Technology : Development News

A Northville website design and development company that's just turning five is celebrating its success with a move into a larger office in downtown Northville.

Commercial Progression's new office at 115 North Center Street, Suite 203, brings together the company's team of web developers, graphic designers and freelancers who specialize in Drupal, a content management system for mobile or desktop uses. The firm calls itself The Drupal Experts.

A motto of Commercial Progression is to "help you leverage and turn great ideas into reality."

Alex Fisher founded the company in 2008 and not only helps businesses and entrepreneurs build websites they can manage but guides them through digital strategy that speaks to long term goals and success.

"We're a full-service Drupal shop, providing assistance at every step," Fisher says, "from before there's even a test site to many years hence."

Clients include National Geographic Ad Sales, TRW micosites event platform, the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology and School of Nursing, Motawi Tileworks and many others.

The company is hiring as more clients sign on.

Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Alex Fisher, founder, Commercial Progression

Troy-based Qstride is expanding to downtown Detroit, adding a new sales and marketing office to support its business intelligence and analytics services to clients.

The new office will be located inside the Chrysler House, formerly the Dime Building, on Griswold.

Employees in the new office will help Detroit-based companies increase performance with Qstride's Business Intelligence solutions, which Qstride says can help decision makers understand how insight into business data can boost the bottom line.

“We chose to open a new office in downtown Detroit because of its rapidly growing technology district, and to be a part of the revitalization of this city,” Shane Gianino, vice president of national business development at Qstride, says in a statement.

Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Chris Wojtylo, spokesman, Qstride

It's being called the largest data center in Michigan, and it's setting up operations in Southfield.

123.Net is building 100,000 square feet of data space at 24700 Northwestern Highway, where several telecommunications carriers currently operate. 123.Net provides voice, internet and colocation services and it will use the new data center to develop what's known in telecommunications as Tier 3 and Tier 4 data center space, the first in Michigan.

123.Net describes the data center as "an Internet Exchange, a place where Internet Service Providers (ISPs), telecommunications carriers, content providers, web-hosters and cloud providers meet to exchange IP traffic with one another. 123.Net is also working with engineering firms to utilize the latest energy-efficient technology to reduce energy costs by 60%."

123.Net CEO Dan Irvin says in a statement that the facility will be a draw for companies around the country.

“As 123.Net continues to grow, and the demand for world-class data center space increases, we have decided to develop a facility that will allow businesses in Michigan and across the country to have access to a premium facility in the Detroit area,” says Dan Irvin, CEO of 123.Net.

The facility will offer a data center so that companies don't have to build their own.

“Businesses are choosing colocation at 123.Net’s facilities over other options to avoid the risk, capital expense, and potential pitfalls of owning and operating their own data center. The carrier-agnostic approach of 123.Net’s four data centers provides access to a marketplace of suppliers,” Dave Curran, Channel Sales Manager at 123.Net. says in the statement.

Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: 123.Net and Automation Alley

Wayne State University is expanding from its urban setting in Detroit, building a suburban campus in Warren and a relationship with Macomb Community College and nearby automotive companies.

WSU's Board of Regents approved a $12 million renovation of an existing building adjacent to MCC on 12 Mile Road. The renovation will turn the building there and surrounding 3.5 acre site into the Advanced Technology Education Center, or ATEC.

ATEC will offer four year degrees in marketable academic programs such as engineering, computer science, business, advanced manufacturing and other areas of study. The degrees will be complemented by the access to collaborations with nearby businesses.

Wayne State and MCC through ATEC will help create an electric vehicle technologies center of excellence where WSU and MCC faculty can research, develop programs and improve delivery of electric and automotive battery technologies. 

“We are excited about implementing this next phase of the university's education strategy in Macomb County, which will serve as a center of excellence and a national model for university–community college partnerships,”  Ahmad Ezzeddine, vice president of educational outreach and international programs at Wayne State University, says in a statement. “We look forward to working with our partners at Macomb Community College and the Macomb business community to develop and offer educational and research programs that meet the talent and workforce needs of Macomb and the State of Michigan.” 

