Innovation + Job News

Entrepreneurs in Detroit don't all flock to Internet start-ups or factory floors.

Excerpt:

Detroit -- Charley Marcuse ambles through the stands behind home plate at Comerica Park before the visiting team comes to bat.

He launches into his operatic rendition of "hot dogs." The regulars cheer him on. He sells 10 wrapped weenies. That's scoring.

For this 2009 baseball season, Marcuse, 29, who once performed Shakespeare, works as a hot dog vendor, clothing salesman and entrepreneur. He expects to score sales of his new condiment, Charley's Ballpark Mustard, sold through his company, Charley's Foods Inc., with offices in the Fisher Building.

Read the rest of the story here.read on…

GMAC has a lot of jobs posted in Detroit these days. About 50 positions are open right now, ranging from legal to finance to IT.

"We're planning to fill every one that is advertised," says Jeannine Bruin, executive director of marketing and communication for GMAC.

GMAC's mortgage unit has seen an increase in refinancing and jumbo loans. Enough so that it’s hiring about 1,000 people to help tackle the work. However, those jobs are being hired elsewhere in the U.S. in places like Charlotte, North Carolina. That doesn't mean the downtown Detroit-based firm has forgotten about its roots.

To see what jobs GMAC is hiring both here and elsewhere, click here.

Source: Jeannine Bruin, executive director of marketing and communication for GMAC
Writer: Jon Zemkeread on…

Movers, shakers, investors and innovators in the Michigan venture capital community will discuss the state and future of Michigan’s VC environment this morning, April 21, at Michigan's Private Equity Conference at Wayne State University.

"I think the programs that are in place in Michigan right now have set the stage for Michigan to really attract new technology, technologists and venture capitalists to look at all of the wonderful raw material Michigan has, in terms of both technologies coming out of its world-class educational institutions coupled with its long history of outstanding technology development and manufacturing," says Kelly Williams, managing director and co-head of the Customized Fund Investment Group for Credit Suisse.

Among those attending are more than 300 of the nation's top institutional investors and private equity fund managers. They will be networking and discussing the latest trends in venture capital and what can be done to bring more of it to Michigan.

Michigan has worked hard (and spent handsomely) in recent years to boost its venture capital environment, often called the mother’s milk for the new economy. The state has consistently ranked in the upper half of venture capital investment for several years, but well behind industry leaders like California and Massachusetts. Michigan's ranking took a hit this year as the economy has experienced a significant downturn.

For information on today's conference, call Phil Lewis at (517) 487-9320 or (517) 927-9310.

Source: Kelly Williams, managing director and co-head of the Customized Fund Investment Group for Credit Suisse
Writer: Jon Zemke
read on…

Miller Canfield is opening a new office in Mexico, its 17th in the law firm’s 157-year history.

Miller Canfield’s new office in Monterrey is aimed to generate more business from the area’s burgeoning industrial and business communities. The new office will have two senior Mexican attorneys and one U.S. attorney. It plans to hire two more attorneys for that office.

"Mexico and Detroit are very closely interlinked economically in both automotive and other companies," says Richard Walawender, director of the corporate group for Miller Canfield. He called Monterrey a "natural complement to Detroit."

The downtown Detroit-based company has offices all around the world. They includes seven offices in the Michigan, three others in the U.S. and seven more elsewhere in the world.

Source: Richard Walawender, director of the corporate group for Miller Canfield
Writer: Jon Zemkeread on…

Wayne State University continues to funnel big buckets of money from grants (research and otherwise) into its coffers. The latest to make their way into Midtown are $155,000 for the university's Law School, $290,000 for its Engineering School and $2 million for its Nursing College.

That $2 million comes from the state as part of a new initiative to create a new generation of nurses to help fill Michigan's current nursing shortage. This money will specifically go toward training more nursing educators in master and doctorate programs to help train even more home-grown nurses.

The $290,000 goes to Wayne State Electrical and Computer Engineering Prof. Nabil Sarhan. He will use the National Science Foundation grant to develop a low cost security system that performs computer automated, real-time threat detection.

The $155,000 is a gift from Bodman to Wayne State's Law School. The money will be used to support both faculty and students. It will also help fund the construction of the new Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights and Community Development.

Source: Wayne State University
Writer: Jon Zemke
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If you are in the venture capital game in Michigan, you know the name Christopher "Chris" Rizik.

The 48-year-old is a product of local schooling with a bachelor's in accounting from Michigan State University and University of Michigan law degree. He served as managing director of Avalon Investments (then Michigan’s largest VC fund) before co-founding Ann Arbor-based Ardesta.

He helped start the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund (a spin-off of Detroit Renaissance) last year. The Renaissance Center-based firm has already made a couple of large investments, including $3 million into the TGap Venture Capital Fund.

