Innovation + Job News

Wayne State once again asserts itself as one the main players in Michigan’s research community.

Excerpt:

Michigan's research universities are likely to continue to dominate the state's drug discovery sector, but a growing segment of life sciences services companies will comprise the majority of private-sector biotech firms.

That becomes evident in an economic impact report released at the Mackinac Policy Conference and commissioned by the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University - the University Research Corridor.

The state's universities - powered by $887 million in life sciences research spending in 2008 - account for the vast majority of Michigan's pure drug discovery researchers.

Read the rest of The Ann Arbor News story here.read on…

More than 4,000 student-athletes took advantage of GradeCheck.net's services last year and it's looking to pump up that number into the five figures in 2009.

Last year those clients were able to leverage more than $2 million in college scholarships. The 10,000 clients are expected to bring in well over $3 million this year.

GradeCheck.net focuses on making sure student athletes, mostly at the high school level, keep up their academics so they can qualify for college and possible scholarships. It also helps these student athletes take steps so they don't fall through cracks.

"They see us as being a tool they can implement so they can improve their student’s educations," says Sheila McBride, founder and CEO of GradeCheck.net.

Such a fate almost befell her son in the 1990s because he was concentrating on sports more than school. She laid out out his academic record and where needed to improve. He ended up getting a college scholarship.

McBride turned this into a business in 2005 and student athletes from around the world are now taking advantage of it. She launched it on a national level in late 2007 from TechTown. Today it employs three people and five independent contractors, along with 1-2 interns each year. It hopes to hire 1-2 more people by the end of the year.

"We're really getting a lot of great support from TechTown," McBride says.

Source: Shelia McBride, founder and CEO of GradeCheck.net
Writer: Jon Zemke
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VisionIT is going on a hiring spree in Detroit as it looks to fill 50 vacancies with IT professionals.

The New Center-based firm is also preparing for significant growth in its various sectors, such as vendor management. It hopes to parlay this into a healthy jump in revenue and even more hires down the road.

"We're constantly hiring staff for our internal support teams and our external teams," says Christine Rice, president of VisionIT.

VisionIT was recently named the Top Minority-Owned Company for 2009 in the Inner City 100, an annual list of the fastest growing inner city businesses, by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City.

"It says we have proven processes and talented people," Rice says.

The company got its start a dozen years ago to fill a void of local technology firms. It ended up accommodating many of the IT and web needs of several of the city's local firms, such as Casa Hacienda Foods and Ball Park Franks. VisionIT helped build the city's web site and video streamed mayoral speeches before it became en vogue. It now employs 800 people with about 300 of them in Detroit.

Source: Christine Rice, president of VisionIT
Writer: Jon Zemkeread on…

The trio behind MBS Property Management is trying to offer an easier way for landlords and tenants to coexist through the Internet.

The 1-year-old start-up lets tenants make just about every request and payment through the Internet, allowing them to see statements, make maintenance requests and monitor those requests. At the same time, the service allows landlords to view their rent rolls in real time.

"It makes everything seamless," says Scott Shepard, co-owner of MBS Property Management.

The Midtown-based firm owns a couple of apartment buildings in Midtown and Woodbridge. It decided to expand its internal services to other landlords in the area with the hope of capitalizing on Midtown's growing rental market. It is planning on bringing on a couple of independent contractors to help manage and renovate its multi-unit properties.

"We've just been here so long that we thought we should manage other people's properties," Shepard says.

Source: Scott Shepard, co-owner of MBS Property Management
Writer: Jon Zemkeread on…

DTE Energy is making moves to become more sustainable through creating more alternative energy partnerships and expanded vegetable gardens.

The company is expanding its partnership with Gleaners Community Food Bank to add six more gardens at its substations. The partnership lets Gleaners use some of the buffer land around the substations for gardens. Last year volunteers helped grow 5,300 pounds of produce, ranging from basil to squash to cabbage at two substations in Auburn Hills and Plymouth. This expanded deal will make for eight total gardens in Allen Park, Birmingham, Farmington Hills, Southfield, South Lyon and Detroit. The Detroit garden is at the Fayette Substation, 20201 Fayette St.

"We'll continue to expand the project in the future as we get more farmers and volunteers involved," says Marc Zupmore, one of the organizers behind the DTE Energy Garden project.

DTE Energy also recently issued a request for information for companies interested in partnering to develop wind energy projects. DTE Energy wants to build a number of Michigan-based wind energy farms that will produce at least 75 megawatts of power by 2011 so it can meet the state's new Renewable Portfolio Standard.

For information on creating such a partnership, click here.

Source: Marc Zupmore, one of the organizers behind the DTE Energy Garden project
Writer: Jon Zemkeread on…

PhinisheD.org, one of the most revered online communities in academia, calls Wayne State University home.

