With an assist from UM3D Lab’s Cube printers, Dr. David Lorch and Dr. Marius Tijunelis developed a clever eye dropper guide.  Excerpt: "During a fellowship at the University of Michigan Medial Center, David Lorch and his partners searched for problems that patients regularly face. The fellowship was designed to teach the entrepreneurial process along the way, leading towards the invention of DROPin, a new and easier way for patients to distribute eye drops." Read the rest here.

Peter Woolf doesn't consider himself a developer, but everything else about his background and interests has led him to become just that. The former University of Michigan chemical engineering faculty member, human health-based software entrepreneur, as well as dance and movement hobbyist has proposed plans for an energy-efficient, 12,104-square foot movement and performance studio on N. Main called Moving on Main. "My goal is less to create a building as a pile of bricks, but instead to create a symbiotic organism that works to connect and nourish the people that occupy it," says Woolf. "Some of this symbiosis involves environmental stewardship."   Woolf's goal is for the building to produce all of its own electricity, and possibly use the rainwater as well. It will be built with materials that have "lower embodied energy," are recycled and recyclable. The Movement on Main business will include both large and small spaces for dance, circus arts, classes, lectures, micro-cinema, weddings and performance on the first floor. The second will include space massage and spa-type uses. Hostel space will also be included. Woolf envisions such activities taking place Moving on Main as meditation, tango lessons, Japanese-style baths and massage.  "There is no single place in Ann Arbor — or anywhere for that matter — where you can do all of this," he says, "so we are creating the space for the business." Though the plans are just in the proposal stage, Woolf hopes for construction to begin in the spring of next year, and be complete by spring of 2016. He plans for Movement on Main to employ both eight to 12 human employees, as well as a virtual staff member named Sammi.  Source: Peter Woolf, Moving on Main Writer: Natalie Burg

Before now, when veterans anywhere in the Midwest needed a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, or TAVR procedure, they had to travel out of state or to a private hospital, as the minimally-invasive surgical procedure heart valve surgery wasn't available at a nearby VA hospital. With the opening of the $2M, 1,000-square foot TAVR Suite at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, that will now change.  "Aortic stenosis is a disease of elderly patients and it's not uncommon," says Dr. Claire Duvernoy, professor of medicine with University of Michigan Hospital and Health Systems and cardiology section chief for VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. "Because our veterans tend to have other, co-existing medical conditions, they may be too high risk for open heart surgery. This procedure was developed those for whom doing an open heart operation is too risky."  Beginning in January, these veterans will have access to the TAVR procedure here in Ann Arbor. Duvernoy expects the suite will begin with about one procedure a week an ramp up to two to three each week over time. The VA Ann Arbor Healthcare Systems celebrated a ribbon cutting at the site this week.  "This is a big step forward," Duvernoy says. "We have our first patient scheduled for January, to allow time for the room to be used and for everyone to get comfortable working there." One nurse and one nurse practitioner will be hired to manage TAVR patients pre- and post-procedure. University of Michigan Hospital physicians with extensive experience with TAVR will be performing the procedures at the VA. Currently, the university hospital performs more TAVR procedures than any other facility in Michigan. Bringing this service to veterans in the Ann Arbor area and beyond is expected to open up the benefits of TAVR to many veterans with aortic stenosis who might otherwise not have qualified for help with their condition.  Contact: Dr. Claire Duvernoy, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System Writer: Natalie Burg

