Entrepreneurship

Not one, two, three, but four new restaurants coming to downtown Ypsi

By Newsroom

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January 18, 2012

The restaurant scene in downtown Ypsilanti is heating up times four with the upcoming openings of four new eateries, one of them a reopening of a beloved institution that feels to some as old as Ypsi itself. Wolverine Grill on Michigan Avenue, a diner-style restaurant with kitsch galore and a reputation of being like one of the family to locals, will be reborn under the same name and operated by a new chef and manager. "It's going to keep parts of the menu and the things people loved. But it's going to be rebooted. It's going to be great," says Teresa Gillotti, city planner for Ypsilanti. Some freshening-up improvements are being made to the restaurant with the possibility of completing a more extensive renovation down the road, Gillotti says. Across the street from Wolverine is a major overhaul of the former T.C.'s Speakeasy, which is making way for Red Rock, a barbecue restaurant that is being reconfigured to put an impressively crafted bar in the center. Parts of the building are being repurposed and the overall history is being preserved and enhanced, Gillotti says. Wolverine is expected to re-open for business in early February and Red Rock should open in February or March. Going through a soft opening in prep for an official launch in coming days is Wurst Bar on Cross Street in downtown. It replaces Theo's Bar & Grille, a popular Eastern Michigan University bar. Wurst Bar will offer a menu of gourmet brats and burgers for meat eaters and vegetarians and also specialty beer and freshly prepared foods. It may team up to smoke a sausage for the new Red Rock. The fourth of the new bunch of restaurants and the last to open, as the owner is just now beginning official planning on the foreclosed property, will be an Italian restaurant on Washington Street. The Italian owner will complete a major renovation of the two-story building. The first floor will house the restaurant and the second floor will be a continuation of the restaurant or separate retail. "It's funny how all this is happening at once," Gillotti says. "It's exciting that we're going to have such a mix of restaurants, new styles of restaurants to add to downtown." Source: Teresa Gillotti, city planner, Ypsilanti Writer: Kim North Shine

Latest in Entrepreneurship

Cultivating a Fresh Food Hub in Washtenaw County

By Dennis Archambault

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General

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January 18, 2012

As economic systems go global, establishing a sustainable and vibrant market for local produce becomes a challenging mix of production, distribution, community engagement, and entrepreneurship. Ann Arbor's greenbelt is opening the door to forward-looking ideas about how we create a local food hub to feed our residents.

Are You Satisfied? A Conversation with ForeSee Result’s Larry Freed

By Jon Zemke

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General

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January 11, 2012

Ann Arbor-based ForeSee Results has seen growth every quarter of its existence. That's a pretty impressive track record for this U-M spin out. CEO and co-founder Larry Freed talks about his home grown approach to hiring, our area's startup climate, and what we need to keep and attract more young talent.

Are You MPowered?

By Natalie Burg

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General

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January 11, 2012

The student-run MPowered is U-M's startup for startups. Living up to its name, it has not only prodded the university into offering more classes in entrepreneurship, it has also attracted a community of business-minded students through its 1000 Pitches Summit and annual Career Fair. This year they debut "Startup Weekend," a 54-hour event which seeks to create a web or mobile applications business in a weekend.

Menlo Innovations plans to triple office space, double headcount

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Community Development

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December 14, 2011

Come springtime, Menlo Innovations, a custom software developer known for its democratic culture and open-design office, will be moving into a 16,900-square-foot space at The Offices at Liberty Square at 500 E. Liberty St. in downtown Ann Arbor. The new space, all on one floor, nearly triples the square footage of its current Kerrytown office. To give that some scale, Menlo,s work space will more than double the size of a regulation baseball infield. "Especially for the type of work we do and the way we do it, people often come in look at Menlo and they wonder, if we look really full, they wonder where they will fit their project in our company, in our space. And so we have to kind of build out the space ahead of the curve," says Rich Sheridan, president and founder of Menlo Innovations. The firm's Kerrytown office was a tripling of its previous space, and now a tripling is taking place again. Menlo currently has 40 people on staff, a mix of full-time employees and independent contractors. Sheridan sees a doubling of that headcount in the next two years. "It's always a little hard to predict, but we're certain we had our best year ever in 2011, so all indications are pointing up." The build-out of the space is being finalized, with the move likely taking place in April. The office will be a big open room, with the high ceiling as a focal point, Sheridan says. "We always want everybody to be within what we call "eyeshot and earshot" of one another. We want to be able to see each other all the way across the room," he explains. "We often jokingly refer to our internal company communication system as 'high-speed voice technology.'" Quieter glassed-in conference rooms are available as needed, but conversing is a key part of the culture. "We don't like to use email when we communicate with each other internally in the company. We like communication that includes eyebrows." The enhanced space means bigger options, such as a moms' room, to fit the company policy of allowing new mothers to bring their babies to work. Additionally, Menlo will be establishing a permanent area to host training workshops that are open to the public. In its current office, the training area is set up as needed and then taken down. And looking ahead, a new business accelerator under the Menlo umbrella is also part of Sheridan's vision. Menlo will also be sharing the floor, or more precisely, a door and a glass wall, with TechArb, the University of Michigan accelerator for student start-ups. The presence of TechArb as a neighbor was a definite factor in Menlo's choice of a new home. Sheridan adds, "I'm teaching an entrepreneurship practicum right now at [U-M] and some of my students are actually in that space right now, so I think this is a nice mixing of town and gown, if you will." Source: Rich Sheridan, president and founder of Menlo Innovations Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

