Inventor, author, former Marine and Ann Arbor original, John Rosevear has the kind of biography that makes misfits proud. And now, after 45 years of development, his greatest invention --the Skyclock-- may finally earn him his due.
The new thing in tech development is smart phone applications. That's what's driving growth at Logic Solutions.The Ann Arbor-based firm recently hired four new people for its headquarters on the northeast side of town. That brings its staff to 32 people (between its Ann Arbor and Ford offices), a number that is expected to grow significantly by the end of the year."The big push in the firm is on mobile application development," says Angela Kujava, director of marketing at Logic Solutions. "We have had several projects for mobile applications come in the last few weeks."Logic Solutions is a software development firm that will turn 15 years old this year. It has a significant presence both here in Ann Arbor and also abroad in China. There it is has offices in Nanjing, Beijing and Shanghai and employs nearly 100 people.Source: Angela Kujava, director of marketing at Logic SolutionsWriter: Jon Zemke
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
The little student-bred start-up that could, MyBandStock.com, is switching up its game.The year-old start-up based around selling stock in local band projects is tweaking its business plan and relaunching its website this week. The new business model focuses on connecting underground artists and fans via digital access and will feature bands based on user demand. Also, instead of just purchasing straight shares in a band, users can create their own investment through purchasing the band's material or interacting on its website. That can range from buying band merchandise to gaining access to a live stream of a video Q & A with the artist.MyBandStock.com is run by a collective of about a dozen young people and a few more behind-the-scenes investors. Think of it as a Wu-Tang Clan style of conglomeration with students and new alumni from the likes of the University of Michigan, University of Michigan-Dearborn and Michigan State University. They all work from their own virtual offices (i.e. laptop), laboring away on their passion – music. Source: Taylor Hulyk, spokeswoman for MyBandStock.comWriter: Jon Zemke
CarBuddy.com is an Internet start-up but its founders fancy it as a brick-and-mortar business, too."We're not just a website," says Dan Rodriguez, co-founder of CarBuddy.com. "We are a real company you can call."The Ann Arbor-based firm specializes in adding an new twist (Internet) to an old idea (car pooling). The website works sort of like a dating site. It allows people interested in carpooling to enter in information about themselves and what they’re looking for, such as whether they have a driver or passenger preference. The website also figures out the cost structure for riders.The founders plan to focus on Metro Detroit first because the region is so car dependent. They expect their website will become more in demand as gas prices continue to rise and people keep tiring of battling traffic jams with car horns and single-finger salutes. "This has the potential to reach a lot of people," says Albert Rodriguez, co-founder of CarBuddy.com.The start-up launched in April and now employs six people and three independent contractors. It has office space near Briarwood Mall. It plans to expand as it grows. One of its first priorities is to start hiring for a call center so people using the service who get stranded won't remain so for long.Source: Albert and Dan Rodriguez, co-founders of CarBuddy.comWriter: Jon Zemke
All roads lead to Ypsilanti, at least they do for Schoolpictures.com. And the web-based start-up is coming toward the end of a long road now that it is moving into its new headquarters next to Eastern Michigan University."We are moving," says Skip Cerier, president of SchoolPictures.com. "We are in the process of packing."Schoolpictures.com took over the old Ave Maria University campus, turning the old elementary school into a silver LEED building. The renovated structures will house 41 people in about 21,000 square feet of space. "We took a 60-year-old building that easily could have been bulldozed," Cerier says. "We're saving millions of BTUs by saving this building."He's not only saving it but planning to expand it. While renovating the campus' main building, he built in enough support to add a second level. That is meant to facilitate the growth spurt Cerier expects his firm to go through in the near future."I did that anticipating growth because I don't want to move again," Cerier says.With that in mind, Schoolpictures.com is taking a long-term view with the renovation project through a combination of recycling, energy efficiency and alternative energy practices. For instance, construction workers recycled 78 percent of the debris from the project. Cerier also put in a number of energy efficiency extras, such as special blinds that significantly up the R-value of the windows. The firm is also installing green roofs on the two main buildings and renovating a 1864 Victorian home into a place for meetings and to entertain potential clients. A large wind turbine could also be in the building’s future next year.Source: Skip Cerier, president of SchoolPictures.comWriter: Jon Zemke
A trio of University of Michigan MBA students/grads is working to put the power of home improvement back into the hands of the homeowner.Their home improvement customization software and service company – Roomations - is based out of TechArb student business incubator in downtown Ann Arbor. It hopes to launch its Beta website early next year.The website will provide step-by-step guidance and professional advice for improving single-family homes. It will also serve as a resource for local tradesmen and designers so homeowners can re-create their home room by room."We hope to help homeowners achieve their remodeling goals," says Katie Miller, director of design and construction for Roomations.Miller got the idea for the website will working in local community development in Detroit's Mexicantown neighborhood on the city's southwest side. She, Lakshmi Bhargabe and Jessica Goldberg decided to make a go of it as a start-up earlier this summer after they met at U-M's Ross School of Business.Source: Katie Miller, director of design and construction for RoomationsWriter: Jon Zemke
It's that time of year again, where drunken adults play dress up and neighborhood kids beg for candy. Editor Jeff Meyers points you toward some groovy Halloween apps, Nosferatu - the original movie vampire, lesser known horror flicks and the mad love some A2 streets show for All Hallow's Eve.
Ypsilanti is making its voice heard in the vegan movement thanks to two bloggers taking part in the 3rd annual Vegan Month of Food, commonly referred to as VeganMoFo.The event is a virtual gathering of 350 bloggers, twitters and other assorted authors of the World Wide Web. They are posting at least five days a week about eating vegan throughout October in an effort to spread the word about consuming non-animal products."I tended to rely on online news sources for suggestions and substitutions for my cooking," says Jennifer Albaum, an Ypsilanti resident who is participating in VeganMoFo this year through her blog Scrumpdilly. "It's just a big resource for me today."Albaum points out this sort of virtual idea sharing is key because veganism isn't as prevalent in most of the Midwest, especially in small towns like Ypsilanti, which doesn’t have vegan-dedicated restaurants. Her blog and fellow Ypsilanti resident Mark Dickson's blog, Irreverent Vegan, are taking part of the event.An alphabetized list of all participating blogs can be found here and a link to the public RSS feed here. The original blog for the event organized by vegan chef and cookbook author Isa Chandra Moskowitz can be found here.Source: Jennifer Albaum, author of the Scrumpdilly blogWriter: Jon Zemke
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