Innovation & Job News

Yoga Shelter plans to expand into Ann Arbor, Macomb County

metromode Thursday, April 01, 2010

Yoga is not exclusive. That's the idea Steve Feldman and his partners had in mind when they started the Yoga Shelter in West Bloomfield in 2004.

They deemed a lot of yoga houses unfriendly to the neophyte. Places that read directions only in Sanskrit or practiced in ways only yoga snobs appreciated. The partners did the opposite, including offering the first week free to make newcomers feel comfortable.

"It was really about making yoga accessible to all," Feldman says.

It has worked. The company welcomes about 650 new students each month. That has allowed it to expand to five studios, including Royal Oak, Grosse Pointe, Birmingham, and Studio City, California, where one of the partners is expanding the brand. There are also plans to open new locations in Ann Arbor and a yet-to-be-determined place in Macomb County later this year.

After starting with a crew of eight, the West Bloomfield-based firm now employs about 50 people. It expects to expand its staff to 65-70 when the new locations open by the end of the year.

Source: Steve Feldman, co-founder of the Yoga Shelter
Writer: Jon Zemke

Aria Equities venture firm opens in Birmingham

metromode Thursday, March 25, 2010

Jeff Sloan is back in Michigan, and now the well-known entrepreneur behind StartupNation has his own venture development firm in downtown Birmingham - Aria Equities.

A venture development firm is, as Sloan describes it, a company that gets start-ups ready for venture capital investment. That means it lends the expertise to refine the business plan, gets the management team in place, the revenues flowing and perfects an elevator pitch for angel investors.

"We're typically the guys going to pitch the angels for the company," Sloan says.

Sloan and his brother Rich founded StartupNation a decade ago. The company, now based in downtown Birmingham, focuses on showing entrepreneurs how to build a start-up. The brothers have also developed and patented products that have been acquired, such as The Battery Buddy.

After being on Metro Detroit's entrepreneurial scene for six months, Aria Equities employs three people, including the Sloan brothers. It has a handful of clients, most of which are still gearing up for a launch. Sloan sees them as potential base hits in his entrepreneurial strategy.

"I'm more about hitting singles and doubles than swinging for the fences every time," Sloan says.

The Flint native says that philosophy is a key part to developing Michigan's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Although Sloan concedes developing that environment into a powerhouse comparable to what exists on North America's coasts is still a long ways away, stringing together a few hits will go far toward achieving that goal.

"We want to help create a culture here for start-ups and entrepreneurs," Sloan says. "We want to help establish Michigan as a place for people to start their companies."

Anyone interested in pitching a business idea to Sloan can send an executive summary of two pages or less (he emphasizes the less part) to jeff@ariaequities.com.

Source: Jeff Sloan, founder and CEO of Aria Equities
Writer: Jon Zemke

TechTown throws hat in Google Fiber ring

metromode Thursday, March 25, 2010

Detroit is turning one of its stereotypical negatives of poverty into one of its primary selling points as it takes a shot at becoming one of the Google Fiber communities.

Officials from the TechTown business accelerator based in the city's New Center neighborhood are making the argument that Detroit has just about everything Google needs to test out all of the facets of its super-fast broadband experiment.

Detroit has both people who are struggling and without Internet access and affluent users who depend on it. The Motor City has both huge multi-national corporations and small businesses. It has both traditional businesses and cutting edge start-ups. Plus, it has all of the infrastructure in place in an area that would both help prove Google's business model and benefit greatly from its presence.

"We offer a diversity to the pilot that few others can offer," says Vita Merlotti, a SmartStart support leader at TechTown who is quarterbacking the effort. "We offer every end of the spectrum."

Google plans to build and test ultra-high speed broadband networks in a small number of communities across the country. These lines will stream data at 1 gigabit per second, about 100 times faster than what most Americans get through their current cable and DSL providers. Think of this pilot project as having the potential to give your Internet connection Millenium Falcon speed.

Several cities in Michigan have applied for the Google Fiber installations, including Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Saline/Pittsfield Township, Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids.

Ann Arbor got on the bandwagon quickly, launching A2Fiber, a Facebook fan page, a YouTube contest, and other online efforts to rally support for its application. The University of Michigan and Ypsilanti are backing Ann Arbor's effort.

Source: Vita Merlotti, a SmartStart support leader at TechTown
Writer: Jon Zemke

Birmingham goes for Google Fiber Community project

metromode Thursday, March 18, 2010

A handful of Michigan cities are lining up to become one of Google's first fiber communities, and now Birmingham is throwing its hat into the ring for a chance at free ultra-fast broadband access to the Internet.

