A Company Of Experts
From deli sandwiches to digital advertising, some Metro Detroit companies are reinventing the employer-employee relationship. The result? A happy band of brand experts ...and evangelists.
Kids and Education
Latest in Kids and Education
U-M, WSU lead new transportation consortium
Transportation has been getting people to their jobs in Michigan for a century, and a new University Research Consortium program wants to reinvent that business model so people in Metro Detroit have better ways to access paying opportunities.Excerpt:If there is one thing Ann Arbor knows, it's research. And if there's one thing Metro Detroit knows, it's transportation. The two areas are combining these two strengths to create Transforming Transportation: Economies & Communities.The University Research Corridor's new program promotes multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research that supports industry, community, and government policy-making and planning. The University of Michigan and Wayne State University will lead the charge with this new effort that hopes to serve as a nerve center for transportation innovation in the regional, state, national, and global economies."It's an idea whose time has come," says Allen Batteau, an anthropologist who heads Wayne State's Institute for Information Technology and Culture.Read the rest of the story here.
Prospering Company: Helro
The Russells, wife Kim and husband Jeff, not only saved one company, Helro, from the recession, but came out with two others. And now a state Senate race is in the works for the wife.
MEDC tax breaks equal $804M of new investment in Michigan
Metro Detroit continues to take more than its fair share of state tax credits to help grow local businesses. Southeast Michigan companies have taken in $25 million worth of state tax credits awarded through the Michigan Economic Development Corp to leverage $107.4 million worth of investment. That means an expectation of creating 1,594 jobs locally. The whole announcement means 5,749 jobs and more than $804 million in new investment in Michigan.The pick of the local litter is the wooing of Techno SemiChem to move its headquarters to Northville instead of South Korea. That $31.1 million investment will mean that 279 people will be conducting research and development and pilot production efforts to produce electrolyte for advanced lithium ion battery cells. The state gave $3.2 million in tax breaks over seven years to broker the deal.Another new economy coup is to convince CIBER to spend $8 million to establish a development center in Southfield instead of in Florida. The IT firm plans to service its clients in the government, finance, and manufacturing sectors with 700 new jobs. The state is giving $10.1 million in tax credits over seven years, and Southfield is chipping in another $1.2 million in tax abatements.This latest announcement also includes deals for some of the region's old economy manufacturing sectors. Advanced Integrated Tooling Solutions is investing $13.3 million to manufacture equipment for commercial, retail, and military aircraft in Chesterfield Township. It's a move that will create 275 jobs from a tax credit valued at $3.2 million. ALTe, an automotive supplier of battery powertrain systems, will spend $51.3 million to open an assembly facility in Auburn Hills, creating 305 jobs thanks to an $8.4 million tax credit over eight years. Katcon USA, an automotive supplier of catalytic converters and exhaust systems, will also sink $3.7 million into a new technical center in Auburn Hills. That means 35 new jobs from a $534,633 tax credit.Source: Michigan Economic Development CorpWriter: Jon Zemke
Federal stimulus funds $15M expansion of U-M research facilities
The federal stimulus strikes again. This time it's not funding research as much as it is enabling it with a new building at the University of Michigan.Excerpt:As a new University of Michigan research building opens, another has received funding to begin construction.The federal stimulus is sending $14.8 million toward the U-M Institute for Social Research to build a significant new addition to the institute's home on Thompson Street. The 50,000 square foot addition will expand the reach of the world's largest academic social science research and survey organization.It will also create a variety of jobs... estimates suggest as many as 200 more. They will include short-term construction positions as well as long-term research employment.Read the rest of the story here.
