Tanya MuzumdarWednesday, January 23, 2013

Be it resolved that this harsh winter, arts boosters will get their day in the sun. The city of Saline's Arts and Culture Committee is putting forth the idea of a new arts and cultural center in Saline. The first of two meetings will be held this week in order to gauge public interest. "The purpose of this cultural "campus" or "mall" would be to offer established and growing arts and cultural organizations a common location with space to meet teaching, storage, rehearsal, performance, and display needs, as well as space to grow and expand," says an invitation letter for the meeting. The intention is not for Saline's arts and culture committee, the city, or its school system to either drive or fund the center. "It really needs to be a community effort," says Saline City Council Rep. Linda TerHaar, who is also a Saline Arts and Culture Committee member. "We see our role as the catalyst to get the discussion going." TerHaar says the center, which would be years away from fruition, is not intended to replace any current arts organizations or infrastructure in Saline. The committee is seeking a range of public input on everything from potential locations to funding sources to uses for such a center, according to TerHaar. One location that's been floated is Houghton School, which is not currently in use. The school is located near Saline's downtown and Mill Pond Park. It's also expected that the center would be funded privately, with options including private donations, grant funding, and charging users rent. "We've talked about studio space for individual artists. Houghton School has a kitchen, so if we're at Houghton School there could be culinary arts classes and demonstrations. The Saline Area Players could have a performance, just as an example," TerHaar says, adding, "We see the possibilities as pretty unlimited. We've also talked about landscape art, gardening art. Once again, depending on the facility, the Houghton School has a lovely inner courtyard that we could foresee landscape artists just having a wonderful time designing and working in." The first of two meetings is set for 7 p.m. on Thurs., Jan. 24 at Stone Arch Arts & Events, at 117 S. Ann Arbor St. in Saline. The second will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at a location to be announced on the Saline Arts and Cultural Center's Facebook page. All are welcome. Source: Saline City Council Rep. Linda TerHaar Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Swift Biosciences lands $750K investment, launches 1st product

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Source: Concentrate

Swift Biosciences has scored a $750,000 Series A investment from the Michigan Accelerator Fund I, money that will help the life sciences start-up accelerate the commercialization of its products. "The extra financing will help us with product development and launch," says David Olson, CEO of Swift Biosciences. The Ann Arbor-based start-up is developing molecular biology reagents for research and diagnostic applications that provide new ways to examine disease-related genes. This technology is expected to help researchers analyze samples faster, at a higher volume, and at a lower price per sample. The 3-year-old company launched its first product (a consumable product for genetic analysis that helps detect mutations in things like cancer, with high sensitivity) last year and is set to launch more similar technologies this spring. Swift Biosciences has hired one person (a scientist) in 2012. It now employs 11 people and expects to add more people to its staff, but not in the next few months. "We do expect to expand but it will be later in the year and in 2014," Olson says. Source: David Olson, CEO of Swift Biosciences Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Economic Development

Evigia has 80% growth, looks to expand wireless product lineup

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Source: Concentrate

Evigia grew its revenue by 80 percent and hired two new people in 2012, setting the stage for more of the same this year. The Ann Arbor-based company develops and creates wireless sensing products. Its EV3 platform delivers smaller-size, higher energy efficiency and lower-cost products which allow significant improvement in the performance and cost of wireless sensing networks. "We are projecting about 80-90 percent growth," says Navid Yazdi, CEO of Evigia. "We expect to hire another 5-6 people." Evigia's sales are being driven by industrial firms and companies looking to better manage workflow and inventory. Yazdi wants his company to become one of the larger players in these markets and more. Evigia is planning to expand its client base to more businesses in the chemical and energy industries. "That will increase our growth," Yazdi says. "We are also in the process of introducing new products in late 2013 and early 2014." Source: Navid Yazdi, CEO of Evigia Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Healthy Communities