"We're always looking for ways to enhance our services for our residents," says Tara Maguire, GIS coordinator for the city of Birmingham. "This is a good opportunity for them. It also offers some economic development opportunities."

Google plans to provide ultra high-speed broadband internet to area residents and businesses in one or more cities of its choosing. The Google Fiber program will provide technology that can pump up Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today. Think 1 gigabit per second Internet speeds for between 50,000 and 500,000 people.

Birmingham officials see this as not only a way of enhancing local creative and high-tech businesses, but also attracting more that want to take advantage of this new technology. Google is letting people nominate their cities to become part of the experimental program. Birmingham has already created a Facebook page to help rally local support.

Other Michigan municipalities are making a go at the Google Fiber program, including Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and East Lansing. Ann Arbor was one of the first cities to announce its candidacy for the program and has since garnered the support of the University of Michigan and neighboring Ypsilanti.

Source: Tara Maguire, GIS coordinator for the city of Birmingham
Writer: Jon Zemke

Green businesses spring up in Oakland County

metromode Thursday, February 25, 2010

Running a truly green business in Metro Detroit doesn't necessarily require big-ticket items like solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal heating systems. Sometimes it just requires the right attitude and making a lot of the right little decisions to maximize sustainability.

Here are a couple of firms that are doing the little things to make a big impact on the local environment:

- Passage to Yoga built out its space in Southfield with features like low-VOC paints, bamboo flooring, energy-efficient lighting, recycled building and design materials, soy-based carpeting, low-flow water fixtures, an air filtration system, natural lighting via skylights, and recycling options. The firm also made a pledge not to use plastic products and sells yoga mats that aren't made of PVC.

Matthew Darling, director and owner of Passage to Yoga, says it's about making a series of the right decisions to conform to a sustainability ethos, which he says complements the principals of yoga. To be "not fanatical but responsible."

"As much as we could do, we have," Darling says. "It's not like we put these things in and said that's it."

- Don Thomas Sporthaus in Birmingham was constructed largely with recycled or renewable materials, such as entryway tiles composed of 98 percent recycled glass and concrete and industrial-grade bamboo. It was painted with low-VOC paints and has carpets made of recycled yarn. Several of the store's product displays were constructed out of natural wood, and all-natural grass cloth wall covering was used throughout.

LED signs were installed on the building's exterior. Inside, light sensors were installed to turn lights off when rooms are not in use.

Source: Don Thomas Sporthaus and Matthew Darling, director and owner of Passage to Yoga
Writer: Jon Zemke

Birmingham's SmartFinds launches new service

metromode Thursday, January 28, 2010

The Internet marketing game isn't just about search engine optimization or social media anymore. It's about combining both of those with consumer feedback and smart phone technology.

That's the gist behind SmartFinds' newest business venture � Local Business Listing Management Services. It's a new service offering the 13-person firm hopes to turn into a revenue generator and jobs creator this year.

The downtown Birmingham-based company has traditionally helped businesses navigate through the world of electronic information, helping them understand how people use the Internet and how to adjust their advertising and marketing campaigns accordingly. That has recently meant search engine optimization and social media.

Today it means that and more. SmartFinds now helps its customers manage content listing websites like Yelp and how their content is viewed through smart phones, largely seen as the next frontier in the Internet world.

"There are 60 different websites in four different categories," says Melih Oztalay, CEO of SmartFinds. "Our service manages all of that."

The end result is not only turning web traffic into dollars for its customers but also building and defending brands for companies. Oztalay is starting to get some nibbles for this service. He says a national auto dealer group has signed on and a national electronics store is about to make the leap.

Source: Melih Oztalay, CEO of SmartFinds
Writer: Jon Zemke

Oakland County Emerging Sectors program hits $191M in investment

metromode Thursday, January 14, 2010

Oakland County's Emerging Sectors program isn't trying to remake the county's economy in the image of Detroit, but more in the image of Pittsburgh and Chicago.

The program, the pet project of Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, helped attract $191 million in investment from non-existing-automotive and non-automotive companies last year and created 3,200 jobs. The idea is to diversify the county's economy so it has several major players, like the current economies of Chicago and Pittsburgh, instead of how the automotive sector has dominated Michigan for generations.

"This program won't make Oakland County recession proof, but it will make Oakland County recession resistant," Patterson says.

The county started the program in 2004. Since then it has helped attract $1.4 billion in investment and created more than 16,000 jobs. It claims investments from 133 companies, including 33 last year.

"I always said this program is a 20-25 year commitment to diversifying Oakland County's economy," Patterson says.