Michigan Future secures $13M for Detroit schools
Michigan Future is bringing a 21st Century education to more high school students in Metro Detroit with its new Michigan Future Schools initiative.The Ann Arbor-based think tank has lined up $13 million in grants from four local foundations to get the initiative off the ground. The principal goal of the new initiative is to "figure out how to connect urban high school students to the economy of the future," according to a blog post written by Michigan Future's president and co-founder Lou Glazer.The effort will target creating new, small high schools in the city of Detroit and its surrounding suburbs. Previous local priorities of who runs the schools and where they're located will take a back seat to establishing schools that provide a high-quality education."It's al about the kids," Glazer says. "What matters to me, and I assume everybody else, is the quality of the school not the form of governance."Michigan Future Schools has made a commitment to its funders that revolves around the number 85. That means Michigan Future is aiming for at least an 85 percent high school graduation rate, with 85 percent of those graduates enrolling in college and 85 percent of those enrollees earning a college degree. The students targeted are both economically disadvantaged and minority students in the central city and its inner-ring suburbs. Each new school, which must take students from the city of Detroit, is expected to handle up to 500 students. So far seven new schools have been funded. The goal is to create 35 new high schools in eight years. That means the effort could reach 17,500 kids annually. "It's a big number," Glazer says. "The whole purpose is to do this on a big enough scale that it changes the system."Source: Lou Glazer, president and co-founder of Michigan FutureWriter: Jon Zemke
Downtown Royal Oak LA Fitness set to open
Work is wrapping up on the new LA Fitness facility in downtown Royal Oak.The developer, Schostak Brothers, expects to finish the building within the next week or two. Stephen Duczynski, vice president of the Development Division for Schostak Brothers, says the job is about 95 percent complete. "There is still some site work that needs to be done." The new two-story building at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Washington Street measures out at 45,000 square feet. It is built on stilts so vehicles can park on the ground floor. The gym will be housed on the second floor.The Woodward lot is the consolation prize for the Livonia-based company. It first proposed putting the facility in the Gateway Plaza parcel at the corner of Main Street and I-696. Think a suburban-style, single-story building surrounded by surface parking. The type that made the progressive urbanists of downtown Royal Oak cringe.City officials convinced Schostak to trade the Gateway Plaza for the Woodward parcel. The idea is to save the Gateway Plaza parcel for a dense, urban, multi-use development on the former car dealership space.Source: Stephen Duczynski, vice president of Schostak BrothersWriter: Jon Zemke
Patti Engineering hires 4, plans to add 10-15 more
After largely holding its ground for the last year, Patti Engineering is taking significant steps toward serious growth.The Auburn Hills-based firm has made four hires within the last year, allowing it to keep its employee count at around 30 over the last year. It has also opened a new office in Massachusetts to take advantage of growing business prospects in the northeast section of the U.S.The company has big plans for 2010 and 2011. It expects to hire another 10-15 people over the next two years. It also is looking at opening another satellite office later this year."We are really diversifying our offerings to other industries," says Sam Hoff, president of Patti Engineering. That means continuing to move the 19-year-old company from its traditional automotive base to other sectors, such as energy and wastewater treatment and the food and distribution industries. The company is making an aggressive Internet marketing push, too, to help grow its business.Husband-and-wife team Patti and Sam Hoff started Patti Engineering in 1991 after Sam left his job and had trouble finding another. One colleague didn't have room for Sam on his business' staff, but offered to use Sam's services if he started his own company.Source: Sam Hoff, president of Patti EngineeringWriter: Jon Zemke
I3 Detroit looks for new, bigger space for growth
Last fall, i3 Detroit opened its doors in downtown Royal Oak with an eye on creating a communal space for makers, inventors, and entrepreneurs. Today the demand has grown so much the small business incubator is looking for a bigger and better home."Things are going really well," says Nick Britsky, director at large for i3 Detroit. "We have outgrown our space and are looking for a bigger space."The Russell Industrial Center-style cooperative opened in a 1,500-square-foot room at 322 E Fourth St. The room is large enough for heavy tools, electronics, and a studio/lounge. It's all open, communal space. Organizers are now working to move by the end of the month. Possibilities include Ferndale, Troy, and Warren. The Ferndale space measures out to be about 8,000 square feet, which is five times bigger than the current site. That should be more than enough room for i3 Detroit's 20 paid members. It also hosts a number of classes such as crafting, electronics, woodworking, and metalworking. i3 is an national non-profit that got its start in New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. It encompasses a wide range of interests and professions, such as machinists, programmers, artists, and electrical engineers. It also hosts public classes and workshops on woodworking, Linux, amateur radio, telecom architecture, computer programming, and automobile repair.Source: Nick Britsky, director at large for i3 DetroitWriter: Jon Zemke
U-M student start-ups take $98K from Michigan Business Challenge
With banks tightening credit lines and angel investors few and far between, local student-run start-ups are turning toward another source for seed capital – business plan competitions. The recent one at the University of Michigan recently shelled out nearly $100,000.Excerpt:More seed capital is creeping into the coffers of local start-ups now that the Michigan Business Challenge has awarded nearly $100,000 to student-led start-ups from the University of Michigan.The Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the U-M Ross School of Business awarded the grants to these new economy-based start-ups for excellence in new business plans and concepts. Eighty-five teams competed for the grants with a couple dozen walking away with money. That's a new record for the competition that is now in its fourth year.Read the rest of the story here.
