Ann Arbor's amazing beer scene has almost become a given for those that live here. For those that don't it's a revelation. Excerpt: "It doesn't take a visitor long to notice the ever-present bouquet in the air of malt and hops, thanks to numerous craft beer bars, brewpubs and microbreweries. Throw in a few stellar beer gardens and it becomes patently clear that this town belongs on every beer lover's list of must-visit burgs." Read the rest here.

Move over Violin Monster, Transformer Joslyn Paige is taking to the streets. Excerpt: "Paige says that he has spent about $800.00 on his ‘transforming’ costume that even moves electrically when he transforms into the vehicle. Judging by the video kids love him. The 28 year old Paige chatted with the Detroit Free Press about his life as a human Transformer. Paige tells the Press that at the end of the day his knees hurt and that his best day of tips was around $700.00. Not bad for a street performer…I wonder how much he would do in say, New York City?" Read the rest here. Watch him here.

Holy seastar! Ann Arbor is ranked number one as a place for swimmers. That's pretty impressive conisdering that we're a land-locked community. Excerpt: "Combine the influence of Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte with demonstrable health and social benefits, and the result is that competitive swimming has exploded in popularity across the United States.  USA Swimming, the sport's governing entity, has released a study breaking down exactly where swimming holds the most sway. The cities most favorable to swimmers don't follow any geographic pattern, stretching from sea to sea and north to south. Metrics include the number of swimmers, swim clubs, and accessible pools, as well as the number of standout swimmers springing from each locale. The winner? Ann Arbor, Michigan." Read the rest here.

When Cathy Melton was a real estate broker in Florida, one of her favorite things about the job was the staging and design of the homes. That love grew into a design services business, and after the serial entrepreneur sold the business and moved back to Michigan, it led her to repairing and refurbishing furniture, which has culminated in the opening of Vintage Barn Boutique in downtown Chelsea.  "I really enjoy the fact that I could transform things and give them new life," she says. "When I started doing the refurbishment of furniture, I found I had a passion for it." Vintage Barn Boutique opened last week on Main Street in Chelsea in a 1,000 square foot storefront. Melton says the high, tin ceiling and the large, picture windows in the front of the shop made it a perfect fit for her work, which she repairs after collecting from estate sales, barns, the side of the road and more.  "Nine times out of ten, if I can repair it, I'll purchase it," she says. "You can buy new furniture anywhere. This, for the most part, is all American made, and meets the high standard of quality that was normal when I was growing up." The environmental factor is an important one for Melton. She says her work not only saves old furniture from filling up landfills, but is also gentle on the earth. She never uses any chemicals that are bad for the environment in her work.  Though only open a week, Melton says the Chelsea community has been very welcoming of her and the new store. She will also accept consignment items that fit the high standards for quality she's established for the shop.    Source: Cathy Melton, Vintage Barn Boutique Writer: Natalie Burg

Lisa Roberts loves being a part of the retail scene on Main Street with her shop Rock Paper Scissors — so much so, that she'll soon open her second venture on street, Bed & Butter.  "As we've grown, we've listened to our customers, and we've heard they'd love to have a place to get a great wedding gift or get a great baby gift," says Roberts. "We thought it was a natural progression for us to offer great gifts for people." Though the opportunity to take over the space soon to be vacated by La Belle Maison only came about recently, Roberts says the idea to create a store around home goods, kitchen, baby items and gifts has been in the works for years. The focus of Bed & Butter, she says, will be to sell items that are as beautiful as they are useful.  Key to Roberts's decision to open her new store on Main was her desire to keep retail an important piece of the downtown business mix.  "We love being a part of Main Street in Ann Arbor," she says. "We're so excited to have the opportunity to provide people with a place to shop locally. As Main Street continues to change, one thing we hope to contribute to a great mix of retail and restaurants." The 333 S. Main store is approximately the same size as Rock Paper Scissors, and Roberts hopes to open by the Wolverine's first home football game in late August. A store manager has already been hired, and Roberts estimates four to six additional employees will join the team. Roberts also plans to eventually add classes to Bed & Butter's offerings, such as calligraphy and cocktails.  Source: Lisa Roberts, Bed & Butter Writer: Natalie Burg

