Sterling Heights

State awards $5.25M to SE Michigan to fuel tech innovation

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October 11, 2012

Tech entrepreneurship doesn't just happen. Sometimes it needs a push or helping hand. The state has awarded strategic funds to organizations like the Institute for Research on Labor, Employment and the Economy at the University of Michigan, the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center in Plymouth, and the Macomb-Oakland University Incubator in Sterling Heights. Excerpt: "The awards, which are designed to help organizations fill gaps in entrepreneurial service areas, were among several items approved Thursday by the Michigan Strategic Fund. A total of $3.25 million in assistance will help Next Energy in Detroit, the Macomb-Oakland University Incubator in Sterling Heights and the Michigan Small Business Technology & Development Center, housed at Grand Valley State University, to provide commercialization matching funds to companies receiving federal technology research grants. Next Energy will receive $700,000 over three years; Macomb-OU will receive $766,036 over two years, and the Small Business Technology & Development Center will receive $1.75 million for one year, according to state information." Read the rest here.

Infichem Polymers reaches Accelerate Michigan semifinals

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General

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October 4, 2012

Infichem Polymers isn't just making a name for itself as a plastics company but as a green company. The Sterling Heights-based start-up reuses a main chemical in polyurethane foam as a basic building block to manufacture new polyurethane foam. The old polyurethane foam comes from post-industrial scrap that is normally landfilled. Reusing it in Infichem's InfiGreen polyol helps reduce the Co2 emissions and is sustainable and contains natural renewable oils with reducing the amount of foam scrap that goes to landfill. "Our polyol is the greenest polyol in the world," says Gerald Winslow, vice president of sales & marketing for Infichem Polymers. And it has been in high demand. Infichem Polymers has signed up some large customers, such as Chrysler and Magna. That has allowed the 3-year-old firm to grow its revenues by 1,200 percent and hire six people. It now employs 12 people and expects to keep up that torrid pace of growth. Infichem Polymers has also made the semi-finals of this year's Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition. It won the Advanced Materials category in the competition last year and is setting it sights higher this year. "We think we have a chance to win the top prize this year," Winslow says. Source: Gerald Winslow, vice president of sales & marketing for Infichem Polymers Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

BiancoCPA helps land more international biz in Metro Detroit

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General

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October 4, 2012

One of the most enjoyable trends in Lori Bianco's business, BiancoCPA, isn't its recent growth or helping small businesses (although those are positive things from her point of view) but helping bring more business to Michigan. The Sterling Heights-based accounting firm has watched a significant amount of its growth coming from helping international businesses set up operations in Metro Detroit. Often these companies are establishing a North America headquarters in southeast Michigan. "This has allowed us to bring more work into the U.S.," Bianco says. "That's pretty neat." BiancoCPA got its start in 1997. Since then it has handled a number of accounting jobs, such as helping small businesses with taxes and private accounting services. The company has grown to the point that it could hire another person over the last year, expanding its staff to five people. That's a significant jump for the company that was able to fight through the recent recession. "I am excited about it," Bianco says. "There was a dry period for a while and we were challenged like everyone else. Now there is a slow-but-steady increase in interest." Source: Lori Bianco, president & founder of BiancoCPA Writer: Jon Zemke

Sankuer Composite Technologies doubles staff in Sterling Heights

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General

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July 19, 2012

Sankuer Composite Technologies has doubled its staff on a significant bump in growth coming from broad range of new business for its products. The Sterling Heights-based company creates prototypes and customer products made of carbon fiber, Kevlar and fiberglass components. The common denominator between the products is that they are all light weight, which means they have been traditionally used by the automotive, aviation and marine industries. Think racing cars and boats which look to reduce weight in order to increase speed. The 9-year-old company's growth is coming from not only increased business in those sectors but also expanding into new areas, such as exhibition. Those industries are looking to lower fuel costs with Sankuer Composite Technologies' lightweight products. "If they can use material that is much lighter it will cost them less money to ship them across the country, like the displays for the auto shows," says Tim Doty, director of business development/legal for Sankuer Composite Technologies. That new business has allowed Sankeur Composite Technologies to hire four people this year, doubling its staff. Doty believes his company could be hiring more before the end of this, perhaps as soon as later this month. Source: Tim Doty, director of business development/legal for Sankuer Composite Technologies Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

UHY adds 30 in Sterling Heights, Farmington Hills

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General

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June 14, 2012

Every one loves the feeling of saving money on their taxes. UHY is hiring in Metro Detroit by helping local companies achieve that feeling. UHY is an accounting firm that provides financial, tax, and business consulting services to mid-sized and larger companies. "We try to give them as many recommendations as possible to save them capital from taxes and help them grow," says Dennis Petri, partner with UHY. The 12-year-old firm has locations across the U.S., including offices in Sterling Heights and Farmington Hills that, together, employ about 250 people. The company has hired 30 people over the last year on 8 percent revenue growth. "Now that the economy is back businesses are doing a lot better these days," Petri says. He adds that the company's growth has come organically from attracting both new customers and growing the workload from existing ones. The plan for 2012 is to continue that growth path with a bigger bottom line and more hires. Source: Dennis Petri, partner with UHY Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Rave Computer adds to growing staff in Sterling Heights

