Farmington : Innovation & Job News

UHY, an accounting firm, has traditionally scored its revenue gains from word-of-mouth marketing for most of its 40-plus years of doing business. Now the Farmington Hills-based firm is helping buffet its current growth streak with some more conventional marketing efforts.

"We have done a lot of branding over the last couple of years," says Dennis Petri, partner with UHY. "We have done a billboard campaign highlighting some of the principals in the firm."

That work has allowed the company to notch significant revenue gains (either high single digits or low double digits) in each of the last few years. Last year it hit 8-percent growth and is on track to do it again in 2013.

UHY specializes in providing financial, tax, and business consulting services to mid-sized and larger companies. It has been able to attract a number of new clients in the last year, which has allowed it to hire nearly 20 people in the last year. The company now has 260 employees and more than a dozen interns, most of which are in its Farmington Hills headquarters and its Sterling Heights office.

"We have an excellent recruiting program," Petri says. "We have a couple of excellent individuals who do recruiting for us, most of which occurs at college campuses."

Source: Dennis Petri, partner with UHY
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Lots of businesses bill themselves as servicing the small-to-medium-sized business sector, claiming it's their sweet spot. High Level Marketing is quickly growing a business from that claim in Farmington Hills.

The 6-year-old Internet marketing firm has watched its revenue spike 74 percent over the last year. It has also doubled its staff, hiring seven people. It now has a staff of 13 employees and is looking at adding interns. That growth has also prompted the company to expand its office space, doubling it to 3,000 square feet.

High Level Marketing specializes in website design and search engine optimization. Its bread and butter is helping local businesses that once relied on the likes of the Yellow Pages to draw in new business to instead create a professional Internet presence that is easily searchable.

"A lot of our clients find us through referrals," says Wesley Mathews, president of sales & CFO for High Level Marketing. "We don't do a lot of extra marketing."

Mathews expects High Level Marketing to keep growing at a rapid clip in 2013, bumping up its revenue at 50 percent or more. He also says his firm is continuing to expand its staff and is always looking for good sales professionals, website designers and programmers.

Source: Wesley Mathews, president of sales & CFO for High Level Marketing
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Metro Detroit is known as the home to some of the titans of the pizza industry. Does the region have one more pizzeria powerbroker ready to step up? The people building Happy's Pizza think so.

The Farmington Hills-based company just opened its 100th franchise in Detroit this month. It is adding 20-30 franchises annually and has pizzerias across the country in states like California, Nevada, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. The bulk of the company's franchises are in Michigan, which has 60.

"In 2008, we started to grow at a trajectory of 30 stores a year," says Christina Rice, vice president of franchise development for Happy's Pizza. "I have seven stores under construction right now. We have 20-30 set to come online this year."

Happy's Pizza got its start in 1996 when Happy Asker opened his first location in northeast Detroit. The then 18-year-old, who is still the CEO, spent the first part of his adult life building the business to 30 franchises across Michigan while still maintaining a growing presence in the city of Detroit. The firm now has a dozen franchises in all corners of the Motor City and made the decision to open the 100th location in the city that launched it.

Each Happy's Pizza employs 15-30 people, depending on the size of the delivery fleet. The company also has a staff of 50 employees in Farmington Hills, after hiring half a dozen more in 2012. In all, the company has created in the area of 700 new jobs over the last year.

Source: Christina Rice, vice president of franchise development for Happy's Pizza
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Lotus Bank will open its second branch in Farmington Hills later this month, a move that will help the Novi-based bank expand its staff by seven people in 2013.

"We needed more retail locations and space from a personnel standpoint," says Neal Searle, president & CEO of Lotus Bank.

The 6-year-old bank has hired three people in the last 30 days and now employs 18. Another four employees will be added to the payroll when the Farmington Hills branch opens within two weeks.

Lotus Bank is a full-service bank with $82 million in assets and $71 million in deposits. It grew by 17 percent in 2012 and expects to continue expanding its reach in Metro Detroit this year. The bank, which is 80-percent owned by Indian-Americans, has a five-year strategic plan of opening one new branch annually and its sights are set on suburbs like Troy, which has a large Indian-American population, in the near term.

"This is an opportunity to take it to the next level," Searle says.

Source: Neal Searle, president & CEO of Lotus Bank
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Farmington Hills-based Beringea and Credit Suisse will co-manage the newly launched Michigan Growth Capital Partners II, a venture capital fund focused on investing in promising new economy firms based in Michigan.

The $180 million fund will be deployed over the next 4-5 years, investing in companies in the following sectors: advanced materials and manufacturing, health care and life sciences, media and communications, specialized consumer goods, homeland security, IT and clean technology.

"We have always been a bit ahead on clean tech," says Charlie Rothstein, founder & senior managing director of Farmington Hills-based Beringea.

The Michigan Growth Capital Partners II fund, which was capitalized by the Michigan Strategic Fund, follows the original Michigan Growth Capital Partners fund launched in 2008. That fund made 28 investments, including some sizeable investments in a number of locally based companies, such as Livio Radio and ReCellullar. Its biggest exit has been from Accuri Cytometers, an Ann Arbor-based start-up that was recently acquired for nearly $300 million.

