Royal Oak

GREEN SPACE: A-ShirtBag aims for sustainable products, operations…and education

By Newsroom

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April 2, 2009

What the heck is A-ShirtBag? It's a discarded tank top -- a.k.a., an A-Shirt -- turned into a bag...and it's also a non-profit operation that sells other sustainable goods and does educational outreach. It's HQ-ed right here in southeast Michigan, with administrative offices in Royal Oak and production offices in the New Center area of Detroit.Founder Jeff Newsom aims to offer simple solutions for sustainable living, with the A-ShirtBag being example number one. Next up is CFL light bulbs, aluminum water bottles, recycling bins and more, that will be sold online and at Root and Sprout Eco-Boutique in Birmingham and at Heritage Co. in Royal Oak. With A-ShirtBag products, Newsom is aiming for clean, modern design that demonstrates that "eco-friendly stuff can be cool...it doesn't have to be crunchy or granola."His bags are manufactured at a wind-powered factory in North Carolina. All waste fabric is shipped back to AShirtBag, where it is turned into teddy bears. This no-waste way of doing business translates to operations back at the office, where Newsom is working on achieving LEED certification.All this green living is key to Newsom's mission of educating youth as to its ease and benefits. He is launching his program, "7 Things You Can Do in 7 Days to Save Our Environment" on April 7 at Logan Elementary School in Detroit. The program uses science-based project learning and targets schools that are low-performing in their MEAP science scores. Each child walks away with a Tree in a Box and each classroom ends up with recycling bins.Newsom relocated here from New York and says he finds Detroit "fascinating." Next up for the eco-preneur is multiple Earth Day events, scattered around Metro Detroit. Metromode will be doing an Earth Day round-up, so stay tuned.Source: Jeff Newsom, AShirtBagWriter: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

401 N Main goes from rough to diamond in downtown Royal Oak

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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April 2, 2009

What was once blighted rough is now Royal Oak’s newest architectural diamond -- 401 N Main. The 2-story office building literally blings in the sunlight with its new stainless steel exterior and large glass windows. It’s about to open as the new home to two of the city’s prominent law firms, Corey and Flood, and Lanctot & Connor, next week.“We did a lot of work, but it’s a great showpiece now,” says Jim Schneider, president of Royal Oak-based Schneider+Smith Architects, which designed the renovation of 401 N Main.That’s the first time anything so complimentary has been said about the building that sits across the street and a few blocks up from the Main Art Theatre. For years, 401 N Main was the biggest blight in downtown Royal Oak, suffering through failed redevelopment plans time and again as it sat half-done with weather-worn building materials flapping in the breeze.The city finally had enough. It condemned the building and hired a contractor to raze it, but at the eleventh hour, local preservationists lined up a new developer to save it from the waiting dumpster.“It was pretty close,” says Schneider, one of the proponents for saving 401 N Main. “The city was pretty adamant about taking it down.”That was the easy part. Schneider and his crew had to figure out how to revive a building that had wandered far from its original plans. It was originally built as a single-story storefront in the 1920s. In 2003, a developer started to add a second story for condos. This project basically served as his learning curve before he ran out of money.The crew had to replumb, replace walls and do a host of other structural work to shore up the 5,800-square foot structure. The subsequent rebuilding was no easy task. Part of the roof was rotted out and the second floor was covered in several inches of pigeon poop. More than one year’s worth of work produced a moderne-looking structure that complements downtown Royal Oak’s new building stock, like the Fifth at Royal Oak and the Center Street Lofts. Its interior is part modern office and part loft-like office space for about 15 attorneys and support staff.The ground floor has dark wood flooring and modern finishes, which contrasts with the exposed X-bracing and large windows. The east-facing windows utilize Solarban 60 Low-E Glass and are lightly tinted to control the ample morning sunshine and to let occupants put their eyes to the street, making for a more walkable block.The second floor contrasts with a more traditional-loft look. Exposed wood rafters, duct work, wood beam posts and a corner balcony make the second floor feel almost more like a luxury loft than a place of business. “It’s sort of what we were going for,” Schneider says. “We wanted a high-degree finish below.”401 N Main adds a big shot of energy to Royal Oak, one of Michigan’s best downtowns, by extending walkability and vibrancy beyond its traditional northern border of 11 Mile Road. The refurbished building is a nice new little jewel that now sits at the top of downtown’s crown.Source: Jim Schneider, president of Royal Oak-based Schneider+Smith ArchitectsWriter: Jon Zemke

Save the Rain

By Newsroom

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Entrepreneurship

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April 2, 2009

Rain water doesn't damper this Royal Oakian's spirits. He saves it. He uses it for his garden, his flowers, his shrubs, and, to top it all off, it helps reduce his water bill. Soon we'll all be saving our rainwater, maybe, after hearing from this guy.Excerpt:Collect the water that runs off one residential rooftop when it rains just a quarter of an inch, and you gain 55 gallons of water.That's a lot of nutrient-rich, chlorine-free water that shrubs, flowers and vegetable plants love.Each spring and summer the result can be up to 3,200 gallons of water that is saved and used. Royal Oak resident Jon Muresan said it can also save a lot of money on water bills."My girlfriend and I are avid gardeners; serious gardeners," Muresan said. "One summer we spent nearly $1,300 on watering our lawn, shrubs, potted plants and vegetable gardens."Read the entire article here.

Under 30 And Involved

By Terry Parris Jr.

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Arts and Culture

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April 2, 2009

Barack Obama's presidency was due, in no small part, to an energized youth movement. And those same post-college professionals are taking their passion and ideas into local governments, earning seats on local boards and commissions.