Source: L. Brooks Patterson, executive of Oakland County
Writer: Jon Zemke

Fenner, Melstrom & Dooling moves to downtown Birmingham

metromode Thursday, January 14, 2010

Fenner, Melstrom & Dooling is returning to its urban roots, moving its headquarters from Auburn Hills to downtown Birmingham.

"We think it's a dynamic financial area," says Brian Hunter, partner with Fenner, Melstrom & Dooling. "It's accessible to a lot of private equity firms, bankers, and attorneys."

The regional CPA and tax consulting firm got its start in Detroit in 1950 before moving to Rochester and eventually Auburn Hills. It will now move its 25 CPAs and five support staff to one of the poshest urban centers in Michigan.

And Fenner, Melstrom & Dooling plans to grow there for the foreseeable future. It added 4-5 positions last year and expects to continue hiring this year. It's renovating about 14,000 square feet of space in a building at 355 South Old Woodward.

Source: Brian Hunter, partner with Fenner, Melstrom & Dooling
Writer: Jon Zemke

Troy law firm opens North Woodward Tech Incubator

metromode Thursday, December 17, 2009

--This article originally appeared on June 11, 2009

Not all business incubators are government run. The North Woodward Tech Incubator is the latest example of one, stepping into the limelight with the likes of the Russell Industrial Center.

The new Troy-based incubator is geared much more toward high-tech, new economy start-ups so raw they can't afford the reduced rental rates of the likes of Ann Arbor SPARK and TechTown. The North Woodward Tech Incubator offers free office space to start-ups and all it asks for is the right to invest in the company later on down the development line.

The incubator is the brainchild of Andrew Basile, president of the North Woodward Tech Incubator. He also lives in Metro Detroit and runs the Silicon Valley office of Young Basile Hanlon MacFarlane & Helmholdt. The 1,200-square foot incubator is in the law firm's Troy office.

"I see so much potential in Michigan but I became frustrated with how it wasn't being realized," Basile says. "I just wanted to help."

The incubator has room for 4-5 start-ups and has already signed one firm, Leftos.com, the developer of a relationship website, run by one of the Technow09 organizers. The idea is to give them room and expertise to grow for 6-12 months before finding permanent space.

Basile would eventually like to find a permanent home for the incubator in downtown Royal Oak or Birmingham. He thinks the North Woodward Tech Incubator needs a home in a strong urban core with high-density and transit-oriented development.

"We believe that strong urban communities are essential to the formation of Silicon Valley-style companies," Basile says.

Source: Andrew Basile, president of the North Woodward Tech Incubator
Writer: Jon Zemke

Tactical Allocation Group opens new HQ in Birmingham

metromode Thursday, December 03, 2009

The Tactical Allocation Group is a rare breed in the U.S. economy these days -- an investment firm that is growing and stacking up 10-figures worth of assets.

The investment firm recently opened up a new headquarters in downtown Birmingham (between the Birmingham 8 Theater and the Briggs Building on South Old Woodward) to accommodate its growth. The company recently hired four people, expanding its staff to 14 and a couple of independent contractors.

"We've grown huge," says Jim Peters, CEO of Tactical Allocation Group.

Peters and his partner worked for several years together at another investment firm before starting their own in 2004. Their firm focuses on a Tactical Asset Allocation strategy that Peters and his partner fine tuned and commercialized.

"We concluded that investors would want this style of investment," Peters says.

It has put them on a fast-track for growth, allowing the firm to cross the $1 billion in assets mark this year. It expects to do that again as it doubles in size and adds another 2-3 hires in 2010, making for more employees in an already vibrant downtown Birmingham.

"I like an urban environment, as does my partner," Peters says. We thought our presence here would help our visibility. It's also an area that is desirable to employees."

Source: Jim Peters, CEO of Tactical Allocation Group
Writer: Jon Zemke

Michigan Microloan Fund hits 4 more firms

metromode Thursday, November 19, 2009

One of Michigan's more innovative forms of supplying seed capital strikes again now that the state's Microloan Fund has made loans to businesses in Ann Arbor and Birmingham.

The four loans total $200,000 and are meant to help the fledgling firms grow their businesses and commercialize new products. The loans, which usually are for about $50,000, are administered by Ann Arbor SPARK and repaid with interest within a couple years. The loans are also normally precursors to investments by angel investors and venture capital.

The recipients include:

Solarflex. The Birmingham-based firm will use the money to commercialize organic solar cells. These cells have the potential to offer greater efficiency and lower cost compared to solar cells currently on the market.