U-M, WSU lead new transportation consortium
Transportation has been getting people to their jobs in Michigan for a century, and a new University Research Consortium program wants to reinvent that business model so people in Metro Detroit have better ways to access paying opportunities.Excerpt:If there is one thing Ann Arbor knows, it's research. And if there's one thing Metro Detroit knows, it's transportation. The two areas are combining these two strengths to create Transforming Transportation: Economies & Communities.The University Research Corridor's new program promotes multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research that supports industry, community, and government policy-making and planning. The University of Michigan and Wayne State University will lead the charge with this new effort that hopes to serve as a nerve center for transportation innovation in the regional, state, national, and global economies."It's an idea whose time has come," says Allen Batteau, an anthropologist who heads Wayne State's Institute for Information Technology and Culture.Read the rest of the story here.
Prospering Company: Helro
The Russells, wife Kim and husband Jeff, not only saved one company, Helro, from the recession, but came out with two others. And now a state Senate race is in the works for the wife.
MEDC tax breaks equal $804M of new investment in Michigan
Metro Detroit continues to take more than its fair share of state tax credits to help grow local businesses. Southeast Michigan companies have taken in $25 million worth of state tax credits awarded through the Michigan Economic Development Corp to leverage $107.4 million worth of investment. That means an expectation of creating 1,594 jobs locally. The whole announcement means 5,749 jobs and more than $804 million in new investment in Michigan.The pick of the local litter is the wooing of Techno SemiChem to move its headquarters to Northville instead of South Korea. That $31.1 million investment will mean that 279 people will be conducting research and development and pilot production efforts to produce electrolyte for advanced lithium ion battery cells. The state gave $3.2 million in tax breaks over seven years to broker the deal.Another new economy coup is to convince CIBER to spend $8 million to establish a development center in Southfield instead of in Florida. The IT firm plans to service its clients in the government, finance, and manufacturing sectors with 700 new jobs. The state is giving $10.1 million in tax credits over seven years, and Southfield is chipping in another $1.2 million in tax abatements.This latest announcement also includes deals for some of the region's old economy manufacturing sectors. Advanced Integrated Tooling Solutions is investing $13.3 million to manufacture equipment for commercial, retail, and military aircraft in Chesterfield Township. It's a move that will create 275 jobs from a tax credit valued at $3.2 million. ALTe, an automotive supplier of battery powertrain systems, will spend $51.3 million to open an assembly facility in Auburn Hills, creating 305 jobs thanks to an $8.4 million tax credit over eight years. Katcon USA, an automotive supplier of catalytic converters and exhaust systems, will also sink $3.7 million into a new technical center in Auburn Hills. That means 35 new jobs from a $534,633 tax credit.Source: Michigan Economic Development CorpWriter: Jon Zemke
Federal stimulus funds $15M expansion of U-M research facilities
The federal stimulus strikes again. This time it's not funding research as much as it is enabling it with a new building at the University of Michigan.Excerpt:As a new University of Michigan research building opens, another has received funding to begin construction.The federal stimulus is sending $14.8 million toward the U-M Institute for Social Research to build a significant new addition to the institute's home on Thompson Street. The 50,000 square foot addition will expand the reach of the world's largest academic social science research and survey organization.It will also create a variety of jobs... estimates suggest as many as 200 more. They will include short-term construction positions as well as long-term research employment.Read the rest of the story here.