Describe your business in two sentences or less.
The Renaissance Venture Capital Fund is a Michigan-based fund of funds that is playing a key role in the growth of venture capital in Michigan while serving as a bridge between Michigan's emerging innovation company community and its strong industrial and commercial base. Formed out of the groundbreaking "Road to Renaissance" initiative of Detroit Renaissance, the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund received its initial support and investment from some of Michigan's most important organizations.

Why did you decide to set up shop in Detroit?
The Renaissance Venture Capital Fund is extremely focused on using venture capital as a key to raising the level of entrepreneurism in Michigan. And Southeast Michigan has a tremendous amount of research and development as well as business leadership. It was a natural place to locate.

What are some of the advantages to doing business here?
Access to the universities in the region as well as to the business leadership, including those organizations that are part of Detroit Renaissance, is key. Also, there is a tremendous amount of technical and engineering talent that makes investing in Michigan attractive.

What do you see in Detroit that other people who live outside the city don't?
There is a wonderful openness and friendliness to the city. We've taken some hits and developed a bit of an inferiority complex over the past couple of decades, but that has only increased the desire make the city a place that we can be proud of. This includes diverse groups wanting to work together, though that is often truer at the grassroots level than at the political leadership level.

What advice would you give to someone who was thinking about opening a business in the Motor City?
There is a long history of both hard work and loyalty in Detroit. I've been involved with dozens of companies around the country, and those qualities can't be taken for granted or assumed. A good team in Detroit stays together for a long time, which provides a level of stability we don't see elsewhere.

If you could change one thing about Detroit, what would it be?
In our business, growth happens because of smart people, good ideas and cooperation. The lack of sustained regional cooperation continues to hinder Detroit. There is a surprising lack of high level acknowledgment of the interconnectedness of all we do in the region, leading to too many "win-lose" postures as opposed to "win-win" discussions.

Source: Christopher Rizik, CEO and fund manager of the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund
Writer: Jon Zemke
read on…

Commercial farming in Detroit is starting to gain traction with city officials.

Excerpt:

A plan to convert vacant Detroit land into urban farms intrigues Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr.

Cockrel told the Free Press Editorial Board on Tuesday that his administration is in "very active discussions" with officials from Hantz Farms, which the Free Press reported has proposed converting thousands of vacant parcels into urban agriculture.

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

A new biz incubator is opening in the North End neighborhood.

Excerpt:

Bishop Edgar L. Vann, President & CEO, and Scott Alan Davis, Executive Director, of the Vanguard Community Development Corp. this week announced the opening of Milwaukee Junction Office Center, an extension of Milwaukee Junction Business Center on Grand Boulevard, adjacent to Detroit's New Center Area.

Redeveloping Detroit's North End Neighborhood has been at the core of Vanguard Community Development Corporation's 15 years of service to the community.

"We have improved the area with new housing for families and seniors and now we want to build a center of commerce." Davis said. "We renovated 13 offices and are leasing them for $250 per month."

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

The Michigan Neonatal BioTrust is open and ready for business in TechTown's TechOne building. A grand opening is set for June.

The trust employs three part-time people and 14 student interns from nearby Wayne State University. Those numbers could soon increase to 2-3 full-time employees and even more student interns.

"I could see doubling it," says James Eliason, scientific adviser for Michigan Neonatal BioTrust.

The trust has access to 3.5 million blood spots taken from Michigan children. It’s scanning them into a system so they can be used for population-based research, such as seeing how lead poisoning impacts children.

"We have only scanned in 200,000," Eliason says. "We have a long ways to go."

Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Community Health have all partnered together to create the trust.

Source: James Eliason, scientific adviser for Michigan Neonatal BioTrust
Writer: Jon Zemke
read on…

The Center for Advancement of Healthcare Professionals moved from its original home at 7 Mile and Telegraph roads to one of Boydell Development's mid-rises in Harmonie Park. The 1-year-old school occupies 7,000 square feet on the sixth floor of the Coaches Corner building.

"We plan on growing so we took out more space than we needed," says Travis Wright, co-owner of the Center for Advancement of Healthcare Professionals.

The school has added 10 new jobs today and promises to bring another 15 on by the end of the year.

Today the school has an enrollment of almost 100 students with classes starting every other month. Those classes are mostly focused on the nursing and medical professional fields. The school plans to go completely into nursing training and reach an enrollment of 500 people by the end of the year.

For information on the school, call (313) 964-0900.

Source: Travis Wright, co-owner of the Center for Advancement of Healthcare Professionals
Writer: Jon Zemke
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TechTown and University of Detroit Mercy have two entrepreneurship events planned this month.

SmartStart is the latest program from the TechTown business incubator to help start-ups ramp up their business. It will host an open house for entrepreneurs on April 29. The idea is to help entrepreneurs take their business from idea to reality. It provides one-on-one coaching, a network of local mentors and education of creating business plans, and sales pitches. "We want to get people excited about the opportunity of getting their business to the next level," says Marlo Rencher, spokeswoman for SmartStart.