Chicago grad moves to Ann Arbor, opens SONGBiRD Cafe

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Source: Concentrate

Jenny Song's path to opening a business in Ann Arbor falls more under the path less traveled compared to most entrepreneurs. Song, who holds a B.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Michigan, received her MBA from the University of Chicago in 2011 and then turned that into a corporate job in brand marketing. A year later she moved back to Ann Arbor to open the SONGBiRD Cafe with her mom. "I wanted something more hands-on," Song says. "I have always known I had an entrepreneurial spirit." It helps that the mother of the Ann Arbor native (Huron High School) ran her own Korean restaurant on the north side of Ann Arbor (Be Won) when Song went to college. That helped inspire Song to open a cafe that "specializes in fresh, artisan quality lunch/brunch fare with an extensive coffee bar," according to the business' website. "We are a local, more artisan Panera," Song says. "We have a high attention to detail with our food and drinks." The nearly 1-year-old business now employs nine people. Source: Jenny Song, managing partner of the SONGBiRD Cafe Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Entrepreneurship

U-M grad, animator strikes out solo with Media Academica

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Source: Concentrate

Shannon Kohlitz didn't want to move to the coasts to get an job in animation after graduating from the University of Michigan, so she created her own: Media Academica. The Jackson native saw the need for web animation work in Ann Arbor when she was getting ready to graduate a few years ago. Two years ago, shortly after graduation, she and two friends founded Media Academica. Kohlitz recently bought out her two co-founders and is now focused on growing the Ann Arbor-based company. "Before I was just into the animation," Kohlitz says. "Now I have to handle all of the sales and legal stuff. I have been learning about all of that." Her company's first job was creating a logo animation for a hospitality firm. Now it handles animation and video-production work for a number of both smaller and larger clients, including PICpatch and the University of Michigan. "I like to say we make smart videos for smart people," Kohlitz says. Media Academica currently employs just Kohlitz but she would like to expand the staff as her company continues to grow. She hopes to do that by taking on more work in the Toledo and Detroit markets. Source: Shannon Kohlitz, owner of Media Academica Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Economic Development

Learning to be Great digitizes consulting services in Ann Arbor

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Source: Concentrate

A small group of consultants in the Ann Arbor area noticed a growing need for entrepreneurial expertise, so they decided to do something about it. They launched Learning to be Great six months ago. "We saw a need for a place for people to get good tools, like survey instruments -- the types of things we use as consultants." says Stephen Gill, co-founder of Learning to be Great. The website offers a number of those tools to its members in downloadable form, such as PDFs or software. The Ann Arbor-based company and its team of four people launched a Beta version last fall and is in the process of making its name in the local consulting business. Learning to be Great offers its services to customers through memberships, which give them the opportunity to purchase the company's wealth of expertise. It also plans to offer consulting services and eventually advertising and marketing opportunities. "Most of the revenue will come from the sales of the tools and memberships," Gill says. Source: Stephen Gill, co-founder of Learning to be Great Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneur Boot Camp graduates 21st class this week

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Source: Concentrate

Ann Arbor SPARK's Entrepreneur Boot Camp is graduating its 21st class this week, bringing another 20 start-ups a crash course in entrepreneurship and how best to beat the odds and become a successful business. What makes this class different is the way Ann Arbor SPARK, with some help from the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center, shows that the two-day intense learning environment is geared more toward the "Lean Start-up" model made popular by a number of different business-education books. In previous boot camps, participants focused on working out the kinks of their business plans and creating an elevator pitch to give to potential investors and customers. The lean start-up version is now focused on meeting needs in the market before launching the next great idea. "You try to come up with a market need first," says Bill Mayer, director of entrepreneurial services for Ann Arbor SPARK. "Then you come up with the technology second." The underlying notion is to help build the entrepreneur more than the business idea. For instance, this class of aspiring entrepreneurs brought ideas that included IP-protected technology, software, life sciences and crowd-funding platforms. One of the teams working to create a crowdfunding platform (what is quickly becoming a crowded field) decided to drop the idea and move on to another one when they realized the odds were against their succeeding. "You test an idea to see if it's good or bad," Mayer says. "If it's bad you shut it down and move into the next idea. It's about building the entrepreneur, not the idea." Source: Bill Mayer, director of entrepreneurial services for Ann Arbor SPARK Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Feature Story

Omari Rush at shur! at the Michigan Union

Arts and Culture

Shur! Saying Yes to Ann Arbor, and Living It

Tanya MuzumdarWednesday, January 16, 2013

Throughout the month of January a group of 30 or so young professionals are meeting weekly for breakfast to plan for how to make their lives in Ann Arbor the right choice for their professional, personal, creative and future goals. It's the brainchild of Omari Rush, and it's found support from some important local businesses and institutions.

