Dexter

Skate on Saline’s ice rink this winter

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December 8, 2010

Don't stay inside bundled up all winter -- dust off your old ice skates and head to downtown Saline for some cold-weather fun.The city's portable ice-skating pool was set up last Thursday. "Now we're waiting for Mother Nature to work her magic, and make water ice," says Downtown Development Director Art Trapp.Trapp explains that there was an ice rink in Henne Field years ago, and recently there's been a push to bring one back to Saline. The city did some research, including on the one the nearby village of Dexter has, and through some discretionary funding and a donation from the Rotary, the $5,000 was raised to put the rink in place.The rink is 60 by 100 feet, located in the northeast corner of Henne Field, off Bennett Street. It was still liquid last week, needing a few days of cold weather to freeze it up yet. After it freezes, the ice has to be surfaced so it's smooth for skating.Trapp says he hopes the rink will draw people outside into downtown, even if it is a little chilly outside. "It's something to do downtown," Trapp says. "Hopefully, it will draw people out, and people will go downtown and visit our stores and restaurants."Skaters can click here and on the "events" link to get skating rink updates.Source: Art Trapp, downtown development director for the city of SalineWriter: Kristin Lukowski

Thomson-Shore presses on in printing business, creates jobs

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Economic Development

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November 10, 2010

One would expect book-printing companies to be headed down the same road as newspapers in this time of e-books, digitized documents, and off-shoring. That's not the case for Thomson-Shore.The Dexter-based printer is growing faster than it ever has as it has diversified its business, allowing it to hire nearly a dozen people this year. It plans another repeat in 2011, and might not even wait until the new year to get started."This is the slowest part of our year and we have never been busier," says Kevin Spall, president and CEO of Thomson-Shore.The 38-year-old company used to focus primarily on shorter runs (about 1,000 copies) of one-color books (black ink on white paper). Over the last few years it has invested in upgrading its presses to handle four-color books (think comic and children books) with bigger runs of about 10,000 copies. Thomson-Shore was one of the first printers to commit to green practices, now using 30 percent recycled paper in its pulp. It's also dabbling in e-books and Bible printing, a bit of work most printers gave up as lost to China years ago."We will probably do $2 million in Bibles this year," Spall says. "That's totally new revenue."Those new revenue streams have allowed Thomson-Shore to expand its headcount from 199 at the peak of the recession to 211 employees, two interns, and 15-20 independent contractors today. The company expects to hire another 10-20 people over the next 12-18 months."We seem to be hitting a stride," Spall says.Source: Kevin Spall, president & CEO of Thomson-ShoreWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Dexter lights up downtown with energy-efficient bulbs

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Community Development

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November 10, 2010

Dexter hopes to save money in energy bills and light maintenance with the recent installation of 124 light-emitting diode bulbs downtown.The village recently swapped the light pole bulbs for LEDs, considered to be among the best technology for conserving energy and heat. Most of the project was funded by energy efficiency block grants worth $50,000, to which the village contributed its own $20,000, explains Dexter assistant village manager Courtney Nicholls.The LED light installation was due to not just grant support, but had already been discussed by the village council and the Dexter Downtown Development Authority. "It's an effective way for us to reduce our electric bills, and also our maintenance costs," she says.Although the lights are covered under warranty for seven years, they should last closer to 15, and that means fewer trips up to replace them.Another green project the village is considering for the future is participating in the Michigan Green Communities Challenge, run by the Michigan Municipal League, which gives municipalities ideas for operating with better energy efficiency.Source: Courtney Nicholls, Dexter assistant village managerWriter: Kristin Lukowski

Saline adopts Complete Streets resolution, Dexter not far behind

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Community Development

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November 3, 2010

Nearly three months after Michigan adopted Complete Streets legislation, cities and villages are increasingly passing their own resolutions and ordinances to support making streets friendly to all users, wheeled or otherwise.Saline was one of the first cities to support the legislation, voting unanimously in September to approve an ordinance. Also in the area, Novi adopted a resolution in August, Berkley passed one last month, and others are looking at them; Lansing is another Michigan city to pass an ordinance.Todd Campbell, Saline's city manager, explained that the city council adopted a non-motorized pathway master plan a year ago. "It's important to the community," he says, pointing out that the city even has a healthy living group, Pick up the Pace Saline, or PUPS. "For the last number of years we've had community walks during the warmer months, and most any day in the morning or evening you see folks walking, running, exercising. That's been a very important quality of life in our past community surveys."He points out that the city isn't required to make every street accessible to pedestrians -- roads with high traffic wouldn't be suitable for that, for example -- but they will consider it every time a street repair or reconstruction is done. Most projects will have some added cost, at the very least in additional engineering.The village of Dexter's planning commission was expected to talk about the Complete Streets program at its Monday meeting, with a public hearing and possibly ordinance adoption before the end of November.Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County both have non-motorized transit plans. Michigan, the 14th state to do so, passed the legislature in August, .A Complete Street means it's safe and convenient not only for car travel, but also for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, as well as accessible to public transportation. Cities are encouraged to incorporate sidewalks, bike lanes, special bus lanes, and crossing opportunities into road planning. Cycling and pedestrian advocates were on board with the legislation, but healthy living and senior advocates also benefit.Source: Todd Campbell, Saline city manager; Michigan Complete Streets Coalition; village of DexterWriter: Kristin Lukowski

