In the News

Pure Michigan campaign takes top national awards

Pure Michigan Thursday, September 13, 2012

With its recent spate of national awards, it looks like the Pure Michigan tourism and advertising campaign has some takers. And the visitors are biting, too.

Excerpt:
"The U.S. Travel Association and the National Council of State Tourism Directors (NCSTD) this week honored Pure Michigan with five Mercury Awards. Pure Michigan was recognized as having the best state tourism television advertising, best state radio advertising, top social media presence, best partnership advertising program and top public relations effort, won jointly with the state of Wisconsin for the “Who is the Real Mitten State?” initiative….

Last year, Pure Michigan's advertising campaign brought a record 3.2 million out-of-state visitors to Michigan, according to a study by Longwoods International. These visitors spent $1 billion at Michigan businesses, paying $70 million in taxes."

Read more here.

Nine Michigan companies make Inc. 500 list

MLive Thursday, September 13, 2012

Michigan's companies are on the up-and-up, taking their share of slots on the "Inc. 500" list. And the state holds its own on the "Inc. 5000" list too.

Excerpt:
"Nine Michigan companies made Inc. Magazine’s list of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the country...

The following Michigan companies made the Inc. 500 list:
60. Keen Technical Solutions, Traverse City
189. Marketplace Homes, Plymouth
229. SilkRoute, Troy
275. Mango Languages, West Bloomfield
278. PROLIM, Farmington Hills
299. Dancin' Dogg Golf, Traverse City
334. Grand River, Ann Arbor
450. PrizeLogic, Southfield
459. ProtectCell, Novi "

Read more here.

Five Metro Detroit communities make 100 best places to live list

CNNMoney.com Thursday, August 23, 2012

Metro Detroit represents! Accounting for 5% of the 100 best mid-sized places in the country to live (pop 50K-300K) ain't too shappy. Who in the Mitten ranked highest? Ann Arbor squeaked in at 100. Shelby Township was 78th, Macomb Township was 84th, West Bloomfield Township was 37th, and Troy kicked butt coming in at 26th.

Carmel, Indiana took the very top spot.

Excerpt:

Like many places near Detroit, Troy suffered during the recession, but good times seem to be back. Auto companies' profits are rising and formerly vacant office space in Troy is filling up. Detroit's woes mean housing in the area is a bargain: The median home price is just $166,000, and property taxes are ultralow. That's a pretty good deal for a city that's been rated the safest in Michigan for 10 of the past 14 years, has great schools and the best community sports program in the state."

Read the rest here.

The geography of craft beer

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, August 23, 2012

This is way cool. Michigan didn't rank quite as highly as we sometimes like to think - but we're still in the top 10. Check out Ricahrd Florida's break down of how political, religious, and cultural leanings correlate with artisanal beer production.

Excerpt:

"The numbers look slightly different, however, when we control for population (see the second map below). Vermont now leads with 3.68 breweries per 100,000 people, followed by Montana (3.23) and Oregon (3.16). Alaska, Maine, Colorado, Wyoming, Washington, Idaho, and Wisconsin round out the top 10. New Mexico, New Hampshire, and Michigan are the only other states to have more than 1 craft brewery per 100,000 people."

Read the rest here.

DIA Millage inspires art groups across the country

Wall Street Journal Thursday, August 23, 2012

Arts organizations around the nation are sitting up and taking notice of how the DIA confronted their financial situation and how they got public buy-in.

Excerpt:

"What to do? Mr. Beal went to the voters, asking the residents of Michigan's Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties to pass a modest 10-year-long dedicated property-tax increase known as a "millage." It would supply up to $23 million in public funding each year for the next decade—91% of the DIA's annual operating budget—thus buying time for Mr. Beal and his colleagues to build up the museum's operating endowment to the point where it can bring in sufficient income to pay the bills.

Sounds great, huh? But how do you get suburban taxpayers to pony up in support of a museum located in the heart of a city on which most of them long ago turned their backs? That's the beauty part: Mr. Beal announced that the residents of every county that passed the millage would be admitted free to the DIA. Otherwise, he said, the museum would be forced to close on weekdays and lock the doors to half of its galleries."

Read the rest here.

Pure Michigan inspires Pure Gotham

YouTube Thursday, August 16, 2012

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We say satire is even more flattering.

"The Gotham Board of Tourism would like you to visit their city and have a trip that is 100% Pure Gotham."

You can watch the video below OR here (and keep watching til after the credits).

Skater / Clothing designer moves from Colorado to Detroit

Examiner.com Thursday, August 16, 2012

Polish ice skating champion Ola Kamieniecki, has made her mark both on the ice and off. As a figure skating clothing designer and the owner Skating Designs, she dresses many of the top skaters in the world. And she's moved her business (and her talents) here.

Excerpt:

""Although the Colorado Springs World Arena Ice Hall has been designated as an Olympic training rink, the conditions don't benefit my daughter since she competes for Poland," said Mrs. Kamieniecki. "Ola has not been allowed to train on the same sessions as the other elite skaters in Colorado Springs, but in Detroit, that is possible. It is necessary to move so she can train in the best conditions as she works towards competing at the 2014"

Read the rest here.

Creativity and entrepreneurship go hand in hand

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, August 16, 2012

Intuitively it's kind of a no-brainer: Creativity begets invention which begets entrepreneurial endeavors. Still, it's nice to see Richard Florida put some numbers to the theory. Good numbers.