Oxford Companies is positioning itself to become the property management company in Ann Arbor, strengthening its holdings in both residential and commercial areas. The Ann Arbor-based company acquired the Northeast Corporate Center this year, a 220,000-square-foot commercial space near Plymouth and Green roads. "It is the largest acquisition ever for our company," says Andrew Selinger, investment analyst for Oxford Companies. "It also made us the largest commercial property manager in Ann Arbor." The 16-year-old, full-service real-estate firm also recently expanded into the residential market. It purchased the Arch Realty portfolio of off-campus student housing near the University of Michigan in 2012. It has since folded the properties into its operations, upgrading the buildings and improving relations with tenants. The Michigan Daily, U-M's student newspaper, named Oxford Management Services (Oxford Companies residential arm) the best landlord this year. "It's going very well," says Deborah Pearson, marketing director of Oxford Companies. "We have integrated it into our company and opened up a whole new market. We have come a long away with our residential portfolio." Oxford Companies currently has a staff of 50 employees and three interns. It has hired eight people over the last year, including maintenance workers, construction tradespeople, property managers, and a COO. The company is looking to hire two more people right now. The hiring is helping the firm keep up with its growth and prepare for more in 2015. "We are still in a growth mode working on acquisitions," Pearson says. "We're working on an acquisition right now." Source: Deborah Pearson, marketing director of Oxford Companies; and Andrew Selinger, investment analyst for Oxford Companies Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Eastern Michigan University is developing a new way to help bridge the digital divide in Ypsilanti's low-income communities and enhance the city's downtown retail scene. The university's The Business Side of Youth program, also known as the the B. Side, is debuting Digital Inclusion this fall. The social enterprise teaches local at-risk youth how to repair and refurbish computers. It has opened a pop-up store in downtown Ypsilanti where the students sell their services and reconditioned electronics. "It gives them a viable skill," says Jack Bidlack, director of The Business Side of Youth. "It's giving them unique knowledge and skills to fix computers. It also bridges the digital divide in low-income communities." Working class communities have long struggled to keep up with technology advancements. That often means they are at a disadvantage in the job market, especially in the technology-dominant Information Age of the 21st Century. The Business Side of Youth launched six years ago out of EMU with the idea of giving local young people born into working class communities a chance to make inroads in technology careers. The program has facilitated 137 at-risk young people over the years. Each semester is takes on about a cohort of about a dozen of them to teach them skills in both technology and entrepreneurship. "There are plenty of people who work in automotive design because they learned how to change oil," Bidlack says. Digital Inclusion is the latest iteration of that initiative. It is operating a pop-up store where these young people work on computers and mobile devices at competitive prices. The pop-up is located at 10 N Washington St and is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. The pop-up will run through Dec. 17, and Bidlack is evaluating whether it could become a permanent part of the program. Source: Jack Bidlack, director of The Business Side of Youth Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Online Tech is opening its fifth data center this fall. The newly refurbished facility is the company's fourth in Michigan. This is Online Tech's first data center in metro Detroit and part of its expansion plan across the Midwest. The Ann Arbor-based company took an old telecom data center and refurbished over six months to handle cloud computing demands as well. "That is two we have opened this year," says Yan Ness, co-CEO of Online Tech. The other data center is another beefed-up facility that can handle cloud computing demands in Indianapolis. That one opened last spring, and was Online Tech's first outside of Michigan. The 20-year-old company also has three data centers in the Ann Arbor area. Online Tech is embarking on a multi-year expansion plan across the Midwest. It is taking on other Midwestern markets as opportunities present themselves. The company is open to the idea of launching another data center next year but doesn’t have an immediate plans to do so. "It's up in the air," Ness says. "We're certainly excited about Metro Detroit and Indianapolis." Online Tech has hired 15 people over the last year, expanding its staff to 55 people. It is also looking to hire another six people in sales, network administration and support staff. Source: Yan Ness, co-CEO of Online Tech Writer: Jon Zemke

Imagine: treat your workers like real, valuable human beings and seek to inspire them and your business will not only succeed, you'll be heralded as a workplace genius.  Question #4 is probably the best of the lot. Excerpt: "One yellow sign in his office reads, “Caution: Babies and Dog Crossing.” That’s because Menlo allows workers to bring their dogs and newborns to the office. Dogs are allowed because, “Quite frankly, we think it adds to the joy,” Sheridan says. “There’s something about those 4-legged, furry creates that brings out a smile in everybody.” Babies are allowed because 7 years ago, one worker named Traci didn’t have day care options or family nearby to help watch her daughter after the typical 3-month maternity leave. Sheridan told her, “Just bring her in to work.” So Traci brought Maggie in to the office all day, every day for four months. “It was such a wonderful experience,” Sheridan says. So eight other babies have joined the firm in the last 7 years and the office awaits two new babies right now, who will be joining “Menlo dads” in the office soon." Read the rest here.

Here's a convincing argument for why Michigan's varied and silted business communities should find more -eek, we're going to say it - synergy… or common ground. Excerpt: "The story in Ann Arbor is completely different. Despite its proximity to Detroit, Ann Arbor does not depend on the same massive companies. With the University of Michigan as an intellectual, cultural, and financial hub, the industry is knowledge and the spirit is an entrepreneurial one: people don’t depend on pre-existing companies—they start new ones. Consider the fact that the founders of Google and Groupon, and dozens of other successful new economy entrepreneurs, got their start in Ann Arbor. The thing about Ann Arbor, though, is that all this start-up energy and growth is unsustainable. The people who start new companies don’t stay in Ann Arbor. They move elsewhere, to places where they can get the capital they need to quickly grow." Read the rest here.

Melissa and Golaik Mahmutaj's son Brooklyn has always loved trains, and the couple has long wanted to start their own restaurant. When a commercial space right next to the railroad tracks became available in Milan, everything just clicked.  "It seemed like a great place to lay down our tracks," says Melissa Mahmutaj. "We just love it." Brooklyn's Sidetrack opened on Nov. 4 with a train theme that encompasses everything from the decor to the menu. The diner-style restaurant offers such dishes as the Trainmaster Breakfast and the Railbender from breakfast through dinner. Though the 1800s building required significant renovations, the husband-and-wife team brought the restaurant to life primarily with their own elbow grease.  "I had a vision," Mahmutaj says. "My mother watched our kids for us so we could get as much as we could done. We pulled a lot of days where we just drank coffee and stayed as late as we could." Brooklyn's Sidetrack seats about 100 diners and employs a staff of about 13 local workers. Mahmutaj says the reaction from the community has been positive, and they're working to evolve their business along with the suggestions of their customers.  Source: Melissa Mahmutaj, Brooklyn's Sidetrack Writer: Natalie Burg