Ypsilanti

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

By Newsroom

●

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

●

Arts & Culture

●

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.

Arbor Brewing to extend microbrewery reach… into India

By Newsroom

●

Entrepreneurship

●

February 2, 2011

Who would have thought that a locally focused microbrewery would go international? Matt and Rene Greff, owners of Arbor Brewing Company and Corner Brewery, that's who. The duo are franchising the philosophy and beer behind their breweries in India thanks to a long-time patron who wants to start a craft beer boom in India.Excerpt:The Greffs, in Ann Arbor, Mich., were skeptical when Gaurav Sikka, a former University of Michigan student, approached them last year about opening a brewpub in Bangalore. Mr. Sikka, a native of India, was a regular at the couple's 200-seat Arbor Brewing Co. The couple had recently opened a small brewery in nearby Ypsilanti, and worried about stretching themselves too thin. "We said no, we don't have any time or money," recalls Mr. Greff. "He said: 'Don't rule it out of hand.' "The Greffs traveled to India, where they came to believe Mr. Sikka's idea was feasible. They found that southern India had a beer-drinking culture, as well as lots of U.S.-educated professionals, including plenty of University of Michigan grads. Moreover, it was an untapped market for traditionally crafted microbrews like the ones the Greffs serve in Michigan.Read the rest of the story here.

Ypsilanti DDA awards $30K in renovation grants for downtown businesses, more planned

By Newsroom

●

Arts & Culture

●

January 26, 2011

The historic buildings in downtown Ypsilanti are putting their best faces forward through the receipt of a new round of December grants from the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority (DDA). Three grants of $10,000 apiece were awarded for interior and exterior renovations at businesses located at 517, 701, and 729-735 W Cross St. The grants are jointly funded by the Eastern Leaders Group and the Ypsilanti DDA, and replicate a similar program in effect in downtown Kalamazoo, says Tim Colbeck, director of the Ypsilanti DDA.The Crossroads bar and nightclub will use the money to expand into the vacant neighboring 517 W Cross St. A sliding glass garage-style door is planned for the facade. At 701 W. Cross St. the funds are going towards facade improvements, new signage, and brickwork repair at the Tower Inn.And at 729-735 W. Cross St., the former Ted's Campus Drugs and an art store will be renovated by the developer, O'Neal Construction, Inc. (the owner-operator of Kerrytown) to an as-yet undetermined commercial use, likely a dining venue, Colbeck says. Currently the properties are also home to 11 second-floor efficiency apartments. Those will be consolidated into four 2-3 bedroom units. Interior work has already started.The 517 and 701 W. Cross St. projects have no fixed start dates per se, Colbeck adds, but are expected to start by March, notwithstanding weather-related or other reasonable delays.The Eastern Leaders Group has approved a second $15,000 round this year, pending DDA board approval of matching funds. This will result in another $30,000 in grants for three more projects, Colbeck says.These grants are expected to have a big multiplier effect. Based on the construction budgets specified in the grant applications, Colbeck says, "By putting out $30,000 in public funds, we're leveraging about $700,000 worth of improvements."Source: Tim Colbeck, director of the Ypsilanti DDAWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

At EMU’s new planetarium, the sky is the limit

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

January 12, 2011

It's Cassiopeia on the ceiling and Aries overhead as Eastern Michigan University as astronomy students take seats under the stars in the university's new planetarium.The planetarium classroom, opened last week, is part of the $90 million Mark Jefferson Science Complex -- the largest single construction project in EMU's history, according to the university. The capital project includes renovation of the 180,000-square-foot Mark Jefferson building, together with an 80,000-square-foot, five-story, LEED Silver-certified addition that will house the psychology, biology, chemistry, geography and geology, and physics and astronomy departments. That addition is topped by the planetarium, viewable from a ground-floor atrium. The planetarium is 30 feet in diameter with a 25-foot high dome, and seating for 37, says Dr. Jim Carroll, head of the physics and astronomy department at EMU. The facility will serve as an astronomy classroom Monday through Thursday, be open to K-12 students on Fridays, and offer shows for the community on weekends. Carroll expects the planetarium portion will be up and running by February after installation of the projector and the purchase of some shows. The space's most unique feature is its spherical shape, Carroll says. The seats are arranged in arcs all pointing towards the front of the room; in a typical planetarium, seats are arranged in concentric circles. The department raised over $60,000 from alumni and friends to fund a full digital projector, which will enable complete rotation of sky views. "Whereas in a traditional planetarium, the orientation of the sky is fixed based on how the projector was oriented," he explains.As EMU is a teaching center, one major purpose for the facility is to educate the next generation of science instructors. "...It turns out there are a lot of schools in the area that have planetariums but nobody knows how to use them," Carroll observes. "We thought this will be a great opportunity for us to take future science teachers and train them to use a facility like this one so that if they go out into their high school and there's [a planetarium], it doesn't have to sit mothballed. They can jump right into it and start using it." No word yet as to whether there will be Pink Floyd laser rock shows.Source: Dr. Jim Carroll, head of the physics and astronomy department at EMUWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

ProQuest acquires ebrary, LexisNexis lines, adds 100 jobs

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

January 12, 2011

Plenty of Ann Arbor's companies have been acquisition targets in recent months, but Proquest has been on the other end of the deals this year. The firm has been on an acquisition spree in recent years, including two more purchases in the last two months.Its acquisitions of e-book pioneer ebrary and the Congressional Information Service and University Publications of America product lines from LexisNexis have allowed it to notch double-digit growth in the last four years, after becoming a subsidiary of the Cambridge Information Group. ProQuest has grown its Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti staffs by 100 people, to reach a headcount of 585."Our growth has been extraordinary," says Elliot Forsyth, senior vice president of human resources for ProQuest. "We have grown in excess of 60 percent."ProQuest focuses on offering specialized information electronically, which it sells to researchers at every level, from grade school to commercial. The ebrary and LexisNexis-line acquisitions are expected to strengthen its product line for researchers."Our vision is to become central to researchers around the world," Forsyth says. "Our strength has been in journals, dissertations, and newspapers." Source: Elliot Forsyth, senior vice president of human resources for ProQuestWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Ypsilanti start-up Fusion Coolant Systems enters market place

