Innovation News

ELM Analytics aims to become auto supplier data bank

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June 16, 2011

Tor Hough, Robert Justin and Gary Morin are building a start-up, ELM Analytics, based partly on the region's old economy (automotive suppliers) and mixing it with the new economy (information gathering and management).The Rochester-based company is gathering and organizing pertinent information on more than 20,000 automotive supplier plants. That information includes everything from part processes and material lists for individual factories to which ones are corporate-owned and which are independent. The idea is to offer an information service so automotive executives can make more informed business decisions."Decisions in the automotive industry tend to get made from a strategy standpoint using more intuition than facts," says Hough. "We want to be the go-to resources for supplier data in the automotive industry."ELM Analytics' founder have years of experience in supply chain data management, prompting them to buy the useful assets of ELM International last December. Since then they have been overhauling the back-end technology and gathering more data with an eye for launching their service this summer.Source: Tor Hough and Gary Morin, co-founders of ELM AnalyticsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

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The WorkingHabitat Group connects work seekers with jobs nationwide

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Innovation News

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June 16, 2011

The WorkingHabitat Group is forming partnerships and expanding this year with the expectations that the employment portal for new economy workers will reach 10,000 workers and 1,000 companies over the next year.The firm is partnering with Chelexa Design to provide TCe Connectivity to Ford. The partnership allows any supplier authorized by Ford to receive from or upload CAD data to Ford through The WorkingHabitat Group's portal. The Macomb County-based start-up now employs three people and an independent contractor after being founded by Tim Calkins a few years ago. "The inspiration was to provide them a mechanism and environment so they could work anywhere in the world from their worlds," says Tim Calkins, CEO of The WorkingHabitat Group. "It has all the tools available to utilize the resources from a remote location."The idea is that Metro Detroit has more new economy workers than jobs, so why not pair them with telecommuting assignments from outside the region, thereby negating the need to move. The portal will help launch more white collar workers used to regular employment into the ultra-flexible workforce of the 21st Century, where people are increasingly receiving 1099s rather than W2s.Source: Tim Calkins, CEO of The WorkingHabitat GroupWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Hall Financial to add 100 positions after Shore Mortgage merger

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Arts and Culture

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June 16, 2011

Hall Financial, a new mortgage firm founded by David Hall, is merging with Shore Mortgage, a move that promises to expand Hall Financial's employee base in downtown Birmingham."They recognized we were doing a lot of the great things," says David Hall, CEO of Hall Financial, which will become a division of Shore Mortgage. Hall, a longtime executive with Quicken Loans before he started Hall Financial, will become a vice president of retail lending at Shore Mortgage.Hall Financial has grown to 24 employees in its first year, including four hires this spring. Hall projects 20-30 percent growth for the newly merged firm. Shore Mortgage plans to hire at least 100 people over the next 18 months, and Hall foresees many of those hires taking place at Hall Financial."We're going to hire a lot of people," Hall says. "We have a lot of space to grow." Source: David Hall, CEO of Hall FinancialWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Chase Plastics adds 21 jobs with new software expansion

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June 16, 2011

Chase Plastics has reinvented itself. The Clarkston-based firm found a way to grow in recent years while the plastics industry experienced volatility in resin supplies and pricing, along with distributor consolidations and closings.Chase Plastics President Kevin Chase literally took a few pages from the well-known books, Good to Great and Built to Last, focusing the 19-year-old firm's efforts on maximizing its technology. The result has been 21 recent hires of sales and administrative staff to support its growing customer base."Technology acceleration has been one of our main themes," Chase says. "I put one of our best people in charge of our technology division." The firm recently launched Prophet 21, an enterprise software solution for wholesale distributors. It provides customers with improved communication tools, real-time information, enhanced customer value and faster response time. Including this new revenue stream, sales have been bumped from $84 million to $124 million over the last year. Chase Plastics now has its sights on $163 million in revenue this year, thanks to increased volume and diversified offerings. It plans to continue adding to its current staff of 77 employees and a pair of interns.Source: Kevin Chase, president of Chase PlasticsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Merrill Corp opens new office in Troy, creates 3 jobs

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June 16, 2011

Merrill Corp is opening an office in Troy, a move that will mean three new jobs in Metro Detroit now and a few more over the next year."Merrill was impressed with the potential of the Michigan business community," says Fred Wendell, Michigan market manager for Merrill Corp, a tech services provider. "The corporations here are in growth mode."Merrill Corp, based in St. Paul, Minnesota, provides technology-enabled services for financial, health care, real estate and legal firms, among others. Its new office in Troy consists of 1,500 square feet in the Columbia Center building. Wendell says the company hopes to expand its market share here over the next year or two so it can grow to the point of building its own office building."We're looking for continued growth that will allow for additional investments here," Wendell says.Source: Fred Wendell, Michigan market manager for Merrill CorpWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Altair’s Troy HQ welcomes new hires as part of 1,000-person expansion

