The Coil Group, a combination marketing and mobile app firm, is sinking roots in downtown Rochester.
The 10-month-old company was working from coffee shops and home offices of its founders, Jim Brown and Jon Pielak, in Rochester until it scored a small office in the city's central business district. Brown and Pielak have been looking at office space in downtown Royal Oak and Detroit but choose Rochester because of the dynamic downtown and easy access to free parking.
"The downtown is vibrant," says Brown, president of
Coil Group. "There are lots of great restaurants and coffee shops. We thought the small urban setting would be great for people who would want to work for us."
The
Coil Group specializes in providing both mobile apps and traditional marketing services to mid-size businesses. The company's bread and butter is having expertise in both niches. A small mobile app start-up might not have marketing expertise, or a marketing firm might be lacking in mobile app knowledge.
That business plan has allowed the Coil Group to grow to 10 people and it is looking at adding interns this summer. It has experienced most of its early growth from word-of-mouth referrals from some of its first projects.
"We have built a network of relationships across the state of Michigan," Brown says. "That has opened a lot of doors. A lot of people have embraced us."
Source: Jim Brown, president of Coil Group
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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