Blogs

My, how the ENIAC has grown! Southeast Michigan's IT companies, often overshadowed by snazzier startups, are in prosperous mode. Meet Bill Wagner and Dianne Marsh, co-founders of Ann Arbor software firm SRT Solutions. Their blog? The challenges of growing a tech biz and how the tech community is supporting the region.

Bill Wrobleski thinks it's time we all went green. He also thinks it's easier to make a difference than you think. As the director of U-M's Technical Infrastructure Operations at the school's Administrative Information Services he's charged with balancing the growing tech needs of the U and its desire to be a good environmental citizen.

Metro Detroit recently landed a $2.85 million Sustainable Communities grant to help the region become more dense and develop its transit options. Brad Garmon, land programs director at the Michigan Environmental Council, offers a free-thinking approach to connecting the historically disparate forces of housing, land use, and eco-consciousness.

Music writer Brett Callwood hopped the briny deep to follow rockers like the Dirt Bombs and Insane Clown Posse (who got big play in his native England) to Detroit in 2008. This week Brett, author of MC5: Sonically Speaking, the first full biography of the harbingers of punk rock, plumbs the local music scene and its old school influences.

Brian Balasia is our guest blogger this week. Brian founded Digerati Solutions while an aerospace engineering student at U of M. He currently sits on the board of directors for the Detroit Regional Chamber, WIRED, and the U of M Alumni Society.  Check back here each week day to read Brian's thoughts on attracting talent to SE Michigan and nurturing innovation.

Social responsibility has grown from business school curriculum and boardroom gab into a customer expectation. Brian Elias, founder and president of 1-800-HANSONS, says that when customers buy a company's products, they're also buying its stance on community involvement.

Talk is easy. Putting weight behind your words is another matter. Take it from Dr. Britany Affolter-Caine, a half-marathoner and director of Intern In Michigan, an initiative to attract and retain college graduates through internship opportunities. Britany discusses how Michigan's educational, economic, and business stakeholders have moved past the chatting stage to actively join together in collaboration.

Who can forget the great bailout of banker George Bailey in the classic It's a Wonderful Life? Bruce Rosenblat, chief marketing officer of Main Street Bank, writes on the hyper-local focus of the region's community banks and why these pillars are not pulling up stakes here.

Did you know that parks and open space comprise 38 percent of London's footprint? Successful cities know green means a better quality of life and a healthier population. Bryan Farmer, recreation superintendent for the city of Farmington Hills, blogs about next week's No Child Left Inside Summit and the city's commitment to outdoor programming.

For Carl Goines its all about the arts. A native Metro Detroiter, he's a founder, Co-Director and board member of Detroit's 555 Nonprofit Gallery and Studios. He'll be writing about what it takes to keep a non-profit arts organization going in Michigan.

Noodle on this: Just 32 percent of Michigan's working-age residents hold at least a two-year college degree. Gov. Granholm and The Kresge Foundation want to double this figure by 2025. Caroline Altman Smith, a program officer at Kresge, will spotlight community colleges and cover the importance of college access (and success) for Detroiters.

Hollywood is new on the Michigan scene, but Metro Detroit has always been the beachhead for Carrie LeZotte. The executive producer at One of Us Films and founder of OICmovies.com, Carrie knows her lines when it comes to the movie biz. This week she'll talk about starting a news and entertainment site for the deaf and hard of hearing, film technologies, and how to break in.

Catheryn Cheal, Ph.D. has some big ideas about technology and education. Which is fitting since she's the Assistant Vice President of e-Learning and Instructional Support at Oakland University. She'll be writing this week about the evolution of learning and technology, and its potential impact on SE Michigan.

Turkey season and football playoffs signal another cold winter kickoff, but thankfully it's springtime for green entrepreneurs in Detroit. Meet Chanell Scott and Jordan Contreras, recent Bizdom U grads and co-founders of Guffly.com, a new shopping website for eco-buffs. This week they put their heads together to discuss Detroit's entrepreneurial climate and their eco-friendly approach.

Metro Detroit recently got its own version of the venerable Chautauqua gathering of thinkers with the inaugural TEDx Detroit intellectual and creative conference. This week, TEDx organizer and ad man Charlie Wollborg, founder of Curve Detroit Advertising, Marketing & Design, presents another Chautauqua of the mind with his collection of videos aimed at refilling Michigan's economic fountain of ideas.