Now that the temps are starting to fall a bit, it's time to squeeze in some more outdoorsy stuff before it gets really frigid around here. Thankfully, there are lots of options that can help even the most jaded soul to appreciate the great outdoors in Southeast Michigan.

First up, fun for two-wheelers. There are two rides in Detroit on the 19th: Programs to Educate All Cyclists' (PEAC) Celebration of Cycling, which utilizes Hines Drive, and the Tour de Troit, which offers riders the option of a 30-mile or Metric Century tour of the D.

The Clinton River Trail Fall Classic is set for September 26, a great chance to experience a lovely trail if you haven't checked it out in a while.

On foot, the Sierra Club's Southeast Michigan Group has you covered. Just a sampling: September 6 at Independence Oaks, September 12 at Maybury State Park, the 26th at Potawatomi State Park and the 27th in the environs of the Fairlane Mansion in Dearborn. Find out details here.

Last but not least, take to the waters. Riverside Kayak Connection in Wyandotte has a Detroit River sunset tour at 6 p.m. every Wednesday. You can also arrange a group outing for $35 per person for a group of four or more that takes in Humbug Marsh, the lower Huron River, Grassy Island, or Mud Island. Call 734-285-2925 to make arrangements.

Get out there -- and appreciate what this area has to offer -- before frosty winter gets you couch-bound!

Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Lots of people think they can become the next Kevin Smith and make a cult favorite like Clerks. Wayne County is teaming up with Green Light Film Funding to make that happen in Metro Detroit.

The Wayne County Film Initiatives office is partnering with the Northville-based company to provide funding for between 10-15 local films a year. The company will also analyze films and do production consulting work. Wayne County will direct prospective filmmakers to Green Light Film Funding.

"A lot of films are coming to us and looking for financing but we don't do film financing," says Mike Mosallam, director of film initiatives for Wayne County. "The best we can do is point them in the direction of local film financiers."

Green Light Film Funding CEO Keith Simon and COO Kevin Weedmark have a combined 35 years of experience in the financing world. Their company will offer partial and complete financing of local films, whose number is expected to shoot up this year thanks to Michigan's new tax incentives. About a dozen motion pictures have been shot in Wayne County so far this year.

Green Light Film Funding has provided funding for two feature films and has more in the works. Those two films are "Shotgun Wedding" (about an avowed bachelor who ends up in a shotgun wedding) and "Detroit Unleaded" (think the Detroit version of "Clerks").

"It's companies like these that are going to build an indigenous film industry in the region," Mosallam says.

Green Light Film Funding is based in downtown Northville at 104 West Main St. Prospective filmmakers are encouraged to call (248) 212-0922 or click here to learn more about funding opportunities. More information on filming in Wayne County can be found here or by calling (313) 224-5423.

Source: Mike Mosallam, director of film initiatives for Wayne County
Writer: Jon Zemke

The buildings that come out of inFORM studio look like structures that would be designed by an architecture firm. They emphasize what's today (and tomorrow) with strong, innovative features that tend to make jaws drop open and the "Wow" to fall out.

"We try to approach these things with a real fresh eye," says Cory Lavigne, design director for inFORM studio. "We don't try to regurgitate things over and over again."

There is an exception to that statement, sort of. The downtown Northville-based firm took many of the dying ash trees on the land where Ann Arbor's Traverwood Library sits and used them for its structural columns, flooring, and walls. The design helped the firm win a design award from the Michigan chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

That award comes on top of growth at the transitioning firm. It started as the Van Tine Guthrie Studio in 2000 before it merged with a South Carolina firm and became inFORM studio in 2007.

It now has 11 employees in offices in Northville, Myrtle Beach and New York City. Seven of those are in Metro Detroit. The firm also recently hired a University of Michigan graduate student that had recently interned with the studio.

"It's been pretty good, all things considered," Lavigne says.

Source: Cory Lavigne, design director for inFORM studio
Writer: Jon Zemke

Vision Computer Solutions expects its revenues to double what they were in 2007 by the end of this year, capping off a significant growth spurt, one the Northville-based firm hopes to continue.

The company grew its revenue by 50 percent in 2007 and another 35 percent in 2008. This year the firm hopes to grow by another 30-35 percent this year. In that time the company grew to 14 employees and an intern, and it hopes to keep growing both its payroll and revenue.

"We're trying to add at least a couple of new people by the end of this year," says Peter Marsack, director of Technology for Vision Computer Solutions.

The company started in 1995 as a way to deliver home-based computer service. It grew and evolved until its handful of founders "got serious" about grabbing market share in 2001. That prompted Vision Computer Solutions current growth streak.

"It just kind of grew on more and more by itself over the years," Marsack says.

Source: Peter Marsack, director of Technology for Vision Computer Solutions
Writer: Jon Zemke

The people behind Vantage Business Solutions might just be accountants but they're also good businesspeople.

The business software firm has a presence in Toledo and Metro Detroit. Its lists Northville as an office, but the firm's three southeast Michigan employees work from home while the other three work in Toledo.

"There's a lot of good business in Detroit," says Tom Jablonski, CEO of Vantage Business Solutions. "We have a lot of business in Ohio but there is a lot of business in the Metro Detroit area so we think it was a good market to come into."

Making that move into southeast Michigan five years ago has been a good decision. The firm's revenue has grown about 10 percent annually over the last few years. The firm also plans to add two more employees (an accountant and administrative employee) within the next two years.

It plans to do that growing its client base slowly but surely.

Source: Tom Jablonski, CEO of Vantage Business Solutions
Writer: Jon Zemke

Northville-based Vision Computer Solutions likes the number 50.

The IT firm grew its revenue by 50 percent in 2007 and expects to grow its revenue by another 45-50 percent again this year. And, you guessed it, the company is planning for another 40-50 percent growth in revenue in 2009.

The business with 14 employees also expects to add one more person this year and another two people next year. The company has also added technical capabilities in recent years and expects to keep investing in that infrastructure in the near future.

But Vision Computer Solutions, founded in 1995, is focusing more on the customer service angle of IT work. It specializes in IT management that goes beyond simple if it's broken, fix-it-over-the-phone services. It also adds on-site computer repair, equipment installation and advice on making purchases.

Source: Marc Harlow, spokesman for Vision Computer Solutions
Writer: Jon Zemke

Metromode has found a kindred spirit in X-OLOGY Magazine, a publication of Automation Alley that covers new technologies being developed in Southeast Michigan.

The Detroit International Auto Salon will be a one-stop shop for suppliers to the auto industry, with a goal of connecting local companies to global customers.