Feature Story

Ricarlo Flanagan at Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle

Arts and Culture

Born Standing Up: The Ann Arbor Comedy Scene

Richard RetyiWednesday, January 16, 2013

Ann Arbor is known for a lot of things: food, art and lax pot laws, but comedy isn't one of them. Despite this, there's a thriving scene, with local comedians cutting their teeth across the region. But the question is, can comics make it big in Ann Arbor?

Arts and Culture

NEA Magazine features Chelsea's Purple Rose Theatre

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Source: NEA Arts

The magazine for the National Endowment Of The Arts not only decided to write a profile of Chelsea's Purple Rose Theatre they created an audio slide show.

Excerpt:

"Chelsea, Michigan, is a small town with a thriving arts scene. That's thanks in no small part to the Purple Rose Theatre Company (PRTC), founded by actor, and Chelsea native, Jeff Daniels. Starting out in a garage with a skeletal staff, PRTC has flourished into a first-rate theater company, developing local talent, nurturing Midwestern voices, and providing a cultural hub in this corner of Michigan. Artistic Director Guy Sanville, who has been with the company almost from its inception, explains how PRTC was a game-changer for Chelsea."

Listen to the slide show here.

Entrepreneurship

Ann Arbor's Entre-Slam gets noticed by CNN

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Source: CNNMoney

I don't know, seem kind of cool that we beat "The Worldwide Leader in News" to this story by about a year. Kudos to the organizers behind Entre-SLAM, the storytellers salon for those with a business bent.

Excerpt:

"Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Entre-SLAM encourages entrepreneurs to connect over stories and a beer. "We are drawn to authentic, real life stories," says Ballew, who has written two unpublished novels and hosted a local public access television show. She gave it up this summer to spend more time on Entre-SLAM. "This is like The Truman Show -- watch everyday people and their everyday dramas and issues," she says. Except the people telling stories are business owners, some who have decades of experience and some who started just days before their storytelling debut."

Read the rest here.

Kids and Education

Ann Arbor's "human capital" is tops for small metros

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Source: The Atlantic Cities

Business leaders call them "human capital," economists call them educated people. Either way you slice the tomato, both consider it a key factor in regional growth and development. Richard Florida takes a look at what human capital in suburban vs urban settings looks like.

Excerpt:

"Perhaps not surprisingly, college towns predominate when we add smaller metros (with populations of less than one million) to the list. With nearly 70 percent of adults holding bachelor degrees, Ann Arbor comes in first, followed by State College, Pennsylvania (69.2 percent), Iowa City (55.9 percent), Bloomington, Indiana (54.8 percent), Corvallis, Oregon (53.1 percent), Boulder, Colorado (50.9 percent), Columbia, Missouri (50.4 percent), Madison, Wisconsin (48.1 percent), Lawrence, Kansas (47.6 percent) and Champaign-Urbana, Illinois (47.4 percent)."

Read the rest here.

Arts and Culture

For art house movie theaters going digital can mean do or die

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek

The move toward digital projection has mostly taken hold in cineplexes around the country, but what about art houses and vintage historic theaters? There, the transition hasn't always beena smooth one. The Michgan Theater's Russ Collins weighs in in a recent article on the topic.

Excerpt:

"It's a paramount moment for the industry. The National Association of Theater Owners calls the transition to digital the most important change since the invention of talkies. That late-1920s revolution, coupled with the Great Depression, killed theaters for much the same reason that digital threatens -- cost. "Most people are going to figure out a way to do it," said Russ Collins, director of the Michigan-based Art House Convergence, an organization of independent community theaters. "And there are probably going to be some very tragic stories. Change causes those things.""

Read the rest here.

