See something electronic in the right hospital and the chances are CareTech Solutions has something to do with it.

The Troy-based IT firm runs many of the computer systems in a large number of hospitals. And all of that business has allowed the firm to grow from 45 people to just under 1,000 in the last decade.

"We run the computer networks, the data networks and the websites," says Jim Giordano, president and CEO of CareTech Solutions. "Pretty much anything that has an electron running through it we are probably working on it."

CareTech Solutions has had to bring in a whole lot of people to handle the deluge of work. The firm added 250 people in the last two years, including 149 since January. It expects to add another 125 people this year.

"This is a fairly people intense business," Giordano says.

Those additions have come as the company's bottom line has grown, too. The firm's revenue has grown 15 percent in each of the last two years. It expects to repeat that type of growth next year, too.

Source: Jim Giordano, president and CEO of CareTech Solutions
Writer: Jon Zemke

Scate Technologies, a software development firm in Orion Township, is gearing up for, well, a heckuva lot of growth within the next year or so.

The company is behind the Ignite 4 program, software that allows users to mash up different computer media, such as images, text and audio files. It is planning to release new versions of the software that will make it compatible with popular products, such as YouTube, iPods and Facebook.

That should mean big growth for the firm.

"Next year should be relatively mind blowing," Jeff Holth, chief technology officer for Scate Technologies.

Right now the 7-year-old firm has grown to 11 employees and another 10-15 contractors and partners. It expects its revenue to grow 175-200 percent this year and another 300-400 percent next year. That will mean at least a doubling of the current staff.

And all of those people will be at its home base just north of Pontiac.

"We don't do any development outside of Orion Township," Holth says. "We don't outsource anything. Anything you see was made in north Oakland County. Period. We are very proud of that."

Source: Jeff Holth, chief technology officer for Scate Technologies
Writer: Jon Zemke

North American Toner prides itself on taking advantage of two of the biggest buzzwords in Metro Detroit right now: Green and Michigan-made.

The West Bloomfield-based firm is an environmentally friendly distributor of Michigan-made laser toner cartridges, used for everything from laser printers to desktop copiers.

North American Toner recycles old cartridges (made in Portage, Mich.), reprocessing the plastic and metal parts and disposing of any toxic materials, keeping them out of landfills.

"Everything we send out we have a plan to get it back and bring it back into the cycle," David Parker, president of North American Toner. "We want everything back that we send out so we can deal with it. We take responsibility for it."

The 2-year-old firm has found it easy to capitalize on this, growing from one to four employees so far. It plans to add another 3-4 people within the next year.

The company's business has tripled within the last year. It has almost zero overhead expenses and its products, normally sold to businesses, are 30-40 percent cheaper than name brands. Such savings have made it easier for North American Toner to pick up new clients in a tough economy.

"There is lots of opportunity for us and we are constantly picking up new accounts," Parker says.

Source: David Parker, president of North American Toner
Writer: Jon Zemke

The people behind Paramount Technologies fancy themselves a lean, yet growing company.

Over 13 years they have expanded to 20 people, adding 2-3 in the last year. This year, they expect to add yet more.

"I see us continuing to add people as we grow," says Brinton Baker, vice president of marketing and business development for Paramount Technologies. "We run very efficiently and that is one of the keys to our success."

The firm sells software to the likes of the Weather Channel, BET and Dippin' Dots. Those web-enabled software solutions help companies finish projects. This year Paramount Technologies is making a major push to create more fully-integrated solutions, especially platform independent solutions.

The firm is based out of Walled Lake, but also has offices in Atlanta and Jacksonville.

Source: Brinton Baker, vice president of marketing and business development for Paramount Technologies
Writer: Jon Zemke

If there is any truth to the cliché that good business begets more good business, then Intellitrends is proving the point.

The Clarkston-based company has slowly-but-steadily grown since 1989, employing eight full timers, 40 independent contractors and a spare intern or two.

Its revenue has grown about 30 percent over the last few years. During that time it has added three people and has two more jobs currently open for people with marketing expertise.

"We're trying to grow by another 50 percent revenue-wise," says Marlene Stone, CEO and president of Intellitrends. "We are expanding."

