Technology & Innovation

Coverage of innovative research, development and deployment of technology and technological advance, including hardware, software and software as service.

Nexlink hires in Auburn Hills on strength of mobile industry

By Newsroom

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General

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September 25, 2014

Mobile technology is creeping into more and more parts of the everyday economy and Nexlink Communications is one of the players making that happen sooner rather than later. The 10-year-old tech firm has doubled its revenue each year. That has allowed it to grow to 200 employees spread between two manufacturing facilities in Minnesota, three offices in Asia, and its headquarters in Auburn Hills. Thirty of its positions are in Auburn Hills, where the company has hired five people in purchasing and sales over the last year. Today's growth is coming primarily from its business in the mobile sector. That includes supplying new and used mobile devices, software provisioning, carrier services, back-end service and product support. "We have a bundled solution for companies that are getting into mobile," says Peter Schmidt, director of sales and marketing for Nexlink Communications. "The big areas are healthcare, transportation and hospitality." For instance, Nexlink Communications will help truck drivers switch their record keeping from hand-written records to elecrtronic records entered on a tablet in the vehicle. Or providing a tablet at a table in a restaurant so patrons can pay without needing the server. In both cases Nexlink Communications supplies a preloaded tablet that can be mounted and used by the workforce or customer. Source: Peter Schmidt, director of sales & marketing for Nexlink Communications Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Latest in Technology & Innovation

CureLauncher secures $500K Series B, signs 4 big clients

By Newsroom

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Health

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September 25, 2014

CureLauncher has closed on a Series B round of funding worth $500,000. The Bloomfield Hills-based startup that likes to refer to itself as the Wikipedia of clinical trials also closed on a half-million-dollar Series A last year. The Series B was led by Birmingham-based early stage venture capital firm InkWell. "It will help us grow fast," says Steve Goldner, chairman & CEO of CureLauncher. "It will add more talent to the team." CureLauncher's software is a one-stop shop for people looking to participate in clinical trials. Tens of thousands of clinical trials are held in the U.S. each year but they are routinely delayed because of enrollment issues. CureLauncher's database cuts out the delay by connecting sick people with cutting-edge treatments. "In the last year we have signed worldwide master service agreements with four of the largest pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations around the world," Goldner says. That has allowed CureLauncher to hire five people over the last year, and it's currently looking to hire three more. The relationship managers help prospective patients calling into CureLauncher's offices to find the best clinical trials. The two-year-old startup now has a staff of 14 employees and two summer interns. Source: Steve Goldner, chairman & CEO of CureLauncher Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Douglas Communications Group exemplifies new age in local media

By Newsroom

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General

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September 25, 2014

Sharlan Douglas has become a prime example of what it often means to be working in media in the 21st century. The Royal Oak resident has a career in local media that includes stints at WKBD TV as a promotion coordinator and a vice president of marketing & development for Metropolitan Center for High Technology, TechTown's predecessor from the 1980s/90s. Today she is the owner of her own boutique public relations firm, Douglas Communications Group, a partner in a wine-tasting staffing company, and a recently elected member of the Royal Oak City Commission. "I enjoy having the ability to control my work," Douglas says. That means working from home with her one-woman PR firm. Today she handles a number of local clients, her largest being Carlisle/Wortman Associates. She handles a lot of the owned media for the Ann Arbor-based planning firm, such as producing content for blogs, newsletters, and trade show materials. One of the current projects is helping create awareness of how populations in local communities are aging and what that means to their areas. She is doing similar work for the LGBT Older Adult Coalition, which has partners like Affirmations in Ferndale and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. "How do you respond to that shifting?" Douglas says. Douglas was recently elected to a seat on the Royal Oak City Commission. She had served on the city's planning commission for nine years prior and is an active member of the Michigan Association of Planning. She is also a partner in Professional Pours, a staffing agency for wine sampling in grocery stores. Think of the people with a small table that ask shoppers if they would like to try a taste of a new wine. Professional Pours finds the people making the pitch. "I am doing more and more work for Professional Pours," Douglas says. Source: Sharlan Douglas, owner of Douglas Communications Group Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Intergenerational partnerships fuel success in metro Detroit companies

By Dennis Archambault

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Arts & Culture

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September 25, 2014

"Make new friends and keep the old..." is more than just a nice sentiment, it can be a smart business strategy. Pairing the energy and creativity of young entrepreneurs with the experience and contacts of elder business leaders has proven to be a powerful tool for several metro Detroit firms.

