Technology & Innovation

Coverage of innovative research, development and deployment of technology and technological advance, including hardware, software and software as service.

AA EDM turns belly up biz into new Ann Arbor start-up

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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September 2, 2009

John MacGregor and his partners spent most of their career working for the man. That is, until they decided to jump into the entrepreneurial world and become their own bosses by starting AA EDM last July.The Ann Arbor-based firm bought the assets of a bankrupt company that made electronics technology for machines used in diesel engine manufacturing. MacGregor and his partners (George Barbulescu and Nicky Borcea) are now making a go of it after spending several decades each in the industry."We made other people money," MacGregor says. "We decided we were going to do it for ourselves. Even though the company went under, it still had a viable product."It also came with some inventory, demonstration machines, and a built-in customer base. The company builds machines and tools for diesel engines manufacturing, but it is such a niche market that the trio aren't worried about the work being shipped overseas.Instead, they work away from offices on Jackson Road with their three employees. They hope to add 3-5 more within six months and they continue to slowly but steadily build their own company."It's not a fast-growing business, but it's a profitable one," MacGregor says.Source: John MacGregor, president of AA EDMWriter: Jon Zemke

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Ann Arbor’s tech community banks on millions in federal stimulus funds

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Community Development

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September 2, 2009

If money follows talent, Ann Arbor should be feeling pretty good right now.Excerpt:The federal economic stimulus package is becoming an ATM for Ann Arbor's technology community.The $787 billion program, officially called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is becoming a financial beacon of hope for university researchers and local entrepreneurs.A sudden flood of stimulus funding to the Ann Arbor region reflects the research talent and engineering strength of the local economy.Read the rest of the story here.

Switchback hires six people in Ann Arbor

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Economic Development

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August 26, 2009

Last time we checked in with Switchback, the newly formed start-up's two partners were figuring out their business plan and fighting to gain footing in the competitive world of Ann Arbor start-ups. My how times have changed.The almost-2-year-old firm now employs 11 people, an intern and is looking to hire. The staff is expected to double within the next year. The software-development firm, started by Mike Monan and Stephen Colson, continues to bring new products to the market, bad economy or no."There are still deals to be done and relationships to be made," Colson says.Switchback's technology helps businesses better manage their websites without all of the hassle of IT departments or in-house experts. It utilizes a Drupal programming platform, since both Monan and Colson met at a local Drupal Users Group meeting."There is a lot of demand for us," Colson says. "People are realizing that their websites need to work for them."Source: Stephen Colson, co-founder of SwitchbackWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor reaps windfall of investment for battery technologies

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Education

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August 19, 2009

Advanced batteries for cars might scream Detroit but they mean big investment (and jobs) for Ann Arbor.Excerpt:The auto industry’s rapid embrace of lithium-ion batteries for future electric vehicles is fueling an oasis of investment for Ann Arbor in the midst of the economic desert that’s drying opportunity in Michigan.Ann Arbor’s scientific contributions to the battery development race are evident in the success of researchers and business executives in landing enormous amounts of government funding and private capital to accelerate the technology.A123Systems, a startup with strong ties to Ann Arbor, received $249.1 million in grant funding through the federal stimulus package in an announcement Aug. 5 in Detroit. The announcement was coupled with additional grants totaling some $2.4 billion, including more than $1 billion for Michigan operations.Read the rest of the story here.

ICON Creative Tech finishes move into old Ann Arbor Art Center

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Community Development

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August 19, 2009

What was once the second home for the Ann Arbor Art Center just outside of Ann Arbor is now the main office for ICON Creative Technologies Group.The 14 year-old Internet firm bought the 11,000 square-foot space at 220 Felch earlier this summer after outgrowing its old 3,500-square-feet of downtown office space. The company's 20 employees (including two new hires) are now in the space. Even with all of these people, there is still plenty of room to spare. So much so that ICON has taken on a tenant - Pure Barre. For now ICON is settling into just over half the space, 6000 sq feet, and expects to grow into the rest within five years when it hits 60 employees.The single-story structure, a block west of Main Street just north of downtown. For years it served as an annex for the Ann Arbor Art Center, which has its headquarters in the heart of downtown. Source: Sara Johns, project manager for ICON Creative Technologies GroupWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor’s ProQuest doubles in size

