Sometimes bigger isn't better. In Ann Arbor the small giant movement is catching on, and it's attracting some Metro Detroit companies as well. Their philosophy? Profit is good but the bottom line should not be the be all / end all of your company's existence.
Shoot the moon! There are over 900 non-profit organizations in Washtenaw County, and most are headed up by women. Leia Menlove talks to a quartet of young women about the personal and professional rewards of non-profit leadership.
Start-ups rooted in Michigan's new economy are flourishing in downtown Ypsilanti. The latest success story is also a product of Ann Arbor SPARK's East Incubator in downtown Ypsilanti.Excerpt:Meet VC Web Design, the first graduate of Ann Arbor SPARK's East Incubator in downtown Ypsilanti.The web design firm was one of the first tenants in the business incubator when it opened last spring. Then it was a two-person start-up looking for a little direction. Today it employs seven people and an intern and is moving into its own commercial space a few doors down from the incubator in downtown Ypsilanti on Washington Street."We wanted to be around people in a downtown area," says Vince Chmielewski, president of VC Wed Design. "We couldn't fit at SPARK anymore because we kept adding people. Plus, we wanted our own storefront for higher visibility."Read the rest of the story here.
Metro Detroit has scored a couple of significant white collar job creators in its latest round of tax incentive deals from the Michigan Economic Development Corp.PSCU Holding Services and The Minacs Group USA have agreed to expand their presence in Southfield and Auburn Hills over the next five years. The $23 million investment will mean 2,765 new jobs.PSCU Holding Services will sink $12 million into expanding its software development, sales and technology-based call center and related support services in Auburn Hills. The financial service provider for credit unions plans to create 837 new jobs there over the next five years. To make this happen, the MEDC has given PSCU a $3.5 million tax credit (the city of Auburn Hills is considering one, too) so it would make this investment in Michigan instead of competing sites in Florida and Arizona.Not to be outdone, The Minacs Group USA will invest $11 million in a new facility in Southfield that will create 1,928 new jobs. The provider of marketing solutions and business support services for Fortune 500 companies received a $9.1 million state tax credit over four years that helped seal the deal for Michigan over a competing site in Ontario. The city of Southfield is considering an abatement in support of the project as well. Source: Michigan Economic Development CorpWriter: Jon Zemke
Michigan's largest Earth Day celebration is expected to draw 100,000 people this year, according to organizer Steve Rogge of TriGreen Development L3C. The magnitude becomes very apparent when you do the math: three days of festival with 220 exhibitors and hourly speakers, one parade, one fun run, dozens of kids activities, and three nights of parties.The main portion of the Michigan Earth Day Fest will take place at the intersection of Third and Water Streets in downtown Rochester April 22 to 25. This is the meat and potatoes of the event, where visitors can get up close and personal with information and products that touch upon food, energy, transportation, wellness, home and garden, and more. There will be speakers every hour on the hour, covering topics that range from the creation of a state bank in Michigan, climate change, nuclear energy, composting, the origins of the green movement, and much more. Kids activities include rock-climbing, worm bins, energy demonstrations, and a labyrinth. All exhibits, films, and presentations are free of charge.Michigan Earth Fest runs Friday, April 23 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, April 23 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 25 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is rain or shine, people -- there is 50,000 square feet of tent space.Additional activities include a preview party Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m.; a green career fair on Friday, April 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; a parade at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 24; a fun run on Sunday, April 25 at 10 a.m.; and two Parties for the Planet on Friday and Saturday nights.Rogge founded TriGreen with partner John Batdorf under a new tax classification, L3C, a non-profit/for-profit hybrid. Their mission is to build partnerships with local businesses, governments and non-profits to promote economic and community development that meets the triple bottom line of people, planet and prosperity. "A healthy economy and a healthy environment are not mutually exclusive," he says. "Really, they are dependent on each other." Michigan Earth Fest is the company's flagship event.Source: Steve Rogge, TriGreen Development L3CWriter: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
Energy-efficient LED streetlights are multiplying throughout Ann Arbor, thanks to a new partnership between the city and DTE Energy.Excerpt:LED street lights are starting to spread from downtown Ann Arbor into the city's neighborhoods.The city has recently partnered with DTE Energy to perform a pilot project for neighborhood LED streetlights. The two institutions will split the $44,800 bill to install 58 cobrahead LED streetlights in the student-housing-dominated neighborhood just south of the University of Michigan."Some students had previously raised concerns about the quality of streetlighting," says Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann Arbor. "We had been looking for an opportunity to try out LEDs in an area where DTE owned the lights. This worked out perfect."Read the rest of the story here.
