Technology and Innovation

Great Lakes Culinary Center opens in Southfield

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December 12, 2013

The Great Lakes Culinary Center opened last month in Southfield and has already become a draw for chefs, food business entrepreneurs and party planners. The 20,000-square-foot culinary center was designed to be a treat for the eyes -- and mouth and nose -- with its massive stainless steel kitchens surrounded by marble, natural wood, chic industrial light fixtures, all of it surrounding chefs and students that come here to hone their craft and test the latest in kitchen equipment and restaurant supplies. The Great Lakes Culinary Center is on 9 Mile Road and connected to Great Lakes Supply Company, a provider to the restaurant and hospitality industry. The idea is to be a launching pad for food business entrepreneurs as well as a spot for cooking classes for pros and non-pros. The center can also be rented for parties and events, and if founder Marc Israel's vision is successful it will lift up metro Detroit and Michigan's food and hospitality businesses. Successful metro Detroit chefs are on board, creating a menu of classes for everyday folks and culinary students and connecting with the chefs and others food business entrepreneurs to connect them with the latest in kitchen design, supplies, resources, cooking methods and much more. Source: Rachel Wolff, event coordinator, Great Lakes Culinary Center Writer: Kim North Shine

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Woodward Ave. transformation revealed

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Arts and Culture

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December 12, 2013

Plans to redesign Woodward Avenue between Detroit and Pontiac into a thoroughfare that will be prepared for mass transit as well as welcoming to bikers and walkers are being aired on public access cable channels in Oakland County. Some of the organizations behind the plan, the Woodward Avenue Action Association, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and the municipalities that line the avenue, are looking for public feedback as local, county and state officials get behind the Complete Streets plan. Steven Huber, a spokesperson for Oakland County, says the plan could transform Woodward into a scenic thoroughfare in ways to promote business and usability. Engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff came up with a redesign of the 27-mile stretch of road in a master plan that's believed to be one of the largest of its kind in the nation. The planning and public feedback are moving at a faster pace as Oakland County and several municipalities work to prepare for the arrival of light rail on Woodward Avenue in Detroit. The idea is to unite metro Detroit through a major corridor that's easy to travel, to stimulate transit-oriented development, and to create jobs. Source: Steve Huber, marketing and communications officer, Oakland County Writer: Kim North Shine

Super heroes & Santa part of downtown Ferndale ice festival

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Arts and Culture

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December 12, 2013

Businesses in downtown Ferndale are celebrating the holidays and hoping to put some muscle in their sales by throwing an ice festival that showcases super heroes. More than 50 ice sculptures will be on display outside of businesses throughout downtown for The Holiday Ice Festival Saturday, Dec. 14, and visitors can go to the North Pole at Schiffer Park on W. 9 Mile and meet reindeer, have hot chocolate, write letters to soldiers and more. Santa will start the festival at 10 a.m. with an appearance on a fire engine and have lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. A heated trolley will ferry riders to and from shops and restaurants throughout the day. There will ice carving demonstrations, carolers, pictures with Santa, and running at the same time as the festival will be the Saucy Social & Food Truck Rally on Vester Street. Besides giving visitors a fun holiday outing, the festival is meant to stoke business activity by pulling in customers with holiday shopping lists, says Cristina Sheppard-Decius, executive director of the Ferndale Downtown Development Authority. Source: Chris Hughes, Ferndale Downtown Development Authority Writer: Kim North Shine

Mobile app Nowza brings buying power to events

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Innovation News

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December 12, 2013

Ever go to a concert, buy the band’s tour t-shirt early to make sure you get one and then lament having to lug it around the entire time? To Ed Cantrell, that experience is a mobile app startup in the making. Nowza bills itself as "a mobile app that delivers what you want from a live event." It provides a platform for people attending an event, such as a concert, to buy paraphernalia. So instead of waiting in a vendor line and toting a poster around for most of the time, users can order the same item online and have it delivered to their home. "When you're at the event it lets you know there is a virtual store there," Cantrell says. It also opens the door for more sales for the performers and venue, which is a vital part of the event’s business plan. "You want to sell your stuff while people are there," Cantrell says. "The best time to sell your goods, which is a major part of your income, is at the venue." The Harper Woods-based startup uses Amazon and iTunes as part of the sales process. "That way they don't have to start an account," Cantrell says. "They can start buying products right away." Nowza and its team of three people recently made the semifinals of the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition in downtown Detroit last month. Cantrell says the experience helped his company solidify its business plan and push forward on its marketing campaign that it intends to ramp up in 2014. "It was quite an education," Cantrell says. "There was some stiff competition." Source: Ed Cantrell, CEO of Nowza Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

TerraYebo aims to license technology to larger clients

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Economic Development

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December 12, 2013

Phase 1 for TerraYebo consisted of getting its fundraising software on the market. The second phase is about licensing it. "We are in Phase 2," says Michele Favoretto, founder & CEO of TerraYebo. "We have launched the technology and we are preparing to license it to larger-scale clients." The Madison Heights-based startup's principal product is MyInchofTheEarth.com, a micro-funding platform for nonprofits. Users of the software can claim a virtual inch of the earth or ocean. The platform allows the user to share why that place is important and choose a nonprofit that supports the preservation or enhancement of that place. That way the giver's life experience at a certain place, like a university or park, inspires them to give to that institution. TerraYebo has landed a number of larger nonprofits on its client roster, including Autism Speaks, the National Park Foundation, and The Pink Fund, among others. The startup and its team of five, up one from earlier this year, has steadily been enhancing the software to make it more dynamic for users. "That allowed us to bring on these larger nonprofits this year," Favoretto says. "We are rolling out new features every two weeks." TerraYebo has also received another investment from Automation Alley worth $75,000. The startup has raised $650,000 in seed capital, with half of that coming from the Troy-based business accelerator. Source: Michele Favoretto, founder & CEO of TerraYebo Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Brooks Kushman adds staff to keep up with IP work spike

