QAD, a publicly traded company based in California, has acquired Brighton-based firm CEBOS. Both companies specialize in creating software for manufacturers with QAD, a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ, being much bigger. It paid $5 million for CEBOS. CEBOS employs 33 people, mostly in Brighton, after hiring a handful of people in 2012. "We expect it continue to run in Michigan," says Gordon Fleming, executive vice president & chief marketing officer with QAD. He adds the main reason for this plan is to keep the current nexus of talent and expertise at the company intact by letting it remain in Michigan. QAD specializes in creating manufacturing software for global companies. CEBOS makes software for quality management and regulatory compliance in manufacturing firms. It recorded revenues of about $4.5 million in 2012. It has about 500 customers, most of whom are based in the U.S. QAD went ahead with the acquisition to add one more tool to its manufacturing software tool kit.  It expects to grow CEBOS as the company's revenues and customer base continue to expand. "Our vision is to help every global manufacturer become what we call an effective enterprise," Fleming says. Source: Gordon Fleming, executive vice president & chief marketing officer with QAD Writer: Jon Zemke

There’s something different about the Eastern Market neighborhood of Detroit. It’s evident today in the creative investment happening on Gratiot just north of Russell, where a beautiful Art Deco building is being brought back to life, inside and out. The project continues a trend that began on the same block more than 30 years ago when upper floor housing first made an appearance in the neighborhood. Now, the residents living in Eastern Market make the mixed-use area uniquely vibrant, spurring increased redevelopment.

A rush of upper floor housing rehabs in Downtown Manistee laid the groundwork for half a decade of growth. Two new artists, business owners and downtown residents add to the developing, year-round community in Northern Michigan.

California-based software firm Cataphora, Inc. will be putting the proceeds of a $300,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) to work at expanding its Ann Arbor headcount and office space. The company provides tools for the analysis of digital communications and documents in large organizations to help employers understand characteristics and define trends. "We intend on spending approximately $200,000 and creating 30 new jobs over the next few years," says Chris Kurecka, manager of the Ann Arbor office. Cataphora has three employees in an office at 500 E. Washington St. in downtown Ann Arbor, but is looking to move to a larger space in or near downtown during the first half of 2013, according to Kurecka. He is searching for a new office within a several-block radius of State Street, near the University of Michigan campus. About 25% of Cataphora's employees are U-M grads, Kurecka says, and the company has an internship program. "Having that proximity to campus really helps us because we don't want students figuring out how to drive five miles or take a bus or whatever, necessarily, to get to work," Kurecka adds. Source: Chris Kurecka, Ann Arbor office manager, Cataphora, Inc. Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

On the watch list for January: Fresh snow, more minutes of daylight, and the newly expanded Zingerman's Deli.  The two-story, 10,200 sq. ft. addition is close to complete. Workers are digging a new section of basement between the existing deli and the new building and connecting the two buildings on the basement and first floor levels. Zingerman's Deli Managing Partner Grace Singleton expects to open the addition to the public by mid-to-late January. Zingerman's is targeting LEED Silver, or possibly LEED Gold, certification for the project. Among the eco-friendly features are a parallel rack system for the refrigerator units; instead of 25 separate compressors, there are four.  "Refrigeration makes waste heat, and so we're capturing that waste heat and using it to preheat water for the hot water tanks," Singleton says. The building also has a white roof. "They've done a lot of studies to prove that actually the most energy-efficient roof is a really light-colored roof that reflects the sun in the summer, because you use more energy to cool than you do to heat." The expansion will add another 140 seats plus a second-floor deck with seating for 60 during warm weather to the 100 seats at Zingerman's Next Door, which will keep the same dining capacity, albeit more reminiscent of its original roots.   "Because it's always been our overflow seating, it kind of had almost two personalities," Singleton says, adding, "We're probably going to bring the bulk of coffee and tea over there, add some more of the sweets and confections and chocolate display we have...It'll still be open the whole time, but we'll be able to really focus on it as more of the coffee shop versus the coffee shop / overflow seating for the Deli." Zingerman's forecasted adding another 60 jobs within five years of opening the new space, which has amenities such as a bathroom for the staff with a shower to encourage staff biking to work, Singleton says.  "We were working in the confines of the building we had, so we're very excited to have a much better workplace for our staff, where we have a break room and more restrooms, and we have an elevator to move freight around. And the flow of the work becomes much easier versus all the logistical hoops we had to jump through when we were in the older cramped kitchen...It was one of the main motivators for doing our project." Source: Grace Singleton, managing partner of Zingerman's Deli Writer: Tanya Muzumdar