Work on the Lincoln Hills Golf Course clubhouse is finished and the new structure is now open."This is a state-of-the-art facility," says Andy Dombrowski, assistant manager of golf operations for the city of Birmingham. "They did a tremendous job."The club house needed it. The existing building was basically replaced from the ground up. That included ripping out and replacing some inner block/brick walls that have suffered significant deterioration. Gone is the leaky roof and the lack of air conditioning.The renovated structure features new counters, doors, windows, roof, decorative fencing along 14 Mile Road, a covered storage area for carts, landscaping around the building, HVAC system, and updated restrooms. The parking lot is also repaved.The golf course, which is owned and run by the city, is located at 2666 W 14 Mile Road.Source: Andy Dombrowski, assistant manager of golf operations for the city of BirminghamWriter: Jon Zemke
Birmingham's Covington School has cut the ribbon on a new wind turbine that will serve as not only an alternative energy generator but an education tool.The Windspire, manufactured in Michigan, is not your normal wind turbine. It stands 30 feet high and is shaped like a vertical cylinder. It's made to harness winds at speeds of about 10 mph in urban areas.It will supply electricity for the school, which is actually on Covington Road in Bloomfield Hills. At its engineering technology lab, students will be able to monitor activity and use that information as part of its curriculum. A number of local organizations helped make the installation happen, including Mariah Power, Centerline Electric, Rauhorn Electric, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, American Fence, TMP Associates, Peter Basso and Associates, and GreeningDetroit.com.John Carlos, CEO of TechTown-based GreeningDetroit.com, is a parent at Birmingham's Covington School. He is also part of the school's Proud Dads organization, which harnesses parents' abilities to improve the school. That was an easy task for Carlos to determine."It was an easy match to find the niche to help out the school," Carlos says.Source: John Carlos, CEO of GreeningDetroit.comWriter: Jon Zemke
The ribbon is cut and the workers are moved in at Saab Cars North America's new headquarters in Royal Oak.The Swedish automaker took over the former home of Ronnisch Construction Group on the north side of the inner-ring suburb. The construction firm had taken an old industrial building by the railroad tracks between 14 Mile and Normandy Roads and turned it into edgy office space.The 13,300-square-foot building now has all of the modern, contemporary amenities that people normally find in downtown Royal Oak or Metro Detroit's other vibrant city centers. Saab has invested another $2.4 million to move 60 jobs from its marketing, sales, and product evaluation arms into that office. The Michigan Economic Development Corp approved a $1.2 million tax break over five years to make the deal happen. Source: Saab Cars North AmericaWriter: Jon Zemke
Schools need more funding and Alternative Revenue Development needs more customers. Seems like a natural fit, at least to the new West Bloomfield-based start-up.Alternative Revenue Development helps local school districts raise extra cash by pairing them with corporate sponsors and developing other out-of-the-box revenue streams from advertising. The corporations get access to new customers and good publicity and the schools get more cash to help with the perpetual budget crunches of recent years.The nearly one-year-old company employs 21 people and now has a handful of school districts in the Downriver area (places like Wyandotte and Southgate) and in Oakland County (Troy). It hopes to have about 30 school districts in its fold by this fall and 60 by January. It also hopes to have 50 team members by then as well."And of course we have our sights set on other areas in the Midwest and Northeast," says Sam Curcuru, president and CEO of Alternative Revenue Development.The company got its start when Curcuru and some other former advertising executives decided to give it a shot after they lost their jobs last year. Source: Sam Curcuru, president and CEO of Alternative Revenue Development Writer: Jon Zemke
Our Partners
Common Ground Is Brewing
Support local stories and receive our signature roast straight to your door when you join at the Standard level (or above).
Drink Better, Read Local