Dexter’s ReCellular snags VC investment from Beringea

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Economic Development

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October 13, 2010

More venture capital is flowing into Washtenaw County, with the latest deluge of cash going to ReCellular in Dexter.Beringea, Michigan's largest venture capital firm, invested an undisclosed amount of money into the cell phone recycler. The money, from Beringea's InvestMichigan! Growth Capital Fund, will help ReCellular expand globally."We're supplying a lot of refurbished phones to our domestic markets," says Mike Newman, vice president of marketing for ReCellular. "We want to better connect with our international markets."ReCellular employs 300 people, with 280 in Michigan. About 50 employees work in Ann Arbor, with the rest at its main Dexter facility. The company has hired about 25 people over the last year, has a handful of open positions today, and expects to keep hiring for the foreseeable future.The 19-year-old firm collects more than 400,000 cell phones a month and processed about 5 million of them last year. Approximately 70 percent of those phones are refurbished and resold. The remaining electronics are recycled for the precious metals. Data from the refurbished phones is deleted and the recycled phones are broken down and reused, keeping 1.6 million pounds of toxic material out of landfills."We're really focused on taking these used phones, cleaning them up, and putting them back into our customers' hands," Newman says. "That has been an important part of our growth."This is the 17th investment from the InvestMichigan! Growth Capital portfolio. The State of Michigan Retirement System put $300 million into the fund, which is evenly divided by Beringea and another company. Beringea has grown its initial $150 million fund to $185 million today. It is aimed at investing in growing Michigan-based companies. Other Ann Arbor firms, Sakti3 and Accuri Cytometers, have also received investments.Source: Beringea and Mike Newman, vice president of marketing for ReCellularWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ann Arbor was the set for three movies premiering at Toronto Film Fest

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Arts & Culture

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September 15, 2010

It's not just what's in Ann Arbor's water that has filmmakers drinking the Tree Town Kool Aid. Ann Arbor-made films are surfacing in some prominent places.Three of the five Michigan-made movies premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival were shot, at least in part, in Ann Arbor. That's more than any other southeast Michigan municipality, including Detroit. Other local communities also served as filming locations, including Dexter, Chelsea, and Ypsilanti. The reason for this phenomenon includes the variety of locals, ranging from urban to rural, and the overall high quality of life. "It's also a city where the cast and crew can enjoy themselves when they're not filming," says Michelle Begnoche, spokeswoman for the Michigan Film Office.The three movies created 687 local jobs and spent more than $33.2 million. They include:- Conviction, a Tony Goldwyn film about a working mother who puts herself through law school so she can represent her wrongfully convicted brother. The $10.8 million production created 332 jobs and stars Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Juliette Lewis and Minnie Driver.- Stone, a $14.8 million movie that put 186 local people to work. The film stars Robert De Niro, Ed Norton, and Milla Jovovich, and is directed by John Curran. It's about a convicted arsonist trying to manipulate a parole officer through his beautiful wife.- Trust is about a teenage girl who is targeted by an online predator. The $7.6 million film employed 169 people and stars Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, Liana Liberato and Viola Davis. It's directed by David Schwimmer. Source: Michelle Begnoche, spokeswoman for the Michigan Film OfficeWriter: Jon Zemke

Dexter to link up to Border To Border Trail

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Community Development

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September 1, 2010

If all goes according to plan, Dexter will boast the first part of its Border to Border trail this fall.Most of the construction of the trail that is planned to span Washtenaw County has been focused in the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area, but Dexter plans to build its first 800-foot segment this fall with a concrete path, bridge over Mill Creek, and elevated boardwalk, says Dexter community development manager Allison Bishop. Pending receipt of a Michigan Department of Natural Resources permit, the go-ahead will be given.Bishop hopes the trail will positively impact Dexter's economic development, as eventually it will connect to a subdivision with about 250 homes and no current direct walking access to downtown. "We think it's going to be a major trailhead for biking and walking," she says. "How great to go for a short walk, or a long walk, and then end up back downtown where you can go have dinner."The second phase, 400 feet of elevated boardwalk through floodplains and wetlands, is due to be constructed next summer. Eventually, it will connect to Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority hike-bike trails and Dexter's own Mill Creek Park, creating that area's own network of non-motorized trails."We're really improving access to the Mill Creek corridor," Bishop says. "It's currently not accessible to anyone for recreation."She's also hopeful the focus on parks will bring more of the boating community to the area -- Mill Creek park, especially. "It's going to start to become an activity and recreation hub for Dexter, and bring more people downtown," she says.The Border to Border Trail will span Washtenaw County, roughly following the Huron River for 35 miles.The Dexter portions of the trail are expected to cost right around $1 million; the village hopes to contribute its $450,000 in federal transportation funding, which could be available as early as next October. "We're happy about it and we want to support it," Bishop says.Source: Allison Bishop, community development manager for the village of DexterWriter: Kristin Lukowski

