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Grants give Oakland County arts organizations a boost

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October 23, 2008

Waterford, Michigan – October 23, 2008 – The Oakland County Office of Arts, Culture & Film has announced grants local cultural institutions totaling $13,400. Grant dollars are from the State of Michigan through the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) Regional Regranting program. As one of only 19 regranting agencies in the state, Oakland County recognizes exemplary programs that encourage locally developed, high quality arts projects to address local arts needs and increase public access to the arts. A wide variety of project ranging from school residencies to community performances were awarded grant funding. Notable projects include: Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings are partnering with Troy Schools for a residency program with the Troy High School Band for the 2008-09 school year Detroit Dance Collective is presenting “The Power of Green,” a school and community outreach dance project Farmington Public Schools is hiring Eisenhower Dance Ensemble for a dance residency at Harrison High School and to present lecture demonstrations for the four Farmington Middle Schools Village of Holly DDA is hosting the 29th annual Dickens Festival in downtown Holly, December 6-2 Huron Valley Council for the Arts will present three student enrichment programs for children of the Huron Valley School District during the 2008-09 school year Michigan Classical Ballet’s educational outreach program “Nutcracker Knowledge” will be held on December 5 at Mercy High School. The program includes two performances of the Nutcracker Ballet for elementary students and curriculum guides for the participating teachers Orion Township Public Library’s 2008-09 Second Sunday Concert Series Stagecrafters, community theater of Royal Oak, will offer American Sign Language (ALS) interpreted performances for the 2008-09 Main Stage season The office is accepting grant applications for arts and cultural projects that take place from April 1 through September 30, 2009. The application deadline is February 1, 2009. Non-profit

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Oxford Biomedical Research receives $730,000 grant for cancer research

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 23, 2008

Rochester Hills-based Oxford Biomedical Research is working on a new blood test that could help detect anti-cancer agents in patients. A Small Business Innovation Research contract from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Helping is helping fund the development of this test with a contract worth nearly $730,000.The test measures a blood-borne protein that may be a biomarker for the efficacy of anti-cancer agents. A team of scientists, led by Dr. Thomas Eling at the National Institute of Health, discovered that treatment of animals with low doses of drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen reduce the occurrences of cancer and help produce more anti-cancer agents.The idea behind the test is to allow doctors to monitor cancer-fighting agents and study their effectiveness. It could also help them discover new anti-cancer agents.Oxford Biomedical Research develops, manufactures and markets more than 700 products for biomedical research. Its primary focus is on tests for oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, two major contributors to a variety of diseases. The firm has been named as an Oakland County Emerging Sector Company. It launched a new venture called Wellness Indicators to leverage the company's 25 years of expertise Source: Oxford Biomedical ResearchWriter: Jon Zemke

From Scratch: Dragon Bleu

By Amy Kuras

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Arts & Culture

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October 16, 2008

It was love at first swallow. When law student Moti Goldring and undergrad pal Jared Rapp discovered that French premium vodka Dragon Bleu wasn't distributed in the U.S. they did what any good entreprenuer would do: decided to sell it themselves. So, what does it take to launch a high-end liquor import business in Michigan? Metromode's Amy Kuras finds out.

Royal Oak decides to keep three parks off market for now

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 16, 2008

Three parks in Royal Oak are safe for now. The City Commission decided not to put them on the market to help close a budget deficit.The City Commission was considering the sale of Bassett, Rotary and the east section of Realtor parks. It also looked at selling two more surface parking lots at Woodward Avenue and York Street and 14 Mile and Rochester roads.City officials noted that if the parks were sold, there would still be recreation space within a half mile of 90 percent of the affected housing. They also described the three parks as "sparsely used." However, some local residents spoke up and disagreed with that assessment.Bassett Park is near the Campbell and 11 Mile roads. Rotary Park is on 13 Mile Road next to the Royal Oak Golf Course. The east part of Realtor Park is made up of two wooded vacant lots between homes in a residential area. Source: City of Royal OakWriter: Jon Zemke

Browsing By Design

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Arts & Culture

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October 16, 2008

Videos, Internet marketing, fine art and Kwame's mug. 323 East in Royal Oak has become one-stop shopping for creative inspiration. Home to the Ohm Creative Group, this storefront firm and art gallery is an ambitious (and successful!) merger of innovative business and unbridled expression.