Dates for construction or opening have not yet been set.

Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Wayne State University

Hunch Free Digital Marketing has outgrown its downtown Mount Clemens office and is moving into a prominent downtown building that will give the company an office with a funky feel in collaborative work space, while bringing the city a revived historic building.

The firm will occupy the second floor of an early-1800s former law office at 25 North Main St., a throwback of an office with burnt orange carpeting, built-in shelves of dusty law books.

Hunch Free founder and president Jimmy Gwizdala is renovating the building and is excited about the prospects of incorporating the throwback style with sleek, modern additions. He is following the Repurposing Detroit movement in the renovation, reusing whenever possible as he knocks down walls and more.

The renovations are expected to be complete within six months as Hunch Free continues to add to its client base and hire employees.

Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Jimmy Gwizdala, founder and president, Hunch Free Digital Marketing

Going to Wall Street each day is out of the question for finance students at Walsh College -- or any college for that matter -- so Walsh has built a miniature version of the stock exchange right on its Troy campus.

The 1,400-square-foot, glass-walled finance lab comes with a dozen Bloomberg terminals, several large, flat-screened TVs tuned to financial reports, and an LED ticker that runs along the top of the wall, giving real-time readings of financial reports and financial news.

Inside, students have a number of ways to learn the principle of market structure, including software that drives the marketplace. The lab goes hand in hand with courses in investment, portfolios, financial markets, international finance, financial management and economics. It will also be used for public events such as financial planning seminars and private investment programs.

"Walsh College’s interactive finance lab will change the way we teach financial courses,” Walsh College Professor Linda Wiechowski, chair of the finance and economics department, says in a statement about the last week's lab opening. “Our new lab will provide students with the knowledge and tools they need to fine-tune their skills and increase their marketability.”

Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Lindsay Karpinskas, Airfoil public relations

Oxford has become Oakland County's first community to offer free wireless service across its downtown.

The Wireless Oakland initiative, which sought to set up wireless service in all of Oakland County downtowns as an economic stimulus, has been revived and scaled back after the original plan developed in 2005 "fell victim to recession when private investors backed out," Bill Mullan, a spokesman for the county, says in a news release announcing Oakland Township's going wireless.

Internet Provider Air Advantage is providing the wireless coverage in exchange for access to some of the county's strategically placed communications towers. Air Advantage will also offer competitively priced, wireless broadband services to northern and western parts of the county where there is no such service.

Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Bill Mullan, spokesman, Oakland County

Farmington Hills is the new headquarters of TM Group, a business technology consulting firm that has combined two of its locations into one headquarters designed to foster collaboration, and even fun, among its employees.

The 6,700-square-foot office at the Farmington Hills Corporate Campus at 12 Mile and Halstead roads brings together executive management, sales and marketing, client support, and consulting and developing under one roof.

Their new workplace combines largely naturally lit offices, meeting rooms, a training room, library, media room, contemporary kitchen and a "refresh room" where employes can watch TV, listen to music, play video games or just relax and destress, the company says in a statement announcing the newly designed headquarters.

"May began our 29th year as a highly successful Michigan-based business technology consulting firm – a tremendous milestone of achievement and a great time for us to consolidate in this new corporate headquarters.  We are one of only a handful of Microsoft Dynamics partners worldwide who have nearly three continuous decades with the same management team, product family, and with the most tenured team of certified Dynamics consultants in our area,” says Judy Thomas, president of The TM Group, which calls itself a highly acclaimed provider of Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM solutions.
“We made a special effort to provide a more updated environment for our team and a welcoming environment for our clients, prospects, and visitors.”

Source: Jennifer Swiderski, spokesperson, TM Group and Automation Alley
Writer: Kim North Shine

A Motorola facility in Farmington Hills has been vacant since it closed four years ago. Soon, however,  it will be filled with the sounds of engineers and other employees researching and developing new ways for drivers to interact with automotive sound systems.

