Features

Development News Pretzel Bell logo

U-M-themed Pretzel Bell to open restaurant, sports bar next week

A small group of U-M alumni have decided to reinvigorate the Pretzel Bell brand, opening a new restaurant in the old Lena and Habana space at Liberty and Main streets.

Innovation News Armune Bioscience, Inc.

Armune BioScience lands $4M investment, chases another $25M

Armune BioScience closed on a newly expanded Series A worth $4 million last week, and the life sciences firm has its target set on a $25M Series B round for later this year.

Innovation News University of Michigan Logo

PreDxion Bio's tech helps tailor treatments to patient's immune system

PreDxion Bio has created prototype for a diagnostic device that gives doctors the information they need to precisely tailor treatments to a patient's specific immune response.

Special Report detroitriver

Cleaning up the past for a brighter, 'bluer' economic future in Michigan

Michigan's 'blue economy' presents plenty of opportunities for Michigan's economic future. But first, the state must clean up the sins of its economic past.

Feature Story Nancy Shore with some Zipcar's at the Library Lot

How Ann Arbor public transit fits into the new shared-mobility network

Uber, bikesharing and Zipcar are the newest pieces in our local transportation puzzle. So what does that mean for Ann Arbor's public transit system? Concentrate digs in.  

Development News Liberty Flats

Liberty Flats aims to fill missing middle in Ann Arbor housing market

Liberty Flats' 68-unit apartment complex in Ann Arbor aims to provide housing for middle-class families on the city’s west side.

Innovation News Nexient

Systems in Motion becomes Nexient, doubles Ann Arbor office space, adds staff

The newly rebranded California-based IT firm Nexient has doubled its office space in Ann Arbor and hired 20 people over the last year. They now employ nearly 250 people locally and predict adding another 100 over the next few years.

Feature Story Jesse Kranyak and Mark Maynard at 209 Pearl Street

Landline Creative Labs: The next step in Ypsi's renaissance?

Finding work space has always been a challenge for the local creative community, and after the closing of Spur Studios, it hasn't gotten any easier. Enter Mark Maynard and Jesse Kranyak, who hope to fill the gap by turning a downtown Ypsilanti building into a live/work/retail hub. 

Feature Story A2 Water

The Backstory: Water, water everywhere

Ann Arbor has a first class water treatment system, but that wasn't always the case. Concentrate's resident historian Patti Smith takes a look at the city's long-standing connection to the Huron River.

Development News An ADU in Santa Cruz

Granny flats stir the development pot in Ann Arbor

The city of Ann Arbor is proposing to rewrite the regulations governing accessory dwelling units, making it easier for home owners to build a small apartment into their principal residence.

Development News Huron Street Bus Depot - Ann Arbor

Zingerman's opens The Greyline in downtown Ann Arbor

Zingerman's is moving forward on plans to build out a special events venue in downtown Ann Arbor called The Greyline. The 5,000-square-foot space will occupy the first floor of the new Marriott Residence Inn at the corner of Huron and Ashley streets.

Innovation News Inmatech logo

Inmatech expects breakout year for its battery tech

Inmatech has some grand ambitions for its battery technology in 2016. The Ann Arbor-based firm is looking to close on a couple of partnerships, bring its platform to market, and hire a lot of people along the way.

Innovation News HealthCure logo

HealthCure sets sights on investment, new customers in Midwest

Ann Arbor-based HealthCure anticipates investment later this spring, allowing it to expand its clientele across the Midwest.

Feature Story Towner House in Ypsilanti - Washtenaw County's oldest structure on it's original foundation

Preserving our right to preserve: What proposed historic district legislation could mean locally

There is pending legislation in Lansing that could dramatically change the process by which historic districts are created and maintained. Concentrate digs into what it could mean for the future of local preservation.

Feature Story Flint Water

Opinion: Policy ideas to fix Flint's water crisis (and help avoid another)

These fixes aren't just for Flint; they would also buttress other Michigan cities' deteriorating infrastructure.

In The News Cities: Skylines

What computer games can teach us about urban planning

In what may be one of our favorite articles about urban planning, The Atlantic writer Daniel Hertz looks at what computer games say about American attitudes about urban planning.

Development News Vinology

After a decade, Ann Arbor's Vinology renovates its space and mission

After a decade on Main St, Vinology is both renovating its space and making plans to become the go-to restaurant for wine appreciation.

Development News Steve's Signs2

Steve's Custom Signs opens newly expanded space in Ann Arbor

Steve Jedele's custom sign biz has gone from a college business headquartered in his parent's bonus room to a thriving Ann Arbor shop with 14 employees, 

Innovation News John Behrman and coworkers at HookLogic

Revenue growth spike inspires HookLogic to increase its high-tech staff

After hitting $115 million in revenue in 2015, Ann Arbor's HookLogic is looking to significantly grow its staff (and its revenues) in 2016.

Innovation News Yan Ness at Online Tech in Arbor

Online Tech aims to hit 100-employee mark by 2018

The Ann Arbor-based company that runs data centers and provides software for cloud infrastructure saw revenue growth of 25 percent last year. And it expects to do that again this year.

Hasini and Harshini Anand are members of Corner Health Center's Youth Leadership Council and mental health advocates.

 


   Voices of Youth
Concentrate's Voices of Youth series features content created by Washtenaw County youth in partnership with Concentrate mentors, as well as feature stories by adult writers that examine issues of importance to local youth. Click here for a full list of the latest content from this series.