Innovation & Job News

Automation Alley has received $1.6 million in new business from the U.S. Army to help find local manufacturers to build specialty parts for military equipment.

"The Army needs help finding these manufacturers," says Dan Raubinger, director of defense and manufacturing for Automation Alley.

The first work directive is a reverse engineering project for the Small Unit Support Vehicle spanning a 12-month period. The second work directive spans 18 months and consists of two sustainment engineering initiatives, one for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle  family and the other for the Light Tactical Vehicle family, which includes the well-known High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle or "Humvee" family of vehicles.

The components of these vehicles are becoming obsolete and are no longer supported by the original equipment manufacturer. Automation Alley is looking for suppliers and small businesses capable of supplying replacement parts for them.

Source: Dan Raubinger, director of defense and manufacturing for Automation Alley
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

General Motors efforts to onshore more of its IT work are starting to surface in Metro Detroit now that the automaker plans to open an Information Technology Innovation Center in Warren.

The plan is to bring in about 1,500 IT and software professionals over the next four years. The new workers will focus on developing new software and IT solutions that could have business development implications beyond the carmaker's normal business model.

"It will gradually build up," says Juli Huston-Rough, director of media strategy for General Motors' IT Dept. "We're anxious and excited about it but we need to find the right people for the right positions."

Onshoring IT work has proven to be a good strategy to grow a more traditional business. For instance, Domino's Pizza has reinvented itself through its newly found stature in IT and software, a move that has lead to new opportunities while bolstering its core business.

GM is taking a similar path by opening four "Innovation Centers" across the U.S. The first was announced in Austin, Texas and the Warren center (formerly known as the GM Michigan Innovation Center) is the second.

GM's leadership expects the innovation centers to create and deliver IT services with new capabilities that will help the company improve its performance, drive down the cost of ongoing operations and increase the level of innovation delivered to GM customers.

Source: Juli Huston-Rough, director of media strategy for General Motors' IT Dept
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

The U.S. arm of Materialise, a Belgian-based corporation, is on a hiring spree in Plymouth.

The industrial and medical additive manufacturer moved its office from Ann Arbor to Plymouth two years ago and has grown its presence there to 50 employees and the occasional intern. That's after Materialise hired 20 new people in the last year.

"We're growing all of our business units," says Jamie Milas, global marketing manager for Materialise. "We have four business units Plymouth. The fastest growth came from our medical production team."

The medical production team accounted for 17 of the company's 20 hires in Plymouth. The company also has six open positions for four full-time employees and two interns. The company is aiming to hit 70 employees in Plymouth over the next year.

"It looks like we will probably hit it," Milas says.

Source: Jamie Milas, global marketing manager for Materialise
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

The industrial sector appears to be the last frontier for media firms looking to spread the gospel about the Internet revolution, and Miller Media is carving out its niche doing just that.

The Troy-based media company got its start 30 some years ago as a print company. About 15 years ago it started to make the transition to the digital sphere and has evolved into a firm that helps businesses with search-engine optimization and how to use things like Google Adwords. The company has made most of its growth gains by educating older industrial companies about the latest trends in web technology.

"There is so much opportunity out there, especially in industrial," says Lisa Brusate, managing partner of Miller Media. "The fun part of my job is learning about these manufacturers and how their products are made. They're all so proud. There is so much passion because they built their companies from the ground up."

Growth from those sorts of companies allowed Miller Media to double in size each year over the last three years. It has hired three people since 2011, expanding its staff to 10 employees. It has also become a certified partner with Google.

Source: Lisa Brusate, managing partner of Miller Media
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Your People is starting to not only add more people to its staff but it has opened its first office in Southfield for those people.

Lynne Golodner, a veteran journalist, started the public relations, marketing and business development agency in 2007 out of her Southfield home. She has built the company from the ground up since then, adding small businesses as clients here and there over the years. Today the company has four employees after bringing on a new staffer who had been an intern.

The staff now works out of a 500-square-foot office, which it moved to in May. "That's a big step," Golodner says.

Your People is working with a client list of about a dozen businesses now. Among those recent converts are Lutheran Social Services of Michigan in Detroit, Mufflers and More in Walled Lake and Karma Yoga in Bloomfield Hills.

"I would like to have a client load of 20," Golodner says. She adds she would like to expand her company's pro-bono work for good causes in need of public relations work

Source: Lynne Golodner, owner of Your People
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Michael Sacha spent the start of his career working in corporatelandia, learning the ropes of big business marketing over four years. He saw a lot of customers needs go unmet and knew he had to do something about it, launch BuyMichLocal.

"I left the corporate word to start doing this full-time and promoting Michigan brands," Sacha says.