Arts and Culture

You gotta have art: Chelsea Center for the Arts adds new classroom

Tanya MuzumdarWednesday, January 16, 2013

The recent morphing of a garage into an art classroom is another coup for the arts community in the village of Chelsea. And it's certainly what aspiring potters and sculptors have been waiting for. Next week, the Chelsea Center for the Arts will begin holding classes in the new room, converted from the garage portion of its circa-1923 brick building at 400 Congdon St.. New plumbing, heating, air conditioning, walls and ceiling, electrical, and lighting were installed. A windowed garage door lights the space. "What makes it so nice is that it can be open. We have a garage door... that can be fully opened up to our secured garden area in the rear of the building," says Lisa Baylis Gonzalez, the center's executive director. "It's going to be a great open space, a great open studio, in the summer months, in the nice months." The $30,000 project was funded with a grant from the Worthington Family Foundation. The center now has a pottery wheel and kiln in the classroom addition – amenities it lacked before. Open studio time will be available, and Baylis Gonzalez anticipates class sizes of about eight students each. "This is certainly a project that we needed to add classes and hopefully add programs like crazy, which will hopefully lead to more staff time as we build the program," Baylis Gonzalez says. Source: Lisa Baylis Gonzales, executive director, Chelsea Center for the Arts Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Arts and Culture

A Pocketful O' Tea feeds Ypsilanti's warming trend

Tanya MuzumdarWednesday, January 16, 2013

At Ypsilanti's A Pocketful O' Tea, the reaction to Flowering Dragon, a lavender-green tea mix with rose hips and hibiscus, has been anything but tepid. "I actually have people come in and ask for it that have never been here," says Chris Biek, who opened his tea shop at 8 W. Michigan Avenue last December. There is seating for up to 15 people in the emporium. Biek installed new flooring and re-painted the space. He also carries locally-made alcohol-free soaps and lotions, cards and jewelry, and serves organic coffee. He plans to offer baked goods and sandwiches once approvals from the city health department have been received. Biek, an EMU student who holds a second job as well, is relying on volunteer help at the shop. It's open every day of the week except Thursdays. "I get all sorts of foot traffic," he says. "I try and avoid going into Ann Arbor, so I wanted to be able to open a place that Ypsilanti doesn't have, and so that people who can't make it to Ann Arbor, they can get affordable tea here, and coffee." Source: Chris Biek, owner, A Pocketful O' Tea Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Economic Development

Literati Bookstore to open in downtown Ann Arbor

Tanya MuzumdarWednesday, January 16, 2013

Contrary to popular forecasting a few years back, e-books haven't done to print what the cell phone has done to pay phones and land lines. Rather, thoughtfully curated, indie book emporiums are still a welcomed alternative to mega stores and e-readers. Literati Bookstore will open at 124 E. Washington St., likely in early spring, says Hilary Lowe, who co-owns the store with her husband, Michael Gustafson. The couple moved to Ann Arbor from Brooklyn late in July with plans to open an indie book shop downtown. "We want to be a general-interest store because there is a real void left by Shaman Drum and Borders, serving the populace as a general bookstore selling new titles," Lowe says. "We will be focusing on literary fiction and quality non-fiction." She sees this as an underserved market in Ann Arbor. The West Side Bookshop, Dawn Treader, Kaleidoscope, and Motte and Bailey carry a huge assortment of used books. New book purveyors include Aunt Agatha's Mystery Bookstore and Crazy Wisdom, which primarily emphasizes spirituality. And, "Nicola's does a great job, but they're not in the walkable downtown area, and that was kind of our goal," says Lowe. The store has 2,600 square feet on the basement and ground-floor levels and is undergoing a refurbishment. The work includes refinishing the wood floor on the ground level, carpeting and painting the basement, new lighting, and a fire alarm system. To begin with, Literati Bookstore will have 3-5 part-timers on staff, along with Lowe and Gustafson. It will be open seven days a week, with hours to be announced at a later date. Source: Hilary Lowe, co-owner, Literati Bookstore Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Economic Development

