Government

Sakti3, A123 Systems receive Centers of Energy Excellence money

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February 3, 2010

Two promising Ann Arbor-based companies got a boost from Michigan's Centers of Energy Excellence program.The two firms represent different sectors in the development of the electricification of the automobile. A123Systems is the established player, employing a few thousand people in its Ann Arbor office. Sakti3 is the start-up, spun off of University of Michigan research and backed by General Motors.Both companies were two of the original six firms designated in the state's Centers of Energy Excellence program in 2008. Then it meant $43 million in funding. The second phase announced last week means another $30 million in funding.The program helps bridge the gap between companies, academic institutions and the state so all three partners can push forward cutting-edge research and development and pioneer new alternative energy technologies. The idea is to help diversify Michigan's brawn-based economy with more white collar jobs doing what Michigan does best - produce world-class automobiles.Source: Michigan Economic Development CorporationWriter: Jon Zemke

Latest in Government

Ann Arbor gears up for Fuller Station work this year

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Community Development

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February 3, 2010

Building a multi-modal transportation station on vacant land in front of the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor isn't as easy as slapping up a bus/train station and a prefabricated parking garage. City and university officials believe it will take a few years to make the proposed Fuller Station fully operational, but work could begin later this year.The city and the university have authorized design teams to jointly make the project a reality. The university is handling the design of the facility while the city handles utility relocation, such as the moving of a 60-inch sewer main 25 feet underground.Eli Cooper, transportation program manager for the city of Ann Arbor, expects work to begin on the first phase either late this summer or early next fall. The actual transportation facility is "probably a year away.""We're in the very early phases," Cooper says.The first phase calls for building a platform that can accommodate up to four buses at a time. A parking garage with 100 spaces on the ground level and about 900 more on levels above is also being planned. The actual train station to accommodate the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line and other components, such as bike parking is expected to come on line in later phases. Local officials are going for federal stimulus dollars and other federal funds to help pay for this project.The city will hold a public information meeting on this project between 7-9 p.m. Feb. 10 in the City Council chambers of City Hall, 100 N Fifth Ave. in downtown Ann Arbor. For information, call (734) 794-6410 ext 43685 or send an e-mail ddykman@a2gov.org.Source: Eli Cooper, transportation program manager for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor DDA moves forward on way finding, parking

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Community Development

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February 3, 2010

When it comes to getting around downtown, Ann Arbor's Downtown Development Authority is finishing off one project and beginning another.The DDA has installed almost all of the components of its $XX way-finding program. The signs are currently up and installed. The last thing the DDA needs to do is clean up the map stations and install the actual "You Are Here" maps throughout downtown. That is expected to be done this month.Downtown parking issues will now be moving to the front burner. The DDA is in the midst of conducting a downtown parking study at the request of city officials. It is expected to report on its finding in April and serve as a basis for future parking planning."It's great to see how the pieces of the puzzle are coming together to create a healthy and strong downtown," says Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.Source: Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development AuthorityWriter: Jon Zemke

Merit Network gains $33M in federal stimulus investment

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Community Development

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January 27, 2010

The federal stimulus has struck again. This time the government cash fairy has granted Ann Arbor-based Merit Network with $33 million in new funding.The money will allow the organization to build a 955-mile extension of the research and education provider's fiber-optic backbone. The REACH-3MC project will serve as a critical broadband service to rural and under-served communities across 32 Michigan counties. The idea is to help bolster economic development by bringing the 21st Century technology and speed to more of the state.The REACH-3MC will connect anchor institutions with national points of presence in Chicago, Southfield and Cleveland, as well as two geographically diverse 10G paths to Internet2. With Merit's existing fiber path across the Mackinac Bridge, for the first time in Michigan's history, the research and education communities in the Upper and Lower Peninsulas will be interconnected. The Ann Arbor-based non-profit manages high-bandwidth communication lines between the major universities in the Midwest in cities like Ann Arbor, Chicago and Detroit. It has a staff of about 65 people and up to a dozen interns from the likes of the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University as of last summer.Source: Merit NetworkWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor to bring W Stadium into sustainable 21st Century

