Economic Development

Guidepoint Systems grows Madison Heights HQ

By Newsroom

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January 28, 2010

Guidepoint Systems is growing again, this time at its new headquarters in Madison Heights.The GPS-oriented firm moved from Pontiac six months ago and now employs a staff of 40, including six recent hires. The firm also has a Texas office with 30 people. It plans to keep hiring at both sites as it continues to capitalize on its sales growth."We moved some of our jobs from Texas to Madison Heights because we wanted them to be closer to our customers," says Brian Edwards, vice president of Guidepoint Systems.Guidepoint Systems offers a complete package that integrates global positioning satellites (GPS), advanced wireless technology, the Internet, and full-time response centers to provide stolen vehicle recovery, driver safety and convenience, vehicle tracking, and fleet management services. Guidepoint is sold as an alternative to Lojack, OnStar, and other branded navigation, security, fleet management, and vehicle tracking products.It was started in 2002 by Rand Mueller, a serial entrepreneur who now serves as the company's CEO.Source: Brian Edwards, vice president of Guidepoint SystemsWriter: Jon Zemke

Latest in Economic Development

Featured Video: Beauty Blossoms In Metro Detroit

By Metromode

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Arts & Culture

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January 25, 2010

Norm Silk and Dale Morgan are all about aesthetics. Whether it's the explosion of flowers that fill their Birmingham boutique or the restoration of the only home in Detroit to be designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

3rd Annual ‘Fire & Ice Fest’ Heats Up Winter Fun with a Blast of Outdoor Activities

By Prosper Oakland County, MI

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Arts & Culture

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January 25, 2010

Oakland County and Downtown Rochester have teamed up to celebrate winter and many of its most popular activities in the 3rd annual Fire & Ice Fest. The two-day outdoor festival, which runs Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 9 p.m., turns downtown Rochester into a winter festival that include ice, fireworks and family fun.

Ten Years of Theater in the Park: Prosper Q&A with Ed Nahhat

By Prosper Oakland County, MI

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Arts & Culture

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January 25, 2010

William Shakespeare is one of the greatest playwrights in the history of the world. His plays have been enjoyed across the world for hundreds of years. But, the best place to view one of these plays, might be as close as your back yard, under the stars or through the sunset ... if you live in Royal Oak. Ed Nahhat's Water Works Theatre Company have been rolling out professionally acted and produced plays each summer in Royal Oak, in the park, for the last ten years. And here's the story.

A123Systems creates 500 new jobs in Wayne County

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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January 21, 2010

The next generation of car batteries is creating the next generation of automotive jobs in Metro Detroit. A123Systems is expanding its workforce at its plants in Livonia and Romulus by 500 people to keep up with demand. The Massachusetts-based firm makes lithium ion batteries and battery systems. It set up its first two plants in Wayne County.The company closed on its $249 million grant award from the Department of Energy last month. That has allowed it to make a 300,000-square-foot expansion at its plant in Livonia. It also signed a lease for 300,000 square feet of manufacturing space in Romulus. That space should be ready for production early next year.Each facility represents different stages of the production of a lithium ion battery, such as coating and cell assembly to final assembly.Source: A123SystemsWriter: Jon Zemke

Turn Up The Heat: Salsa Dancing In Metro Detroit

By NICOLE RUPERSBURG

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Arts & Culture

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January 21, 2010

Oh, the weather outside is frightful... but inside it's sweaty, sexy and shakin'. Welcome to Metro Detroit salsa dancing, a nighttime dance scene that's pulling in locals of every class and color. From clubs to classes to a vibrant web-based community, Metro Detroiters are discovering the fun of becoming fierce hot mess.

Wayne State branches out with new websites

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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January 21, 2010

Wayne State University is making a bigger name for itself in the local website game, expanding one of its established sites and launching another. The new site is called LivingDetroit. The virtual museum will chronicle Detroit's history through a Wikipedia-style display of audio diaries, photographs, and interactive maps. The website has been developed and maintained by students at the university's Honors College.It will feature the history of the city as told through the eyes of everyday Detroiters. It will include the personal experiences, knowledge, perspectives, and reflections of several generations of Detroiters. Also incorporated are mapping pages showing what the city looked like both then and now. The project came out of a 2008 Honors College program where Detroit senior citizens were invited to recount and record their recollections of historic events. The idea is to allow current and future generations to better understand the people, places, and events that have shaped their communities.Wayne State's Word Warriors website released a list of words that have been neglected but should be brought back in 2010. Launched last year, it's a list of neglected but eminently useful words that visitors to the site and its creators would like to bring back into fashion.Source: Wayne State UniversityWriter: Jon Zemke

Metro Detroit: A Visitor’s View

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Arts & Culture

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January 21, 2010

Long after the high-voltage North American International Auto Show rolls up the red carpet, tourism remains a nearly $5 billion a year economic plug for Metro Detroit. Are visitors mapping out the region's praises or issuing their own travel advisories? Metromode takes a look from their vantage points.

Alternative Fuel Technologies wins army research grant

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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January 21, 2010

Redford Township-based Alternative Fuel Technologies has received a U.S. Army Phase 1 SBIR award entitled: "Ultra High Pressure Jet Propellant-8 (JP-8) Fuel Injection System".In English, it means the company has received a U.S. Army research grant for jet fuel. The $1.2 billion program is primarily for early stage research and development projects. This contract will fund the design, development, and demonstration of an intensified, lube oil actuated common rail injection system capable of producing peak injection pressures of more than 40,000 psi. The system must also be readily adaptable to Army engines. A key design feature of this concept will be the use of AFT's advanced high pressure Dimethyl Ether injection pump modified to pump engine lube oil to drive the new injector. Think technology that makes helicopters to diesel powered trucks and generators go. Alternative Fuel Technologies develops these types of fuels and injection systems as part of its core products. Source: Alternative Fuel TechnologyWriter: Jon Zemke

Birmingham-Troy transit center gets $1.3M

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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January 21, 2010

The long-awaited Birmingham-Troy transit center is one big step closer to becoming a reality now that it has landed $1.3 million in federal funding.The federal earmark could be first in what promises to be even more federal funding. So far, the two cities have raised half of the $7 million needed for the project from a variety of local private and public sources. It hopes to secure the rest of the money and begin construction this year."We're expecting word in the next 30-60 days from federal stimulus funding programs," says Michele Hodges, president of the Troy Chamber of Commerce.The two cities plan to create the transit center on the Birmingham side of the border between the cities. About $4 million would be set aside for the center while the rest would be used to build a pedestrian tunnel underneath the tracks. The center would facilitate traffic from pedestrians, bicyclists, automobiles, buses, and the planned northern extension of the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line. There has also been talk of creating an east-west streetcar line to connect the station to Birmingham's downtown and Troy's Somerset Collection mall.The proposed site is in Birmingham's emerging Rail District. The cities plan to create a transit-oriented-development district around the station that would roughly be bordered by Crooks, Adams, and Maple Roads and Lincoln Street. A Southeast Michigan Council of Governments official will conduct a walkability tour of the neighborhood on April 29 to gauge how best to take advantage of the expected transit oriented development.Source: Michele Hodges, president of the Troy Chamber of CommerceWriter: Jon Zemke