Video The Flute House

By Tom Hendrickson

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Arts and Culture

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April 2, 2009

It's residential. It's commercial. It's two very cool tastes in one. Proving that Royal Oak's urban development has still got it going ah-on, the Flute House will be an innovative addition to Main Street. No ordinary live/work space is this. Instead it's a cherry red gateway to downtown's new economy identity.

Shrine Robo-Knights are Going to Germany

By Prosper Oakland County, MI

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Arts and Culture

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March 30, 2009

Through the association of our coach, Mr. John Maten and Mr. Ron Lavalee, FloChart Software Consultant, the RoboKnights were invited to participate in a pilot competition in the United States, sponsored by Phoenix Contact, world headquartered in Germany.

Boston’s GuestMVP moves to Royal Oak, plans to add jobs

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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March 26, 2009

Moving interactive sports marketing firm Guest MVP to Royal Oak from Boston earlier this year was an easy decision for Gregory A. Nasto. However, it wasn't because of the usual reasons -- tax breaks or state aid. Loyalty stood head and shoulders above the rest.Nasto points out that Michiganians, especially metro Detroiters, are almost pathologically loyal -- a mentality reinforced by generations of Big 3 culture, where careers are spent with one employer."We still support the Lions, for goodness sake," Nasto says.That type of mindset, humility and work ethic isn't as prevalent out east, so he decided to move more than 600 miles away -- to downtown Royal Oak. Its people provide the right foundation for the 3-year-old start-up."I don't watch my crew leave at 5 p.m.," Nasto says. "They're still on the phone because the work needs to be done."Plus it helps that the struggling economy makes people more grateful for their jobs and helps drive down labor costs, to the tune of 40 percent of Boston wages. But as Nasto points out, "if we make this work, everybody will get paid."GuestMVP creates interactive software and marketing content for sports stadiums. For instance, the interactive screens in luxury boxes and club seats lets users do everything from watch a replay to ordering food. It also gives its advertisers access to some of the wealthiest members of society."We're interactive marketing and new media," Nasto says. "We're a new level of marketing that hasn't been seen yet."GuestMVP plans to launch the beta version of its technology in the Palace of Auburn Hills within the next 30 days, just in time for the NBA Playoffs. Nasto has many other sports venues interested in the technology, if it proves effective in the Palace."We're penetrating the sports industry," Nasto says. "It's just not professional but college, too."He expects to really ramp up GuestMVP's growth within the next six months and for that to continue over the next two years. That could mean adding 15-20 new employees to the staff of eight people, and a handful of independent contractors and interns by the third quarter of this year -- the type of people that Nasto expects will be loyal to his company for a long time.Source: Gregory A Nasto, managing principal of GuestMVPWriter: Jon Zemke

Downtown Royal Oak welcomes Bianchi’s Salon & Spa

By Newsroom

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Development News

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March 26, 2009

It's not the tallest building in downtown Royal Oak, but the new home of Bianchi's Salon & Spa is the newest addition to the urban wall street on Main Street. Workers are putting the finishing touches on the single-story building at 710 N. Main, across the street from Main North Lofts and a short distance north of the Main Art theater. "It's being drywalled," says Jim Schneider, president of Royal Oak-based Schneider+Smith Architects, who designed the structure. The building is built up to the lot line like a traditional downtown storefront, extending the street wall from downtown to a little further north. These types of details are essential to helping make downtown more pedestrian-friendly, by putting more eyes on the street and more feet on the ground.The 4,200-square-foot structure will be used primarily for commercial space. About 3,000 square feet of the space will be occupied by the salon. The building is a normal storefront, but it does have a mezzanine that overlooks the salon portion, giving the structure 17-foot ceilings in some areas. The exterior is mainly brick, and modern in appearance, Schneider says. This allows it to fit in easily with the surrounding architecture on Main Street and the rest of downtown. Schneider+Smith Architects, which also designed the renovations of the Luke and Tribune buildings in downtown Royal Oak, is responsible for a bit of that work. Source: Jim Schneider, president of Schneider+Smith ArchitectsWriter: Jon Zemke

Oakland County teaches foreclosure prevention

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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March 26, 2009

Many metro Detroit communities are counting their federal foreclosure money these days as they find ways to get people into wayward houses. Oakland County is trying to nip that problem in the bud with its "My Future Home Ownership Retention" seminar.The free event, to be held in Royal Oak, is focused on intervening and preventing foreclosures in Oakland County. It will offer information and assistance, such as making modifications to mortgages, budgeting, and the devastating impact a foreclosure will have on credit reports. The idea is that keeping people in their homes will help to maintain property values, stop the displacement of families, and keep property taxes up to date. Many foreclosures have turned into neighborhood blights, dragging down nearby property values. Among the agencies there to help will be the Oakland County Community & Home Improvement Division, Lighthouse Community Development, and Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency.The seminar will be held at 7 p.m. Monday in the Royal Oak Public Library, 222 E. Eleven Mile Road. For information, call (888) 350-0900 ext. 85402 or click here. Source: Oakland CountyWriter: Jon Zemke

Oakland Community College invests $4 million in campus upgrades

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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March 26, 2009

Another $4 million is going into upgrades for three of the campuses for Oakland Community College.The college plans to do repairs and renovations at its Royal Oak, Auburn Hills, and Highland Lakes campuses. These projects range from making the campuses more pedestrian-friendly to routine repairs to the existing buildings.The Royal Oak campus will get the most money, $1.5 million, to build vestibule entrances to the building's four exterior doors. Some of the money will also go towards improving exterior lighting and surrounding landscaping.About $1.2 million will make the Auburn Hills campus more walkable by replacing some sidewalks and adding lighted walkways. Another $1.2 million will be used to make the Highland Lakes campus friendlier to cars by repaving parking lots and streets. Source: Oakland Community CollegeWriter: Jon Zemke