Education

SchoolPictures.com adds to staff as it grows across Michigan

By Newsroom

●

October 2, 2013

Ypsilanti-based SchoolPictures.com has traditionally grown across its home region but now it’s making a push to grow across the entire Great Lakes State. "We're interested in spreading our mission across the state, not just southeast Michigan," says Skip Cerier, president of SchoolPictures.com. The business provides portraits of students, using a formula that allows the school to create new revenue from annual student photo programs. Cerier claims his company has helped schools raise $5 million over its eight years and save another $3.5 million by out-competing other vendors. "We did a study over what was saved from the prices of other vendors at each school," Cerier says. "I was able to quantify how much each school was saving." SchoolPictures.com currently employs 41 people full-time and another 35 part-timers. It has hired four people over the last year, including sales, support and production professionals. Source: Skip Cerier, president of SchoolPictures.com Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Latest in Education

The Paint Station brings entertainment and education to amateur artists

By Natalie Burg

●

Arts & Culture

●

October 2, 2013

Entrepreneurs Kendra Wilkins and Katrina Vaughn are out to prove that anyone can enjoy the fun and artistic expression of being a painter – with or without proven art skills. At their new business, The Paint Station, patrons can join classes or arrange painting events with friends during which an artist leads attendees through the process of completing a painting. "I haven't painted since elementary school," says Vaughn, pointing to a lovely painting she completed in one of her business' classes. "I'm surprised by my own talent. If I can do it, you can too." Though not artists themselves, Wilkins and Vaughn know a thing or two about business and teaching. Wilkins has taught business marketing for Detroit Public Schools and in Ann Arbor, and Vaughn currently teaches social studies for Ann Arbor Tech High School. "Teaching economics, I talk to the kids about the economy and business," says Vaughn. "Instead of just talking about it, I thought we should do it ourselves." The Paint Station opened above Panera Bread on Washtenaw Ave. on Sept. 6. The partners work with three artists who instruct the classes and parties. People can choose between attending a pre-scheduled class in which the painting has already been chosen, or, if scheduling a private event, they may select a painting from The Paint Station gallery. Wilkins and Vaughn hope the Ann Arbor area finds the paint studio to be a fun place to create and make memories. Their private events are ideal for girls' nights out, team-building sessions for businesses and family outings. Eventually, the pair would like to expand to multiple locations and franchise their business. Source: Kendra Wilkins and Katrina Vaughn, The Paint Station Writer: Natalie Burg

Creators Co-op launches for-students-by-students biz incubator

By Newsroom

●

Education

●

October 2, 2013

The co-founders of the Creators Co-op know there are a number of small business incubators and co-working spaces dedicated toward the tech industry in Ann Arbor. But they didn't see anything that really fits the needs of student entrepreneurs with an independent streak. That's why they are launching their venture just off the University of Michigan's campus this fall. "We want to create a safe space for students, by students," says Nancy Xiao, general manager & co-founder of Creators Co-op. "It's a mixture of co-working space and a professional-style fraternity." Xiao is a senior at the University of Michigan and a member of the university's MPowered student entrepreneurship program. She met former U-M football player Dhani Jones at a university event in Cincinnati a few years ago after speaking about the need for more entrepreneurial space for studentpreneurs. The pair hit it off and have since formed a core team of eight people to launch the Creators Co-op. They have secured a brick, tudor-style house at 631 Oxford, which is right next to a bus stop for the university bus line that connects Central and North campuses. The space will be open to university students who want to launch any sort of business. It will differentiate itself from the like of Ann Arbor SPARK, Tech Brewery and Workantile because it will be student-oriented. It is different than TechArb, U-M tech incubator for students, because it is independent from the university and will help students build any sort of business that interests them. Creators Co-op is sorting through applications for student entrepreneurs this fall and hopes to welcome its first class of about 30 people during the winter semester. The co-op will offer business-building and entrepreneurial mentoring services. It also hopes to work with a number of successful local business people to help the students matriculate into parts of the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem. "A lot of it is geared toward building great people," Xiao says. Source: Nancy Xiao, general manager & co-founder of Creators Co-op Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Dorothy’s Discovery Daycare more than doubles footprint in Ypsilanti

By Natalie Burg

●

Development News

●

September 25, 2013

Dorothy Morris was a nursing student and a mother before switching her major to education and dedicating her career to caring for children. "I have three daughters, and they ended up being at the daycare at I used to work at, and I wanted to be around them," Morris says. Coming form a nursing background, I believe you need to provide the educations and academics, but also need think about the individual needs of each child, so I try to make a family-like environment." That philosophy has taken her childcare facility, Dorothy's Discovery Daycare, from a home business licensed for 12 a decade ago to the commercial business she operates today, which is licensed for 75 children, employs a staff of up to 14 and has recently more than doubled in size with a 3,800 square foot addition. "We 're able to provide care for the whole family," says Morris. "It's nice for a moms and dads who don't have to run all over town to pick up their kids different places." Work on the expansion began in June and was completed just in time to open for the new school year. The addition, which was built on to the original, 2,5000 square foot facility on Merritt Rd. in Ypsilanti has grown Dorothy's Discovery Daycare to include six classrooms, including separate rooms for infants, toddlers, two preschool classrooms and two school-age classrooms. An second playground for infants and toddlers was also added to the facility, which accepts children up to 13 years old. Also spurring the daycare's growth has been a contract with the nearby East Arbor Charter Academy, for which Dorothy's Discovery Daycare provides before- and after-school care. The relationship allowed Morris to take on more children and increase her staff by four employees. Morris hopes to continue to grow her connections to the community and other school districts in the future. Source: Dorothy Morris, Dorothy's Discovery Daycare Writer: Natalie Burg

