We at Concentrate predicted this technology would be game-changing back in 2006, when few believed driverless cars would ever become a reality.  If only we could have made some bets... Excerpt: "The University of Michigan is working with carmakers on technology that would let vehicles talk to each other, all designed to reduce traffic congestion and automate cruise control and smooth out stop-and-go driving. The hope is an automated car system will be developed and implemented by 2021. The system will be developed and tested in Ann Arbor, Mich., the location of the university, which is reportedly testing a pilot program." Read the rest here. More on this here. And here.

Inch by inch the Regional Transit Authority creeps into being, ever-so slowly moving toward the development of a regional public transportation system. Someday. Maybe. Hopefully. Yeah, we're cynical. Excerpt: "Ford faces many challenges in an area that has resisted regional transportation for decades. They include assembling a staff with a shoestring budget, helping to better coordinate services among the region’s transit providers and convincing voters in Macomb, Wayne, Oakland and Washtenaw counties that a property tax hike is needed to fund RTA operations and the Bus Rapid Transit project up Woodward from Detroit to Pontiac." Read the rest here. 

The recent rush of new residential buildings in downtown Ann Arbor might lead some to believe that the 716 more units under development might overkill. Those folks might be surprised to learn that a new study commissioned by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority has found that not only are those apartments and condos needed, but by 2019, 1,800 more housing units will be needed to meet downtown demand.  Not surprised by this is the DDA itself. According to DDA Executive Director Susan Pollay, they hear from people all the time who want to live downtown but found the number of available units to be low. A study like this, Pollay says, not only gives the DDA the ability to advocate for the kind of development needed downtown, but also demonstrates demand for future developers, such as the need for 90,000 to 100,000 square feet of additional office space.  "It gets the numbers out there -  vacancy is lower all the time and office rents continue to rise," she says. "While we may not see a new office building immediately, these numbers help to communicate to developers and business owners to keep an eye on things, because there is a growing opportunity in downtown Ann Arbor." Also mentioned in the report is an average price tag of $1,500 per month for a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Ann Arbor, which is out of reach for households earning between 50 and 80 percent of downtown's Area Median Income. Study author 4ward Planning attributes the elevated rents to the growing desirability of living there. Whether or not meeting the demand with additional units will result in more affordable options, Pollay says, is difficult to tell. A forthcoming Washtenaw County Housing Needs Assessment will hopefully shed more light on the topic later this year.  Source: Susan Pollay, Ann Arbor DDA Writer: Natalie Burg

When Dr. Laura Ganger and her husband A.C. Ganger opened Ganger Dermatology in November of 2012, the goal was to create a different kind of practice. Less than two years later, their results are certainly out of the ordinary. They've grown from a small office of five staff into a new, 6,500 square foot location with four providers and 10 support staff, and a new satellite office in Wixom is forthcoming.  "We decided to rethink everything we could," says A.C. Ganger. "It's paperless, high-tech and we really focus on the patient experience."  That means patients rarely wait longer than five minutes for their appointment to begin, and never have to fill out a clipboard full of paperwork. Ganger Dermatology staff takes everything possible off of the patients' plate, from contacting insurance companies to working with pharmacies.  "We build in buffer so patients don't end up waiting," Ganger says. "We see a lot fewer patients than the typical practice in a day, but we want to spend a lot of time with them." That philosophy had Dr. Ganger booked out three months in advance after her first month in business. The growing practice moved to their current location on Huron Parkway in February after extensive renovations. Ganger plans to begin operations in their new Wixom location in mid-October. They hope to attract other medical specialists to join them in the 15,000 square foot facility.  In addition to growing their business, Ganger Dermatology has also grown into the Ann Arbor community. They have sponsored such events as the Colors of Cancer run and The Event on Main.  Source: A.C. Ganger, Ganger Dermatology Writer: Natalie Burg

A year ago, Atomic Object set up shop in downtown Ann Arbor with plans for some significant growth after acquiring a staple of the local software scene -  SRT Solutions. Today, the Grand Rapids-based software firm has followed through on those ambitions. "We have doubled in size," says Darrell Hawley, co-managing partner-Ann Arbor of Atomic Object. "All of our designers and developers are really business. We're to the point now that we have to turn work down." When Atomic Object acquired SRT Solutions it kept its staff based in downtown Ann Arbor. Since then Atomic Object has hired five people (one designer and four software developers), expanding its Ann Arbor staff to nine employees and one summer intern. It is also looking to hire one design and one software developer right now. Atomic Object has found it easy to grow in Ann Arbor because of the concentration of software work in the area and the firm’s efforts to market its services. "There is just an awful lot of software development going on in Ann Arbor right now," says Ann Marsan, co-managing partner-Ann Arbor of Atomic Object. Source: Ann Marsan and Darrell Hawley, co-managing partners-Ann Arbor of Atomic Object Writer Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Go Docs Go is set to move to downtown Chelsea this fall in order to allow the growing home healthcare company room to accommodate its staff. The Ann Arbor-based company plans to move to the historic Chelsea Clock Tower next month. The new office will triple the space available to the 2-year-old company, giving it room for its roster of ever-growing employees in a dynamic environment. "It's a wonderful building with some great character and history," says Kylyn Mead, practice manager of Go Docs Go. Go Docs Go streamlines the treatment process for people with chronic conditions. It focuses on providing home checkups by nurses and physicians to make sure small colds don't turn into pneumonia. The service helps reduce healthcare costs with its proactive approach that minimizes the time patients spend in a healthcare facility. Go Docs Go has hired a dozen people over the last year, expanding its staff to 20 people. It is also looking to hire another five people. Those positions are primarily made up of physicians, nurses and clinical assistants. Part of the recipe for that growth is Go Docs Go’s new office in Indianapolis. The firm opened it last fall as the company expands it reach across the Midwest. "It's a great market," Mead says. "We love doing patient care in the Midwest. We saw a need and decided to open an office there." Go Docs Go has doubled its revenue over the last year as the demand for home healthcare spikes while the U.S. population gets older. That trend has made Mead optimistic about her firm's near-term growth prospects. "We're on track to do that again," Mead says. Source: Kylyn Mead, practice manager of Go Docs Go Writer Jon Zemke

Not every new economy entrepreneur has the desire to build the next software giant. Some, like Eric Shapiro, just want to keep programing cool technology. The president of Relium has been writing code since the 1980s and launched the Ann Arbor-based software firm in 1987. For most of its life the company has just been Shapiro and an independent contractor or two. In the last few years he added a handful of employees but doesn’t see his company’s staff getting bigger than that. "I'm a tech guy," Shapiro says. "I'm a programmer. When we scale up to five or so (employees) I become a manager instead of a programmer. I don't like that as much." So Relium's staff stays at a handful of people. Last year it was five employees. Today it’s three. Maybe next year it will be four. Maybe. Whatever the number Shapirio's team is focused on keeping the company’s current client list happy and its custom software projects done on time. "I'm vary wary of becoming the pointy-haired boss making technical decision that I don't understand well," Shapiro says. "I would miss being the guys who understands it all." That means keeping up with the technology curve, which is practically a full-time job itself. But it's what Shapiro and his team like doing. They are currently working on the latest iteration of Weather Underground’s mobile app. To them that is more fun working on something a lot of people will see compared to making something from scratch that will have to fight with a lot of competition for visibility. "It's just fun that everyone can use our app because it's a free app," Shapiro says. Source: Eric Shapiro, president of Relium Writer Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.