Both by employee counts and office space. The firm is scheduled to open its "Idea Center" this fall. It's a 2,000 square feet office where clients can come to share ideas and collaborate on improving and expanding their business.

Source: Marlene Stone, president and CEO of Intellitrends
Writer: Jon Zemke

Firms in the midst of moving or expanding their space usually don't want their business to suffer while they transition.

Gordon Sommerville and Robert Nagle recognized this a little more than three years ago and started FaciliNet Services. Today the Troy-based firm takes the lead for companies looking for new space so they can focus on their core business.

It serves companies both near (Metro Detroit) and far (Victoria, British Colombia) and has watched it business grow to mirror it. Its revenue averages about 40 percent growth each year. The four-person firm (which also has another 2-3 sub contractors) expects to double its staff within the next year to keep up with its work.

"We're finally starting to see some growth in Michigan," Sommerville says.

The credit unions and life sciences industries are the two biggest in need of new space. It's a trend Sommerville expects to continue for the foreseeable future.

"We see these two areas consistently growing," Sommerville says.

Source: Gordon Sommerville, principal of FaciliNet Services
Writer: Jon Zemke

In a city where many see lemons, people involved with Detroit's Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program see lemonade.

See, Detroit was selected as one of nine cities to participate in the program by the American Institute of Architects, and it is an opportunity being seized with relish by those involved. "We have a chance to make Detroit into a model for sustainability," says Eleanore Eveleth, who is working to coordinate the SDAT process.

The SDAT program will look at four realms of sustainability: transportation, energy, land use and the new economy. Local experts in each area will get teamed with national ones in a three-day charette from October 30 to November 1 -- but first, the locals are gathering on October 6 to make sure the big event is as efficient as possible.

"We want to have a more productive meeting on the 30th," says Eveleth. "We will give an overview of the SDAT process, which is what the folks from out of town are coming to do."

Evelath expects community organizations, residents, people that live in the area and  those already working on green products and issues to participate. "There are a lot of people already working on small bits and pieces of this," she says. "This is a way to bring all these people together and learn from folks that have done this in other cities."

SDAT has made a survey available on-line to help frame the process' roadmap. Click here to get started.

The SDAT kick-off is on October 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will be held at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary, located at 2930 Woodward in Detroit. The three-day charette will be held at the University of Michigan Community Design Center, also in Midtown. For more information, call Zachary & Associates at 313-831-6100.

Source: Eleanore Evelath, SDAT
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Albert Kahn is staying synonymous with Detroit as it continues to grow in the Motor City.

Excerpt:

Albert Kahn is one of those names that is forever entwined in Detroit and the company he founded still finds success in the Motor City 113 years later.

Of the 270 employees at Albert Kahn Family of Companies, 220 of them are based out of its offices in New Center. The firm, which bills itself as a family of companies, also has operations in Alabama, Mexico and Brazil.

Read the rest of the story here.

An industrial-based company in Saline is making some big expansion moves thanks to its latest contribution to new economy technology.

Excerpt:

Pro-face of America is the type of industrial-based firm Michigan wishes it had more of.

The Saline-based firm creates touch-screen computers for factories. Think ATM technology on factory robots and machines.

"It's basically a PC screen but much more capable," says Gary Labadie, marketing manager with Pro-face of America.

Read the rest of the story here.

Pixel Velocity is the type of successful start-up Michigan wishes and expects to have more of in the near future.

Excerpt:

Seven years ago Pixel Velocity started with two people, Eric Sieczka and Dave McCubbery.

Today those two guys are the bosses of 25 people at the Ann Arbor-based firm. The company creates high-speed digital image processing products for the surveillance and medical imaging markets.

Read the rest of the story here.

Shadan Malik the potential in Flash programs years ago. It's why he started iDashboards.

"There are tremendous possibilities with the Macro Flash program. Some very cool stuff," says Malik, president and CEO of iDashboards. "But it's not being leveraged for business applications."

And so his Troy-based company stepped in, using Flash to create real-time interactive computer dashboards for businesses. The personalized dashboards analyze, track and organize a wealth of data into critical information tidbits for companies. It has been used for a variety of enterprises, including this summer's Olympics.

