," Coleman said.Read the rest of the story here.

Scuba fans dive into fun career with Ann Arbor store

By Newsroom

●

Entrepreneurship

●

October 29, 2008

Some Ann Arbor residents are following their dream, no matter how deep underwater it takes them. Excerpt: For many years Dave and Rachael Kasper split time between jobs in the corporate world and their passion for scuba diving. After moving back to Ann Arbor in 1996, the couple opened Huron Scuba out of their home, but continued to work: Dave as a lawyer and Rachael as an engineer at General Motors. But by 1999, the Kaspers had a watershed moment. "We started with three students lined up on our living room couch with an old-fashioned overhead projector," Rachael Kasper said. "It got to the point where our students asked us, 'Why are you taking us to other dive shops to buy equipment? Why don't you guys have a dive shop?'" Read the rest of the story here.

U-M’s Team NERD works to set up Segway-share program in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

●

Development News

●

October 29, 2008

More people could be cruising white and nerdy around downtown Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan's campus soon.Students and faculty at the University of Michigan are working on ways to incorporate Segways as a transportation option in Ann Arbor. One group of students called Team NERD (Nerd is a acronym for the first letter in each of their names) is also working with the getDowntown program to create a Zipcar-like program for downtown.It’s all part of a senior project in an industrial engineering class. Segway is sponsoring the class to come up with ways to incorporate its product into the university or the city's downtown. U-M Business School students are also working on a business plan for the Zipcar-like program.Source: Nancy Shore, program director for getDowntown and Patrick Spicer, adjunct professor at the University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor Google office ranks tops for employees

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

October 29, 2008

The Freep conducts a survey on 191 employers throughout southeast Michigan and found that employees (or the 23,372 who participated) want more than just decent salary and benefits. A2's Google Ad Words captured the top slot for medium-sized companies in the region.Excerpt:For employees at the companies and organizations surveyed, what mattered most was believing that their employer was going in the right direction, followed closely by working for an employer that operates by strong values and ethics, and having confidence in the organization's leader."The thing that sticks with me about Google is that the people we hire come from a lot of different backgrounds and are encouraged to challenge ideas," said Grady Burnett, who heads the Internet search engine's Ann Arbor office. "We debate things and come to better decisions and ... it's a fun environment."Conversely, the factors that made the least difference in determining the top workplaces were how employees' benefits packages compared with others in their respective industries, and whether they are getting paid fairly and have the flexibility to balance their work and personal lives."Once you pay people a certain amount, you can't pay them more to make them feel better about their workplace," Claffey said. "If you aspire to be a truly great workplace, you need to take it to that inspirational level."Read the entire story here.

Entrepreneurial executives getting a close look in state

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

October 22, 2008

Ann Arbor isn't just attracting innovative new businesses, but the entrepreneurs who create them.Excerpt:Kris Aalto had years of biomedical and management experience under her belt when she took a job at a local venture capital firm last October.The Tecumseh resident's new position: executive-in-residence at Ann Arbor-based Arboretum Ventures. For about a year, her main focus was to find the right startup company for the venture firm to invest in.Her focus also was finding the right fit for herself."You have to be scrappy to find your fit, but there are so many interesting projects in Ann Arbor, which really drew me to the area," Aalto said.Read the rest of the story here.

Google wants well-rounded staff for Ann Arbor office

By Newsroom

●

In The News

●

October 22, 2008

It might not seem like anyone is doing well in this economy, but Google is still hiring for its AdWords headquarters in Ann Arbor. Excerpt: It's no surprise that employees at the Internet search giant Google -- whose wacky cubicles are known for their Mr. Potato Head, superhero and Elmo doll adornments -- was ranked as southeast Michigan's top workplace in the medium-sized company category (151-500 workers). "Our culture is something that we take a lot of pride in," said Jake Parrillo, spokesman for Google, which has offices in Ann Arbor and Birmingham. "Everything that we do, we do to make a better work environment for employees." Employees enjoy a vast menu of in-house perks that include massages, free gourmet lunches and gyms. Dogs can come in for visits. The Ann Arbor facility is the headquarters for Google's AdWords operations. Read the rest of the story here and an Ann Arbor Business Review story about keeping young talent local here.

