Ypsilanti

Ypsilanti’s Tree Fort Bikes rides Web for success

By Newsroom

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March 22, 2011

Tree Fort Bikes got its start eight years with two guys and a dream of owning a bike shop. Today the Ypsilanti-based business has become a destination for mountain bikers and custom bikes in the e-commerce world."About three years ago we went online," says Alan Barnosky, a team member of Tree Fort Bikes. "That has been working very well for us."The retailer has expanded to eight employees. Three new people over the last year, hired in capacities such as photographer and graphic designer, serve the company's e-commerce platform. The firm expects to add another 2-3 jobs this year in customer service and web design.Tree Fort Bikes sells custom bicycles, mostly mountain bikes. They range in price from $250 to $7,000 apiece. It also sells a range of cycling gear. Some purchases are still made in the Ypsilanti store, but most happen over the Internet."That's where it's all heading now," Barnosky says. "We have a brick-and-mortar store and we'll maintain it, but 90 percent of our business comes from online."Source: Alan Barnosky, team member of Tree Fort BikesWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ypsilanti Freighthouse cafe set for warm weather opening

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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March 16, 2011

With exterior structural work completed on the landmark 1878 Freighthouse in Ypsilanti's Depot Town last November, the spring thaw brings renewed efforts to complete interior work on this outpost of the former Michigan Central Railroad."While we have saved the building for the next 150 years, the interior is not ready for occupancy yet," says Ed Penet, chair of the Freighthouse building committee. Necessary fixes include replacing beams underneath the floor, installing ADA-compliant bathrooms, and various building code compliance measures. The non-profit Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse, manager and operator of the facility, is about halfway towards its fundraising goal; a minimum of $425,000 is still needed for the interior work, Penet says.First in line, according to Penet, is to open a cafe to serve passengers on the potential Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail line, as well as Amtrak riders. In February, the Ypsilanti City Council passed a resolution asking Amtrak to reinstate the Depot Town stop on the Wolverine line between Chicago and Detroit. SEMCOG and MDOT are funding a new platform alongside of the tracks, which will connect by sidewalk to an ADA ramp and to the Freighthouse. The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse has received from the Masco Corp. a $15,000 grant and donation of $5,000 worth of paint and stain supplies, about half what's needed to get the cafe up and running; Penet estimates it will cost $30-40,000 to add an ADA-compliant bathroom and basic furnishings. If the kitchen can't be finished by springtime, vending machines will go in. "The cafe will be open by late spring or early summer. You may not be able to cook a pancake in there, but that's OK," Penet says. In other near-term developments this spring, landscaping will be added to the new rain garden on the property. "It sounds like a beautification project but that's how we got rid of the excess water on the property – by digging a rain garden so when it pours all the water runs away from the building. It used to run into the foundation and caused a lot of structural damage," Penet says. That damage has since been repaired.Once complete, the city-owned Freighthouse will be available for not only train riders, but also as a rental facility for weddings and other gatherings, which Penet likens to the city of Ann Arbor's Cobblestone Farm. "We want to make it self-sustaining, get off the tax rolls," he says. "Granted that we need to use gifts to get us going, but once we're up and running I think we can sustain ourselves."Source: Ed Penet, chair of the Freighthouse building committeeWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

VC Web Services spins out of SPARK East incubator, doubles revenue

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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March 9, 2011

VC Web Services, Ann Arbor SPARK East's first success story, is adding a few more story lines to its narrative. The Internet firm, formerly VC Web Design, is adding clients, jobs and services in downtown Ypsilanti."We're doing more than just web design now," says Vince Schmielewski, president of VC Web Services. "We're doing a lot of video work and IT support."The 3-year-old firm is the first to spin out of Ann Arbor SPARK's East Incubator in downtown Ypsilanti, taking office space nearby. It started out as one of the first incubator tenants with two employees and left with a staff of seven a year later. Today it employs 10 people and a few summer interns. The firm has five open positions now, ranging from back-end web developer to office assistant. The firm doubled its revenue over the last year and is looking forward to a 50 percent jump this year. "We're currently thinking of moving into a bigger space, but it would be in downtown Ypsilanti," Schmielewski says.Source: Vince Schmielewski, president of VC Web ServicesWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

VGKids starts Whiplash merchandising arm, adds 3 jobs

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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March 9, 2011