Source: Charlie Rothstein, founder & senior managing director of Farmington Hills-based Beringea
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

ReapSo launched its customer loyalty app last week. The start-up is initially focusing on Apple users in the downtown Royal Oak market.

The Farmington Hills-based company and its team of three people have created a mobile app that helps local businesses increase sales using things like traditional customer loyalty rewards programs, newer technology like QR codes and gamification techniques to keep customers engaged. The app also takes care to protect customer's privacy and makes it easy for merchants to use by making sign-ups free and easy.

"We get paid from our merchants when a user comes in and pays for a product," says Steve Valentine, co-founder of ReapSo. "There is no risk. There is no long-term contract for them to sign."

ReapSo has signed up 30 merchants in Royal Oak, mostly restaurants and bars in downtown. The start-up's market research shows that about 60 percent of people who frequent downtown Royal Oak use Apple products. The focus on eateries aims to leverage the frequency of spending money on food and drink in the city's center.

"I might not buy a shirt everyday, but I am eating everyday," Valentine says.

Source: Steve Valentine, co-founder of ReapSo
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Climate Technologies Corp. is continuing to enjoy the fruits of an economic rebound as the Farmington Hills-based company pushes forward its transformation from auto-focused firm to green-tech business.

The company's revenue is up modestly over the last year as it continues to develop projects that help its climate-control technology, which captures toxic gases and concentrates them so they can be used in things like fuel cells. It is also working in co-generation CHP in heavy industry and some alternative energy projects.

"It turned out to be a solid foundation to build on," says Walt Zimmerman, CEO of Climate Technologies Corp. "We have made a lot of strides over the last couple of years to do clean-and-green projects."

That has allowed Climate Technologies Corp to make a hire over the last year and bring on a few more independent contractors. It now has a staff of six employees, one intern and three independent contractors. Zimmerman expects to see significant growth in 2013 because of the prospects of more work for his company in the near future.

"There are a number of projects that are at a proposal point," Zimmerman says. "We believe our customers are ready to go forward."

Source: Walt Zimmerman, CEO of Climate Technologies Corp
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Sixteen years ago Joey Silvian came to the realization he couldn't work for anyone else but himself. That's when he started Virtual Interactive Agency, a business consulting firm based in Farmington Hills.

 "I didn't like the politics and backbiting and everything that comes with corporate life," Silvian says. "At least here I can control my relationship with the client."

Silvian's business now provides work for four people and the occasional intern. It has added one new person over the last year and draws from a large stable of independent contractors to handle projects.

For years Silvian worked with aspiring entrepreneurs to workout the kinks in business models and generate sales. In recent years Virtual Interactive Agency has been doing more work with small incubators like Ann Arbor SPARK, helping consult with budding start-ups in the incubator's pipeline.

"The evolution has been from the end client to the organization that services those end clients," Silvian says.

Source: Joey Silvian, founder of Virtual Interactive Agency
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

ReapSo works with the tagline "Get What You Want" and plans to begin delivering on that promise in early 2013.

The Farmington Hills-based start-up is creating a mobile platform that specializes in customer loyalty, connecting consumers with the brands they want. The app is set for release next year and the start-up's team is focusing its efforts on helping local consumers connect with Metro Detroit-based small- and medium-sized businesses.

"We're going to start with rewards and move it forward as a loyalty program," says Bill Wildern, CEO of ReapSo.

Wildern is a serial entrepreneurial who also owns HYDRA Professionals, a business turn-around firm. He and his co-founder, Steve Valentine, and their first employee, Jeff Heng, all have an automotive industry background and leverage that to launch ReapSo.

"It's a couple of engineers trying to solve a challenge," Wildern says.

ReapSo will launch in southeast Michigan and Wildern expects to grow the company regionally throughout next year.

Source: Bill Wildern, CEO of ReapSo
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Beringea is adding to both its company portfolio and staff, taking advantage of the Michigan Venture Fellowship Program to grow its office of 25 people.

"We needed more hands on the oars," says Charlie Rothstein, founder & senior managing director of Beringea. "(Our Michigan Venture Fellows Program fellow) brings experience and great analytical ability to the team. It's a reflection that we are a growing business and we wanted to add to our team here in Michigan."

Beringea is Michigan's largest venture capital firm. It's based in Farmington Hills but also has an office in London. It make late-stage investments and has a portfolio of about 60 companies. There are a number of Michigan-based firms in that mix, including Ann Arbor-based Molecular Imaging Research and Mophie, a smartphone accessory maker that is hitting its stride.

"It will do $115 million in sales volume this year," Rothstein says. "It's doing fantastically well."

The Michigan Venture Fellowship Program is a new talent-placement initiative headed up by the Michigan Venture Capital Association. This is its first year, placing four individuals looking to break into the venture capital investment sector with prominent local VCs, like Beringea and Detroit Venture Partners.