MI vs SF: The Art Of The Business Plan Competition

By Jon Zemke

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General

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November 30, 2011

One excels at style. The other, substance. But when it comes to nurturing an entrepreneurial ecosystem, both matter. Jon Zemke attends Silicon Valley's quarterly Founder Showcase and our own annual business plan competition, Accelerate Michigan, and finds a clash of both cultures and community.

The Brides Project adds social entrepreneurship to wedding market

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 16, 2011

The Brides Project is coming to downtown Ann Arbor, straight from Canada. The non-profit sells donated used wedding dresses from across the country at a retail shop in downtown Ann Arbor. All proceeds go toward the Cancer Support Group of Ann Arbor. The concept is based on a similar project that is up and running in Toronto. "That's the way non-profits need to be thinking these days," says Monique Sluymers, co-chair of The Brides Project. "They need a business to help fund their ventures." So far The Brides Project has taken in 189 dresses and has sold a little more than half a dozen since opening in September. The social entrepreneurship venture is ahead of its initial sales goal, about one per month, and expects to be in full swing by next spring. "I'd like this to be a comfortable project," Sluymers says. "I just want this to be a steady source of revenue for the cancer support society." Source: Monique Sluymers, co-chair of The Brides Project Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Accelerate Michigan attracts international interest this year

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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November 9, 2011

The second annual Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition is attracting more attention from investors outside of Michigan this year. The business plan competition has attracted some representatives from big-name venture capital firms to judge and work with the Michigan-based start-ups competing in this month’s event. Among those big names are Boston Millenia Partners and Masdar from Abu Dhabi. “We were able to recruit more coastal and international venture capitalists to help judge this year,” says Lauren Bigelow, executive director of the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition. “Last year we only had four months to prepare. It didn’t give people a lot of time. This time we did a lot of outreach during the spring.” The Accelerate Michigan competition got its start last year with a goal of showcasing the start-ups and entrepreneurs in Michigan, along with the entrepreneurial resources available to them. It also aimed to make connections between those start-ups and other companies and investors to create more investments and strategic partnerships. This year organizers are also working to create more synergies between larger out-of-state VCs with local venture capitalists. The idea is that it will facilitate more out-of-state money investment into local start-ups without forcing those start-ups to move. Source: Lauren Bigelow, executive director of the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

New flexible office space to open in Ann Arbor’s South State Commons

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Community Development

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November 9, 2011

A global provider of flexible office space, virtual offices, and meeting rooms has taken note of Ann Arbor's entrepreneur community. In December, Belgium-based Regus will open an 11,000-square-foot flex-office block in the South State Commons building complex at South State Street and Oakbrook Drive in Ann Arbor. The space will be divided into roughly 54 offices, meeting rooms, and an administration area, according to Jeff Harshe, vice president of commercial real estate broker MAVDevelopment. "It's geared to small businesses who either want a location here quasi-permanently, and they can lease space from Regus, or for companies who have a business need to come and use space temporarily..." Harshe explains. "It can run anything from a meeting on up to permanent space." Harshe sees the Regus deal as helping to fill an underserved market for office space of less than 1,000 square feet. "There'll be plenty of people who will literally call and want one office," he says. "There are a lot of start-up businesses, there's a lot of individuals who provide business services, and it's a place where they can hang their hat." Source: Jeff Harshe, vice president, MAVDevelopment Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

SRT Solutions developer spins out mobile-call logging app

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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November 2, 2011

Just because someone has a day job doesn't mean he or she can't be an entrepreneur, too. Take Kerry Colligan as an example. During the day, he works as the vice president of operations and marketing for software firm SRT Solutions in downtown Ann Arbor. In his spare time he has developed his own call logging mobile app called Carmel. Carmel logs calls made on a smartphone. After each call it asks the user if he or she wants to log the call, and if so for a few data points. That information is then stored for later use so sales and marketing staff or other interested parties can draw upon that valuable contact information later without sorting through a phone book of nameless numbers. "You know you need to keep a call log but no one wants to do it," Colligan says. "This makes it easier to do it." The $5 app is currently available for Android phones and will be available for iPhones in December. Colligan doesn't believe this app will make him rich or even produce enough work to become his full-time job. However, he does believe this little entrepreneurial experience will help him perform his day job much more effectively from a few different angles. "It gives me a chance to dig into what it's like to build a mobile app from a perspective," Colligan says. Source: Kerry Colligan, developer of Carmel mobile app Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.