This innovative approach to Flash has made iDashboards very successful. Its revenue has grown nearly 100 percent each year since the company was founded four years ago.

And that growing revenue is leading to more jobs. The firm expects to hire another 5-6 people by the end of this year. It also expects to triple its employee base within the next two years to compliment the expected continuation of the 100 percent revenue growth years.

"With a little strike of good fortune or luck we could grow even more," Malik says.

Source: Shadan Malik, president and CEO of iDashboards
Writer: Jon Zemke

Bingham Farms-based BTR Associates states that their focus is on helping companies optimize their use of technology. But its real philosophy is capitalizing on the jobs other companies aren't taking advantage of.

"We try to find niches that people aren't doing well and build infrastructure around it," says Bob Breitman, president and CEO of BTR Associates.

And that's something they do well; growing 75-100 percent and doubling their employee base to 12 people over the last two years. The firm is banking on more growth, looking to increase revenues 30-40 percent organically, form a joint partnership with a Nashville company and perhaps acquire yet another one within the next year.

"We could literally grow by 400 percent if we acquire this company," Breitman says.

That would probably mean big jumps in its local employment. The company can do this because it pursues clients, as well as potential partners

BTR (which stands for Business Technology Resource) Associates helps small- to medium-sized firms better use technology so they can grow their business. Much of this is centered on hosting services. For instance, if a company doesn't want all the problems and expenses of running its own email system, it can outsource it to BTR Associates.

Source: Bob Breitman, president and CEO of BTR Associates
Writer: Jon Zemke

Once upon a time, Detroit Wheel and Tire did most of its e-commerce business on eBay. It was a practice that cost the firm thousands of dollars a month in fees until Core3 Solutions made them go away.

The web-design firm outfitted Detroit Wheel and Tire with its own web site from top to bottom, getting eBay out of its pockets. Just another day of saving their clients money for the Birmingham-based firm.

"Everything we do is custom," says Curtis Hays, director of business development for Core3 Solutions. "If a customer comes to us with a need, we will fulfill that need."

Core3 Solutions can do that because it handles all of its work in-house. That philosophy has allowed the 11-year-old company to grow to 12 people, including six hires in the last two years. It's aiming to round out its employee count to between 15 and 20 people by the end of 2009.

To accomplish that Core3 is striking out into other computer-based areas, such as handling IT needs for small businesses. It also recently opened up a retail store in the ground floor of its offices in Birmingham's emerging Triangle District. Core3 Solutions hopes to open another office soon in a nearby metro area, like Grand Rapids, Toledo or Chicago.

"We're pretty much already covering all of Metro Detroit," Hays says.

Source: Curtis Hays, director of business development for Core3 Solutions
Writer: Jon Zemke

Christophe Sevrain once had dreams that his company, TechTransferOnline, 
would become the Google of intellectual property. Those dreams are becoming 
reality far quicker than he hoped.

Sevrain now claims his Troy-based website is the largest IP portal in the world. Right now it has somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000 patents, as well as other pieces of intellectual property. And even more floods in as you read this. TechTransfer added 7,000 in the last week alone.

"We add, literally, thousands of patents to it monthly, almost weekly," Sevrain says. That's what is so incredible about it.

The website, which employs about a dozen people, lists patents online, allowing users to search for a particular subject and see what intellectual property claims have been made. If they find something that fits their needs, the customers can then buy it much like an auction item on eBay.

Sevrain, a serial entrepreneur who also owns CJPS, expected a slow but steady number of patents to come in over time. Demands for listings had been much bigger than expected, with the website hitting more than 1,000 patents by April. Since then, it has taken off like gangbusters, attracting big names like Johns Hopkins University and Berkeley National Laboratory.

The firm has had to upgrade and add more servers to keep up with all of the traffic and keep the website running quickly.

"Now it's super fast," Sevrain says.

Almost as fast as the wave of patents being put on it.

Source: Christophe Sevrain, CEO of TechTransferOnline
Writer: Jon Zemke

Bright House Networks averages adding nearly 10 people every year of the 28 years it has been in Metro Detroit. Has that for prolonged growth?

The telecommunications provider has grown its Livonia office to 260 employees with 15-20 people added over the last two years. And they plan to keep up the pace over the next couple as well.

