Ann Arbor

Q LTD takes on Yale as client, adds 1 person, expects to hire 1-3 more

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October 23, 2008

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.

Ann Arbor’s Sungrace Software to add 6 people over next 6 months

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Entrepreneurship

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October 23, 2008

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.

GREEN SPACE: An A2 ranch goes zero-carbon

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Arts & Culture

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October 23, 2008

A ranch house in the Geddes Heights area of Ann Arbor is being renovated in such a manner that its net energy usage will be equal to the amount of energy it produces via solar and geothermal production.The Nautilus House, as it has been dubbed, is attacking the energy problem from all sides and, in so doing, a striking home is emerging.The architect, Michael Klement of Architectural Resource and the builder, Doug Selby of Meadowlark Builders, found a creative and inspiring client in sculptor and homeowner Claudette Stern. Stern was interested in sustainability, not afraid of bold design and, in terms of cost, was willing to forego a new kitchen if it meant she could afford a more energy-efficient design.In the expansion of the one-story north end of the home, a curvilinear roof was designed, which will accomplish many things: it maximizes the solar opportunity for the site, will aid in rainwater gathering and will act as a natural vent, instrumental in heating and cooling the home.Other green aspects of the home will include geothermal heating and cooling; the use of structural panels and advanced framing techniques in construction, which will both minimize material usage and maximize the amount of insulation that can be used; and the reuse of materials such as windows.The home will be Platinum LEED-certified as a remodel; the sixth in the nation and second in Michigan to be so recognized. You might recall the first in Michigan: it was a home on Fourth Street that Selby and Klement collaborated on and that Green Space toured. Check out this article to learn more about it.The home will be open to the public for a weekend in January for a "Behind the Drywall" tour; watch this space for details.Source: Michael Klement, Architectural ResourceWriter: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Film industry keeping college grads in Michigan

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Arts & Culture

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October 16, 2008

One of the biggest issues facing Michigan is talent loss. Well, Michigan's new filming industry is giving recent grads a reason to stay. Excerpt: "It's given me a job, and it's opened up a lot of doors, and it's given me some better opportunities for work," Zakalik said. "I don't know if it's necessarily going to last for more than a few years, but I'll stay here for as long as I'm getting work, and it's paying well." A survey of more than 5,000 recent graduates of Michigan's public universities between October 2007 and March found that almost half had left the state. In the last 10 years, although the overall state population grew, the number of residents between 25 and 34 dropped by almost 20 percent. Now, with the influx of movie industry jobs, some in that age bracket may choose to stay here - or come back. Read the entire article here.

Local investment could heal economy

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Economic Development

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October 16, 2008

Wouldn't you love to get get an instant return on an investment? Well, you can. Spending a dollar in a locally owned business is the same as investing a dollar in a locally owned business. It's money in the community and, for instance, if it's a grocery story, you can walk out with a sack full of food.Excerpt: The key to restoring health back to the finance system is to re-localize - to reintroduce real relationships between lenders and borrowers and between entrepreneurs and investors. Investors, especially those of us with our life savings on the line, have a right to know where our money is going, and an opportunity to place it in funds that reinvest in our own communities. Moving trillions of dollars out of unknown global companies and the unknowable derivatives linked to them, and into Main Street businesses, would give communities across the country a desperately needed economic boost. Simply feeding more federal dollars to institutions that ignore local investment is exactly the wrong approach. What we need is right here in our own backyards: a system of federally regulated, community banks that fulfill the classic textbook function of acting as intermediaries between local people looking for a secure place for their savings and local people who need a loan to buy a home or finance a business.Read the entire article here.