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

December 15, 2010

Fusion Coolant Systems expects to close its first sale this month and expects to begin generating enough revenue in 2011 to sustain itself.The downtown Ypsilanti-based start-up, which calls Ann Arbor SPARK's East Incubator home, is commercializing an environmentally friendly cutting fluid for industrial uses. That technology eliminates toxic cutting fluids in metal processing for industrial sectors such as aerospace. It also improves cutting tools performance while reducing the wear. It recently received a shot in the arm from the Michigan Microloan Fund. That bit of hard-to-find financing will help it tie up a whole host of business loose ends, such as product development, marketing, and sales development."It's difficult to get. There is tremendous competition," says Tom Gross, CEO of Fusion Coolant Systems. "Without this funding, this technology would still be sitting in a lab at the University of Michigan."The company has grown its team to seven people, adding one more since this fall. Source: Tom Gross, CEO of Fusion Coolant SystemsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

New bar, coffee shop, & barbecue head for downtown Ypsilanti

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

December 15, 2010

Ypsilanti is getting a new coffee shop and new bar, among several new businesses moving in.The new coffee shop, B-24's Espresso Bar, is opening in the former Bombadill's Cafe, says Tim Colbeck, director of the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority. That space had been closed for about six months; the name is a nod to the bombers manufactured at Willow Run during World War II.The new bar, Woodruff's, is in the former Celebrations space in Depot Town. That also had been sitting vacant, and the space put to use for this year's music festival, Mittenfest. "Everything's been a-OK'd and they're up and running," Colbeck says.Also coming to downtown Ypsilanti, hopefully by St. Patrick's Day, is Red Rock Downtown Barbecue, in the former T.C. Speakeasy's space. Three more downtown Ypsilanti storefronts have been recently renovated, with The Rocket candy and novelty store moving into one of the spaces on West Michigan Avenue. A marijuana dispensary may also open.Colbeck says he believes Ypsilanti has done pretty well during the economic downturn partly because people love the city. "The people who are from Ypsi love Ypsi," he says. "They buy into this community."Source: Tim Colbeck, director of the Ypsilanti Downtown Development AuthorityWriter: Kristin Lukowski

Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti start-ups score $145K in microloans

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

December 8, 2010

Three promising startups from the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area have received microloans from the Michigan Microloan Fund.FamilyMint, Fusion Coolant Systems and Shepherd Intelligent Systems will split $145,000 in loans. The division of that money was not released, but average microloans from the fund come to about $50,000. The money will help the startups continue to develop their technology and move their businesses forward.Ypsilanti-based Fusion Coolant Systems is developing a new lubrication system that will streamline the manufacturing process and make it more environmentally friendly. The CHiP Lube system is used during the cutting process and is not toxic like most other cutting lubricants.The two Ann Arbor-based companies are FamilyMint and Shepherd Intelligent Systems. The people behind FamilyMint created an online budgeting tool that helps kids learn how to manage and save money with parents acting as the bank. Shepherd Intelligent Systems is commercializing software developed at the University of Michigan that helps better manage mass transit, particularly bus systems. The software, which the Ann Arbor Transit Authority tested last year, provides real-time information on bus location, arrival predictions and other information directly to riders' smartphones. The Michigan Microloan Fund is managed by Ann Arbor SPARK. It has $1.8 million under management and has made loans to 45 businesses across the state. The fund, created to help fill seed capital gaps created by the financial crisis, makes anywhere between 24-48 loans annually.Source: Ann Arbor SPARKWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Red Rock Downtown Barbecue coming to Ypsilanti

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

December 1, 2010

Pulled pork, beef brisket, and other items of meaty barbecue deliciousness will be on the menu in downtown Ypsilanti, hopefully by the first part of next year.The goal is to have Red Rock Downtown Barbecue open by spring, ideally St. Patrick's Day, says co-owner Shawn Cool. The building is the former T.C. Speakeasy's, at 207 W. Michigan Ave. The restaurant will serve local and Michigan-made products as well as quality food.Next up is getting the building ready for demolition and heating, electric, plumbing, and other technical aspects. "Everything's been good so far," Cool says. "We've uncovered a lot of walls and the ceiling, and everything looks like it's in decent shape."Cool and his father and business co-owner, John, have worked on this project for the last 20 months; the property's foreclosure status made it a bit more challenging. They were able to close with the bank early last month, but slowing down the process, for good reason, was Shawn Cool's wedding a few weeks ago. However, "We're finally in here and ready to go," he says.Red Rock Downtown Barbecue will take shape in a 150-year-old historic building that has seen several additions over the years. The Cools hope to strip it down to its bare bones and build to make it better suited for a barbecue restaurant. Cool would like to keep a live music aspect to the venue.The building formerly housed a bar, a shoe store, and perhaps even a funeral home.The Cools believe barbecue is the right food genre to bring to downtown Ypsilanti. John Cool is retired from the meat industry and will bring that expertise to the business. "We're doing it together," Shawn Cool says. "From here on out, I'll be out here every day until I get things going."Source: Shawn Cool, co-owner of the Red Rock Downtown BarbecueWriter: Kristin Lukowski