The downtown Royal Oak-based business specializes in Internet marketing solutions for Michigan-based companies. His company's website serves as a platform for connecting businesses from the Great Lakes State with local customers who want to patronize local businesses.

The BuyMichLocal website features a comprehensive real time news feed and numerous daily articles targeting Michigan's small- to medium-sized business class. It also offers a value-added loyalty card that can be found on the CardStar app through your mobile device. This allows consumers to redeem active deals on the go at their favorite businesses, while offering businesses to engage with their customers.

"There is a lot of opportunity to establish a business now," Sacha says. "There is a lot of opportunity here and to grow a company in Michigan."

Source: Michael Sacha, founder & CEO of BuyMichLocal
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

The Macomb-OU INCubator has landed a $766,000 grant from the Michigan Strategic Fund to assist the state's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, commonly known as DARPA.

The new two-year grant will allow the Macomb-OU INCubator to study the DARPA activity in Michigan, host semi-annual training courses for Michigan companies and organizations interested in DARPA, support organizations and companies that take on DARPA challenges and create a matching fund for companies and organizations that secure DARPA awards.

"We expect to spend $150,000 in year one (on the matching fund)," says Larry Herriman, assistant director of the Macomb-OU INCubator. "We expect to spend $200,000 in year two. That's $350,000 in total."

The grant comes as part of a larger $3.25 million grant that went to Grand Valley State University-Small Business Technology and Development Center, Macomb OU INCubator. and NextEnergy Center in Detroit.

Source: Larry Herriman, assistant director of the Macomb-OU INCubator.
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Infichem Polymers isn't just making a name for itself as a plastics company but as a green company.

The Sterling Heights-based start-up reuses a main chemical in polyurethane foam as a basic building block to manufacture new polyurethane foam. The old polyurethane foam comes from post-industrial scrap that is normally landfilled. Reusing it in Infichem's InfiGreen polyol helps reduce the Co2 emissions and is sustainable and contains natural renewable oils with reducing the amount of foam scrap that goes to landfill.

"Our polyol is the greenest polyol in the world," says Gerald Winslow, vice president of sales & marketing for Infichem Polymers.

And it has been in high demand. Infichem Polymers has signed up some large customers, such as Chrysler and Magna. That has allowed the 3-year-old firm to grow its revenues by 1,200 percent and hire six people. It now employs 12 people and expects to keep up that torrid pace of growth.

Infichem Polymers has also made the semi-finals of this year's Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition. It won the Advanced Materials category in the competition last year and is setting it sights higher this year.

"We think we have a chance to win the top prize this year," Winslow says.

Source: Gerald Winslow, vice president of sales & marketing for Infichem Polymers
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Detroit Engineered Products and Autoline Industries USA are opening a new corporate world headquarters in Troy this week.

The two automotive suppliers, the U.S. arms of Indian corporations, are moving into a new office space that is three times as big as their previous home and comes with an investment price tag of $2.5 million. That's thanks to all of the growth the firms have experienced. Autoline Industries USA has hired 10 people over the last year and has two more job openings for engineers. Detroit Engineered Products has hired 70 people in Michigan over the last year.

"We have built our business (Autoline Industries USA) from $7 million to $60 million now," says Sri Bramadesam, president of Autoline Industries USA and vice president of Detroit Engineered Products.

Most of the work is automotive related and coming from the domestic automakers. The companies chose to stay and keep growing in Troy because they have set down significant roots here since they formed in 2007.

"We have been in Troy for years now," Bramadesam says. "A lot of our employees have bought homes here."

Source: Sri Bramadesam, president of Autoline Industries USA and vice president of Detroit Engineered Products
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Alpha USA got its start in 1957 as a manufacturer of washers. Not the kind of washers that clean things but the kind that help tighten bolts. The Livonia-based company made billions of washers for decades and did well.

About a decade ago, Alpha USA saw the shift of its bread-and-butter market to places outside of the U.S. and decided to change with the times. The company has evolved into an engineering firm that handles everything from design to product development to light manufacturing for a wide variety of customers. It holds a dozen patents, which it showcases to potential customers to drum up new businesses creating innovative products.

"It's a great business model," says Charles Dardas, president & COO of Alpha USA.

That has allowed Alpha USA, a veteran-owned company, to hire 10 people over the last year. Those new jobs are for engineering and technician positions. The company has taken advantage of the deep hiring pool in Metro Detroit, hiring a number of experienced workers that have helped fatten the company's bottom line.

"There were a lot of people who had quite a few years of something good to offer," Dardas says. "We saw that as  great opportunity."