Ferndale Lofts on the 9 set to show off first unit this Friday

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 16, 2008

Lofts on the 9 will unveil its first unit Friday evening, several weeks before the project is set to wrap up.Lofts on the 9 is the little condo project that could, fighting its way through tough timing in an even tougher economy and the toughest housing market in a generation. But the developers are still optimistic, letting it be known that people are still lined up to buy their product and most of the retail space has been leased.The development's first residents are expected to begin moving in around Thanksgiving. Their new home will be one of the choice living options in downtown Ferndale. Lofts on the 9 is on East 9 Mile Road just east of Como's Restaurant and across the street from the Ferndale Public Library. The 4-story structure features units that are priced from $149,000 to the mid $400,000s. They range in size between 500 and 2,100 square feet, however, the 2,100-square-foot loft can be expanded up to 2,700 square feet by adding a rooftop deck. Each unit comes with a ground floor parking spot next to the building.The group of developers behind the Lofts on the 9 project also built the Troy, Main and Center street lofts developments in downtown Royal Oak.For information, call Adam Wolfson, sales broker for Lofts on the 9, at (248) 336-9600 or at (248) 535-4900.Source: Adam Wolfson, sales broker for Lofts on the 9Writer: Jon Zemke

Edutronix looks to nearly double revenue, add 5 staff

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 16, 2008

Edutronix has gone through its share of changes since setting up shop in 1948. But it wasn't until recently that the Troy-based company went through a major growth spurt. The 10-person firm (plus four independent contractors and the occasional intern) has nearly doubled in size since January, hiring four new people. If it hits projected growth goals over the next year, Edutronix says it'll to add another five."We won't double our revenue, but it will be close," says Bob Moesta, vice president and general manager of Edutronix.A big part of that growth for the software developer is launching a new product next year. That product is a software system for foreign language students who have at least two years of classes in a specific language under their belts.Edutronix specializes in training and educational software. Among the products it offers are multimedia, interactive learning systems, training materials and educational software tools that utilize proven learning theories. These products are made for a wide range of consumers, such as school districts, colleges and businesses.Source: Bob Moesta, vice president and general manager of EdutronixWriter: Jon Zemke

Encryption Security Solutions plans to hire 5 now, 10 later

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Arts & Culture

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October 16, 2008

Encryption Security Solutions is on the move in more ways than one. The digital security firm has added space, a new office and is planning to add more staff.The company recently moved from Troy to a space in Lake Orion with a few thousand more square feet. It also opened an office on the west side of the state in Grand Lodge. ESS is made up of about a half dozen people and is looking to hire another five right now. Another 10 hires could be in the cards within the next year.A new product promises to propel Encryption Security Services growth as they plan to roll out a hard-drive-protection product for laptops in December. The intriguing thing is that the company hasn't even begun promoting it and yet, there is a backlog of orders."We have this trememdous backlog and we're not even actively selling it yet," says Kevin Lasser, CEO of Encryption Security Services. "The potential is huge."And there's more promise on Encryption Security Services' government wing, Pure Entropy Technologies."We have some very, very unique, exciting opportunities with the government," Lasser says.Source: Kevin Lasser, CEO of Encryption Security ServicesWriter: Jon Zemke

NETPODS searches for $1.5 million in start-up capital, expects big growth

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 16, 2008

The mother-daughter team behind NETPODS is ready to take on the country, it just needs $1.5 million. That's the price the Troy-based start-up needs to pay to start a national campaign for the online directory/search engine. Chris Lakatos came up with the idea (originally called Network Pods) in 2005. She brought her mother, Linda Lakatos, on to run the money end of the company. The team has enjoyed a good bit of success locally but they're looking to expand. "The first three years were pretty much out of pocket," says Linda Lakatos, business development partner with NETPODS.But to take the firm to the next step takes more money than the change the two women can find in their pockets. They are looking to find an angel investor or two to help bankroll the firm's national rollout. They expect to firm up that start-up capital by the end of the year and launch nationally six months after that.Doing so would allow them to hire 42 people directly and another 20 vendors within the first year. The numbers for employment would shoot up to 112 people within five years.Linda Lakatos describes NETPODS as a cross between Yellow Pages and WebMD websites. They have 18.5 million listings on their server already and number of other tools to help fledgling businesses get their name out to the right people. To do that now, they just need the one or two right people to help get them going.Source: Linda Lakatos, business development partner with NETPODSWriter: Jon Zemke

Gourmet grocers thriving as of late

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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October 16, 2008

The economy is struggling, that's undeniable. But, of course, there are bright spots that are equally undeniable. For instance, gourmet grocers are thriving. As this article states, the next best thing to going to Europe is eating as if you were in Europe. Excerpt: Despite the region's dismal economy, upscale grocers are flourishing in Metro Detroit, expanding and adding stores to serve a sophisticated and growing customer base that wants organic produce, natural and international foods, gourmet carry-outs and a glass of wine or a Sanders' hot fudge cream puff while they're shopping. "A trip to Europe may be out of the question, but consumers can still go to the grocery store and get the ingredients for a meal they would have eaten there," said Linda Gobler, president and CEO of the Michigan Grocers Association. "People want to do something to make themselves feel good." Read the entire article here.