Boomers :
Featured Stories
Kim North Shine / Concentrate
Friday, May 24, 2013
To paraphrase David Lee Roth: "He's your Ice Cream Man, stop him when he's passin' by." ...Or pedaling by, as the case may be. Rob Hess is the bicycle-bound peddler (and pedaler) of Go! Ice Cream, the latest addition to Ann Arbor-Ypsi's army of hand-crafted, small-batch food artisans. We, for one, welcome their invading forces.
Natalie Burg / Metromode
Friday, May 03, 2013
If there's a canary in the coalmine for downtown vibrancy, it's a thriving grocery store. Lafayette Market and Cafe in downtown Pontiac opened its doors at the end of 2012 and is reaching beyond the loft-dwellers that live above to connect with the surrounding community.
Matthew Lewis / Model D
Friday, March 29, 2013
An impressive group of creatives, business owners, real estate and logistics innovators, and festival promoters made up our speaker series panel last Wednesday. Matthew Lewis took notes, Oren Goldenberg captured the event on video.
Dennis Archambault / Model D
Friday, February 01, 2013
This unique New Center company has 20 employees for watch assembly, and its bicycle division expects to produce 2,000 bikes annually. Leather goods will also be produced. Dennis Archambault gets the grand tour.
Lauren Bigelow / Metromode
Friday, October 26, 2012
Has the investment community's Ground Zero moved from New York and Palo Alto to Detroit? Quite possibly. Lauren Bigelow, CEO of the Growth Capital Network, gives budding entrepreneurs a how-to on approaching financiers coming from around the country to the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition in Detroit next month.
Kim North Shine / Concentrate
Friday, October 12, 2012
Half a dozen Saturdays a year Ann Arbor's population practically doubles, as U-M football brings in Big Ten gridiron fans. Some see the game day influx as an inconvenience. Others see it as an economic opportunity.
Constance Crump / Concentrate
Friday, September 28, 2012
Parvis e glandibus quercus. Translation: "Tall oaks from little acorns grow." It's a sentiment that couldn't be truer for Ypsilanti's Oak Street, a three block neighborhood that has attracted some of the city's best and brightest. Constance Crump gives us a tour.
Jay Walljasper / Model D
Friday, September 14, 2012
She started making a difference in Johannesburg and London, came home to attend U-M Law before returning to work in Africa. But Felecia Andrews found her calling where she began, in her native Detroit. Jay Walljasper makes the introduction.
Scott Benson / Model D
Friday, August 10, 2012
Business diversity plus urban density give Midtown an advantage in creating commercial opportunities and jobs. Guest commentator Scott Benson of Midtown Inc. gives us a tour of the ecosystem.
Jon Zemke / Concentrate
Friday, August 10, 2012
What happens when you give 24 college students a few million dollars to invest in start-ups? They double their investment value within a few years. The Wolverine Fund is one of three venture capital programs created by the University of Michigan to give students an insider's view of investment and entrepreneurship.
Jon Zemke / Model D
Friday, July 13, 2012
Entrepreneurship isn't what it used to be. The scene today is explicitly about social engagement and collaborative leadership. This special report finds examples in three key Michigan places where new models for growth are being created and nurtured.
Natalie Burg / Concentrate
Friday, June 08, 2012
Executives need jobs too. In today's fractured economy it may be hard to muster sympathy for displaced bosses but the truth is building a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem requires plenty of top talent management. So, how do you retain and recruit the execs you need?
Natalie Burg / Concentrate
Friday, February 24, 2012
When Pfizer left Ann Arbor it was hard not to view the glass as half empty. Five years and 16 start-ups later, that perspective has started to reverse. And in many ways, the transition from one large company to many more entrepreneurial efforts is exactly what our community and state needs to establish a healthier long term economy.
Dennis Archambault / Metromode
Friday, February 24, 2012
Thousands of miles separate, but Israel and Michigan operate in a parallel universe. What happens when you cross Michigan's established manufacturing base and high-tech mindset over to Israel's 3,000-plus tech start-ups? The Michigan Israel Business Bridge yields an array of academic and entrepreneurial matches.
Jon Zemke / Concentrate
Friday, February 24, 2012
Mike Burns is a born entrepreneur, and at 58, he could easily run rings around guys half his age. Or fly rings around them, as the case may be (he pilots WWII era P-51 Mustangs). More importantly, Burns is an entrepreneur who believes in doing business in Michigan. It's why he sources nearly all the components to his iPad accessory, the HandeHolder, locally. And it's not just a recession thing. It's part of his overall business philosophy.