"It's a great model that others can follow," Rothstein says. "We are using it to tap into the talent we have here in Michigan."

Source: Charlie Rothstein, founder & senior managing director of Beingea
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Level One Bank is becoming one of the largest banks in Oakland County now that it has acquired Oxford Bank, putting it just behind the likes of Flagstar Bank, Talmer Bank & Trust and Sterling Bank & Trust.

Level One Bank now has combined assets of approximately $750 million and 15 bank branches. It opened a new branch in Bloomfield Township earlier this year and has hired 30 people before the acquisition. The newer, bigger Level One Bank now employs 195 people. The Farmington Hills-based bank now has branches in both southern and northern Oakland County after the acquisition.

"Oakland County is the eighth wealthiest county with more than 1 million people," says Dave Walker, executive vice president & CFO of Level One Bank. "Most of the rest of those counties are on the coasts."

Level One Bank is also moving into a new office in Farmington Hills overlooking I-696. The new space clocks in at 65,000 square feet of space, which nearly triple the size of it current offices. Walker expects to occupy about half of that space right away and use the rest of it to accommodate growth in the next few years.

Source: Dave Walker, executive vice president & CFO of Level One Bank
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

When the amount of work in the U.S. began to contract a few years ago with the onset of the recession, Illuminating Concepts reached overseas to fill the gap.

The Farmington Hills-based company that specializes in architectural lighting has buffeted its bottom line with work in the hospitality and gaming industries abroad in recent years.

"The casino industry in particular has expanded into southern Europe and Asia," says Ron Harwood, CEO of Illuminating Concepts. "That has added volume and a lot of creative work."

It has also allowed Illuminating Concepts to continue to grow its staff. The 30-year-old company now employs 60 people and a handful of interns after it hired 10 people over the last year. Those hire were in people in multi-media, software and electronic specialties.

Illuminating Concepts also sees significant promise in its Intellistreets product. Intellistreets gives municipalities wireless control of its streetlights and signage, which should allow it control digital signage, the level of street lighting and help direct traffic through streetlights in emergencies. Harwood points out it would have been useful during Hurricane Sandy but could be utilized in the next U.S. disaster.

"It (Intellistreets) will be deployed in at least five of the 10 major cities in the U.S.," Harwood says.

Source: Ron Harwood, CEO of Illuminating Concepts
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Prime HealthCare Staffing is celebrating its 10th anniversary and doing so with a big expansion.

The Farmington Hills-based company specializes in health-care staffing both at medical centers and for home care. It now employs 14 people after hiring seven over the last year. It also has another 40 temporary workers in the field.

"We expect to add more internal staff in 2013 and beyond," says Scott Ragland, partner with Prime HealthCare Staffing.

The firm expects its revenue to increase by 16-18 percent for 2012 by the time the year is out. That growth number should expand to 20-25 percent in 2013, according to Ragland and Elizabeth Rozelle, founder and president of Prime HealthCare Staffing. However, that growth is not the only thing that comforts those two partners.

"We're not just a temp agency providing a job in the field," Ragland says. "We're offering care to patients that helps them ease back into society."

Source: Scott Ragland, partner with Prime HealthCare Staffing and Elizabeth Rozelle, founder and president of Prime HealthCare Staffing
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

LinTech Global is picking up more work from the good, old USA thanks to a number of new contracts from the federal government.

The Farmington Hills-based business has diversified its client base in recent years, shifting more of its workload to U.S. military contracts. LinTech Global recently landed a $9 million dollar contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Learning Network where it will support the planning, development, testing, fielding, and sustainment of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Learning Network.

"All of the effort we put into getting federal contracts is starting to work now," says Michael Lin, president & CEO of LinTech Global. "It opens a door for us to create a speciality in our area."

That sort of growth has allowed LinTech Global to grow its staff to 15 employees and it's looking to add an intern or two this year. The 5-year-old company also has six openings right now for software developers to accommodate current and expected growth.

"We've been building our pipeline to where, hopefully, we can double our revenue in the next year," Lin says.

Source: Michael Lin, president & CEO of LinTech Global
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Camelot Ventures made an undisclosed investment in Want Technologies, a social media/e-commerce start-up in 2010. Since then the Farmington Hills-based company has made its software plug-in, the Want Button, a staple of more than 1,000 e-commerce websites.

"We knew there was a need within the e-commerce world for retailers to have a better way to engage their browsers and turn them into browsers," says Greg Links, vice president of business development for Want Technologies.

Want Technologies' the Want Button is a social media plug-in for e-commerce websites that is reminiscent of the Facebook's Like Button. Users can click on the Want Button next to a product they are interested in buying and have that page bookmarked to a universal wish list on their Facebook page.

Today the Want Button is on more than 1,000 e-commerce sites, including Edible Arrangements and Sharper Image. Links expects the Want Button to be on a minimum of 2,000 sites by the end of this year and be ubiquitous on e-commerce sites in the near future. Want Technologies has a staff of 15 employees and an intern working to make that happen.

Source: Greg Links, vice president of business development for Want Technologies
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.