PhinisheD.org (its first two and last letters spell PhD) provides resources such as a "Phorum" to help graduate students cope with the rigors of the highest levels of higher education. Members of this community (mostly graduate students and professors) use it for everything from advice on writing dissertations to dealing with demanding professors.

"It's a very supportive community," says Thomas Jankowski, owner of Phinished.org. "We're supportive in a consoling way. So much of the academic world is competitive. People who are struggling or insecure or thinking of quitting don't want to be confronted. They want a sympathetic ear or a shoulder to cry on."

Jankowski, who said the site was instrumental to helping him finish his PhD dissertation, is the associate director of the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State.

PhinisheD.org's traffic has consistently grown since it began 10 years ago. It has 4,000 members of which about 900 are active. About 300 members and as many as 500 people visit the site each day.

Jankowski took over the site (a nonprofit) a few years ago. He now runs the nonprofit with the help of donations and a few friends who are monitors.

Source: Thomas Jankowski, owner of PhinisheD.org
Writer: Jon Zemkeread on…

Angela Topacio's business occupies one of those small buildings downtown that makes everyone's head turn. The neatly preserved turn-of-the-century storefront with the ornate green trim next to the People Mover's Times Square stop serves as the base for GYRO Creative's dozen employees, and Topacio rules the roost.

The 41-year-old principal of GYRO Creative graduated from the University of Michigan and lives in Woodbridge. Topacio plans on hiring another person for a senior level position as the design firm that specializes in brand strategies continues to grow in the heart of the city.

Why did you decide to set up shop in Detroit?
We are passionate about Detroit. It has a vibe that you cannot find in the burbs or other urban cities. The creative energy here is raw, humming and for the most part untapped.

What are some of the advantages to doing business here?
Tough question. Right now a lot of the advantages are also disadvantages, but I will say that among the businesses downtown and midtown, there is a very strong sense of community and camaraderie. We all tend to support each other where and when we can in business and on issues that affect us in the city. Our international clients love Detroit. Detroit has a much better reputation and intrigue overseas than it does in the States.

What do you see in Detroit that other people who live outside the city don't?
Opportunity, optimism, growth, spirit, and lots of culture.

What advice would you give to someone who was thinking about opening a business in the Motor City?
Be patient. Get involved and be heard --- be persistent and support the community as much as you can.

If you could change one thing about Detroit, what would it be?
First? I would eliminate crime – most people and other businesses avoid Detroit because they fear it.

Source: Angela Topacio, principal of GYRO Creative
Writer: Jon Zemkeread on…

Compuware continues to create more products that dominate the market.

Excerpt:

Detroit-based Compuware Corporation (Nasdaq: CPWR) Wednesday announced that Compuware Vantage has a dominant share of the growing End User Experience monitoring market.

With an expected high market growth rate for 2009 driven by the need to protect revenues and eliminate costly downtime, Compuware Vantage is perfectly positioned for continued success.

"Based on our analysis, we estimate Compuware owns 30 percent of the End User Experience monitoring market," said Mark Hillman, Compuware's vice president of strategy and product line management. "Compuware EUE monitoring provides IT leadership with a versatile solution for optimizing the end-to-end performance of the applications that matter most to the business. And with a high continued growth rate expected in this market, we believe that Compuware will continue leading the pack."

Read the rest of the Great Lakes IT Report story here.read on…

The Wheelhouse Detroit bike rental shop -- partly owned by Model D writer Kelli B. Kavanaugh -- is one of the city's thriving small businesses.

Excerpt:

Pedal a few miles, and the physical benefits of cycling become as obvious as the burning in your thighs.

But the owners of Wheelhouse Detroit, a year-old all-purpose biking outfit, have something else to prove -- that riding on two wheels is the best way to get to know a place, even somewhere considered unfriendly to cyclists like the Motor City.

Throughout the spring and fall, and occasionally in the summer, the store -- run by Detroiters Karen Gage and Kelli Kavanaugh -- hosts bike tours that range from about 10 miles to 30 miles or more.

"We have so much fun biking around the city, just going out and experiencing it and seeing new things," said Gage, 33. "Detroit has a lot of cool neighborhoods and interesting people and great architecture. These bike tours are allowing us to present that."

Read the rest of the Detroit Free Press story here.
read on…

TechTown has some ambitious goals for expansion and a big check to back it up.

Right now the business incubator just south of New Center serves as the home to 90 some start-ups in old auto-factory buildings converted into state-of-the-art office space and laboratories. The latest plan calls for a rapid expansion of its campus to facilitate between 400-500 start-ups within the next three years.

"We are the launching pad for innovation and the knowledge economy," says Jay Noren, president of Wayne State University.

Making this possible is $5 million from the New Economy Initiative along with the expertise and resources of the Kauffman Foundation. The foundation's FastTrac program is an intensive 3-10 week training initiative for unemployed or underemployed people interested in becoming entrepreneurs. The program is expected to work with 800 individuals each year and serve as the main source of new start-ups for the expanded TechTown.