The Panasonic Automotive Systems Co. of America will hire 60 full-time employees initially, says Teri Arbenowske, economic development director for the city of Farmington Hills, and as time goes on more will be added.

The Japanese electronics company has leased 90,000 square feet of space, previously used by Motorola, in a corporate park in the 12 Mile and Halstead area. Mercedes Benz and Greenpath are located in the same corporate park. It is renovating the space, where engineers will research and develop human machine interfaces, vehicle sound systems and electronics for electric/hybrid vehicles.

"This will be work with advanced software, testing of vehicle sound systems. The exciting thing about this is the number of jobs and the type of jobs," Arbenowske says.

The state awarded Panasonic a $500,000 Business Development Program incentive to expand its Southeast Michigan operations, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corp. It says the company is investing $8.16 million to establish the research and development center. The city is has also approved tax abatements for the project.

"They're looking for high tech jobs, skilled engineers," Arbenowske says. "That's what we really need in Michigan, is to bring more engineers in to develop new products…A lot of our grads leave Michigan and we need companies that can keep that talent here."

Mayor Barry Brickner shared his excitement over the company's arrival in a statement: "Farmington Hills is thrilled to welcome Panasonic Automotive Systems of America to our City. Panasonic will provide jobs and will create excitement and growth in the business community.”

Source: Teri Arbenowske, economic develop director, city of Farmington Hills
Writer: Kim North Shine

An effort to promote companies that work in computer modeling, simulation and visualization (MSV) is underway as Automation Alley brings together MSV-related businesses and encourages educational institutions to prepare students for the field.

About 20 local companies were part of a meeting in January to discuss the MSV initiative. Companies such as Rave Computer attended the meeting and president and CEO, Rick Darter, says the company has already seen the stronghold Michigan, with its background in manufacturing, has in the field.

"Until four years ago 95 percent of Rave's business was always outside of Michigan. Then we made the company's goal to grow our Michigan customer base," Darter says in a statement. "Based on our efforts, we easily found over 100 companies right here in Michigan with strong investment in MSV-related activities across all industries, but they were all sliced -- in other words, nobody was talking to each other."

Automation Alley, which describes itself as the state's largest technology business association, is partnering with Ann Arbor-based National Center for Manufacturing Sciences to bring those businesses together and promote and advance the field through education and the creation of a skilled workforce.

"Our primary role is to bring a lot of the industrial players to the table," NCMS President Rick Jarman says in a statement released by Automation Alley. "We have software companies, we have hardware companies and the NCMS' role is to bring these companies together to form a shared infrastructure, a PIC."

The 20 companies that attended the formation meeting have pledged to volunteer their time to support the mission.

"Southeast Michigan is primed to become a leading Center of Excellence for modeling, simulation and visualization in the country," Automation Alley executive Ken Rogers says in the statement.

"We are collaborating with local organizations that have a vested interest in MSV to discuss needs and opportunities in this area. Because of their support, we can now draw from our collective expertise and resources to move this initiative forward, creating training programs, connecting talent with jobs, and providing manufacturers with the resources they need. As we build momentum, this initiative will naturally draw additional talent, business and resources to our region."

Source: Kelly Kozlowski, business accelerator client coordinator and communications officer, Automation Alley
Writer: Kim North Shine

Altair Engineering, a 26-year-old company that provides specialized software and consulting services to the fields of engineering, computing and enterprise analytics, has opened a new data center in Troy, just over three miles from its world headquarters.

The company says the "exceptionally high-powered data center" that equates to a scientific super computer will manage its growing Hyper Works on Demand cloud-based, computer-aided engineering program for companies that rely on high-performance computing to run their operations.

The data center, among other services, gives companies several software solutions and cloud computing that can permit as many as 150 engineering jobs to run at once. The data center should be operational within the next several weeks.