There is a lot of new over at TECAT Performance Systems. The Ann Arbor-based startup has some new staff, new markets for its principal product to explore, and a new name. The 2-year-old firm, which spun out of TECAT Engineering, changed its name to TECAT Performance Systems this summer. It also hired some new staff, including a new marketing person and CEO. The team of less than 10 people has been focused on growing the company’s revenue. It has added to its customer base and has tripled its revenue since 2012. "This year we have already exceeded last year's revenue," says Don Keating, vice president of business development for TECAT Performance Systems. "We have some exciting things in the pipeline for the rest of the year." TECAT Performance Systems is commercializing wireless sensor technology that collect environmental, motion and mechanical information and stream it wirelessly to a central control unit. These sensors, designed to be used in confined spaces, monitor and record live torque data from any rotating shaft. The company is now exploring options on using the technology to measure other things in other industries, such as defense. "The product itself has evolved so it can do multiple functions besides just measure torque," Keating says. In the meantime, TECAT Performance Systems is continuing to refine its sensor technologies with an eye for mass producing them on a much larger scale. However, such a increase in productivity is still a year or two away. "We're in the very early stages of those discussions," Keating says. Source: Don Keating, vice president of business development for TECAT Performance Systems Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Sam Harrell is becoming a brand name in local hackathons and beyond, recently winning several and taking home enough prize money to supplement a comfortable middle class lifestyle. The Ann Arbor-based computer programer and founder of Big Air Software works on mostly consulting contract work in the private sector and developing his own apps. He won the New York City Kaltura Video Experience Hackathon earlier this summer, which included a $50,000 purse. He took $20,000 home when he won the Code Michigan hackathon last fall. He also won hackathons hosted by Ann Arbor SPARK and Maker Faire Detroit, which included some nice tech swag. Hackathons are usually one-day events where software developers, and sometime tech makers in general, collaborate to come up with innovative new technologies in a short, intense time period. Harrell likes them because they help him keep his edge when it comes to staying on top of what’s next in technology. "I just like to move fast and be agile," Harrell says. "Keeping up with tech trends and staying on top of them is a risky business. Not everyone has the stomach for it." When a tech startup goes on a competition tear like Harrell has been on lately that usually means some sort of angel investment isn't far behind the prize money. That's not the same situation with solo operators like Harrell because investors tend to gravitate toward teams with products as opposed to individuals with ideas. That means Big Air Software will probably remain a one-man operation until investors or entrepreneurs figure out a workaround. And that’s fine by Harrell. He is already planning on what to do at his next hackathon. Source: Sam Harrell, founder of Big Air Software Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

MuniRent, the startup that enables municipalities to share heavy equipment, has been gaining traction with some local governments in its first year, but it's finding a lot of easy target clients in Oregon. MuniRent has landed the cities of Chelsea and Milan as clients and is in the process of signing up Washtenaw County, Ypsilanti, and a handful of municipalities in Macomb and Oakland counties. However, it's starting to appear that the startup's easiest opportunities are in the northwestern section of the U.S. "There is a lot of action in Michigan but the biggest concentration (of municipalities open to MuniRent's idea of sharing heavy equipment) is in Oregon," says Alan Mond, co-founder of MuniRent. "Oregon has been doing this since 1995 but they were using Excel spreadsheets." MuniRent launched out of 1000 Tools last year, which is based in the sharing economy where people who own expensive or niche tools can put them up as rentable online. MuniRent is now 1000 Tools primary product, enabling local municipalities to put their heavy or niche equipment up for rent to other nearby municipalities. The three-person startup has spent its first year getting the company established in Metro Detroit, and it also got tipped off to Oregon's affinity for the idea recently. MuniRent also won a place in Code for America’s 2014 accelerator class. About 120 companies applied to take part in the four-month-long program, which takes place in San Francisco, and MuniRent was one of five (and the only one from the Midwest) to make the cut. "We were pretty flattered to be selected," Mond says. "It's a pretty big deal. They are a growing force in the government tech space." Source: Alan Mond, co-founder of MuniRent Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

It's hard to imagine anything better than a grilled cheese sandwich made with gourmet cheese and artisan bread, but Nick Costos has one idea: having that toasty, gooey sandwich delivered right to your door. Grilled cheese delivery, as well as dine-in eating, is coming to Packard St. in August with Grillcheezerie Sandwich Shoppe "We're so used to American cheese and Wonder Bread," says Costos, who previously owned Mr. Greek's Coney Island. "We're going to use artisan bread and different types of cheddars, munsters, goudas, provolones and other specialty cheeses, and then coming up with different signature sandwiches."  Those could include pizza-style grilled cheeses with pepperoni or wild mushroom with pesto, parsley and goat cheese. Costos came up with the idea after living in Montreal for the past eight years and being inspired by the small cheese shops and bakeries there. "I've always wanted to get back into the business," he says. "And I love this town. I don't think you can get this vibe in too many places."  The 1,500 square foot Packard St. space is now under renovation, which Costos hopes to complete by the end of the month. He plans to open Grillcheezerie the first or second week of August. The restaurant will initially employ a staff of about four, and will offer dine-in seating for 12 to 15 diners, as well as delivery. Source: Nick Costos, Grillcheezerie Sandwich Shoppe Writer: Natalie Burg