Smaller 601 Forest gets big approval in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

October 22, 2008

It is over yet? Has the Ann Arbor City Council finally passed judgment on 601 Forest yet? Yes? Finally… The City Council approved the smaller version of the 601 Forest high-rise on development. Call it a downsized victory for the proponents of vertical, urban growth in Ann Arbor. The 'adjusted' version of 601 Forest is 14 stories tall. The developers, Hughes Properties and Omena Real Estate Investments, originally planned for of 26. They also wanted to build 1,100 beds in 342 units. The new plan calls for 150-175 rooms with 570-610 beds. All of those beds will be marketed toward students at the nearby University of Michigan. Each unit will come furnished with amenities like flat screen TVs and floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the surrounding campus area. There will also be a café, fitness facility, business center and a landscaped roof garden. The building will incorporate environmentally friendly construction techniques, materials and systems, such as passive solar technologies, advanced water recapture systems and a green roof. The developers are going for at least silver LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Village Corner party store and a nearby apartment building at the corner of South University and Forest streets will be leveled to make way for 601 Forest. The adjacent Mud Bowl will be left alone. Source: City of Ann Arbor Writer: Jon Zemke

University of Michigan student leader promotes energy conservation

By Newsroom

●

Education

●

October 22, 2008

Ann Arbor's townies aren’t the only ones trying to save the planet. The city's students are also making some big headway in that effort. Excerpt: Leaning forward at a table in a coffee shop near the University of Michigan Central Campus, Leslie Zaikis gazed at the screen of her laptop. Zaikis sat among a throng of other young people, some of whom seemed so engrossed in what they were doing they appeared oblivious to the sunshine outdoors, too busy in their work to notice. Zaikis admits she often feels as if she is always using her computer. She uses it a lot as president of the U-M College of Literature, Science and the Arts. Among her duties, she helps coordinate some of the college's projects, including collaboration with the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. To connect with students and university administration as well as promote energy awareness, the LSA student government helped plan the current energy-themed semester at the college. Read the rest of the story here.

Workers to restore historic St. Andrew’s Church in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

October 22, 2008

An old beauty of a church near downtown Ann Arbor is getting a facelift and a little interior work done. St. Andrew's Episcopal Church is investing $2.8 million in a new roof, windows and a refurbished hall, among other fixes to the 141-year-old stone structure. Most of the heavy work is expected to wrap up by the holiday season, but some smaller improvements will carry on into next year. "It's going to be quite stunning when it's done," says Mary Bishop, finance administrator with St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. The fixes include replacing the slate roof and refurbishing the church's windows. It's also renovating and modernizing Page Hall, along with improving it main entrance to make it safer with things like more walkable steps. St. Andrew's dates to 1827, making it Michigan's second oldest Episcopal church. It cost $30,000 to build the original church in the late 1860s. It was designed by Gordon Lloyd and is modeled after the country churches of England in the Gothic Revival style. The tower was built in 1903 and a bell was added in 1927. More information on the church's history can be found here. Source: Mary Bishop, finance administrator with St. Andrew's Episcopal Church Writer: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor start-up Boomdash expands its reach

By Newsroom

●

Entrepreneurship

●

October 22, 2008

The Detroit Free Press' chronicling of Ann Arbor start-up Boomdash continues. Excerpt: When Cesar Nerys launched his Ann Arbor start-up company Boomdash LLC this spring, he didn't factor hurricanes into the list of potential pitfalls. But last month, the veteran entrepreneur remained glued to the TV screen as first Hurricane Gustav and later Ike churned toward the gulf coast. The first market for the search engine marketing firm just happens to be New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La. Gustav and an outer band of storms caused by Ike wound up delaying by almost four weeks a Boomdash sales training course for 15 employees at Sunshine Pages, a telephone directory publisher that's selling Boomdash's product. Read the rest of the story here.