Block grants, home improvement grants, home-buying programs, foreclosure prevention and counseling programs. All these things are facilitated by the Oakland County Community & Home Improvement Division. It's a department of our local government that is focused on maintaining the community, the neighborhood, and the home. Prosper dives in to find out a little about Director Karry Rieth's branch.
The developer of the Thompson Block in Ypsilanti is bound and determined to make his project work, and he explains why in a candid Q&A with Metromode's sister publication, Concentrate.Excerpt:The road to redevelopment for the Thompson Block has been both long and winding, to put it nicely. But its developer is willing to shed a little light on what's ahead and why it's worth the journey.Stewart Beal wants to turn the historic building on the eastern edge of Ypsilanti's Depot Town into a combination of lofts and commercial space. He was well on his way to doing so before the financial crisis. Then a fire hit the development. But Beal remains unfazed, and continues working to make the project a reality.He recently put forward plans to finish stabilizing the building and remove the supports from the sidewalk and street within the next year.Read the rest of the story here.
The feds, the state, and even utility companies are offering incentives for buildings to increase their efficiency. So it's nice to see a local start-up growing its business while helping clients to figure out how to be more sustainable. Introducing Green Building Automation, headquartered in Detroit's TechTown.Scott Kaplan founded Green Building Automation in May of 2008, after leaving a large mechanical engineering design/build firm. "There was a change in the company, it was time for me to do something different," he says. "So I decided to start my own company."Green Building Automation installs and programs energy management systems, primarily for large commercial facilities. "We do a lot of retrofits on existing buildings," says Kaplan, who estimate the return on investment for an older building to be two to three years with typical energy savings of 30 to 50 percent. "We are able to make adjustments, shed some load, and save energy and money."The web-based system can be monitored and adjusted off-site, a tool that will be useful when Green Building Automation enters the residential market. Kaplan is shooting for this in the next year. "We see a pretty good market for that, there are still high-end homes out there, and they still travel," he says. "You'll be able to travel and know your home is OK, view your home on-line, integrate (our system) with the security system and program lighting to come on in different sequences."Kaplan, who is focused on building his brand and his client base, acknowledges the impact that government programs are having on his business' growth, but thinks more action is necessary to truly kick start the state's economy. "One of the things that's kind of weird is that our leadership in the state (wants us to be the) leader in green technology and energy efficiency, yet haven't put their money where their mouth is as far as manufacturing goes." Source: Scott Kaplan, founder of Green Building AutomationWriter: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
Ford is making sustainability more than about the automobiles it produces. It's also about where it sells them.The Dearborn-based automaker has launched its Go Green Dealership Sustainability Program. The idea is to work with dealerships to implement energy efficient technologies and upgrades to save them money, improve their image, and shrink their carbon footprint.Ford is partnering with the Rocky Mountain Institute, an organization recognized as a leader in energy-efficiency solutions, to make recommendations to dealerships and help with their implementation.The first step is undertaking a comprehensive energy assessment from sustainability experts at Ford. This will provide ideas to improve energy efficiency and to make the businesses more sustainable. Ford then assists the dealerships at implementing these changes.These improvements can range from installing LED lights to utilizing geothermal heating and cooling systems to adding insulation. The hope is that these long-term decisions will prove fruitful for both Ford and its dealerships for years to come.Source: FordWriter: Jon Zemke
Poor college students are usually synonymous with Ramen Noodles. Poor entrepreneurs are becoming synonymous with out-of-date hardware, as is the case with the latest winner of the Clean Energy Prize.Excerpt:Erkan Aktakka needs a new laptop, and is about to get one thanks to the Clean Energy Prize competition.Aktakka and two other U-M grad students behind the start-up Enertia just won the entrepreneurial contest, and the hefty purse that comes with it, sponsored by the University of Michigan and DTE Energy. One of the first things the team will do with its new $50,000 in prize money is buy Aktakka a new laptop."Right now he's using a computer that has the technology capability of a refrigerator," says Adam Carver, who co-founded Enertia with Aktakka and Tzeno Galchev.Read the rest of the story here.