Allinnova. The Ann Arbor-based firm is developing tools for a comprehensive corporate capabilities assessment. Its microloan will be used to commercialize a tool for determining a corporation's capability to be successful in a strategic partnership with another organization.

Procuit. The Ann Arbor-based software-development firm creates educational software engines. Its funding will help support commercialization of HomeschoolAdvantage.com, a product that serves as a dedicated portal for the 2 million home schooled children in North America.

The Whole Brain Group. This Ann Arbor-based firm will use the money to ease the transition from a service-based business model to a product-based business model. Its flagship product is a subscription-based service that provides accreditation services to life science research institutions.

Source: Ann Arbor SPARK
Writer: Jon Zemke

Oakland County introduces voting reminder emails

metromode Thursday, October 08, 2009

Oakland County is using cyberspace methods to get more real people voting in the next election cycle.

Its latest innovation is to send out an email reminder to voters two weeks before elections and then again on election days. The reminder will also include a bevy of other information voters can use to make the process easier.

"It's kind of like an electronic post-it note," says Ruth Johnson, Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds.

The emails will be sent out before all local, school, state, and federal elections and will link to the clerk's website. The site will feature a list of candidates and ballot proposals, campaign finance reports, polling locations, and instructional videos for using voting machines.

It will also feature a new election reporting system that reveals results in real time. Also included will be information on voter registration and on how to become a poll worker, and a link to the state's Voter Information Center.

"This is just one more tool in the tool box," Johnson says.

For information on these new systems, click here.

Source: Ruth Johnson, Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds
Writer: Jon Zemke

Birmingham's P15 Studios creates TV/videogame hybrid

metromode Thursday, August 27, 2009

Kids these days spend a lot of their time doing one of two things � watching TV or playing video games. P15 Studios wants to take advantage of both of those sectors.

The Birmingham-based start-up is creating a video game that incorporates live actors. The 9-month-old firm's 10 employees and 25 independent contractors, all gamers, are working on the concept from P15 Studios space above Cosi in downtown Birmingham.

"It will bring a level of gaming and television that wasn't here before," says Doug Kinnison, producer and CEO of P15 Studios.

Similar to a TV show, real actors will act out story lines determined by gamers. The actors will be doing anything from drama to sports. "We know where the show is going but we don�t know how it�s going to get there," Kinnison says.

Kinnison estimates it will take about 200 employees to fully complete one single game. He expects his company will go on a big hiring binge once his concept catches on, something he doesn't see as a problem with the state's movie tax credits. He also would like to see this concept expand into things like iPhone applications.

"There are a lot of people we will be hiring," Kinnison says. "It has the potential to become a huge industry here."

Source: Doug Kinnison, producer and CEO of P15 Studios
Writer: Jon Zemke

Oakland County notches $2.4 billion in investment since 2004

metromode Thursday, July 16, 2009

During these tough economic times, many companies and organizations bring out the long-term statistics from the past several years to put themselves in a better light. Oakland County can fall back on both the long- and short-term statistics.

The county released a report that shows not only has it taken in about $2.4 billion worth of investment over the last five years, it did well in June, with $748 million in investment.

Most of that comes from General Motors' plans for a $650 million Orion Township plant, which will build smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. However, that leaves about another $100 million that the county was able to attract in the midst of one of the toughest economies in generations.

Oakland County has had more than $2.4 billion worth of business investment in the past five years, giving residents a reason to be optimistic about its future during the most difficult economic challenge in its history, County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said recently.

"We had our best month ever during one of the worst times ever," Oakland County Executive L Brooks Patterson said in a press release. "We've withstood all of the body blows and we're still standing."

More of the $2.4 billion came from emerging sectors based in the new economy ($1.3 billion), compared to traditional business sectors, like automotive manufacturing. Oakland County created its Emerging Sectors program five years ago to help diversify its economy and make up for lost manufacturing jobs.

Source: Oakland County
Writer: Jon Zemke

Investepreneur Roundtable focuses on film biz opportunities

metromode Thursday, June 04, 2009

The Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber's Investepreneur Roundtable may be the coolest name ever for an entrepreneur workshop.

The forum will focus on Michigan's emerging film industry. The speakers will offer advice on breaking in, financing business ideas, and available options for investors. Presenters include film industry producers and executives.

"It's all about managing expectations," says Carrie Zarotney, president, Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber. "This is a high-risk industry. You don't always see a return right away, or a big return."

The forum will take place at 4 p.m. Tuesday at The Townsend Hotel, 100 Townsend St. in downtown Birmingham. For information, call (248) 644-1700.

Source: Carrie Zarotney, president of the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber
Writer: Jon Zemke

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