Source: Charles Dardas, president & COO of Alpha USA
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

One of the most enjoyable trends in Lori Bianco's business, BiancoCPA, isn't its recent growth or helping small businesses (although those are positive things from her point of view) but helping bring more business to Michigan.

The Sterling Heights-based accounting firm has watched a significant amount of its growth coming from helping international businesses set up operations in Metro Detroit. Often these companies are establishing a North America headquarters in southeast Michigan.

"This has allowed us to bring more work into the U.S.," Bianco says. "That's pretty neat."

BiancoCPA got its start in 1997. Since then it has handled a number of accounting jobs, such as helping small businesses with taxes and private accounting services. The company has grown to the point that it could hire another person over the last year, expanding its staff to five people. That's a significant jump for the company that was able to fight through the recent recession.

"I am excited about it," Bianco says. "There was a dry period for a while and we were challenged like everyone else. Now there is a slow-but-steady increase in interest."

Source: Lori Bianco, president & founder of BiancoCPA
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

To Jake Sigal, his company's win at the Automation Alley's 12th Annual Awards Gala didn't speak to his start-up's strengths as much as what's possible in the region.

Sigal, founder & CEO of Livio Radio, was named Entrepreneur of the Year. Sigal started the Internet radio start-up n 2008 with a $10,000 loan from his parents. He turned that fledgling start-up into a venture-backed company based in Ferndale and one of the leaders in the automotive Internet radio sector.
 
"That's a message for the entire southeast Michigan area that innovation can come from anywhere," Sigal says. "We're proud of that."

Among the other winners at the gala were:

Automation Alley Member of the Year: Laura Oliveto, senior vice president for business development at Troy-based Basso Design Group

Technology Company of the Year: GalaxE.Solutions in downtown Detroit
 
Global Trader of the Year: Dan Kocks, CEO of Grand Blanc-based Global Impact Group
 
Educational Program of the Year: Fifth Core World Language & Culture Program at Oxford Community Schools

Source: Jake Sigal, founder & CEO of Livio Radio
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Atlas Copco Tools & Assembly Systems, the U.S. arm of a Swedish company, hit some significant speed bumps when the recession hit in 2008. Since then, the Auburn Hills-based company has continued to gain traction, going from 187 employees in 2009 to 328 employees and a few interns today.

Atlas Copco Tools & Assembly Systems is a supplier of hand-held electric and pneumatic tools, assembly systems and software. It also does work with heavy industrial vehicles. A steady increase in demand for those products have led the company to continue to hire in recent years to the point that it is looking at moving to a bigger facility to accommodate its growth.

"We want to continue our steady growth," says Domenic Calagna, marketing & communications specialist for Atlas Copco Tools & Assembly Systems. "We have a really good business plan."

Atlas Copco Tools & Assembly Systems was also recognized as the No. 84 firm in Forbes 2012 list of The World's Most Innovative Companies.

Source: Domenic Calagna, marketing & communications specialist for Atlas Copco Tools & Assembly Systems
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Ypsilanti-based LookInTheAttic has moved the bulk of its operations to a new facility in Romulus, creating jobs with plans to hire more.

LookInTheAttic sells antique reproduction hardware and housewares and also owns Silver & Gold, an online jewelry store. The 15-year-old firm has traditionally sold its products both at its downtown Ypsilanti storefront and online. However, the company's recent rapid growth forced it to find a bigger home close to its original home.

That's when LookInTheAttic CEO John Coleman found the new facility in Romulus. The 13,000 square-foot building has enough spare room to accommodate LookInTheAttic's expected growth for the next few years. It also features a large warehouse, conference space and a training room.

"It's really nice," Coleman says.

For now, LookInTheAttic has moved its 14 employees to the new space in Romulus, including four recent hires. The company is also in the process of hiring eight more sales people. The workforce will remained centered in Romulus while the firm renovates its downtown Ypsilanti space into a design center.

Source: John Coleman, CEO of LookInTheAttic
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Sheilah and Ray Markham have been married for 30 years and been in business together for 25 years, raising three kids in Metro Detroit in the process.

In that time, the Markham's have built up their business, California Closets to the point where, as Sheilah puts it, "business is really our family."

"Our business is our baby," Sheilah says. "We don't separate. We talk about it 24/7."

That baby has grown. The company now has showrooms in Birmingham and Commerce Township, where it also has it manufacturing facility. The firm employs 25 people after hiring five this year and up from just 10 at the height of the last recession.

California Closets creates closet systems and shelving, utilizing contemporary design and an ergonomic use of space. The Markhams are looking at upping the business' revenue to $3 million over the next year and penetrating the Ann Arbor area.

Source: Sheilah Markham, co-owner of California Closets in Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke

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