Why Zingerman’s stays in Ann Arbor
Much has been written of Zingerman's – both locally and nationally. But few have bothered to ask why co-founder Ari Weinzweig chose and continues to choose Ann Arbor as the business's home. Until now. Excerpt: "Despite all this fame, you’ve had tussles with the city about expanding the deli. [Laughs] The town is very engaged, with highly educated and opinionated people. They’re good to sell specialty foods to, and... [Read More...]
Student demand grows SE Michigan’s rental landscape
Three of the five top real estate deals in 2011 were in Ann Arbor… and fueled by the student rental market. SE Michigan has long lagged behind other metro areas when it comes to rental options – particularly in downtown setting. But it look like the market is slowly changing. Excerpt: "The vacancy rate for apartments in Ann Arbor was 3.6 percent at the end of the third quarter, according to information from Washington, D.C.-based... [Read More...]
Possibilities for Change Launches Nationwide Survey, Plans to add Jobs.
Possibilities for Change, a company leveraging University of Michigan developed technology, has recently announced the nationwide launch of a simple, 21-question survey designed to save young lives. It’s results alert school counselors, medical practitioners and social workers to risky behavior, paving the way to conversations that change how adolescents act. The company also plans to add 20 mostly white-collar jobs within 5 years. Possibilities... [Read More...]
Biotechnology Business Consultants eyes big biz impact over next 3 years
Had you asked Lisa Kurek her opinion about the potential of growing biotech start-ups in Michigan late last year, she would have told you to ask her again in a month or two. Ask her today, and the managing partner of Biotechnology Business Consultants won't put off the question. She will exude confidence. Kurek points out that the recent reauthorization of the federal Small Business Innovation Research grants brought stability back to the bio-tech... [Read More...]
Former brewery gets remake as office for tech firm HookLogic
At the southern reaches of Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor, a brewery-turned-tech-firm transformation will be emerging this spring when e-commerce and digital marketing software provider HookLogic takes over the former Leopold Brothers Brewery building at 523 S. Main St. The New York-headquartered firm will be consolidating from two other downtown Ann Arbor offices totaling 5,000 square feet. A $9.5 million venture capital infusion from Massachusetts-based... [Read More...]
Got Talent? A Conversation with Kurt Riegger
When it comes to building a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, Kurt Riegger, COO of OcuSciences, argues that there's no lack of ideas or innovations in Ann Arbor. Talent with enough experience to execute on those ideas may be another question. Riegger has launched, funded, and advised 26 companies, and chats with Concentrate about what our community needs to succeed. News from Concentrate Read More →
POTUS returns to Ann Arbor
Maybe it's that he can't get enough Zingerman's. Whatever the reason, Barack Obama will be landing in Ann Arbor to give a speech at U-M, just three days after his State Of The Union speech. Excerpt: "This is the president's 10th visit to Michigan since taking office. He was in Michigan in October to visit GM's Orion Assembly plant with the South Korean president and spoke in Detroit on Labor Day. It will be his second... [Read More...]
Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund Invests $585,000 in Three Start-Ups
Three Michigan companies recently received investments from the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, totaling $585,000. To date, the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, a collaborative effort of Michigan’s SmartZones, has awarded 63 Michigan companies with seed funding totaling more than $14 million. The Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund companies have attracted more than $18 million in matching grant and equity funds. In 2011, the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital... [Read More...]
Ann Arbor SPARK Launches CEO Podcast Series
Ann Arbor SPARK, a public-private partnership whose mission is to advance innovation-based economic development in the greater Ann Arbor region, is launching Ann Arbor SPARK CEO Podcasts: Conversations on Economic Opportunity, featuring Paul Krutko, its president and CEO, speaking with regional business leaders. “Since joining Ann Arbor SPARK, I’ve met with more than 80 business owners who are advancing our region’s economy; there’s an incredible... [Read More...]
What do community "best of" lists really tell us?
Ann Arbor lands on lots of best of lists. Lots and lots of lists. But do they really paint an accurate picture of what it's like to live in or visit our community? This fascinating article gets past the hype. Excerpt: "To even begin to understand how these slightly unsettling results are arrived at, we need to understand who compiles them and who they are for. The lists are made by well-travelled academics, researchers and journalists... [Read More...]