Ann Arbor Greenbelt brings protected land tally to over 4,100 acres

Tanya MuzumdarWednesday, January 16, 2013

Just shy of the one-third mark of a 30-year millage approved by voters in 2003, the Ann Arbor Greenbelt, a program to acquire open-space parks and development rights on farmland in eight townships ringing the city of Ann Arbor, has already exceeded its initial goal. The greenbelt now has over 4,100 acres of land within its boundaries. "Actually, in 2006 when we did some projections we were thinking, given the prices at the time and everything, that over the life of the millage we'd only be able to do around 4-5,000, so we've exceeded that estimate now, with protecting over 4,000," says Ginny Trocchio, program manager for the Ann Arbor Greenbelt. In December of 2012, the city completed several deals, including a purchase of development rights easement for $126,867 on the VanNatter farm in Webster Township, a parcel of about 20 acres. The purchase was also subsidized by a landowner donation. This parcel is situated on Joy Road and is part of an 1,100-acre block of farmland that is already protected. The city also closed other purchase of development rights deals at year-end, one for $229,320 on the 136-acre Robert Schultz property in Superior Township, another in the amount of $167,580 for the 90-acre Robbin Alexander farm in Webster Township, and the 73-acre Hornback farm in Salem Township for $199,367, plus other funds from Salem Township. Many of the purchases are assisted by grant funding from the USDA Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program. The city is readying to apply for more grant funds in early March, Trocchio says. Source: Ginny Trocchio, program manager for the Ann Arbor Greenbelt; Ann Arbor City Council Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Economic Development

U-M endowment invests in Detroit-based Huron Capital Partners

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Source: Concentrate

The University of Michigan is putting a little bit more of its money into the local economy, investing $15 million in the Huron Capital Partners. The downtown Detroit-based private equity fund recently closed on a $500 million investment fund, the company's fourth and largest to date. The 13-year-old company has invested in 61 companies in its lifespan and was named Private Equity Firm of the Year for 2010 by Mergers & Acquisitions, a leading publication for private equity. Huron Capital Partners specializes in investing $10 million to $70 million at a time into lower middle-market companies with revenues up to $200 million. It targets growing companies looking for sponsor management buyouts, family succession transactions, market-entry strategies, corporate carve-outs, and recapitalizations of niche manufacturing, specialty service, and value-added distribution. The University of Michigan Endowment Fund, worth $8 billion, made the investment in Huron Capital Partners, which was approved by the university's Board of Regents in December. The university has announced that it plans to invest more of its money locally through things like the Michigan Investment in New Technology Startups initiative. The Huron Capital Partners investment isn't part of that initiative, but fits into the university's overall goal of investing more locally. A university spokesman declined to elaborate of the reasoning behind U-M's investment in Huron Capital Partners. "There is not much to say," Rick Fitzgerald, associate director at the University of Michigan's Office of Public Affairs & Internal Communication, wrote in an email. "The Investment Office prefers not to discuss the university's investment strategy." Source: Rick Fitzgerald, associate director at the University of Michigan's Office of Public Affairs & Internal Communication Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Community Development

Real-estate software firm REthink opens Ann Arbor office

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Source: Concentrate

REthink, a real-estate software firm has opened a satellite office in downtown Ann Arbor and grown significantly in its first few months. The Dallas-based company opened the office in October and now has a staff of 10 employees and one intern. The firm was attracted to Ann Arbor because of the presence of tech companies like Google and the ability of the University of Michigan to serve as a talent pipeline for future hires. "From a start-up perspective, it was a great place to bring on talent," says Vijay Mehra, CEO of REthink. "Plus, the cost of acquiring taken here is less than in San Francisco." REthink creates an on-demand real estate customer relationship management application for mobile devices. It partners with SaaS CRM platform Salesforce.com to create a customizable mobile software for real estate companies. Source: Vijay Mehra, CEO of REthink Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Healthy Communities

Nutriinfo makes move from Novi to Ann Arbor

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Source: Concentrate

Nutriinfo, a healthy-living technology start-up, has moved from Novi to Ann Arbor to help further the company's growth. "We thought it was the best place to be to have access to more resources," says Mia Jang, CEO of Nutriinfo. "We thought it was a great place to find people when you need to hire." Jang, who has a PhD in nutrition, started Nutriinfo in 2007 to provide a better way for people to become more healthy. She leverages online resources and other IT technology to create simple paths for the employees of companies and customers of health insurers to lose weight and lead healthier lives. Nutriinfo now employs five people and expects to to hire a few more people before the end of winter. The move to Ann Arbor in July was made to help make this sort of staff expansion easier because of the close proximity to the University of Michigan. The firm plans to launching a weight-loss challenge for corporations and communities in Michigan in March. The idea is to raise awareness about obesity and align with the current health and wellness initiatives underway with the state of Michigan. For information, click here. Source: Mia Jang, CEO of Nutriinfo Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Load More Stories

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.