Michigan Future secures $13M for Detroit schools
Michigan Future is bringing a 21st Century education to more high school students in Metro Detroit with its new Michigan Future Schools initiative.The Ann Arbor-based think tank has lined up $13 million in grants from four local foundations to get the initiative off the ground. The principal goal of the new initiative is to "figure out how to connect urban high school students to the economy of the future," according to a blog post written by Michigan Future's president and co-founder Lou Glazer.The effort will target creating new, small high schools in the city of Detroit and its surrounding suburbs. Previous local priorities of who runs the schools and where they're located will take a back seat to establishing schools that provide a high-quality education."It's al about the kids," Glazer says. "What matters to me, and I assume everybody else, is the quality of the school not the form of governance."Michigan Future Schools has made a commitment to its funders that revolves around the number 85. That means Michigan Future is aiming for at least an 85 percent high school graduation rate, with 85 percent of those graduates enrolling in college and 85 percent of those enrollees earning a college degree. The students targeted are both economically disadvantaged and minority students in the central city and its inner-ring suburbs. Each new school, which must take students from the city of Detroit, is expected to handle up to 500 students. So far seven new schools have been funded. The goal is to create 35 new high schools in eight years. That means the effort could reach 17,500 kids annually. "It's a big number," Glazer says. "The whole purpose is to do this on a big enough scale that it changes the system."Source: Lou Glazer, president and co-founder of Michigan FutureWriter: Jon Zemke
Downtown Royal Oak LA Fitness set to open
Work is wrapping up on the new LA Fitness facility in downtown Royal Oak.The developer, Schostak Brothers, expects to finish the building within the next week or two. Stephen Duczynski, vice president of the Development Division for Schostak Brothers, says the job is about 95 percent complete. "There is still some site work that needs to be done." The new two-story building at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Washington Street measures out at 45,000 square feet. It is built on stilts so vehicles can park on the ground floor. The gym will be housed on the second floor.The Woodward lot is the consolation prize for the Livonia-based company. It first proposed putting the facility in the Gateway Plaza parcel at the corner of Main Street and I-696. Think a suburban-style, single-story building surrounded by surface parking. The type that made the progressive urbanists of downtown Royal Oak cringe.City officials convinced Schostak to trade the Gateway Plaza for the Woodward parcel. The idea is to save the Gateway Plaza parcel for a dense, urban, multi-use development on the former car dealership space.Source: Stephen Duczynski, vice president of Schostak BrothersWriter: Jon Zemke
Patti Engineering hires 4, plans to add 10-15 more
After largely holding its ground for the last year, Patti Engineering is taking significant steps toward serious growth.The Auburn Hills-based firm has made four hires within the last year, allowing it to keep its employee count at around 30 over the last year. It has also opened a new office in Massachusetts to take advantage of growing business prospects in the northeast section of the U.S.The company has big plans for 2010 and 2011. It expects to hire another 10-15 people over the next two years. It also is looking at opening another satellite office later this year."We are really diversifying our offerings to other industries," says Sam Hoff, president of Patti Engineering. That means continuing to move the 19-year-old company from its traditional automotive base to other sectors, such as energy and wastewater treatment and the food and distribution industries. The company is making an aggressive Internet marketing push, too, to help grow its business.Husband-and-wife team Patti and Sam Hoff started Patti Engineering in 1991 after Sam left his job and had trouble finding another. One colleague didn't have room for Sam on his business' staff, but offered to use Sam's services if he started his own company.Source: Sam Hoff, president of Patti EngineeringWriter: Jon Zemke
I3 Detroit looks for new, bigger space for growth
Last fall, i3 Detroit opened its doors in downtown Royal Oak with an eye on creating a communal space for makers, inventors, and entrepreneurs. Today the demand has grown so much the small business incubator is looking for a bigger and better home."Things are going really well," says Nick Britsky, director at large for i3 Detroit. "We have outgrown our space and are looking for a bigger space."The Russell Industrial Center-style cooperative opened in a 1,500-square-foot room at 322 E Fourth St. The room is large enough for heavy tools, electronics, and a studio/lounge. It's all open, communal space. Organizers are now working to move by the end of the month. Possibilities include Ferndale, Troy, and Warren. The Ferndale space measures out to be about 8,000 square feet, which is five times bigger than the current site. That should be more than enough room for i3 Detroit's 20 paid members. It also hosts a number of classes such as crafting, electronics, woodworking, and metalworking. i3 is an national non-profit that got its start in New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. It encompasses a wide range of interests and professions, such as machinists, programmers, artists, and electrical engineers. It also hosts public classes and workshops on woodworking, Linux, amateur radio, telecom architecture, computer programming, and automobile repair.Source: Nick Britsky, director at large for i3 DetroitWriter: Jon Zemke
U-M student start-ups take $98K from Michigan Business Challenge
With banks tightening credit lines and angel investors few and far between, local student-run start-ups are turning toward another source for seed capital – business plan competitions. The recent one at the University of Michigan recently shelled out nearly $100,000.Excerpt:More seed capital is creeping into the coffers of local start-ups now that the Michigan Business Challenge has awarded nearly $100,000 to student-led start-ups from the University of Michigan.The Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the U-M Ross School of Business awarded the grants to these new economy-based start-ups for excellence in new business plans and concepts. Eighty-five teams competed for the grants with a couple dozen walking away with money. That's a new record for the competition that is now in its fourth year.Read the rest of the story here.