It's never boring at VGKids. Pick your favorite column for growth and the Ypsilanti-based business is filling it. New employees, check. New revenue streams, check. Growing revenue, check."Our sales numbers are fantastic," says James Marks, founder & creative director of VGKids. "Last year was our best year ever and this year is even better."VGKids recently started its Whiplash merchandising arm, which is handling the logistics for e-commerce activity. Marks says he has carefully selected the companies he is working with on the project. Some of the first clients include electronic music firm Ghostly International and Modest Mouse.The company has also expanded its core printing work by double digits. Its SPUR Studios keeps a full house of local artists and entrepreneurs and a sequel to the works-space has also opened in Pittsfield Township this year. Marks expects 30-40 percent sales increases in 2011 and has hired three people over the last year, including a new graphic designer last week. He hopes to add a few more jobs this year as the company ramps up its Internet presence through an updated website and social media presence.Source: James Marks, founder & creative director of VGKidsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

From Scratch: Denovo Sciences

By Dennis Archambault

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Diversity & Equity

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March 9, 2011

What's the view at the bottom of Michigan's entrepreneurial food chain? More diversity, less money. Case in point, Ypsilanti-based Denovo Sciences. Its young partners are full of passion, creativity and a desire to "make change in human lives". What they could use is some seed capital for their life science innovations.

The SmartEnergy Fund spins out of Ypsilanti’s Clean Energy Coalition

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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March 2, 2011

When the Clean Energy Coalition received a $4.4 million federal grant last year, the general assumption was it would encourage more sustainability practices in Michigan. Now that money is helping launch small clean-tech businesses.Meet The SmartEnergy Fund, a recent second place finisher for the Clean Energy Prize. The University of Michigan student-led firm got its start from a consulting agreement with the Clean Energy Coalition. Now it has $25,000 in seed capital from the Clean Energy Prize to pursue its innovative financing model to retrofit municipal buildings for energy efficiency savings."We want to maximize the impact of the grant dollars," says Graham Brown, project manager for The SmartEnergy Fund. "There is a limited pool of grant funds and how far we can stretch that money."The Ypsilanti-based company is headed up by four U-M students who are splitting time between the university's Ross School of Business and School of Natural Resources, along with the Depot Town-based non-profit. "There is a substantial need for building upgrades in Michigan cities," Brown says.The SmartEnergy Fund entrepreneurs expect to be on the ground working with local municipalities within the next year.Source: Graham Brown, project manager for The SmartEnergy FundWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

SPUR Studios opens second space in Pittsfield Twp

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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February 16, 2011

In a monument to visual artists, last weekend SPUR Studios opened a sister location to its successful Ypsilanti set of private workspaces for creatives. SPUR Studios - Number Two occupies the front of the building housing the Color Express print shop at 625 State Circle in Pittsfield Township. The 1,500-square-foot space is currently leasing six studios ranging from 150-350 square feet apiece, with room to build out for a seventh. There is a one-year minimum lease requirement. Space constraints mean the new locale is for visual artists only, whereas the Ypsilanti location is split between artists and musicians, says James Marks, founder of SPUR Studios and custom screen printing venture VG Kids.About 20 artists, mostly photographers and graphic designers, attended an open house held on February 12. FLY Children's Art Center will be moving its commissary in and there is interest in several other units, according to Marks.While the current number of locations can still be counted on one hand, Marks would like to add more over time. "It's definitely on my mind to open something larger in Ann Arbor if this works. We've considered other locations in Michigan and ultimately other locations outside of Michigan. But...," he qualifies, "one step at a time.""There's a new change of habits as the creative economy is becoming a larger piece of the overall economy, and different people are reacting to that in different ways," Marks feels. While there are membership situations where artists can rent space in an open room, as of yet there are no similar options, he says. With this set-up, "you would come in, you would remodel it, you would make it your own. You could bring clients in there, but in an overall building that's made of like-minded people."Source: James Marks, founder of SPUR Studios and VG KidsWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

$90M theory pays off in new EMU Science Complex

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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February 16, 2011

