Kids and Education

New $14M Royal Oak cinema has green gusto

Emagine Entertainment is lining all of its financial ducks in neat rows as it gets funding to build a new movie theater in downtown Royal Oak.Right now the Plymouth-based firm is planning to begin construction this summer. It's also making design tweaks for LEED certification and incorporating big green features like solar panels."We're going to build a very green entertainment complex," says Paul Glantz, founder and chairman of Emagine Entertainment. "I think it will be well received in the marketplace. Folks will value that in Royal Oak."Emagine is also putting the final touches on an application for brownfield tax credits from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Glantz plans to pair that with a Small Business Administration loan and some traditional financing to make the deal work.Glantz expects the tax credits, which the Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority supports, to be approved within the next few weeks. He hopes to have the construction cash in hand shortly afterward so he can break ground in June or July. That's key so he can kick construction into full gear before the extra costs of winter construction come into play."We're trying to get the building closed before the weather hits," Glantz says.Emagine Entertainment plans to build a 10-screen movie theater complete with food, alcohol, and bowling options. The new complex will go on the parking lot on 11 Mile Road just east of Main Street behind the Main Art Theatre.The plans call for a two-story, 73,000-square-foot brick and limestone clad building that will resemble its theaters in Novi and Canton. It will show first-run movies and is not expected to provide direct competition with an indie-and-foreign movie house like the Main Art Theatre.The new cinema's entrance will face the back of the Main Art Theatre, while the section facing 11 Mile will have windows similar to a traditional storefront but will otherwise be an inactive space. Traffic will be routed off of 11 Mile around the theater and then out onto Troy Street.The $14 million project will house 1,680 seats and 16 lanes of bowling. There will also be a private party area/meeting room on a second-floor mezzanine level over the main entrance. The theater is expected to create 40 new full-time jobs and another 60 part-time positions.Source: Paul Glantz, founder and chairman of Emagine EntertainmentWriter: Jon Zemke

Music start-up Panache Group expands in the Midwest

Two types of musicians stood out to Jonas Pascua when he started the Panache Group five years ago. There were the really talented ones who had horrible business models and even worse customer service skills. And then there were the ones who weren't quite as talented but had great business acumen.Pascua decided to bridge those two stereotypes with a new live music start-up. It provides software that makes it easy for customers to book acts and for the artists to give the best performance possible."No one has ever taken a strategic approach to creating a brand for live music," Pascua says.Most artists who utilize Panache's services (Pascua is a violinist) are classically trained. Think string quartets and the like that can play everything from traditional classical music to Guns-N-Roses.The Troy-based firm has been able to take over the Michigan market and move into Chicago and Cleveland over the last year. It is looking at expanding into Indiana this year. That has allowed Panache to expand to three employees and 180 musicians. It hopes to add one or two more employees and 80 musicians to its roster in 2010.Source: Jonas Pascua, CEO and president of Panache GroupWriter: Jon Zemke

Madison Heights’ GuidePoint Systems launches Droid app

Smartphone applications and GPS technology are a natural combination, at least from the viewpoint of GuidePoint Systems' leadership.The Madison Heights-based firm has produced an iPhone app for its services and just devised an app for the Google Droid smartphone platform. It's also working on a similar one for Blackberries and the Palm Pre."This really is a natural extension for us," says Brian Edwards, vice president for GuidePoint Systems. "Most smartphones have GPS in them and a wireless connection."The circa-2002 firm sells a complete package that integrates 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 products.It also offers free apps which allow smartphone users to control their vehicles or gain access to a variety of location-based services including stolen vehicle recovery, driving directions, emergency help and other assistance. The Droid (a market that is just hitting its first growth spurt) was a natural expansion for GuidePoint Systems because the Droid is fast becoming a popular alternative to the iPhone."The bigger picture for us is we're not a tech company," Edwards says. "We're a service company. We use technology to enhance the services we provide."GuidePoint Systems employs a staff of 40 in Oakland County and has a Texas office with 30 people. It expects to hire again this year.Source: Brian Edwards, vice president for GuidePoint SystemsWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor’s Internet2 makes a dozen hires, adds new execs

RTT USA plans for dozens of new hires in Royal Oak

Even in down times RTT USA continues to grow. Just think what the Royal Oak-based firm will do when the economy's rebound starts to really gain traction?Peter Stevenson, COO of the graphics software company, has a pretty good idea. He expects to add a few dozen new hires to the company's Metro Detroit office by the end of the year as the subsidiary of Germany-based RTT AG expands its North American staff from 90 people to 120."We are incredibly busy this year," Stevenson says. "We are hiring people at an incredible rate and I expect that to continue."RTT USA has grown its downtown Royal Oak office to 48 employees and another half a dozen independent contractors and interns in five years. It also has a California office with 42 people. About 70 percent of the new hires are expected to be in Royal Oak.The company just expanded its office footprint by 40 percent on Main Street just north of 11 Mile Road. It could have found cheaper space further north in bland offices in a less interesting location. However, the company needs downtown Royal Oak's vibrancy to help sustain its growth."The vast majority of the people we're hiring are young," Stevenson says. "What we do is seen as very cool and our location needs to match that. Downtown Royal Oak works very well for that, especially for our clients."That's because RTT USA works with some pretty impressive graphics. It recently released the latest version of its proprietary software, which specializes in real time 3D visualization. The software is also the first of its kind to include a product data management connection.Source: Peter Stevenson, COO of RTT USAWriter: Jon Zemke