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June 16, 2011

Altair Engineering is gearing up to add 1,000 new jobs around the world, and its Troy headquarters is in line to get more than its fair share."A large majority of those will be in the Metro Detroit area," says Mike Kidder, vice president of corporate marketing for Altair Engineering.Altair Engineering specializes in simulation technology and engineering services, employing 1,500 people around the world. About one-third of those work in Metro Detroit. The new hires will be made this year and have been preceded by growth at the staffing division of Altair Product Design, which has doubled its active engineering specialists onsite at manufacturers and suppliers throughout the U.S. over the last year.Altair ProductDesign's staffing business places highly skilled workers with the company's customers. The division is looking for designers, engineers and IT developers, among other specialties. About one-third of these hires go onto full-time employment at Altair or at one of its customers. "I think it creates a synergy with our customers," Kidder says. Source: Mike Kidder, vice president of corporate marketing for Altair EngineeringWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Metro Detroit a top region for tech jobs, says Automation Alley report

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June 9, 2011

Don't believe the hype that Metro Detroit is a brawn-based economy lacking when it comes to technology and engineering expertise. The region is one of the country's top tech centers when it comes to concentrated engineering talent, according to a recent report commissioned by Automation Alley."In spite of the slowdown, we have retained a leadership role in the Midwest and the nation when it comes to the technology economy," says Ken Rogers, executive director of Automation Alley.The report, Automation Alley: Growing the Detroit Region's Technology Economy, benchmarked Metro Detroit's new economy with the rest of the major regional economies in the U.S. It found that the region is No. 1 in advanced automotive jobs, along with architectural and engineering jobs. It's No. 5 in percentage of total employment in the tech industry (13.7 percent), with more than 253,000 tech jobs. Only Dallas and Boston had more tech jobs than Metro Detroit.The report also identified a number of opportunities ripe for expanding the region's new economy. Those include creating business opportunities through military contracts, exports, workforce development, and collaboration with other economic development agencies."We do so well when it comes to exporting," Rogers says. "We have a major trading partner across the border in Canada. We have all the reasons to be excited about exporting."Source: Ken Rogers, executive director of Automation AlleyWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Great Lakes Angels partners with intellectual property law firm

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June 9, 2011

Great Lakes Angels has formed a partnership with intellectual property law firm Rader, Fishman & Grauer to help create more synergies and efficiencies with the start-ups backed by the group of local angel investors."It's more beneficial now than it was 3-4 years ago," says David Weaver, chairman & president of Great Lakes Angels. "Now we are supporting companies."The Bloomfield Hills-based Rader, Fishman & Grauer has offices in Washington, D.C., Silicon Valley and Tokyo. The firm will help the start-ups in the Great Lakes Angels portfolio sort through the patent process and make sure their intellectual property is protected and in order. It will also help them make connections around the world.Weaver began revamping Great Lakes Angels, based in Bloomfield Hills, over the last year. He hopes to have its membership up to 25-30 wealthy individuals by the end of the year. He is planning to not only capitalize on the region's wealth -- Oakland County is one of the Top 5 wealthiest counties in the U.S. -- but also its proximity to Canada by forming partnerships with business people in Ontario."We need more people in this space," Weaver says.Source: David Weaver, chairman & president of Great Lakes AngelsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

CJPS scores double-digit growth, moves to bigger space in Auburn Hills

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June 9, 2011

CJPS Enterprises is racking up double-digit revenue growth, prompting it and its sister company, CJPS Medical, to move to new space in Auburn Hills.The 12-year-old consulting firm has watched its revenue grow almost 20 percent over the last year while it added one person to its staff of less than 50 employees. "We keep doing what we've been doing, which is helping companies diversify into the medical products industry," says Christophe Sevrain, CEO of CJPS Enterprises.Sevrain points out that with the relatively recent fall-out of the automotive industry, there has been a growing demand for manufacturing firms looking to diversify into the medical device sector. Sevrain, who has been in the medical device industry for 27 years, says he is limiting his company's growth so he can stay involved in every deal."I can't really clone myself easily," Sevrain says. "I'm always on the team one way or another."Source: Christophe Sevrain, CEO of CJPS EnterprisesWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

$3 billion slated for Michigan start-ups through Pure Michigan Business Connect

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June 9, 2011

The recently announced Pure Michigan Business Connect initiative promises to leverage about $3 billion in seed capital and new revenue streams for Michigan-based start-ups, thanks to some local heavy hitters stepping up to the plate."What we're really saying to the Michigan business community is we understand Michigan business and we know where the opportunities are to help grow your business," says Mike Shore, director of corporate communications for the Michigan Economic Development Corp.Pure Michigan Business Connect is a public-private partnership between several state agencies such as the MEDC, Huntington National Bank, Stage 2 Innovations, DTE Energy, Automation Alley and Export-Import Bank. It will focus on Gov. Rick Snyder's economic gardening policy that helps local businesses grow by connecting them with customers, investors and talent."We're looking to be a matchmaker for companies that are looking for sales," Shore says.The initiative will be comprised of $100 million in MEDC tax incentives and $80 million in financing through the Michigan Collateral Support and Loan Participation Programs to help attract 10 times that amount in private dollars. Huntington National Bank is committing to make $2 billion in commercial and small business loans for Michigan-based companies over the next four years. Export-Import Bank plans to work with the MEDC to invest $187 million in Michigan-based small businesses by 2015.DTE Energy and its subsidiaries are pledging to purchase $500 million in goods and services from state-based suppliers over the next five years. Stage 2 Innovations, a venture capital fund working with Automation Alley, is aiming to invest $100 million into second stage companies poised for significant growth. Source: Mike Shore, director of corporate communications for the Michigan Economic Development CorpWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.