Internet

OnlyMyEmail adds staff in downtown Ypsilanti

By Newsroom

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April 7, 2010

The people behind the OnlyMyEmail didn't start their company as the first step of building an empire. They want to solve a problem – email spam.Necessity, the mother of invention, forced the three co-founders to come up with a better mousetrap for spam email. Today the company of less than 20 people (it recently hired one more person) in downtown Ypsilanti is positioning itself to keep up with the numerous forms of email spam and so it could potentially be acquired by a future partner corporation."We don't really have anything else that we need to innovate or do beside keep ahead of the daily onslaught of spam," says Stephen Canale, co-founder of OnlyMyEmail.The company's software has 31 separate layers of protection for every form of spam, such as Zombie, malware and corporate marketing. Of those numerous layers, six of them are there to make sure the important messages people want to read make through all of that protection.OnlyMyEmail is rolling out an archive system. It has also grown to the point where the company runs the email systems for its customers that just don't want to put up with the headache of managing all of those messages. "There is no magic bullet," Canale says. "It's a very complicated problem."Source: Stephen Canale, co-founder of OnlyMyEmailWriter: Jon Zemke

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Pure Visibility adds 2 people in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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April 7, 2010

The leadership behind Pure Visibility knows the economy is turning a corner because the firm is already peaking around it.The downtown Ann Arbor-based firm, which shares the stately First National Building with other new economy companies like LLamasoft, has hired four people over the last year, expanding its staff to 14 people. It is gearing up for even more business and few more hires in 2010."There is something shifting right now," says Catherine Juon, co-founder and catalyst for Pure Visibility. "Larger companies are realizing that they need more than their own marketing departments if they want to grow today."The search-engine-optimization firm specializes in helping its clients attract more traffic by priming their websites so they can be found in things like Google searches. The firm is analytics-certified by Google, which is not a designation that is easily achieved.Juon points out that most of the firms that are upping business with Pure Visibility are those that deal with high-value sales that occur over a long-term cycle. That has prompted Pure Visibility to become more aggressive when it comes to attracting business."For the firs time in our five years we're proactively going after sales," Juon says. "Up until now we have been picking up the phone."Source: Catherine Juon, co-founder and catalyst for Pure VisibilityWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor’s push for Google Fiber gains national headlines

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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March 31, 2010

The A in A2Fiber was on proud display in picture after picture in major media outlets across the U.S. last week.Excerpt:Minutes ago, a small plane flew over the Google campus in Mountain View, Calif., trailing a banner that read "Will Google Play in Peoria, IL?"It was the latest in a series of stunts by cities across the country to get the attention of Google. The Internet giant is promising to build an ultra-high speed network to serve, free, 50,000 to 500,000 people in one or more communities.The stunts, which I first wrote about on Monday, accompany more serious applications by cities and communities making the case why Google should pick them. Google says that more than 1,100 communities expressed interest in the Google Fiber project by the Friday deadline.The stunts included the mayor of Duluth, Minn., jumping into Lake Michigan; the mayor of Sarasota, Fla., swimming with sharks; manatees voting with their snouts; and Senator Al Franken playing his old comedian self. They’ve been joined by the Peoria plane; hundreds of students in Ann Arbor, Mich., singing the “A2 Fiber Anthem”; the waving of a flag on Alaska’s Mount McKinley; a people-powered light display in Greenville, S.C.; and a video by Senator Tom Udall, of New Mexico, poking good-natured fun at Mr. Franken’s clip.Read the rest of the story here, more about it here and how telephone poles could play a critical role in Google's decision here.

Google Fiber means 2 things to Ann Arbor: Choice, opportunity

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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March 24, 2010

