At hockey rinks around Ann Arbor, "You shoot like my mom," is not necessarily an insult. Scores of local women are tossing their figure skates aside, shredding ice and aiming to put their own 'bisquit in the basket.' Alaska's got nothing on SE Michigan when it comes to hockey moms.
Cielo MedSolutions is growing again, this time taking on 10 new people in Ann Arbor right away. Excerpt: About $2 million in new money for Cielo MedSolutions means another 10 new jobs at the software start-up. The Ann Arbor-based company recently received $2 million from the 21st Century Jobs Fund and another $1 million plus cash infusion that is expected to create 70 new jobs at the 10-person company within the next few years. Of those 70 positions, ten will be open right away. "That money will help us do further product development and new development," says Dave Morin, CEO of Cielo MedSolutions. "This lets us play on a national level and compete with our bigger competitors. It also lets us go for a very large expansion." Read the rest of the story here.
The Swedes aren't taking over one of Ann Arbor's most promising start-ups, but it's investing heavily in up-and-coming Coherix.Excerpt:Sports clichés are, well, cliché when it comes to business, but they are also the philosophies that keep Coherix going strong in Ann Arbor."This is our sport," says Dwight Carlson, chairman and CEO of Coherix. "Everyday we get up for this and no two days are the same."Read the rest of the story here.
The proposed commuter rail project north of Ann Arbor took a major step forward last night when the AATA decided to take it over. Excerpt: The commuter rail project WALLY is set to take some serious steps forward now that its future is no longer up for grabs. The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority took control of the project last night and will serve as the agency to take it forward. Proponents of WALLY have been pushing to set up a new authority consisting of Washtenaw and Livingston counties, but officials from Livingston County (where most of the stations will be located) have balked at the idea. "There's lot to be done but this really gives it some firm ground to stand on," says Terri Blackmore, executive director of the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study. Read the rest of the story here.
The country is embroiled in a pretty heated election race between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama. It's a historical election on both tickets with Obama being, possibly, the first black candidate elected to the office and, McCain's VP, Sarah Palin, being, possibly, the first female elected to that office. Either way, it's time to merchandise and Ann Arbor businesses are doing just that. Their likenesses are popping up on soda, coffee, and, of course, t-shirts. And business seems to be good.Excerpt: Natural and organic grocer Plum Market has stocked Jones Soda Co.'s "Pure McCain Cola." But it also has sold "Obama Blend: Yes We Can Coffee," from Ann Arbor roaster Mighty Good Coffee Co. David Myers, co-owner of the coffee company, said Obama just happens to be the first candidate to have a perfect blend of former residences - including Hawaii, Indonesia and Kenya - to inspire a new version of coffee. "Obama Blend" has been a top seller since it was introduced earlier this month, Myers said. He has no McCain roast, but said that shouldn't be taken as his business' endorsement for Obama.Read the entire article here.
The latest renovation to downtown Ann Arbor will be ready to open in the next few days.Excerpt:Work is nearly finished on the Sudworth building in Ann Arbor, bringing another historic structure back to the top shelf of downtown structures.The Blue Tractor Brewery and Barbeque is set to open in early November in the ground floor and basement. The second and third floors of the 3-story structure will be ready for office occupants soon, too."The upper floors are also very close," says Greg Lobdell, co-owner of the Sudworth Building. "They will be ready a few weeks after the restaurant comes online."Read the rest of the story here.
Ann Arbor's IT sector isn't hearing all that noise about job loss and economic downturns. It doesn't care about the "trends" of its industry. It's throwing it aside and doing quite well.Excerpt:Two weeks ago I wrote a story for the Ann Arbor Business Review concluding that five IT companies have announced plans to add more than 1,000 jobs in the next few years. Literally a week later, Californian network operations firm NetEnrich announced plans to locate an operation in Ann Arbor and add 225 jobs here. Network security, software development and IT services firms may be keeping Ann Arbor's economy's afloat as other firms hold back on potential expansions.Read the entire article here.
'Tis the season to be spooky. Join historian Wystan Stevens as he leads one of his tours through Ann Arbor's Forest Hill Cemetery, weaving fascinating tidbits about the city's history with creepy tales of death and demise.
Q LTD is taking on Yale U as a client and hopes to expand its workforce by 1-3 people. Excerpt: Q LTD isn’t just young at heart, it's young at staff, too. The Ann Arbor-based firm recently added another person to its ranks, rounding out its staff to 12 people. That new employee is described as a "young designer" who could help reinvigorate the consulting and design firm. "We thought that was important to keep the energy of our people up," says Christine Golus, vice president and creative director for Q LTD. Read the rest of the story here.
Sungrace Software is rising in Ann Arbor where it expects to hire a person a month on average for the next half year. Excerpt: The Sungrace name a family name. Sorta. Actually, it's a name Makarand Nalgirkar knows almost as intimately as his own. His father started the first Sungrace company (an engineering firm) in India several years ago. Nalgirkar and his brother started another Sungrace firm in India in 1997. Three years ago Nalgirkar started Sungrace Software in Ann Arbor. Read the rest of the story here.
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