Scientific advancement planted its footprint on Eastern Michigan University's campus last December with the opening of its new Science Complex. Constructed as a five-story addition to the Mark Jefferson building, the complex is part of a $195 million capital plan – the largest in EMU's history. The next component of the $90 million project, a top-to-bottom renovation of the Mark Jefferson building, commenced last month and is expected to be complete by the summer of 2012, according to EMU Associate Provost Wade Tornquist. The LEED Silver-certified addition was built over a former loading dock and parking area to minimize its environmental impact. The terraced complex has a green roof that uses rainwater for surface vegetation. And energy-efficient new electrical and HVAC systems in the 80,000-square-foot addition and planned for the renovated 240,000-square-foot Mark Jefferson building balance out the 30% increase in space, neutralizing the effect on utilities costs, Tornquist says.The physics and astronomy, geography and geology, chemistry, biology, and psychology departments have a presence in the new addition, whose most notable feature is an open atrium with views up to a spherical planetarium cantilevered between the third and fifth floors. The complex also contains study areas, a computer teaching lab, modernized classrooms and 63 instructional and research labs that can be shared by faculty and students in all branches of the sciences. "One of the goals for the project was to try to break down some of the disciplinary borders," Tornquist explains. "We've moved more towards interdisciplinary laboratory design rather than designing laboratories for specific departments."A groundswell of interest also rises on the first floor with its collection of rocks native to Michigan, some of which are three billion years old. Geologists handpicked the rocks and consulted with the architects on placement, Tornquist says. The two groups were initially at odds, with the geologists wanting the rocks sorted by age and the architects prizing aesthetics: "In the end the geologists still are telling me that they have them arranged by age, so they're good with it. I'm sure the architect will tell you they're arranged by massing and color, so he's happy too. Real interdisciplinary, right?" he jokes.Tornquist sees the project as a key recruiting tool for training more Michigan-based scientists.In past years tour groups of potential students "always bypassed the science building, and I always wondered, 'What does that do for us in terms of recruiting science students?'" he poses. "Now it's on the campus tour so I'm hopeful that they're getting a different message. They'll be thinking that science and EMU go together."Source: Wade Tornquist, associate provost at EMUWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

American Broach & Machine shoots for $25M R&D center in Ypsilanti

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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February 16, 2011

Ypsilanti-based American Broach & Machine Co. is in the lead to land the research and development operations of its parent company with the help of a tax credit deal from the Michigan Economic Development Corp."If we can get these tax credits then it's a done deal," says Ken Nemec, president of American Broach & Machine Co.QC American, a subsidiary of China-based Qinchaun Machine Tool Group, owner of American Broach & Machine Co., is looking to invest $25 million in the new center, which will create up to 43 jobs over the next five years. It originally looked at setting up that R&D shop by one of its factories in Toronto or by its home base in China. Nemec made a pitch for to put it in Ypsilanti and won a tentative agreement."I thought we had enough room so we could expand in Ypsilanti," Nemec says. A final decision should be made by February, he adds, and work on the R&D center should begin shortly afterwards.The company got its start as a custom machine tool building company in 1919 in Ann Arbor. It has since consolidated its operations in Ypsilanti, where it employs 31 people full-time and another seven part-timers after adding half a dozen jobs in 2010. It also hired its last intern from ITT Tech and plans to bring another intern on later this year.American Broach & Machine Co. builds broaching machines, which are machine tools used in customized automated cutting processes in the automotive and defense industries. QC American acquired a controlling stake in the company in 2005 and the remaining shares last year.Source: Ken Nemec, president of American Broach & Machine Co.Writer: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ann Arbor’s food and entrepreneurship wows Texans

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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February 9, 2011

Braving the wilds of winter, a pair of wine writers from Fort Worth, Texas marveled at Ann Arbor's cultural, culinary, and entrepreneurial know-how. Excerpt: "From smaller businesses such as Ann Arbor Farmer’s market, Vinology - a restaurant and wine bar, to Mediterrano, and Zingerman’s, which is a community of businesses, these are all perfect examples of impresarios filling a niche in Ann Arbor and its suburbs. Quality of life and education are paramount here. To set the stage, we walked through snow flurries to The Gandy Dancer restaurant at the Historic Railroad Station to eat and also enjoy their holiday decorations. From the old-fashioned decor of the restaurant, we watched Amtrak and freight trains move on these tracks. Makes for a colorful, active atmosphere for locals and tourists as well. In the heart of the energetic University of Michigan campus is the UM Museum of Modern Art, a jaw-dropping, not typical museum representing 150 years of collecting and 18,000 works of art in its permanent collection. A new wing, minimalistic in style, has works of art from Chinese painting to Tiffany architectural glass that draw the visitor forward into new spaces. Worth a visit!" Read the rest of the story here.