It's cold, grey, and dreary outside these days, but the Greenleaf Trust Building is really blooming in downtown Birmingham. Work on the building is entering its final stages as it charges toward a May finish and June grand opening. The five-story building's exterior is pretty much finished and the interior build-out is set to begin in earnest soon. The construction can be monitored here."Construction of the Greenleaf Trust Building is moving along very well," says Patti Owens, vice president and managing director of Catalyst Development, which is in charge of constructing the building.Greenleaf Trust is going for silver LEED certification with environmentally friendly features like a 1,500-square-foot green roof, natural lighting, and numerous water- and energy-efficiency fixtures. The Eckert Wordell Architecture-designed structure is also replacing an abandoned gas station at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Maple Road. The first floor will be occupied by Zazios, a modern Italian restaurant based in Kalamazoo. The second and third floors of the 50,000-square-foot building will be dedicated to office space, some of which will be occupied by Kalamazoo-based Greenleaf Trust for its Metro Detroit offices. Five rental apartments will go on the fourth and fifth floors.Source: Patti Owens, vice president and managing director of Catalyst DevelopmentWriter: Jon Zemke
The three key legs to enhancing education at the University of Michigan Detroit Center include teens, mentors, and robots.The university paired more than 100 high school students at Detroit Public Schools with mentors so they could compete in the FIRST Robotics 2010 national competition. The students and mentors built robots for the competition at the Michigan Engineering Zone.The FIRST Robotics competition is often seen as a stepping stone for students going down the robotics and engineering career path. Think the people who create and manage the robots in assembly lines and other commercial activities. It's also viewed as a team building exercise for students, similar to a sport."I am seeing that they are becoming more self confident and that's what this is all about," says Jeanne Murabito, executive director for student affairs at the University of Michigan's College of Engineering. "That's the best part."This is the first year of the program, which was made possible through the cooperation of the university and Detroit Public Schools. There are plans to continue it next year.Source: Jeanne Murabito, executive director for student affairs at the University of Michigan's College of EngineeringWriter: Jon Zemke
A big piece of Taylor's history is for sale for a small price right now. The city is offering one of the community's first brick homes for $1, but the catch is the buyer has to take it with them.The circa-1926 home is located on 21528 Northline Road. The city bought the property, which was in foreclosure, to expand the southern portion of Heritage Park. Instead of just tearing down the Arts & Crafts house, city officials wanted to give it one more chance at life by offering up the structure for $1.The buyer must move the house by the end of May so the city can rip out the foundation and extend the parkland. If a buyer can't be found, then good bye historic house.The four-bedroom, two-bathroom house is rich in Arts & Crafts detail. But like most foreclosures in Metro Detroit, the 2,110-square-foot dwelling needs a bit of TLC. The city bought the structure with Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds and considered moving it to the historic village portion of Heritage Park. That idea was nixed due to budget constraints. Anyone interested in the home can contact Patrick Depa, Taylor's coordinator of community and economic development, at (734) 374-1352.Source: City of TaylorWriter: Jon Zemke
Macomb and Oakland counties are really raking in the cash to grow their defense industry firms, with Macomb Community College and Lawrence Technological University taking in millions of dollars.Macomb Community College recently received $5 million (mostly from the federal stimulus package) to help grow and develop its defense and homeland security industry. Much of that money will be spent providing technical training to local residents so they can enter the defense industry workforce.This money (and training) will prepare people for knowledge-based jobs, such as logistics, engineering, and advanced technology. It is part of Macomb County's growing defense industry economy and its budding relationship with the U.S. Dept. of Defense's Defense Acquisition University.Lawrence Tech received a $1.6 million federal grant to develop and test stronger and lighter armor made of composite materials for military vehicles. This will be done through Lawrence Tech's Center for Innovative Materials Research and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center. The funding comes from the 2010 defense appropriations legislation.Source: Macomb Community College and Lawrence Technological UniversityWriter: Jon Zemke
Southeast Michigan has lacked a real Chinatown for decades. A couple of Asian-American entrepreneurs in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area are trying to change that with their new expanded offerings.Excerpt:Could the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area organically grow its own Chinatown now that Hua Xing is expanding its Asian market business to include an adjacent restaurant? If plans for further expansion come to fruition, the answer could be yes.Xingchou Wang, the owner of Hua Xing Asian Market and his management team have researched and toured many of North America's major metropolitan areas and noticed they all have something that Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti and Metro Detroit doesn't."The one thing they all have in common is a Chinatown," says Steve Xiao, the general manager of Hua Xing. "We don't have one."Read the rest of the story here.
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