TorranceLearning grows business with more comprehensive services

By Newsroom

●

Education

●

August 14, 2013

Last year TorranceLearning began the process of transforming itself from an e-learning firm to a company that provides more comprehensive education services. Today the downtown Chelsea-based business is reaping the rewards of that switch. The 7-year-old company has hired two people, expanding its staff to seven employees. Those new hires include an instructor and a designer to help the firm fill out its expanded services. "We are offering a new and wider range of services to our clients," says Megan Torrance, president & CEO of TorranceLearning. She adds that her company's new host of services "is a much more wholistic look at our clients' needs." Those new services include providing mobile apps for clients or learning retreats. The company has also expanded its client list so it includes a broader ranger of customers, ranging from the automotive to healthcare to food industries. Source: Megan Torrance, president & CEO of TorranceLearning Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

826michigan partners with Beezy’s Cafe for evening tutoring

By Natalie Burg

●

Community Development

●

July 10, 2013

The consolidation of Ypsilanti-area school districts brought with it a lot of changes. Among them was the closing of the school building used by local non-profit 826michigan to bring tutoring services to students. "They made some pretty significant changes with building usage," says 826michigan Executive Director Amanda Uhle. "The feasibility of running our program in Willow Run was just working out to be difficult." Finding an appropriate replacement location was no easy task, but once the idea came about to look outside of the school system for a location, they could think of no better place than Beezy's Café in downtown Ypsilanti. "As an organization, we are huge fans of the restaurant," says Uhle. "They have done things with us over the years, hosting events and catering a few fundraising things for us." In addition, Beezy's regular hours make it available during evening hours, rather than the after-school hours 826michigan traditionally held tutoring in Ypsilanti, which often presented a challenge with recruiting volunteers and facilitating transportation for students while their parents were typically at work. Uhle believes this will help attract more students and tutors. Additionally, she hopes the neutral location will be more inviting to students of all ages, as the former middle school location was most convenient for students of that age. Uhle estimates that about 75 students per year in Ypsilanti have participated in the tutoring program, and hopes to see that number grow with the new location at Beezy's Café. 826michigan serves even more Ypsilanti students inside schools during school hours, as well as students in Ann Arbor and Detroit. Source: Amanda Uhle, 826michigan Writer: Natalie Burg

Michigan retaining bigger share of new college grads, study says

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

June 5, 2013

In terms of retention of young college graduates, it looks like the tide may be turning in the Great Lakes State. Excerpt: "The Detroit Regional Chamber on Thursday released a study that analyzed the mobility of graduates of Michigan's 15 public universities, which conferred more than 66,000 degrees last school year... Among that group, 63 percent are still living in Michigan, 35 percent have moved to another state and less than 2 percent moved out of the country, according to the report, released Thursday afternoon at the chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference. About 83 percent of the graduates attended Michigan high schools. The percentage of those who stay has increased from 2007, when a similar study showed 51 percent of the target group reported living in Michigan about six months after graduation." More here.

VEO Art Studio brings classes and community to Chelsea art scene

By Natalie Burg

●

Arts & Culture

●

June 5, 2013

Elizabeth Wilson knows art, and she knows education. With two master's degrees, one in fine art and the other in health education, she has worked for the University of Michigan since 1985 in a number of positions including medical illustrator. Now she's returning to the basics of her passion for art with VEO Art Studio in downtown Chelsea, offering a variety of classes in sculpture, drawing and more. "I started looking around Chelsea and I fell in love with the space," Wilson says. "It's so warm, and it just feels good to be here. You walk across the street for some coffee and run into people you know. It's an ideal work environment." Though VEO Art Studio began taking its first students in January, Wilson has been dreaming up the concept for some time. In fact, she came up with the name a decade ago. "'Veo' means 'I see' [in Spanish]," says Wilson, "and in teaching art, I think that one of the biggest thing you learn is how to see, to be analytical about seeing. The core of learning and teaching art is seeing." Wilson offers single introductory courses as well as a series of classes and intensive courses. She has partnered with other local artists to expand her class offerings. Wilson hopes to continue making partnerships in the art community in Chelsea to eventually built a cooperative where artists can share resources and provide a larger variety of courses and events. VEO Art Studio is located in an 800-square foot space on N. Main St. in Chelsea. Source: Elizabeth Wilson, VEO Art Studio Writer: Natalie Burg

Amanda Taylor at Eastern Michigan University

Guest Blogger: Amanda Taylor

By Amanda Taylor

●

Diversity & Equity

●

May 22, 2013

Continuing our series of new college grads giving their post-grad outlooks, EMU alumna Amanda Taylor, who chose to remain rooted in Ann Arbor for her graduate psychology studies, writes on the area's educational and socioeconomic diversity.

Shaquille Brown in the Community Kitchen with Scott Roubeck

Career Education in the Kitchen

By Patrick Dunn

●

General

●

May 15, 2013

To many, Food Gatherers is an organization that collects and provides sustenance for those in need. But feeding the hungry is only part of the equation. Teaching at-risk young adults to find careers in the food industry is another. And with an 87 percent graduation rate, the program is inching our community toward long-term solutions for hunger.