New executive team positions Tegrit for growth in IT, software

By Newsroom

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General

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September 18, 2014

There is a new leadership team in charge of Tegrit, and the company has its eyes set on some significant growth. The Livonia-based firm had made a name for itself in software, specifically from software/IT services for the pension industry. Some of its marquee clients include the Municipal Employees Retirement System of Michigan, and the pension fund for Fresno County in California. "We built ourselves up from $8 million from almost exclusively pension software," says Jeff Adair, COO of Tegrit. Adair is part of a new trio of executives that has taken the reigns of the company this summer. He and Christian Curtis (the CTO) have worked at Tegrit for several years in leadership positions. They helped bring in Timothy McClure as the new CEO. He comes in with 10 new hires over the last year, all in IT positions. The firm now has a staff of 50 employees and four interns. The new leadership team is aiming to grow the company's current tech focus. The firm is looking to expand its focus to other IT and software sectors to help diversify its customer base and grow its bottom line. "We're looking to get a beachhead in new markets," Adair says. "Our objective is to become known as more than just pension software." Source: Jeff Adair, COO of Tegrit Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Danlaw adds 30 engineering jobs in Novi

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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September 18, 2014

Danlaw has enjoyed a healthy sales increase since the end of the Great Recession, including a significant spike over the last year. The Novi-based firm specializes in automotive-embedded electronics for network communications, infotainment, and telematics. Much of its recent growth has come from connected-vehicle technology work, which enables a car to communicate to other electronic devices around it. "It has grown a lot in the last few months," says Tom Rzeznik, president of Danlaw. "Our connected-vehicle division has propelled our growth over the last five years." That equates to an 80-percent revenue increase for the 30-year-old company between 2012 and 2013. It has hired 30 people in Metro Detroit over the last year, with a vast majority of those new hires being engineers. The firm now employs 150 people in the U.S. and 250 abroad in China and India. Rzeznik says the company is on pace to do similar numbers in the 2013 to 2014 year, which is why it continues to hire. "We're looking at significant growth this year as well," Rzeznik says. Source: Tom Rzeznik, president of Danlaw Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Orion Test Systems hires 6 as it expands globally

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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September 18, 2014

Orion Test Systems crossed a major milestone in the last year. The 10-year-old automotive testing company watched its revenue spike 25 percent over the last year, hitting a new plateau. "We went from $8 million to $10 million," says Bob Rogers, account manager for Orion Test Systems. The Auburn Hills-based company specializes in advanced engineering services. Specifically, it does life test and end-of-line test systems for electronic and mechatronic devices for customers in a wide range of industries, but a majority of its work is in the automotive sector. Driving a large part of Orion Test Systems's new growth is its global expansion, finding new clients in Europe and Asia. The company now has 75 employees, 15 of which are based abroad. The firm has also hired six people for its executive team and also for account management, design, and electrical engineering. It also has a couple of job openings now. "We're going to continue to grow this business," Rogers says. "We want to become a global leader in test equipment." Source: Bob Rogers, account manager for Orion Test Systems Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Home sale prices up for 18th consecutive month in Metro Detroit

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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September 18, 2014

The spring and summer home-buying season resulted in double-digit price appreciation in all parts of the Detroit region. Excerpt: "The median selling price of homes in metro Detroit climbed for an 18th straight month while the total number of homes sold continued to cool in August, according to figures released Monday by Realcomp. The median selling price for homes in Metro Detroit rose 13.3 percent on an annual basis to $153,000. Total sales by units fell 10.4 percent to 4,888 homes, according to Realcomp, the Farmington Hills based Multiple Listing Service for southeast Michigan. More here.

Twisted Tavern puts twist in Ferndale’s nightclub/restaurant scene

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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September 18, 2014

After a successful run as a go-to fun spot, Boogie Fever in Ferndale has been reinvented into a nightclub and restaurant that leaves behind a casual, disco feel and takes on a chic, upscale attitude. Twist Night Club opened several weeks ago in the back of the space on Woodward Avenue, and earlier this month the food side of the business, the Twisted Tavern, opened in the front part of the building at 22901 Woodward. The dance club is open on weekends. The tavern is open every night for dinner, and the menu created by executive chef Kyle Hanley means to compete with top restaurants by being more than bar- or late-night food. Small plates such as cheddar cheese, red onion and pickled cabbage flatbread pizza, a salad of candy-striped beets, bibb lettuce, hazelnuts, chevre cheese and lemon vinaigrette, or Spanish chorizo with sherry cream, shiitake crisps, sliders, polenta fries and more are available. Finishes include a twisted ice cream sandwich made with maple ice cream, bacon and bourbon cookies, or a cinnamon snicker doodle sundae. Source: The Twisted Tavern Writer: Kim North Shine

Up North-based custom bed designers expand to downtown Rochester

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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September 18, 2014

A mattress designer who makes beds in any size, shape or form by hand, from scratch has opened a store in downtown Rochester. Beds by Design, which started in Harbor Springs, Mich. in 2005, has built a mattress manufacturing business on a customer base that wants mattresses made exactly as they ask, whether it's for comfort or for special spaces, say tight cottages, RVs, yachts, you name it. Downstate interest in the Up North-based Beds by Design prompted owner Rory Karpathian to open a Rochester showroom last month at 111 W. Third St. Karpathian, a former high-ranking mattress company executive who tired of industry changes focused on making more money by manufacturing shorter-lived products, says mainstream manufacturers can't come close to the careful, detailed and time-consuming process he and his employees use to make mattresses. "I make hand-crafted, natural, heirloom quality mattresses. My mattresses are made to last a lifetime and are the finest you will find in North America," he says. Source: Rory Karpathian, owner, Beds by Design Writer: Kim North Shine