“Companies often turn to HyperWorks On-Demand because they have outgrown their internal capacity or do not have the resources internally to manage high-performance computing equipment,” Altair Chief Information Officer Martin Nichols says. “HyperWorks On-Demand provides all our products as a cloud service, and this data center allows us to scale up to provide much larger on-demand clusters for our customers. ”

“Our HyperWorks On-Demand data center essentially fits the power of an entire building of high-performance computers into a single room, making it feasible now for medium to large-sized organizations to access substantial computing resources via Altair’s private cloud,” Nichols says. “The compute-power density of this center is phenomenal, far higher than that of a standard commercial data center. Altair’s is much more similar to a scientific super-computing installation.”

Construction on the the data center finished last week. It features extensive physical and cyber security measures and is monitored inside and out by video surveillance, night-vision cameras and sensors. Firewall devices protect data.

Altair has 1,500 employees in offices in North and South America, Europe and Asia.

Source: Jenn Korail, account supervisor Airfoil Public Relations
Writer: Kim North Shine

General Motors Corp. may build a $130 million data center, information technology lab and technology center at its Cadillac building in Warren.

The plans are part of an announcement made Wednesday by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority, which approved a state brownfield tax credit of $10 million for the expansion and redevelopment of the building.

The project would create about 25 jobs and put the state's third-largest city in the position of attracting new economy workers to replace the manufacturing jobs eliminated by modernized car-making.

"I think this is an indicator to companies that in Warren and in the metro area we have a lot of highly skilled people who are ready to move in to these jobs, and they will be high paying jobs, highly skilled jobs, jobs where people have a future," Warren Mayor Jim Fouts says. "The future is with information and data and the internet. We don't want to be dependent upon the old industrial concept. We want to move into the 21st and 22nd century."

In all the investment - should it be completed as planned - along with other upcoming GM projects in Warren amounts to nearly $500,000 million and hundreds of jobs, Fouts says.

"I really think this is the tip of the iceberg with the state turning around and getting out of the economic malaise it's been in."

The Michigan Economic Growth Authority, or MEGA, offers refundable tax credits against the Michigan Business Tax to companies expanding or relocating their operations in Michigan. Tax credit agreements are awarded on the basis on the strength of projects, including jobs created and amount of investment.

Source: Warren Mayor Jim Fouts; Michigan Economic Growth Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine

Goods delivered by Rochester-Hills-based healthcare supplies provider Wright & Fillippis are getting to their destinations on propane power as the company converts 25 percent of its fleet to this clean form of fuel.

That means 12 of Wright & Fillippis' trucks and vans will run on propane as they deliver goods in Michigan. About half the vehicles have already been converted and are on the road and a propane station is up and operating at the company's headquarters.

"They're hoping to convert the entire fleet eventually," says Matt Sandstrom, mobility division manager for the Clean Energy Coalition, an Ann Arbor-based non-profit that steers companies through the process of converting to alternative fuels, whether for transportation or building.

The Wright & Fillippis fleet conversion came out of a partnership with the coalition through a $15 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. 

Wright & Fillippis and the Clean Energy Coalition worked with Roush CleanTech, a Plymouth Township company that designs and manufactures liquid propane autogas fuel systems for a variety of light and medium Ford vehicles. The technology, which reduces vehicle operating costs and vehicle emissions, is available to consumers through authorized Ford dealerships.

The Wright & Fillippis project is one of several clean-fuel conversions being directed by the coalition through a $40 million agreement with the Department of Energy, says Sandstrom.

Of all the clean fuel projects, about a third are propane, he says. The others are compressed natural gas, electric, and hydraulic hybrid, he says. The type of fuel used depends on the type of fleet and uses of the vehicles, and the coalition guides companies through the learning process to select what's best for them.

Companies working with the Clean Energy Coalition include Frito-Lay, which is converting 90 of its vehicles, about half of its Michigan fleet, to propane, and U-haul, which is converting 30 vehicles.

"It should be very clear that this is not R&D. This is a deployment of these technologies… They've already been true and tried," Sandstrom says.

For Wright & Fillippis, propane autogas will result in the use of 48,000 fewer gallons of gasoline, the elimination of 931,200 pounds of carbon dioxide released, and a savings of $3,000 per converted vehicle, or $36,000 total thus far.

