Compliant Healthcare Technologies, LLC was founded in 2006 with a desire to take medical piped gas systems evaluations, maintenance and compliance to a new level.  CHT partners with healthcare facilities to help them achieve Joint Commission and Environment of Care compliance with world-class service.  Through the use of a unique and comprehensive patent-pending software and service (CHxProgram), healthcare facilities have the ability to evaluate the current status of their medical piped gas system(s) from source equipment to patient terminal, at any time.  As a “Partner in Compliance”, CHT offers:

• Medical piped gas systems evaluations, inspections, and verifications
• Medical piped gas systems deficiency corrections and maintenance
• Environmental monitoring services and passive dosimeter badges
• Parts and equipment sales (i.e. pumps, compressors, regulators, alarms, valves)
• Design, diagrams, plan reviews and documentation services for medical piped gas systems
• Construction and project management services for medical piped gas systems
• ASSE instructor led or online training courses (6005, 6010, 6020/30, 6040)

CHT’s mission is to deliver quality medical services, cultivating partnerships through the use of innovative technological solutions, skilled service professionals and enriching educational programs that differentiate CHT as the national leader in the healthcare industry.  CHT services healthcare facilities nationwide at over 600 locations.  It is headquartered in Raleigh, NC, and has regional offices in Cleveland, OH, Chicago, IL, Louisville, KY, Richmond, VA, and now Ann Arbor, MI.

Possibilities for Change has received funding and support from Ann Arbor SPARK. After being introduced to SPARK through the U of M Office of Tech Transfer, they have received several Phase III business engagements from SPARK. This type of engagement typically offers consulting, connections to executive and technical talent, marketing and business development services, as well as entrepreneurial educational programs, to name a few. 

Last year, Possibilities for Change participated in one such education program, SPARK’s Entrepreneur Boot Camp. During this program they made a key connection with Ted Dacko, an Ann Arbor entrepreneur best known for rescuing a small, near-death company called Health Media and growing it into an enterprise so successful it was bought by Johnson & Johnson. Ted continues to work with them today.

The company is led by Dr. Jennifer Salerno, a nurse practitioner who directs the University of Michigan Regional Alliance for Healthy Schools’ School-Based Health Center Program. Her work with adolescents spans 15+ years and led to the creation of the survey, called Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Preventive Services (RAAPS). For more information about the assessment and Possibilities for Change, please see the announcement on their webpage.

Paul Krutko with Dr. Won Suk Cho, President, Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. in front of the 2012 Car of the Year.

Hyundai is investing over $15 million in the expansion project, which it anticipates will create 50 new high tech automotive research and development jobs over the next three years.

“Ann Arbor SPARK’s business development team proactively works with businesses in the region to meet their needs as they grow and evolve,” said Paul Krutko, Ann Arbor SPARK president and CEO.  “Working with Hyundai, Ann Arbor SPARK was able to identify ways that the region and state could support the growth of the company’s North American technical center.

“Superior Township was a critical partner; the Township’s willingness to provide incentives for Hyundai’s expansion is crucial support for the new project,” Krutko added. “It’s this type of collaborative economic development between Ann Arbor SPARK, the state and regional communities that makes business choose to locate and grow here.

The Hyundai American Technical Center Inc. is a key design, technology, and engineering facility for Korean-based Hyundai-Kia Motors Group. This investment continues to demonstrate that the Ann Arbor region and southeast Michigan is a global hub for automotive research and development.

One of these firms who will be adding new talent is Arbor Networks, a Massachusetts based information technology security firm who operates its research and development office here in the City of Ann Arbor. The 78-person office will be undergoing a major investment after the company received a five-year tax abatement from the City of Ann Arbor in October. Our team walked the firm through the tax abatement process and helped them complete their application. This was crucial considering that that staff members responsible for the abatement were located in Massachusetts. The firm committed to making $883,527 in real property improvements and $7.8 million in new personal property and equipment investment. As part of the agreement, Arbor Networks committed to adding no less than 20 jobs by December 31, 2013.

DAPCO Industries is a family owned and operated company that has been in business in Dexter, Michigan since 1943. Today, DAPCO has become a leader in the small engine component industry. Our team completed the tax abatement application alongside DAPCO staff and prepared their team for the public hearing process. Our support throughout the process allowed DAPCO staff to continue to focus on their day-to-day responsibilities while we put their data into a formal application. The company was unanimously approved a 12-year tax abatement by the Dexter Village Council on November 28^th. The abatement was for $1.286 million of investment in personal property and about $879,000 in real property improvements in the village. The company plans to add 8,500 square feet in factory space and ten jobs.

QED Environmental Systems, a supplier of environmental remediation products, moved into a larger building in the Village of Dexter’s industrial park earlier this year. Our team guided them through the tax abatement process and helped them complete their application. Our team’s support and recommendations were extremely useful so that QED staff could focus on maintaining business throughout their move. The company was granted a ten-year tax abatement in November by the Dexter Village Council. The firm also has offices in Pennsylvania and California but chose to make their investment of $104,498 in new personal property and $758,043 in machinery and equipment here in Michigan. The company, which employs 49 employees, is expected to add five new jobs over the next two years, according to the tax abatement application.

“It is exciting news and a testament to the strong entrepreneurial culture supported in the Ann Arbor region that these three companies are choosing to expand in our community,” said Michael A. Finney, CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK.  “The Ann Arbor region and all local businesses benefit from the strong partnership that exists between state and local leaders.”

Velesco Pharmaceutical Services, founded by former Pfizer employees in 2007, provides analytical and drug formulation to small- and medium-sized pharmaceutical companies. CAS-MI Laboratories, a contract research, product development and testing center, plans to invest $3.6 million to expand its research and development services in Ypsilanti. Essen Instruments Inc., inventor and manufacturer of life science instrumentation equipment, will open a new Discovery Services Unit, a team of contract research scientists, technicians and instrument operators in Pittsfield Township.

In total, Velesco, CAS-MI and Essen will create 127 direct jobs in the Ann Arbor region and invest more than $7 million in capital in the local community.