Dexter finishes downtown streetscape work along Mill Creek

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Community Development

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May 12, 2010

The final touches are going into the downtown Dexter's streetscape project along Mill Creek. And by final touches, we mean the flowers will be in the planters this weekend.The village spent $831,000 over the last two years rebuilding one square block between Main, Broad, Jeffords and Forrest streets on the west side of downtown, overlooking Mill Creek. The upgrades include new streets, sewers, landscaping, sidewalks, lighting and other amenities.But the most visible changes are the pedestrian-friendly features, such as new landscaping and sidewalks overlooking the new Mill Creek greenway. It represents the first time the downtown had embraced its waterfront, an asset it has turned its back on for years. Now its capitalizing on it with this project and the still-in-development Mill Creek Park project."It's going to get even better when we finish that up," says Donna Dettling, village manager for Dexter. "It will really bring people to the creek."The current space features the new streetscape infrastructure overlooking a small green slope to the new rapidly running creek. The space was previously a bog area because of a century-old dam underneath the Dexter-Pinckney Road Bridge. That has now grown into a lush green space.Village leaders plan to cultivate it into a low-impact park area that connects the downtown, creek and new bridge. Construction on that will begin next fall when village workers regrade the area and then build out the park next year.The bulk of the work will be done next summer," says Allison Bishop, community development director of the village of DexterSource: Donna Dettling, village manager for Dexter and Allison Bishop, community development director of the village of DexterWriter: Jon Zemke

Dexter’s ReCellular grows into new markets and cultivates new customers

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Economic Development

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April 28, 2010

The last year or two have not been kind to General Motors, but the same can't be said for the GM of the cell phone recycling world - ReCellular.The Dexter-based firm is still recycling millions upon millions of cell phones, refurbishing them for a second life and keeping their toxic chemical innards out of landfills and water tables. The company recycled in excess of 5 million cell phones last year and looks to exceed that number again this year."We created this industry and we have remained on top," says Mike Newman, vice president of marketing for ReCellular. "Even though a vast majority of cell phones that are retired are left in someone's drawer and forgotten. We're trying to get them to recycle them."It is accomplishing that by reaching out directly to customers to recycle their phones. Before ReCellular relied on other businesses to collect them through donation drives. This year it has premiered SecureTradeIn.com, which offers cash for old cell phones.ReCellular refurbishes many of those phones and then sells them on the open market. Sometimes they end up in North American markets and sometimes they end up in other markets in the Third World."We're selling more phones then we have ever sold before," Newman says.That has forced the company to reconfigure its Dexter manufacturing space to accommodate at least one year of growth. Today the company employs several hundred people at its Dexter facilities. It has held its employee count steady over the last year and expects to next year, too, as the company focuses on creating efficiency and maximizing profits.Source: Mike Newman, vice president of marketing for ReCellularWriter: Jon Zemke

Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw wins SBA champion award

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Community Development

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April 28, 2010

Women's Exchange of Washtenaw is making room on its shelf for a new award and room in its ranks for a new chapter or two.The U.S. Small Business Administration will present the non-profit's co-founders, Carrie Hensel and Debra Power, with the "U.S. Small Business Administration’s Michigan Women in Business Champion of the Year for 2010" award later this week. That will come as the duo make preparations to grow the organization across the state in the near future."We think we have found something very unique and special and we want to share it," Power says.Women's Exchange of Washtenaw was founded two years ago as a place for businesswomen to network and create new business opportunities, generate referrals and find work. It now has a database of 800 women who partake in the organization. Women's Exchange of Washtenaw is not a membership organization, which allows participants the freedom to pay as they go.Hensel and Powers have enjoyed quite a bit of success with this model, creating an open and engaging environment for entrepreneurs without a Y chromosome. They expect to try and spread this model into the Lansing market later this year.Women's Exchange of Washtenaw will host the Women's Exchange of Washtenaw Forum 10 on May 21 at Kensington Court, 610 Hilton Blvd in Ann Arbor. The all-day event will feature regional speakers, workshops, breakout sessions and networking activities to engage the business community and work through the common issues women business leaders face in their efforts to grow and improve their companies. The event costs $75 before May 1 and $95 after. For information, click here.Source: Debra Power, co-founder of Women's Exchange of WashtenawWriter: Jon Zemke