"We'll continue to add people as we need them," says Bob McCann, president of the Detroit Division of the Bright House Networks.

The company focuses on providing telecommunications products, such as high-speed Internet and digital phone service. The firm has been able to produce more versions of these products, which has supported its growth.

"We're very pleased with the growth of our new products," McCann says.

He expects "dramatic growth" in the company's digital telephone and commercial telephone services. That could be as high as 30-40 percent within the next year or two. Enough to keep the office going for a few years more.

Source: Bob McCann, president of the Detroit Division of the Bright House Networks
Writer: Jon Zemke

Not all successful business grow at break-neck speed. Some, like Novi's Integrated Software Systems, find success increasing the productivity and efficiency of what they have.

The 27-year-old firm has six employees, hasn't hired anyone in a few years and doesn't have any plans to add staff anytime soon.

"We just want to do what we do better and more efficiently," says Nancy Love, vice president of sales and marketing for Integrated Software Systems. "It's easier to manage fewer people. It's easier to follow your project with fewer people."

Integrated Software Systems specializes in selling and implementing enterprise software. That means it sells and installs comprehensive software that helps businesses do everything from handling accounting to shipping to e-commerce.

Some of Integrated Software Systems clients include the Coffee Beanery, Bordine Nursery and Guardian Industries. For now the firm is planning to establish some more partnerships with companies in the hopes of sustaining its client base, and maybe even adding one or two more to it.

Source: Nancy Love, vice president of sales and marketing for Integrated Software Systems
Writer: Jon Zemke

This is not the first Green Space recommending that its readers go back to basics -- like using baking soda for cleaning and cloth bags for grocery shopping -- and it won't be the last.

This time, we're taking on the mighty Teflon. When discovered in the 1940's, it was touted as a non-stick alternative to old cooking standbys. But after all these years, people are turning a 180 and heading right back to cast iron.

It's been around forever and there's good reason for that. It heats evenly, can add a healthy dosage of iron to food, it's cheap and, subjectively, it makes things taste good.

On the environmental tip it is good as well: it is completely recyclable and, even better, it lasts so long you'll probably never need to. Heirloom cookware anybody?

Also, if you're one to (rightfully) fret about carcinogens in everyday items, the Environmental Working Group has studies that show that PTFE (polytetrafluoroethene), the chemical that makes Teflon coating, can begin to release carcinogens when heated. Kind of a problem for something that will literally be sitting on a hotplate for many of its hours.

Some teflon tips: After an initial cleaning, don't use soap on a cast iron pan. Hot water and a plastic scrub brush will do the job. Season the pan after you buy it with a thin layer of oil, then bake it in. You're now good to go for a long, long time.

Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Peninsula Capital Partners definitely isn’t on its own little island as the firm continues to grow in downtown Detroit.

Excerpt:

Thirteen years ago Peninsula Capital Partners started out with four people and $50 million to invest. Today the downtown-based company employs 12 people and controls just under $1 billion in assets.

The firm is continuing that growth. It has added one person to its payroll in the last year and expects to grow more within the next few years by putting together another investment fund. That fund is expected to be worth $400 million when it launches sometime next year.

Read the rest of the story here.

Genomatix Software is doing the hard work of mapping the genome and creating a few good jobs in Ann Arbor along the way.

Excerpt:

Mapping the human the genome is a daunting task, one that promises to create more than a few jobs in Genomatix Software's Ann Arbor office.

The firm headquartered in Germany opened its North American office in Ann Arbor in May of 2007 with just Peter Grant, CEO of Genomatix's operations in the Western Hemisphere. Today it employs three people and has job openings for another two. Grant expects to the office's staff to reach eight by the end of 2010.

Read the rest of the story here.

BlueThread Technologies is making some greenbacks and a few jobs along the way.

Excerpt:

BlueThread Technologies is on a hot streak in Ann Arbor, going from two to 29 employees in its first two years. And the IT firm sees more the same coming in the near future.

"We'd like to continue on the same path we've been on," says Mark Brazeau, senior principal of BlueThread Technologies. "We'd like to double our growth again next year."

Read the rest of the story here.