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Community Development

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January 27, 2010

The rebuilding of Stadium Boulevard continues its march east this spring when the city plans to rebuild another section of the thoroughfare.The city will completely revamp the corridor between Pauline and Seventh streets just west of Pioneer High School. Its part of a larger project that has rebuilt the western section of Stadium, mainly around the commercial center on the city's west side."After this phase we don't have any more plans besides those for the East Stadium Bridges," says Elizabeth Rolla, service project manager for the city of Ann Arbor.The work will completely reconstruct the street, converting the four-lane road into a three-lane byway with on-street bike lanes on both sides. The infrastructure will also be replaced, including water, sewer and storm sewer pipes. New sidewalk ramps and ultra-energy-efficient LED streetlights will also be added.Work is expected to begin in March and wrap up in November. A public information meeting will be held on at 7 p.m. Feb 3 in the Trinity Lutheran Church, 1400 W. Stadium Blvd. For information, contact Rolla at (734) 794-6410 ext 43636 or erolla@a2gov.org or click here.Source: Elizabeth Rolla, service project manager for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Successful ACE shows Mich ahead of the entrepreneurial curve

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Community Development

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January 27, 2010

here is a new bit of conventional wisdom forming in local circles: Michigan (the Ann Arbor area especially) is way ahead of the rest of nation when it comes to building small businesses and cultivating entrepreneurs. Some concrete evidence of that popped up last week at the Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship in Ann Arbor's Skyline High School. Attendance almost doubled, going from 550 last year to 917 last week. That helped create a buzz of optimism about the state's small business climate that seems to be hitting a tipping point."Michigan really does do certain things well," says Gerry Roston, chair of the planning committee for this year's ACE and owner of the Pair of Docs Consulting in Saline. "There are a number of organizations that support entrepreneurship. We seem to have a lot more of these than other states and they work together really well."He points to newcomers like Ann Arbor SPARK as gaining traction and working well with established organizations, like the New Enterprise Forum. A main focus of groups like this revolve around the idea of what's best for the entrepreneur. It's ethos like this that have attracted economic development agencies from Delaware and California to this year's ACE."They come to Michigan to see how it's done," Roston says.That's not to say the local entrepreneur community has arrived. There is a lot of work to be done to support these burgeoning small businesses. Chief among those is start-up capital in an environment where it seems lenders are frozen in carbonite Han Solo style."We need to grow our venture capital community," Roston says. "We have fund here. They're great funds but they're smaller funds."Which might explain one of the reasons why ACE was so popular this year. The event holds several contests that feature cold, hard start-up cash for the winners. Some of those include $1,000 for Intercollegiate Business Idea Pitch Competition (won by Ken Lange of Saginaw Valley State University for a telescoping dock), a year of corporate membership for NEF and virtual incubator tenancy in Ann Arbor SPARK (won by Howard Brown of Oak Park-based CircleBuilder) and even $140 for the Twitter Biz Idea Contest, which was won by Barbara O’Connell of Ypsilanti's WhereToFindCare.com.Source: Gerry Roston, chair of the planning committee for Annual Collaboration for EntrepreneurshipWriter: Jon Zemke

U-M research hits $1B in 2009, including $218M in federal stimulus money

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Community Development

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January 27, 2010

One billion is quite the number. That includes nine zeros, takes up 10 digits and when talking about money makes an awful lot of people happy.Those people are involved in research at the University of Michigan, which crossed the $1 billion mark, and included $218 million in federal stimulus cash, for research spending last year. It's a first for U-M."It has a substantial impact in accelerating the programs we have already," says Stephen Forrest, vice president for research at the University of Michigan. An audio link of his presentation to the U-M Board of Regents about the university's research efforts can be found here.Of course the problem with reaching new heights is staying there. A $200 million plus bump in one-time funding from the federal stimulus isn't a long-term proposition, so it seems logical the university will have to work hard to keep its research spending in the billion-dollar range. However, Forrest likes to point to trends to answer whether such spending is sustainable."We've never fallen back from a number," Forrest says. "It's always increasing."Other fun numbers recently released from the university in regards to recent research activities are: Research spending is up 9.4 percentThe university produced 350 inventions last yearEight new start-ups were licensed300 university employees are being moved into the newly acquired orth Campus Research Complex (the old Pfizer campus) Source: Stephen Forrest, vice president for research at the University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

