From chemistry to web development to the co-founder of a growing business women's movement, Carrie Hensel clearly prefers the road less traveled. And the Women's Exchange Of Washtenaw reflects her unconventional approach, creating a unique series of events that encourages professional women to collaborate with and empower one another.
Ann Arbor's WindSight is on a hot streak and expects that to translate into upwards of 60 jobs within the next five years.But the alternative-energy firm still has a long way to go to reach its goal. Right now it has two employees but expects that number to reach 10-20 by the end of next year."We're looking to ramp up hiring this year and next," Williams says.Good thing one of the firm's two current employees is good at spreading the gospel of WindSight. Peter Tchoryk, the start-ups CEO, won the elevator pitch competition at last week's ninth Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship at Washtenaw Community College. He beat out six other competitors from the Great Lakes region.WindSight is a spin-off of Michigan Aerospace Corporation. It is commercializing its parent corporation's laser-based wind measurement products. WindSight's technology provides wind farms and turbine manufacturers with atmospheric information that helps them maximizing energy production while reducing maintenance costs.Source: Cliff Williams, director of product development for WindSightWriter: Jon Zemke
When it comes to helping bridge the gap between Ann Arbor and Detroit, Tree Town-based Perich Advertising & Design is one of the businesses that make it happen.The marketing firm just took on the Downtown Detroit Partnership (Roger Penske's baby) as a client. It joins the likes of General Motors and the Detroit Institute of Arts, which already utilize the services of the 21-year-old firm. Perich Advertising & Design will help to get the word out about downtown Detroit's assets in southeast Michigan.Craig Dunaway, vice president and director of client services for Perich describes his company as an advertising agency with a strong design capability. It specializes in advertising for TV, radio and the Internet. It also does website design.Ernie and Shirley Perich started the firm when they were at a crossroads. The veterans of advertising faced a choice of going to bigger agencies on the coasts or starting their own shop here. Twenty one years after choosing the latter, Perich Advertising and Design employs 25 people in its downtown Ann Arbor offices."We hope to hire a few more in the near future," Dunaway says. Source: Craig Dunaway, vice president and director of client services for Perich Advertising & DesignWriter: Jon Zemke
The last time we checked in with Hook earlier this year, the commercial-art start-up was made up of its two co-founders, a couple of part-time employees and a stable of freelancers crammed into a small office in downtown Ann Arbor. Today it employs six people (meeting its goal for the year) and has tripled its office space."We just kept working, taking on projects," says Aaron Schwartz, who co-founded the company last year with Michael Watts, both former University of Michigan students. "It got to the point that we had to turn down jobs because we didn't have the manpower."Manpower looks like it will be an important word for the 2.5-year-old firm. Schwartz expects to hire another 2-4 people in 2009 as it adds new clients.Hook incorporates 3-D imagery into commercial art, such as animation and illustrations. The firm's clients include Toyota and its work appeared in this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit."We'd like to have more national television work," Schwartz says.Source: Aaron Schwartz, co-founder of HookWriter: Jon Zemke
For Jim Hume, the question isn't why does he run his business in Ann Arbor? For the principal of Phire Branding Company it's more like why wouldn't he?"Ann Arbor is obviously the center of growth in Michigan," Hume says. "There is a lot going on here."Which helps to explain why Phire Branding is doing so well. Hume started the firm that, wait for it, specializes in branding in 2004 with one other person. Today it employs 10 people and the occasional intern or independent contractor. Of those, four were added in the last two years.They have been able to do that thanks to 20 percent growth in its revenue. Its client list demonstrates diversity (Masco, Kraft and the University of Michigan), always a good sign in rough economic times. Phire Branding has landed these firms by staying flexible and constantly diversifying their client base. The firm hopes to focus on website creation and digital marketing in the future as it aims to keep its growth at the current pace.Source: Jim Hume, principal of Phire Branding CompanyWriter: Jon Zemke
Ann Arbor's Ingenex is building up its profile by building profiles for others on sites like LinkedIn.Excerpt:In a nod to the increasing importance of leveraging search engine optimization to improve the visibility of professional social networking profiles, an Ann Arbor digital marketing firm is offering to build profiles for a fee. Ingenex Digital Marketing has created a new service, the Web site SocialHarbor.com, where individuals and companies can create profiles. The company then offers to harvest profile information provided by clients on Social Harbor and created a search engine optimized profile on sites like LinkedIn and AboutUs.org.Ingenex CEO Derek Mehraban said the service offers "an incredible instant search engine optimization boost" for professionals in fields such as accounting and law, where improved Web visibility can mean additional clients."So many people, they know they should be on LinkedIn, but they don't know how to do it," he said.Read the rest of the story here.
It seems like there isn't a pie that Google doesn't have its finger in. Count Eastern Michigan University among them now that Internet search giant is working with students at the school.
Saline residents know how cool their downtown is, but now the city is working to spread the word.Excerpt:The city of Saline hired Phire Branding Co. of Ann Arbor to create a new marketing campaign to help bring more shoppers and new merchants downtown and to research how to best attract this traffic.The Business Development Association, an advisory committee to the Economic Development Corp. for the city of Saline, vetted eight proposals from firms and narrowed the list to three before inviting Phire to present its ideas at Monday's City Council meeting.Jim Hume, a principal and creative director for Phire, told council members that his company found, in preliminary research, that not many people know what to think about Saline."Believe it or not, that's an opportunity," he said.Read the rest of the story here.
MS&L is growing about as fast as people invent Internet trends and is centering a lot of that growth in Ann Arbor where it plans to hire another 20 people in two years.
Adair has been around the Dexter area for a long time and it expects to be around a lot longer because of its Digital Services division.
Our Partners