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Economic Development

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August 19, 2009

The company that is ProQuest today hasn't changed its business philosophy since it was started in Ann Arbor 71 years ago.Back then the company focused on commercializing microfilm. Today it focuses on offering specialized information --journal articles, dissertations and newspaper stories (it has agreements with The Detroit News and Free Press)-- electronically. They sell it to researchers at every level, from grade school to commercial."The last two years we have grown substantially," says Elliot Forsyth, senior vice president of human resources for ProQuest. "We have literally doubled in size. A lot of that has been through acquisitions and strategic investments back in the business."Today the company employs 1,700 around the world, including 550 in Ann Arbor. It has been sold a couple of times over, including to the likes of Xerox, before becoming a subsidiary of the Cambridge Information Group two years ago.The company plans to streamline its business so it can offer one-stop shopping options to its customers. It is also looking at some strategic acquisitions or partnerships in the near future."We will still continue to grow," Forsyth says.Source: Elliot Forsyth, senior vice president of human resources for ProQuestWriter: Jon Zemke

A Passage From India

By Constance Crump

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Community Development

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August 19, 2009

With a population of nearly 1.2 billion, India occupies a rather large corner of the world. And with its growing technological industries it was bound to discover Ann Arbor's deep well of innovation. But is our region making the kinds of international connections that are necessary to thrive in today's global economy?

Killing the Ann Arbor News to save it

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Economic Development

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August 12, 2009

The death of the Ann Arbor News continues to make its way up the media grapevine, this time making the pages of Time magazine.Excerpt:When Larry Kestenbaum, clerk of Washtenaw County, Michigan, was in Lansing for a meeting recently, he saw something unfamiliar on the faces of the other clerks: pity. Colleagues from hard-pressed towns like Flint, Jackson and Kalamazoo were offering sympathy because, despite everything, they still had a local newspaper, while Ann Arbor, his county seat, did not.At first blush, Ann Arbor is an unlikely place to earn the dubious distinction of being the first good-size municipality in the U.S. to give up on its only daily newspaper. A2, as the town is known, is more or less the beauty queen of Michigan: pretty, confident and seemingly immune to the problems of her peers. It still has a downtown with sidewalk cafés and quirky local stores. Its biggest employers are two universities and two hospitals, and it has weathered the recession better than most of the rest of the state. Nearly half its residents have graduate degrees. How could the paper die in a place like this?The answer is that it didn't die. It was killed by its owners in a high-stakes gamble to try to create a new and more profitable enterprise. (In the past nine years, the paper lost more than half its classified-ad pages.) The Ann Arbor News ceased to exist on July 23. On July 24, AnnArbor.com was launched. The new website has a paper version — also called, oddly, AnnArbor.com — that comes out on Thursdays and Sundays. The News's owner, Advance Publications, is betting it can rebrand the 175-year-old News as a Web publication, turn a profit and still satisfy its readers' craving for local news. A lot of U.S. newspapers, and their readers, have a stake in whether the experiment in Ann Arbor succeeds.Read the rest of the story here and how Jack Lessenberry skewers Ann Arbor.com in the Metro Times here.

Federal stimulus worth $61.1M so far for U-M researchers

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Education

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August 12, 2009

The federal stimulus package is turning out to be a good thing for the University of Michigan. The university has nailed down 159 research grants from the stimulus fund, totaling $61.1 million.Most of those grants (113) are focused on healthcare in one way or another. That means they are supporting efforts like cancer research and vaccine studies. It also means even more cash for the University Medical School to train new researchers."It allows us to add more hands in the laboraory," says Steve Kunkel, senior associate dean for research at the University of Michigan Medical School.Other projects the grants are funding include ultra-energy-efficient computers and the next generation of rechargeable batteries. One of the biggest is $19.5 million for research and development of solar cells. The federal stimulus package, worth $787 billion, still has some dry powder (funding) left. More research grants are expected to be announced later this year. Source: Steve Kunkel, senior associate dean for research at the University of Michigan Medical SchoolWriter: Jon Zemke

Tolle on the Totter: Newspapers

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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August 5, 2009

An interesting conversation about what should have happened at The Ann Arbor News is held on a teeter totter.Excerpt:[Ed. note: The consultancy operated by BT, which is mentioned below, is The Tolle Group. Other entities mentioned below: The Ann Arbor Chronicle and The Workantile Exchange.] HD: Let's climb aboard. BT: [laugh] It takes me back to--who's going first? HD: Well, you know it's a collaborative endeavor. BT: I like this view. The street is so great. HD: It's not bad. [Photography ensues. HD encounters problems with the high-tech camera.] BT: Technology is not my strong suit. HD: Oh, that's not true, I know that for a fact. Well, I think I know that for a fact. So, welcome to the teeter totter! BT: Thanks, Dave. Read the rest of the story here.