Excerpt:

"The size of the creative class is "positively and significantly associated with the total of establishment growth in a region, the number of new opened establishments and the expansion of existing establishments," they find. Furthermore, they write that “regions of all sizes primarily experience growth through the creation of new establishments, and that growth is always, significantly, and positively associated with regional creative employment."

Read the rest here.

NYC foodies tour Metro Detroit eateries

New York Food Journal Thursday, August 16, 2012

What did Big Apple foodies think of the local cuisine? American Coney Island: Yay! Slows Bar-B-Q: Meh. Taqueria Lupita's: Where's the beer? Good Girls Go To Paris: Yay! Al-Ameer Restaurant: Spectacular.

Excerpt:

"A drive out to the Henry Ford Museum gave us the opportunity to sample the excellent Middle Eastern food to be found in Dearborn, Michigan. After some research, we decided to stop at Al-Ameer, a casual and authentic spot with locations in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights. We were glad we did."

Read the rest here.

An Economic Case For Public Art

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, August 09, 2012

The argument is all-too familiar - public art is nice but we don't need it and we can't afford it. The Atlantic Cities rebutts this claim with specific examples of how public art has contributed to a community's bottom line.

Excerpt:

"The intangible benefits of public art—aesthetic beauty, cultural interpretation, education, inspiration, and general improvement of the urban environment—are well-known. But because these are considered "soft" benefits, they are sometimes dismissed as a low priority, especially during challenging economic times. However, experiences in Los Angeles show that public art can be a source of publicity and cash income, as well as beauty."

Read the rest here.

Late night eats in metro Detroit

Detroit Free Press Thursday, August 09, 2012

It's midnight Saturday and you're hankering for something other than drive-thru junk food. Where do you go? The Detroit Free Press has put together a list of 13 eateries that offer more than just "fries with that."

Excerpt:

"It's not a comprehensive list but rather a representative sample taking into account a diversity of food, style, price, atmosphere and geography. Here were the parameters: Each place had to serve until at least midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and 11 p.m. on weekdays, though some allowances were made if the kitchen closed a little earlier at the beginning of the week. The availability of alcohol was a must."

Read the rest here.

Maker Faire founder says metro Detroit is embracing DIY

The Huffington Post Thursday, August 09, 2012

For anyone who has attended Detroit Maker faire at the Henry Ford, it's pretty darn clear what a spectacularly innovative and engaging event it is. From robots to flame throwers to the world's biggest game of mousetrap, this festival of eccentric inventors and clever construction is a cornucopia of do-it-yourself innovation. Faire co-creator Dale Dougherty agrees.

Excerpt:

"You don't have to say it's just Detroit vs. the Bay area, but Detroit doesn't necessarily get the visibility of what people are doing there. I thought the purpose of a Maker Faire was to show all the good work that's going on here, and it's as good as anywhere.

We have more tractors here. We have more Model T's here. I think what's special is there is a legacy here of manufacturing and tinkering that I think people have been brought up in, and it's close to them.

And to some degree it feels more real here than in the Bay area."

Read the rest of the interview here.

Playgrounds for adults could be the next big thing

The New York Times Thursday, August 09, 2012

New York City is installing adult playgrounds in various parks around the city. How cool is that? Think metro Detroit should take cue...?

Excerpt:

"Never mind the punishing diets, the gym dates and the doctors’ warnings, the quest to live a healthier, more active lifestyle has come to this: playgrounds for adults.

New York City is testing its first such playground in Macombs Dam Park in the Bronx, and plans to bring as many as two dozen more to neighborhoods across the five boroughs in the next 18 months, park officials said.

The goal is to lure people off their couches and into the outdoors with specially designed playground equipment — in grown-up shades like forest green and beige — that recall the joy of childhood play while tightening up flabby abs, thighs and triceps. "

Read the rest here.

Take a poll on the subject here.

Michigan film industry gasping but still alive

Detroit Free Press Thursday, August 02, 2012

Governor Snyder's opposition and capping of the Mitten's film incentive program all but gutted what was once a growing --albeit expensive-- industry. Still, there are glimmers of hope. The legislature doubleed the capped amount and smaller productions are still popping up. The Freep covers a recently shot indie starring Benicio Del Toro.

Excerpt:

"Although shooting in metro Detroit under the Michigan film incentives has slowed to a trickle, the set was an upbeat place for the local contingent of roughly 20 actors and 75 crew members -- high numbers for an indie that has about the same number of out-of-state actors and about 40 out-of-state crew members.

"Picard" gave the local film community a chance to work on something meaningful -- and, just as critically, to work at all during a year when reduced incentives have led to fewer job opportunities.

The movie was approved for just under $2 million in incentives on an estimated $6.9 million of spending in the state."

Read the rest here.

Art is for Everyone opens HQ in Ferndale

Ferndale115 Thursday, August 02, 2012

The DIA belongs to everyone in Metro Detroit and the organization supporting the multi-county tax that will insure its survival has temporarily opened an office in a burb known for its progressive-leaning values.

Excerpt:

"So far there have been over 4,500 phone calls made from the Ferndale office alone.

“Not robo-calls,” Fritz said. “We’ve got volunteers that come in, and over the next week there will be different groups every evening.”

“Having volunteers is better because they can listen to the people they call and answer any questions.”

The Ferndale office has also sold over 1,000 yard signs at $5 a pop. Former City Councilperson Kate Baker jumped in to help the campaign sell yard signs, raising $415 for the campaign."

Read the rest of the story here.