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Economic Development

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June 7, 2012

Rick Darter grows his Michigan business, Rave Computer, by evangelizing his industry, which handles modeling, simulation and visualization work. The Sterling Heights-based company, formerly Rave Computer Association, has hired five people over the last year, expanding its staff to 40 employees and a few independent contractors. The 24-year-old firm has grown thanks to a diversifying client base that recognizes the value of simulation and modeling technology. "We have had significant growth and continue to grow in Michigan," says Darter, president & CEO of Rave Computer. "Me personally, I have become very involved in promoting modeling and simulation technology in the region." Rave Computer offers its technologies to a variety of industries, such as defense and automotive. Darter is working to make sure no one industry dominates his bottom line, and continues to work to diversify his client base. He expects this work to mean more hiring and potentially a bigger physical footprint for his company's offices. "We are positioned for significant growth by some of the opportunities we're pursuing," Darter says. Source: Rick Darter, president and CEO of Rave Computer Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Miss Michigan represents Metro Detroit’s growing Arab-American population

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Community Development

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June 7, 2012

"Here she comes, Miss Michigan..." Sterling Heights and Metro Detroit's Arab American community was in the house at The 2012 Miss USA pageant. Excerpt: "The Miss Michigan contestant competing in this year's Miss U.S.A pageant is a Chaldean American from metro-Detroit. Miss Michigan Kristen Samantha Danyal, 21, is from Sterling Heights. She's a Chaldean American, and a student at the University of Detroit Mercy where she was expected to graduate in May with a degree in business marketing. Initially she planned on becoming a physician's assistant, but that changed after her experience as Miss Michigan Teen USA 2009. " Read the rest here.

Sterling Heights’ SERAPID hires 3 as it grows rigging mast sales

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Arts & Culture

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March 15, 2012

SERAPID is discovering more and more ways to use its principal product, a rigid chain linear actuator used to light and transfer big, heavy objects. It's happy coincidence that is allowing the Sterling Heights-based company to grow. SERAPID's telescoping mast units utilize its Rigid Chain lift column, which is powered electro-mechanically. That allows it to avoid issues involved with hydraulics and pneumatics, and allowing for the smooth extension and retraction of the masts even in case of high side forces (wind) or in case of ice build up on the mast surfaces. The masts can also be used in a temporary installation, and can be positioned fairly quickly. "The rigid chain actuator has applications in heavy industry, tool and die manufacturing as well as the nuclear and medical fields," says Carol Herriges, marketing manager for SERAPID. "We're finding a lot of different ways to use this." Those uses include everything from helping tool & die shops move heavy equipment to theater companies moving set pieces to aerospace companies moving heavy products. That diversity of uses is allowing SERAPID to grow, hiring three people in the last three months to its staff of 20 employees and one independent contractor. Most of those new jobs are in the executive or engineering ranks. "We expect to continue our current growth, our largest need at present is for talented engineering and manufacturing professionals," Herriges says. Source: Carol Herriges, marketing manager for SERAPID Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Michigan Defense Center opens in Sterling Heights

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Community Development

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February 16, 2012

The Michigan Defense Center (MDC), an agency of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, opened in Sterling Heights this week and made official Macomb County's position as the state's top destination for defense dollars. The new center will operate at Velocity, a business incubator and central location for economic development efforts in homeland security, defense, advanced manufacturing and other industries. It also provides loans and guidance, work and meeting space and more to start-ups. It is a collaboration between Macomb County, Oakland University and Sterling Heights. The MDC's Sterling Heights office opens as the state releases a study that found that in the last decade, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded nearly $42 million to businesses in Michigan, 63 percent of that going to Macomb County businesses. MDC also has a Lansing office. “Macomb County is the heart of our defense industry so it makes sense that this is the new home of our state’s defense center,” Michael A. Finney, president and CEO, Michigan Economic Development Corp., says in a statement announcing the opening. “This is a sector that is ripe for economic gardening opportunities, and we will continue to work with our partners to grow Michigan businesses and new jobs.” The Michigan Defense Center is an agency of the MEDC, created as a public act to attract new defense and homeland security investment in Michigan and to provide supply chains for defense industry buyers as well as augment research and development resources in universities and federal laboratories, among other objectives. Source: Maria Zardis, manager special projects and outreach, Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development Writer: Kim North Shine

Sterling Heights Chrysler plant drives out of bankruptcy into $1B investment

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 3, 2011

Just two years after Chrysler Group LLC's Sterling Heights assembly plant was written off in bankruptcy there are construction cranes and workers putting $1 billion worth of updates and changes into the facility. "It's amazing considering, as Chrysler has said itself, it is a rags-to-riches story for this facility," says Mark Vanderpool, Sterling Heights city manager. When the facility made the list of Chrysler properties to be closed and liquidated in 2010, the city council formed a task force to save the facility. After meeting with 50 local, state, and federal officials from government, schools, unions, private industry, the utilities, railroads, and the Italian Consulate, Chrysler bought the facility back and decided to make it a site where the latest technology would meet manufacturing. "After this broad-based effort, Chrysler decided to reverse its decision...and due to the incentive package...Chrysler decided to purchase back the facility out of bankruptcy for $20 million," says Vanderpool, who notes it's one of the largest construction projects in southeast Michigan. "This is the first example of such a scenario in the country. Probably 30-plus auto facilities have been closed across the country and this is the only example in the country of the company buying it back and bringing it back to life." Besides just over $1 billion in investment in the facility, which includes the recent announcement of a $165 million paint and body section, Chrysler is putting 900 people to work. In a statement announcing the additional investment, Scott Garberding, senior vice president and head of manufacturing for Chrysler Group LLC, says, "A plant that was slated to close nearly two years ago will now be a state-of-the-art facility that will play an integral role in the success of this company by building the next generation of all-new vehicles.” Source: Mark Vanderpool, Sterling Heights City Manager Writer: Kim North Shine