Today, the U-D Mercy is hosting a Faculty and Student Research Symposium. Participants will have the opportunity share research and network. The symposium will be held in the Fountain Lounge of the Student Center between noon and 2 p.m. For information, send an email to Russ Davidson at davidsor@udmercy.edu.

The SmartStart open house will be held between 4-6 p.m. at TechTown, 440 Burroughs Street. For information, click here.

Source: University of Detroit Mercy and Marlo Rencher, spokeswoman for SmartStart
Writer: Jon Zemke
read on…

Sergio Mazza can tell you how noisy just about anything is, even if you can’t hear it. Mazza is the president and CEO of SenSound, a Wayne State University spin-off that develops noise management software. Put simply, SenSound’s technology lets engineers see sound and make equipment more efficient. The TechTown-based firm employs eight people, a co-op student and an intern.

SenSound isn't Mazza’s first time at the helm. He is on the board of Vintara, served as the president and CEO of the American National Standards Institute and was president of Memorex USA. Mazza has also lived in seven different countries, worked in five of those and speaks four languages.

Describe your business in two sentences or less?
We provide tools and services to diagnose sound sources, and provide quality control systems that detect defects through sound. The end result is our customers bring quieter products to market faster and at lower cost.

Why did you decide to set up shop in Detroit?
The technology we utilize was developed by Prof. Sean F. Wu at Wayne state university's Acoustics, Vibration and Noise Control lab.

What are some of the advantages to doing business here?
Proximity to Wayne State, proximity to many manufacturing companies that could benefit from this technology.

What do you see in Detroit that other people who live outside the city don't?
A wonderful city with great cultural and entertainment resources that has fallen on hard times but can be great again. Very little traffic -- I just enjoyed a vacation in California, boy do they have traffic problems.

What advice would you give to someone who was thinking about opening a business in the Motor City?
Starting a business here will cost a third less to half as much as a similar business would cost to set up on either of the two coasts.

If you could change one thing about Detroit, what would it be?
The politics and the corruption.

Source: Sergio Mazza, president and CEO of SenSound
Writer: Jon Zemke

Know an entrepreneur to feature in Model D? If so, send an e-mail to Innovation and Job News editor Jon Zemke..read on…

Upcoming visits from big venture capital fund managers could spell good news for Detroit.

Excerpt:

It may not be as sexy or funny as Jay Leno coming to town to lift spirits in these trying times, but an upcoming visit to Detroit this month by venture capital and private equity fund managers is also a bright spot worth noting.

Credit Suisse, the global financial group, is bringing nearly 300 people to Detroit April 20 and 21 for its 2009 Private Equity Conference on Small & Emerging Managers and In-State Investments. How's that for a mouthful?

The aim, says organizer Kelly Williams, is to talk about innovative things that small and emerging fund managers, those with less than $1 billion to invest, are doing, and to shine a spotlight on promising companies that might be good investments.

Why come to Michigan in these gosh-awful times? The first two Credit Suisse conferences for this group were held in Los Angeles and Houston, places perceived to have more dynamic economies.

"We don't perceive any additional risk or greater risk in Michigan than anywhere else, with the kind of investments we're making in early-stage companies," says Williams, managing director and cohead of the Customized Fund Investment Group at Credit Suisse.

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

One of Detroit’s major corporations hits a big milestone for patents.

Excerpt:

Detroit-based OnStar Thursday announced that it had filed for its 500th patent.

The company said the milestone symbolizes the General Motors Corp.' unit's leadership in automotive telematics.

While the patents cover a wide range of technologies and services, this particular application supports OnStar’s emergency services, and highlights the company’s commitment to working with public safety officials to make our nation’s roadways safer.

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

Inland Pipe Rehabilitation's staff is up by 10 percent so far this year and the infrastructure firm expects to increase its payroll another 10-15 percent by the end of the year.

Today the company employs 404 people across the U.S. Of those about 100 are in Detroit. That’s up from about 65 the last time we touched base with Inland Pipe Rehabilitation last summer.

Back then the company had just moved into new digs at the Beal Building in downtown. Now it’s in the process of moving into its new, even bigger headquarters on the city’s southwest side. Inland Pipe Rehabilitation recently took over an old plastic parts plant near the corner of Michigan Avenue and Clark Street and invested close to $1 million in its 50,000 square feet, turning it into its new home.

"It's also our Great Lakes area region and contract office," says Joe Cutillo, president and CEO of Inland Pipe Rehabilitation. That means it will service Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

The firm specializes in replacing major parts of the country's rapidly aging infrastructure like water and sewer lines. It has a long track record of doing such work in Detroit.

Source: Joe Cutillo, president and CEO of Inland Pipe Rehabilitation
Writer: Jon Zemkeread on…