Greenbelt begins to take shape around Ann Arbor

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Community Development

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January 20, 2010

Ann Arbor's fledgling Greenbelt is starting to hit its stride as attractive land prices for agricultural land are meeting a growing pot of money focused on keeping them there.Excerpt:Members of the Webster United Church of Christ - the oldest continuously used church in Washtenaw County - say they thought long and hard before agreeing to relinquish the development rights to 94.4 acres behind their aging building.The fact that the land was historically used for agricultural purposes was a major consideration when the congregation decided to accept the $613,000 offer by the city of Ann Arbor's Greenbelt Program. That will ensure the property can't be developed and will remain forever preserved as open space.Now entering its seventh year, the Ann Arbor taxpayer-funded Greenbelt Program is making strides. Administrators of the program are reporting 2009 was one of the most successful years to date. After the purchases of multiple properties in Webster Township, an actual greenbelt is starting to form around Ann Arbor. The congregation of the Webster United Church of Christ recently decided to relinquish the development rights to 94.4 acres of property to the city of Ann Arbor's Greenbelt Program."The congregation overall felt that it was important to maintain the property," said Jim Kulp, chairman of the church committee that evaluated putting the land into the preservation program. "We felt that it would be best to utilize it as a green space area, and when we learned of the Greenbelt Program, we looked into it and it appeared to be an excellent program that would serve that purpose."Read the rest of the story here.

Michigan Microloan Fund makes $170K in new loans

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Community Development

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January 20, 2010

The Michigan Microloan Fund Program has struck again, continuing what promises to be a common occurrence in 2010.The program made $170,000 in loans to CTC Holdings, Energy Management Devices, MemCatch and Motor City Wipers. All of the companies are from southeast Michigan and half of them are from the Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor area.The micro loans provide funding for start-ups so they can either commercialize their product or accelerate their business growth. The $1.5 million program will make anywhere from 2-4 loans of a few thousand dollars each per month for 2010. That's another 24-48 fledgling local businesses receiving financing during a time when loans for small businesses are almost non-existent."I don't think the demand is going to decrease," says Skip Simms, fund manager for the Michigan Microloan Fund Program. "It has become a very popular way for start-ups to get a small amount of capital to get them to a significant milestone."Ypsilanti-based CTC Holdings is commercializing advanced VOCs-to-Energy Products that convert VOC emissions into concentrated fuel. That fuel can be paired with a Stirling engine, fuel cell, IC engine or micro-turbine to create useful electricity or burned in a boiler to create thermal energy.MemCatch is creating a social knowledge network that helps users build and share information. The Ann Arbor-based firm's system collects, collaborates, shares and enables sharing of information within a private network or an open database.Commerce Township-based Energy Management Devices, a spin-out of Sterling Technologies, is commercializing its g-plug family of products. The g-plug monitors a computer’s power consumption, and when the computer powers down, it automatically shuts down computer-related peripherals such as laser printers, monitors, and amplified speakers.Motor City Wipers is developing an advanced windshield wiper system that solves several of the shortcomings of today’s windshield wipers, including the build-up of snow, ice and other solid debris from the windshield wiper blade. It's based in Rochester. Source: Skip Simms, fund manager for the Michigan Microloan Fund ProgramWriter: Jon Zemke

Mackinac Center: Ann Arbor leads in school insurance cost containment

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Community Development

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January 13, 2010

Where money goes in regards to public education is always a hot topic. The libertarian-based Mackinac Center says Ann Arbor Public Schools is sending some of it in a great direction.Excerpt:Van Beek noted that AAPS "is on the forefront of having employees contribute. That kind of system is what a lot of schools would benefit from."Read the rest of the story here.