Source: Matt Sandstrom, mobility division manager, Clean Energy Coalition
Writer: Kim North Shine

Automation Alley will open a new International Business Center at its Troy headquarters April 28, providing a place for companies around the world to bring business -- and opportunities for local companies -- to southeast Michigan.

The center, located on Bellingham off 16 Mile Road between Rochester Road and John R, will provide a three private offices, three Skype-enabled conference rooms, an open office area, a private entrance, and high-tech equipment. Access to high definition video conferencing will be provided by LifeSize and its local partner, Insight Technologies.

There is also a three-person international business staff dedicated to providing a wide range of assistance and information to international guests interested in conducting business in Southeast Michigan and local companies looking to connect with the visitors. 

"The new expansion will allow international companies to become familiar with the open business culture, technical workforce and quality of life in Southeast Michigan. We anticipate that once they become established, their business will grow and new jobs will be created," says Ken Rogers, Automation Alley executive director.

Kelly Kozlowski, Automation Alley's Business Accelerator client coordinator, says the cost of the 3,200-square-foot expansion was $394,800 and came through Urban Development grants from the U.S Department of Housing with support from Congressman Gary Peters and U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow. The expansion was completed by Bloomfield Hills-based Synergy Group, Inc..

"Automation Alley has done 13 trade missions since 2001 and in that time we've continued to strengthen the international business component of our services here…This was the next logical step," Kozlowski says. "We're able to make a lot of connections for companies located here and companies looking to relocate to the region."

More specifically, users of the International Business Center get access to Automation Alley's 1,000 member companies, its training seminars and information sessions, use of the conference rooms and atrium for meetings with clients, investors and consultants and a copy, print and fax center as well a professional services information and pre- and post- export trade mission support as well as connections to county governments and economic development partners in the city of Detroit and surrounding eight-county region.

Automation Alley is Michigan's largest technology business association. The nonprofit helps drive growth and economic prosperity through workforce and business development projects covering a wide array of technologies from a various industries around the world. Automation Alley work stretches from Detroit, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties across to Genesee, Livingston, Monroe and St. Clair counties.

Sources: Ken Rogers, Automation Alley executive director; Kelly Kozlowski, business  accelerator client coordinator for Automation Alley
Writer: Kim North Shine

Technology and marketing are converging in a push to promote business, transportation, and commercial development along 8 Mile.

If Virtual 8 Mile, an application developed by the Eight Mile Boulevard Association and Plymouth-based Luna Tech Designs, goes as planned the 27-mile corridor can be viewed on a 3D virtual interface using Google Earth.

Ideally, visitors to the site can zoom in on member businesses, which also will get Google priority listings during searches for businesses of their type.

The $5,000 in funding for the application came from the Michigan Dept of Transportation.

Virtual 8 Mile will also show visitors development possibilities and real estate opportunities, including details and photos of available land and property, along the stretch of road that cuts through Wayne and Oakland counties.

In addition, the site shows improvement projects, including facade renovations and median gardens, and public transportation routes and other information that can make patronizing a business or starting one easier.

For a business such as the Belmont Shopping Center, which now is viewable by visitors, "it is another way to promote an existing tenant mix and is also a business attraction tool for vacancies," says Tami Salisbury, executive director of the 8 Mile Boulevard Association.

The 13 communities bordering the Eight Mile corridor, which spans Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, stand to gain from increased exposure, Salisbury says.

"It really is a snapshot of 8 Mile, what's going on there and the potential that is there," Salisbury says.

In a larger sense, she says, the project helps the association in its mission to change the reputation, accurate or not, that 8 Mile Road is a has-been.

"It's equally as important to change the mental landscape as it is to change the physical landscape," Salisbury says. "We are changing mental perceptions people have of 8 Mile by showing them these physical transformations."

Source: Tami Salisbury, executive director, Eight Mile Boulevard Association
Writer: Kim North Shine