Pacific Rim expands into old Ehnis & Sons space in downtown Ann Arbor

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Economic Development

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October 16, 2008

Once was and old business space in downtown Ann Arbor is about to become a new addition to a local restaurant on the rise. Excerpt: The old Ennis & Sons storefront in downtown Ann Arbor is about to undergo a dramatic transformation now that the Pacific Rim By Kana plans to take over the space. Ennis & Sons spent nearly a century selling work boots and clothes at 116 W. Liberty St. before closing up two years ago. University of Michigan architects Tom Buresh and Danelle Guthrie bought the late 19th Century structure shortly after and turned the upper floors into a home. The ground floor storefront stayed empty until Duc Tang (pronounced Duke Tan) recently agreed to expand his pan-Asian restaurant into the space. The change promises to be striking, turning the home of blue-collar uniform essentials, such as Red Wing boots and Carhartt jackets into the modern, Far East-inspired decor that of Pacific Rim. Read the rest of the story here.

FlexSys uses flexibility to triple employment in Ann Arbor

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Education

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October 16, 2008

FlexSys is showing some flex, inventing new technology to make wind turbines more efficient and creating more jobs in Ann Arbor. Excerpt: Flexibility is something will all strive for, but it's Ann Arbor-based FlexSys' bread and butter. University of Michigan Engineering Professor Sridhar Kota started the form in 2001 after being inspired by nature. He noticed how many man-made objects are strong and rigid, but how most things in nature are strong and flexible. His company, now seven employees and three independent contractors strong, is taking that natural approach to heart. It designs products that are strong, have few parts and are incredibly flexibility. "We can design things to have a minimal number of parts that can still perform a number of sophisticated functions," Kota says. Read the rest of the story here.

GREEN SPACE: Good time to invest (we swear!) in solar

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Environment & Sustainability

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October 16, 2008

If you're like most Americans, the current times probably have you worried about money. And if you're not, we'd like to check your pulse and/or brain wave patterns.The recent economic bailout bill doesn't contain much in the way of good news for the average consumer. But there is some good stuff for proponents of solar energy. Although tax credits for installation of solar panels were not made permanent (as many had hoped) they were extended for eight more years.Good stuff, but it gets even better.The cap -- that was set at $2,000 for residential installs -- has been lifted. Now a house system could earn up to $10,000 or more in tax credits.Why go solar? Well, the cost of energy is likely to continue to increase, but once you are generating your own energy, that becomes a moot issue for your pocketbook. It also becomes possible that some day our electric companies will allow customers to sell power into the grid, which can generate income in the future.Ready to go solar? A great first step is sitting down with a green building consultant. A few local options include Brighton-based The Green Panel, Detroit-based WARM Training and SUR Energy Systems in Ann Arbor.A solar calculator that gives a rough estimate of your energy needs and the cost of a solar system can be found here. A great Co-op American article on solar water heaters, a good place to start if the whole house is just too daunting, can be found here.Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Ann Arbor OccuSciences plans to go from 5 to 25-30 employees by 2010

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Education

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October 16, 2008

The people behind Ann Arbor-based OccuSciences see a new way to create lots of jobs with their new diabetes detection technology.Excerpt:OccuSciences plans to start conducting clinical trails on its new diabetes early detection technology in November.If the tests go as expected the Ann Arbor-based start-up expects to go on a hiring binge within the next two years. The 1-year-old firm predicts a jump from its current staff of five people to 15 by the beginning of 2010. That could jump again to 25-30 people by the end of 2010.Read the rest of the story here.

A2 Media Corporation set to create 63 new jobs

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Economic Development

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October 9, 2008

Software developers A2 Media Corp is sinking more than few pretty pennies into Ann Arbor as it looks to expand.Excerpt:More software development in Ann Arbor means more job development in Tree Town, too. Now that A2 Media Corporation (aka Icon Creative Technologies Group) is expanding its presence in Ann Arbor, the 18-person company expects to create 63 new jobs within the next 10 years. It's going to do that by investing about $2.7 million to relocate and expands its Ann Arbor facility. "A great deal of it will be invested in talent," says Sara Johns, project director for A2 Media Corporation.Read the rest of the story here.