As the economy has emerged from the doldrums of the recession, Accent Reduction Institute has spun out of its holding company thanks to a significant growth spurt.
The Ann Arbor-based language firm was part of Menlo Associates, an arm for
Menlo Innovations, until it spun out in October. Today it is its own company with its own office in downtown Ann Arbor. The firm recently hired three people in the last two months to accommodate its growth.
"We found that training budgets are back again," says
Judy Ravin, president & founder of
Accent Reduction Institute. "Clients that had scaled down are now scaling back up."
The 7-year-old company provides accent reduction training programs for non-native English speakers so they can carry on communication seamlessly. It also develops English pronunciation software to help people eliminate language barriers while maintaining their unique cultural identity.
Most of
Accent Reduction Institute's are private sector firms, many of which are Fortune 500 companies. It has also picked up work from the U.S. Dept of Defense and some medical professionals who use Accent Reduction Institute's services for continuing medical education credits.
"So many of our physicians are foreign-born, non-native speakers," Ravin says. "About 40 percent of our physicians don't have English as their first language."
Source: Judy Ravin, president & founder of Accent Reduction Institute
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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