When Steve Pierce thinks about what Google's Fiber community would mean for Ann Arbor or Saline/Pittsfield Township he weighs the long-term impact. The co-founder of Wireless Ypsi and expert of just about all things Internet sees the Google pilot program providing two things most people aren't talking about: Opportunity and choice.Choice, as in competition between Internet service providers, who will be forced to provide better service at an even better price. Opportunity, as in the economic opportunities this will provide for Washtenaw County."That connection provides opportunity for entrepreneurs whether it’s a start-up or a big company," says Pierce, who lives in downtown Ypsilanti and runs his business from his laptop. "Bandwidth is king. No matter how fast your connection is you could always use more."Google plans to build and test ultra-high speed broadband networks in a small number of communities across the country. These lines will stream data at 1 gigabit per second, about 100 times faster than most Americans get through their current cable and DSL providers.Ann Arbor got on the bandwagon quickly, launching A2Fiber, a Facebook fan page, a YouTube contest and other online efforts to rally support for its application. The University of Michigan and Ypsilanti are backing Ann Arbor's effort. Saline and Pittsfield Township are filing a competing joint application. As for the local media's talk of competition between the two applications, Pierce thinks its irrelevant."It doesn't matter who the heck wins," Pierce says. "We just need to get this to the county. We need to get past the first round so the Google people will come here and check us out."Pierce believes that Google is looking for a community of about 250,000 people, meaning it wouldn't just be Ann Arbor or Saline/Pittsfield Township alone. It would probably be Ann Arbor and the surrounding area, such as the city, the adjacent townships and probably some nearby towns. That would actually play to Washtenaw County's favor because the general Ann Arbor area features both urban, suburban and rural settings for Google to test. Local municipalities also have an educated population and business community with an almost unquenchable demand for Internet. But even if Google just choose to set up the project in downtown Ann Arbor, the economic ripple affects would be felt for miles away."It's still going to help Ypsilanti because it's going to attract more people to the community," Pierce says. "We are they going to live? Some are going to live in Ypsilanti. Some are going to shop and eat in Ypsilanti. It's going to be huge for the community if we can land these guys here."Source: Steve Pierce, co-founder of Wireless Ypsi.Writer: Jon Zemke

Ethics of entrepreneurship, Q&A with Chris Hall

By Newsroom

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Education

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March 17, 2010

Business and job growth are seen as paramount when it comes to the local economy, but where does developing a local set of business ethics for all of this new commercial activity fit in? Chris Hall has an idea or two about that and plans to make them public at Eastern Michigan University's Ethos Week today.The president of RepairClinic.com, online appliance parts retailer, will speak about "Ethics and Entrepreneurship" at 5:30 p.m. in Room 114 at the EMU's College of Business. The former appliance repairman will elaborate on the ethical challenges facing today's entrepreneurs as they navigate a tough economy, while sharing his own experience as an entrepreneur for the last decade. Hall recently answered some ethics questions for Concentrate via email. Think of it as a taste test of what you can expect to hear from him this evening.The Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area has a developing entrepreneurial ecosystem that is seen as crucial to the development of Michigan's new economy. What ethical issues will or should this ecosystem confront as it develops?As we move further from our manufacturing roots in Michigan, and more into a service economy, I believe we need to relearn what it means to serve others - whether customers or employees. We, as a nation, have become too self-absorbed. Too often we put business interests ahead of the people those businesses are supposed to serve.The line between university research and spinning off that technology for commercial purposes is not always clear. What ethical pitfalls should the local academia and entrepreneurial communities be in the new economy wary of while developing this relationship?Michigan has a rare and unique opportunity. We have a strong manufacturing and technology base in our universities and businesses. And, we know that auto manufacturing isn't going to support Michigan single-handedly in the future. I believe we can become the leader in green technology. To do that, universities and businesses are going to have to share more of their research with each other. As a nation, we're leaning more toward protectionism. As a state, I believe we need to do the opposite. There are many entrepreneurs that would be able to move some of the green technology forward if they were given the chance.When it comes to ethics and entrepreneurs, where should Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti look for guidance?In our own backyard there are two large companies that I believe have been exceptional models of ethical leadership - Ford and Whirlpool. While they haven't been perfect, overall they have set a good example of how to do the right thing by their customers and their employees. On a smaller scale, Zingerman's in Ann Arbor sets a great example of how to do the right thing.Name one thing would you change about the local business area when it comes to business ethics?I would love to see the local communities get together and develop a code of ethics. Then, have local businesses opt in to be randomly audited for compliance to that code of ethics. Finally, build a website where local residents could check out the rankings of a business, and submit complaints for resolution. Kind of like the BBB but with a better resolution process and more transparency in the rankings.Source: Chris Hall, president of RepairClinic.comWriter: Jon Zemke

