Dominika Wozniak has already had a pretty impressive career, including playing tennis both in college and professionally, as well as being a tennis coach and personal trainer. Now, she's planning to add "business owner" to that list of titles with her own gym, FitLife.  "I did a lot of independent training in the past," she says. "I just rented a gym and ran my class in different locations. Now I feel like I have a pretty good base of clients and want to spread the word to come and joint the studio." Wozniak plans to open her fitness studio in a 3,500 square foot space near State St. in Ann Arbor, but first, she's planning to raise part of the funds to launch FitLife through the crowdfunding website Indigogo. Because she requires such a large space and commercial property can be difficult to come by locally, she's hoping her campaign will prove her business's viability to her prospective landlord.  As far as plans for the business itself, she has a clear vision of what she's hoping to create. "We want to do group classes, and we'll have a separate area for personal training. Or they can do a buddy session where two people share one training session," says Wozniak. "Variety is key. I want to make sure the people who are coming to class, can pick what would make them happy." Though the campaign will run for 30 more days, Wozniak hopes to move as quickly as possible to open FitLife. She hopes to open in January, and plans to employ a minimum of five trainers at the facility.  Source: Dominika Wozniak, FitLife Writer: Natalie Burg

The fact that residential and commercial development is on the rise is good news for a lot of folks, but perhaps few more than Midwestern Consulting, an engineering services firm. Though their staff dipped to 32 employees during the recession, that number has risen to 55 over the last 24 months, including four newly added positions.  "The residential and commercial development is up about 40 percent of what it was last year," says Scott Betzoldt, a partner with Midwest Consulting. "These people we've added are directly involved in residential and commercial development." Midwestern Consulting has provided engineering services such as civil, environmental and transportation engineering, as well as surveying, planning, information technology and landscape architecture to both private and public clients since 1967. The new positions include  a senior project manager, project engineer, project landscape architect, and engineering and ACAD Technician. Between them the four new employees have more than 60 years of experience in their fields — they don't represent the end of the Ann Arbor firm's growth.  "We would like to increase our client base in Washtenaw County and Southeast Michigan and try to return to what we were before 2005 and 2006," says Betzoldt, referring to the company's pre-recession staff of 85, "and at that point, we'll then consider branching out into other parts of the state."  Source: Scott Betzoldt, Midwestern Consulting Writer: Natalie Burg

Integrated Sensing Systems, AKA ISSYS, recently received a patent for one of its minimally-invasive procedures used to insert its sensing technology, The Ypsilanti-based tech firm designs and develops microelectromechanical systems for medical and scientific sensors. Its technology (miniature, wireless, batteryless, sensing implants) can be used in a variety of ways, such as wirelessly monitoring a heart or as fluid sensors in industrial manufacturing. The new patent is part of Integrated Sensing Systems’ sensor implementation as part of a minimally-invasive procedure, such as arthroscopic surgery. "The patent covers how you do the actual implementation," says Nader Najafi, president & CEO of Integrated Sensing Systems. The 19-year-old company has hired four people over the last year, including three engineers and an administrative person. It now has a staff of close to 30 people and is looking to hire another three people in engineering and quality control. Integrated Sensing Systems has experienced incremental growth over the last year, but Najafi is optimistic that 2015 should bring double-digit revenue gains. He points out that Integrated Sensing Systems technology has received government approval for a few countries in Europe, which should clear the way for more sales. "The potential for expansion has improved dramatically for 2015," Najafi says. Source: Nader Najafi, president & CEO of Integrated Sensing Systems Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Arborlight is starting to go national this year, and has its sights set on some big milestones in 2015. The Ann Arbor-based tech startup is starting to sell its sun-light-like LED lights across the country. It now has a backlog of orders amounting to $150,000 and is gearing up to start selling both a commercial and residential version soon. "We have made tremendous strides,”"says Mike Forbis, CEO of Arborlight. "We have completed product development." The 4-year-old company is creating a "daylight emulation system." Think of it as an energy-efficient LED light that can imitate sunlight down to the color, temperature, and other subtle details. The technology has an algorithm that is connected to a weather forecast, allowing the LED to behave in the same way as the outside lighting. Arborlight has developed a commercial version that is 4 feet by 4 feet. It also recently came out with a 2 foot by 2 foot version that can be used in residences. The company has fielded orders from architects across the U.S. "We have a fair amount of interest and traction," Forbis says. Arborlight is in the process of raising a $1 million Series A after raising $500,000 in seed capital last year. Forbis hopes to close on the Series A before the end of the year. The company is currently made up of six employees and the occasional summer intern. It has hired three people over the last year, including marketing and sales professionals. Forbis expects his staff to reach eight people by next year. Source: Mike Forbis, CEO of Arborlight Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Go big or go home. Entrepreneurship is becoming a way of thinking at U-M and this year saw a big uptick in relationships with companies, new inventions and the formation of start-ups. Excerpt: "U-M Tech Transfer recorded number of advancements in fiscal year 2014, the university reported. Researchers reported 439 new inventions in fiscal year 2014, which is up from last year’s 421. Additionally, U-M Tech Transfer also recorded 148 option and license agreements compared to 108 agreements a year ago. There was also 14 start-ups launched, which brings the total number of businesses launched in the past five years to 55." Read the rest here.

Wider traffic lanes are not safer, nor better for a community. We must realign our thinking away from auto-centric policies and toward people-centric policies. Excerpt: "And states and counties almost always apply a 12-foot standard. Why do they do this? Because they believe that wider lanes are safer. And in this belief, they are dead wrong. Or, to be more accurate, they are wrong, and thousands of Americans are dead. They are wrong because of a fundamental error that underlies the practice of traffic engineering—and many other disciplines—an outright refusal to acknowledge that human behavior is impacted by its environment." Read the rest here.

Robotic pedestrians and tricky intersections -probably with traffic circle-ignorant drivers- will be part of the research and testing town created for driverless car research. Excerpt: "A mocked-up set of busy streets in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will provide the sternest test yet for self-driving cars. Complex intersections, confusing lane markings, and busy construction crews will be used to gauge the aptitude of the latest automotive sensors and driving algorithms; mechanical pedestrians will even leap into the road from between parked cars so researchers can see if they trip up onboard safety systems." Read the rest here.

It used to be, the only way to benefit from Luiz Mota's Thai massage and yoga therapy was to either know him, or be referred by a current client. In fact, that's how he got his start, simply by working on fellow martial arts competitors in his early 20s. But the growth of his clientele and their demand for more access to his services has led to Mota Thai Yoga expanding into class offerings and opening to the public.  "I've always been word of mouth," says Mota. "But the more clients I had the more it has been them demanding more." Mota Thai Yoga's transition has been gradual, beginning with Mota's move to an 1,100 square foot studio on W. Huron about a year and a half ago. After slowly adding more offerings, he has now hired an additional instructor and declaring his studio open to the public.  Mota says Thai yoga therapy means something different to different practitioners. He offers it as as an assisted yoga practice that helps clients with injuries, illnesses or physical disabilities. Though he has long offered this and Thai massage, he now offers classes in aerial yoga therapy, other yoga types, small group yoga therapy and male ballet class.  "I'm all about anatomy," says Mota, who is also a certified mortician. "I'm about the energy work too, but I take it to a whole different level. Even after my clients leave, I'm still researching their injury." With the recent hiring of a new instructor, he hopes to soon offer mediation classes as well. Mota's goals are to continue to work with more clients and help them work through their injuries. He plans to hire additional instructors in the future.  Source: Luiz Mota, Mota Thai Yoga Writer: Natalie Burg