Source: Jay Noren, president of Wayne State University and TechTown
Writer: Jon Zemke
read on…

Antonio "Shades" Agee likes to joke that his art that would have sent him into the justice system a decade or two ago now pays his bills and then some.

The Corktown resident is the founder and chief artist of Technolagee, a 10-year-old company that turns graffiti into commercial art. Agee has been bombing graffiti and tags for decades, starting as a kid fascinated in hip hop and art.

As graffiti became more palatable for mass consumption in recent years, Agee found a way to turn his passion into his profession. He has done commissions for Michigan State University, Chrysler, Nextel and Timberland. His work has been displayed in the Detroit Institute of Arts and in the movie "8 Mile."

"We take the traditional and give it a spin," Agee says. "We give it the edge of the young, hip and urban."

This type of artistic expression turned business isn't new in his family. He counts John Sinclair as his godfather, and his dad ran a popular shop on Plum Street. Agee knows graffiti is his business and he knows how to make money doing it, saying he will "paint the head of a nail if you pay me right."

Agee splits his time between his Corktown loft and Chicago. "Detroit is my home," Agee says. "I can't deny it or give it a thumbs down."

Source: Antonio "Shades" Agee, founder of Technolagee
Writer: Jon Zemke
read on…

Eight years ago Willie Brake saw a technology opportunity and Detroit and decided to capitalize on it with All About Technology. The Midtown-based start-up now employs six people, three interns and has a second location in the Russell Bazaar.

"We saw a void in our community that we could fill," Brake says. "A lot of households still don't have access to technology."

All About Technology helps Detroiters get over that technology hump, providing them with cost-effective technology hardware and introducing them to new software. It's been going so well that the start-up plans to open a training center in its building overlooking Cass Park.

It hopes to use this training center as a launching pad for future growth. More hires are expected later this year. "There are so many places we haven’t touched yet, like iPhone downloads and web design and training and maybe even government contracts," Brake says.

Source: Willie Brake, president and CEO of All About Technology
Writer: Jon Zemke
read on…

The guys behind Exchange Bureau Music have a simple philosophy when it comes to their fledgling business, capitalize on Detroit’s rich heritage and strong brand name.

The founders, who go by their stage names Paul and Josh, started the music label last November with the idea of putting out music that is either made in Detroit or by Detroit-based bands. Any way to tie the far west side-based label’s music to the Detroit is the excuse it’s looking for to supply good music to the masses.

"Somehow there has to be that tie to the city," says Paul, co-owner of Exchange Bureau Music.

The label has 13 releases so far from its 25 artists on its roster. They mostly have an electronic or hip hop influence, but Exchange Bureau doesn't want to limit itself to genres. It's willing to do rock or other types of music as long as it has that tie to the Motor City.

Exchange Bureau also plans to expand its shows to be surprise-specific. It wants to throw tours where people attending won’t know which artists or what type of music is being played until the spotlights turn on.

"It could be anybody on our roster," Paul says. "It could be an electronic show or a hip hop show. You never know."

Right now the music label plans to stick to its founders and artists. However, they want to bring on some interns this summer and possibly expand its payroll toward the end of the year to help manage its shows.

Source: Paul, co-owner of Exchange Bureau Music
Writer: Jon Zemke
read on…

Lots of new entrepreneurs are ready to go at the 2009 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference in Detroit.

Excerpt:

Dubrece Smith was downsized in December, but that's only made her more determined to pursue her dream -- running a day spa chain.

But Smith, 36, knows that business and the $250,000 she needs to kick it off aren't just going to drop into her lap. That's why the Ypsilanti resident was pitching her business idea to a table of entrepreneurs Monday at the 2009 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference. The event, which started Sunday and ends today, is at the Detroit Marriott in the Renaissance Center.

The attendees were ready to make deals, challenging their tablemates at lunch to pitch a business idea in two minutes or less. Ebony Rider-El, a Detroit native attending California State University, San Bernardino, jumped in, even when she was assigned a random product -- the fork beside her plate.

Smith, who lost her accounting job in December, also took a stab at pitching her dream, explaining how she would start her spa concept in Detroit. Then she asked for criticism.

"I have always wanted to be in business for myself ever since I was a child," said Smith, who was born in Detroit and grew up in Westland. "So I'm here making connections ... learning how to network."

Read the rest of the Detroit Free Press story here.read on…

One little tugboat on the Detroit River will be going green during the Red Bull Air Races.

Excerpt:

Clean Emission Fluids Inc. will be back out on the Detroit River with its pioneering 34-foot biodiesel tugboat, the Titan, again this spring and summer.

The boat will be on the river June 13 and 14 for the Red Bull Air Races over the Detroit River.

Read the rest of the Great Lakes IT Report story here.read on…