Hook adds 4 people in downtown Ann Arbor, plans more hires

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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March 10, 2010

Hook is growing in just about every way imaginable. The downtown Ann Arbor-based firm is adding people, clients and office space as it starts to assert itself in the city's growing service-based economy."We've been lucky," says Aaron Schwartz, co-founder of Hook. "We have some great clients who keep coming back to us. There is a great demand for our services right now."That means the commercial-art start-up has expanded its payroll to 10 people by adding four new employees since the last time we checked in with it in late 2008. It has also quadrupled its office space to 2,500 square feet.The 4-year-old firm has also grown its client base and moved itself up the advertising food chain. It has gone from producing auto show materials to moving onto a broader range of interactive advertising. Think: Building micro sites and taking over Internet homepages.The refocusing has allowed the firm to plan for even more growth. It hopes to hire three more people this year and take over some more of its space in its second-floor commercial space in downtown Ann Arbor."We hope to continue growing," Schwartz says. "We get new business every other day. We hope to add more people."Hook got its start when two former University of Michigan students, Schwartz and Michael Watts, decided to take the entrepreneurial leap. Some of its first work incorporated 3-D imagery into commercial art, such as animation and illustrations. One of the firm's first clients included part of Toyota's North American International Auto Show display in Detroit.Source: Aaron Schwartz, co-founder of HookWriter: Jon Zemke

Miilo targets Internet sales for minority cosmetics

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Education

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March 10, 2010

The problem: Finding the best cosmetics for people of color. The solution: Miilo.At least that's what the three budding entrepreneurs at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business are hoping happens with their new start-up. Kimberly Dillon, Oswaldo Maxwell and Kelley Washington are creating a website that specializes in selling cosmetic and hair-care products for women of color."There is a contingent of us who regularly go to Ypsilanti or Detroit to buy beauty products," says Dillon, a U-M MBA student and founder of Miilo. "It's a universal problem. Anytime you go to a new city you have to find the store that sells the products b because they aren't sold at mass retailers."The Ann Arbor-based start-up recently won $1,000 from the Michigan Business Challenge, which is sponsored by U-M's Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. The trio of women is using that cash to finish developing their website, which they hope to launch before the end of the year. Source: Kimberly Dillon, founder of MiiloWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor’s Weather Underground hits No. 2 in weather web traffic

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Education

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February 24, 2010

If you live in the Ann Arbor area and check the Internet for weather forecasts, surf local and go to Weather Underground.The Ann Arbor-based company runs the second most visited weather website in the U.S. -- and in the world. That has translated to upping its revenues and profits by 75 and 25 percent, respectively, in 2009. Last year the firm made four new hires and hopes to add another three in 2010.Weather Underground ranks as the No. 56 most visited website now (mainly because weather systems have been making headlines) and drops only as low as the 70s when traffic is slow. It averages about 10 million page views per day."That puts us a little bit ahead of the New York Times," says Jeff Masters, director of metreology for Weather Underground.The company spun out of the University of Michigan in 1995, thanks to a few academic types plunging into entrepreneurship with the help of the university and some National Science Foundation funds."That was the year the world wide web went commercial," Master says. "It was a bit of untested waters for us."Weather Underground has its headquarters in Ann Arbor and an office in San Francisco (where most of its employees are based). It is now looking to grow in overseas markets.Source: Jeff Masters, director of meteorology for Weather UndergroundWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor, U-M apply for Google broadband project

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Community Development

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February 24, 2010

Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan are pushing to make Tree Town one of Google's guinea pigs, specifically in regards to the cutting edge of broadband development.The city and the university are exploring a request for information from Google to build ultra-high speed broadband networks in communities across America. Both are working to generate citizen interest in the project from local stakeholders. The idea is to demonstrate why Ann Arbor would be the ideal place to conduct this project.The deadline for the RFI is March 26. A city spokeswoman declined to comment on the process, saying more details will be released in the next few weeks.For more information about the Google Fiber for Communities, click here. Source: Lisa Wondrash, communications manager for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Pizza 2.0

By Terry Parris Jr.

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Arts & Culture

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February 17, 2010

It was only a matter of time before pizza went high-tech. From web tracking to on demand orders from your TiVo, Ann Arbor-based Domino's has created a brave new world of snarfing.