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Economic Development

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December 12, 2013

Brooks Kushman has experienced a hiring spike over the last year as the economy has rebounded. The Southfield-based intellectual-property law firm has hired 17 people over the last year, including 12 new attorneys and five support staff. It has expanded its office space by 7,000 square feet to accommodate the growth. It now has a staff of 177 people, a vast majority of which are housed in 2.5 floors in 1000 Town Center, overlooking the Lodge Freeway. "As the economy is getting a little better our clients are sending us more work and we need to hire more people to handle it," says Mark Cantor, president of Brooks Kushman. What makes that statement unique is that intellectual property is pretty steady regardless of the ups and downs of the economy. Cantor says local companies are looking to expand on more intellectual property. While a majority of that work is automotive, it is not just new designs for brakes or gears. Since so much of a vehicle is dependent on software, a lot of that work revolves around new technology, which is making Cantor optimistic for next year. "I think 2014 will be our best year," Cantor says. "The stars seems to be aligning for us." Source: Mark Cantor, president of Brooks Kushman Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Downtown Royal Oak going to the gourmet dogs

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Arts and Culture

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December 5, 2013

The new year will welcome at least one new restaurant to downtown Royal Oak. Detroit Dogs will serve gourmet hot dogs made with Dearborn franks and buns made in a Hamtramck bakery alongside other Detroit-bred products: Better Made chips and Faygo drinks among them. Hiring and renovations on the space at 200 W. Fifth Avenue are underway and expected to be completed in early January. The owners bring with them extensive restaurant experience in Monroe County and were asked by local investors to roll out the gourmet dog concept in metro Detroit. Source: City of Royal Oak Writer: Kim North Shine

“Spiritual revolution” stokes Boston Tea Room expansion

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Arts and Culture

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December 5, 2013

When the Navarre sisters and their mother decided to open a second spiritual services store in 2009 in downtown Ferndale, friends and acquaintances told them they were crazy, that there was nothing good in the cards for such a specialized business during such a stall in the economy. They were wrong about the Boston Tea Room, which has a yoga studio in Wyandotte, a meditation practice in Ferndale and many other services, including tarot card, tea leaf and other readings, and its future. "Within two years our Ferndale store was matching the sales of our Wyandotte store without pulling any business from there," says Heathleigh Navarre, one sister in a sister-sister-mother team that runs Boston Tea Room. Just short of its five year anniversary in Ferndale, the Boston Tea Room in Ferndale is proving the naysayers wrong by moving into a 3,000-square-foot space -- more than double its previous spot -- to keep up with demand. "We're a destination spot," says Navarre. "People drive from Holly, Saginaw, Kalamazoo." She is a certified meditation specialist, a tarot card and mediumship reader. Her sister, Vanessa Navarre, is a yoga instructor, and their mom, Carole Navarre, who took over the family business in Wyandotte about 18 years ago, is the one who makes sure the customers and staff are happy. Each shop has 8-10 readers on staff. "We've grown organically by responding to customer demands and feedback" says Heatherleigh Navarre. "When we decided to add a second location I don't f anyone was thinking about the future. We were growing pretty quickly. This was not one of those entrepreneurial five-year plans. We were just naturally responding to the market." And even with the economy in a downturn, she says, the number of people looking for spiritual healing, self-discovery, and internal analysis kept increasing. "It's part of a spiritual revolution," she says. "People still want products, but they want a product with meaning, something that goes beyond a gadget." Source: Heatherleigh Navarre, co-owner, Boston Tea Room Writer: Kim North Shine

U.S. factories humming with activity

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Economic Development

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December 5, 2013

The growth in U.S. manufacturing bodes well for Detroit, which has started retooling former auomotive operations into production facilities for unique goods. Excerpt: "U.S. factory activity expanded in November for the sixth straight month, signaling stronger demand at home and abroad that could boost growth prospects into next year.... "Ultimately, it's consumer spending" providing the support for increased factory activity, said Bradley Holcomb, chairman of the ISM's manufacturing-survey panel. That's good news for Detroit-based watch maker Shinola. Founded in 2011, Shinola took the brand of a defunct American shoe-polish maker and set up shop in a building that formerly housed a General Motors research lab. It has hired more than 170 people since its launch and continues to add workers, Chief Executive Steve Bock said." More here.

E7 Solutions sets up tech shop in Auburn Hills

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Arts and Culture

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November 21, 2013

E7 Solutions, a software and consulting firm, has opened an office in downtown Auburn Hills. The five-year-old company has been steadily hiring since moving to 3344 Auburn Road last month. The company's founder is Edmond Delude, who is bringing 15 years of experience from Chrysler, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mercedes and Land Rover, managing the development of engineering software applications and development of diagnostic communication protocol specifications. E7 specializes in software development, data management, project management and in generally finding solutions for businesses. It also has expertise in Atlassian JIRA software for managing product launches. Source: Darren Darge, city of Auburn Hills Writer: Kim North Shine