Yoga Shelter plans to expand into Ann Arbor, Macomb County

Yoga is not exclusive. That's the idea Steve Feldman and his partners had in mind when they started the Yoga Shelter in West Bloomfield in 2004. They deemed a lot of yoga houses unfriendly to the neophyte. Places that read directions only in Sanskrit or practiced in ways only yoga snobs appreciated. The partners did the opposite, including offering the first week free to make newcomers feel comfortable."It was really about making yoga accessible to all," Feldman says.It has worked. The company welcomes about 650 new students each month. That has allowed it to expand to five studios, including Royal Oak, Grosse Pointe, Birmingham, and Studio City, California, where one of the partners is expanding the brand. There are also plans to open new locations in Ann Arbor and a yet-to-be-determined place in Macomb County later this year.After starting with a crew of eight, the West Bloomfield-based firm now employs about 50 people. It expects to expand its staff to 65-70 when the new locations open by the end of the year. Source: Steve Feldman, co-founder of the Yoga ShelterWriter: Jon Zemke

Royal Oak, Rochester go for Google Fiber

The bevy of Metro Detroit municipalities that are vying to become Google Fiber communities reads like a list of the best of the best when it comes to vibrant city centers in southeast Michigan.Ann Arbor, Birmingham, and Detroit have now been joined by Royal Oak and Rochester. The cities believe they have what it takes to get on board with what promises to be the fastest broadband program in the world. And they all see it as a chance to bring even more value and economic opportunity to local residents and businesses."Everybody is thinking the same thing," says Nicholas Banda, director of economic and community development for the city of Rochester, which is teaming up with Rochester Hills in its bid. "This is just another edge."Google plans to build and test ultra-high speed broadband networks in a small number of communities across the country. These lines will stream data at 1 gigabit per second, about 100 times faster than what most Americans get through their current cable and DSL providers.Local metros are touting their advantages from varied economic landscape (Detroit) to a combination of suburban and urban infrastructure (Ann Arbor). Ann Arbor and Birmingham are also home to two of Google's offices, including the search engine's AdWords headquarters in downtown Ann Arbor.Source: Nicholas Banda, director of economic and community development for the city of RochesterWriter: Jon Zemke

Global LT hires 10, named Michigan company to watch

Corporations don't just downsize when the economy shrinks. They also move employees around, which is where firms like Global LT come in. The Troy-based firm has made its name over the last year or so by helping businesses grow into different markets and relocating key employees in new offices abroad. It has allowed the company to make 10 hires over the last year, expanding its staff to 45 employees, an intern, and anywhere between 175-220 independent contractors at any given time."We continue to focus on what has made us successful to this point," says Tom Hanson, Senior Vice President of Global LT. "It ain't broke. Why fix it?"That has allowed the firm to be named one of the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch by Michigan Celebrates Small Business. It has also allowed for continued overseas expansion. There are plans to hire a few more people for its offices in the United Kingdom and China later this year.Global LT offers services that help business people understand the language and culture of wherever they are going --whether it's a quick jaunt overseas or an ex-patriot relocation for corporations.Source: Tom Hanson, senior vice president of Global LTWriter: Jon Zemke

New businesses open in downtown Birmingham

New businesses are crowding into downtown Birmingham just in time for the weather to break. The list includes everything from a wine bar to a brand-name coffee shop.Leading the list is a new Biggby Coffee at 112 S Old Woodward. The new coffee shop, which claims to be the fastest growing coffee franchise in the Midwest, is replacing an old Caribou Coffee. A Great Harvest Bread Co joins Biggby, opening up its doors at 137 S. Adams.A number of restaurants and bars are opening this spring, too. Mirage Cafe, specializing in Mediterranean cuisine, is opening at 297 E Maple in the old Maple Leaf Cafe space. South Bar plans to open at 2110 S Old Woodward in May andTallulah Wine Bar & Bistro is setting up shop in a long-time vacant retail space at 155 S Bates.Tallulah and Delux Bar & Grill plan to expand their outdoor patios into parking spacesthis summer to accommodate more seasonal seating. Birmingham allows businesses to rent on-street parking spaces and build temporary patios on them. This creates more dining space, clears the sidewalk for pedestrians, and generates revenue for the city. Source: Andrea Foglietta, marketing and event manager for the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber of CommerceWriter: Jon Zemke