First Tech Direct expands into Grand Rapids, Chicago
Source: Metromode, 9/2/2010
Nearly a decade ago, John Silvani took an old company apart and
rebuilt it into a growing new economy firm that's hiring in Royal Oak.
Along
with five employees from his former firm, Silvani started First Tech
Direct. Today it has 39 employees, 12 independent contractors, and an
intern after making nine hires over the last year. Five more openings
are expected by the end of the year.
"We just have a lot of
demand from our clients right now," says Silvani, president and CEO of First Tech Direct.
First
Tech Direct helps business streamline their operations by providing
software from the likes of Microsoft
Dynamics Academic Alliance. It has grown continuously since its
founding. With revenue up 25 percent over the last year alone, the
company has landed a place on the Inc. 5000 list.
The
software firm has a varied client roster ranging from the Detroit Lions
to Motor City Casino to a number of auto suppliers. This diversity has
led to an office opening in Grand Rapids, plus a new Chicago location is
in the works.
"The company has done a fantastic job," Silvani
says. "We're doing great."
Source:
John Silvani, president and CEO of First Tech Direct
Writer: Jon Zemke
Healthcare providers team up on blood clot prevention
Source: Metromode, 9/2/2010
A group of prominent healthcare
organizations are partnering to cut the occurrence of blood clots by as
much as 50 percent over the next two years in a coordinated effort to
improve patient care and reduce medical costs.
Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Michigan, Blue
Care Network, and the University of Michigan Medical Center are
leading the effort with 16 hospitals from across the state, including Beaumont
and Oakwood
healthcare systems. The idea is that this collaboration, part of Value
Partnerships, will expand its focus.
"The expectation is the
collaboration will take on other things as the years go by," says Tom
Leyden, manager of clinical program development for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
For
now, the new initiative will focus on getting the state's major
hospitals to reduce the risk of blood clots, a common problem that
causes further sickness or even death. The new consortium will work in
unison to study, benchmark, and implement best practices to eliminate
preventable blood clots.
Just about all patients who are
hospitalized are at risk of suffering adverse effects from clotting,
some of which are often as serious as death. A double-digit reduction
would be a seen as a big step forward.
"It's not perfect," says
Scott Flanders, a professor of medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center
and the project director for this initiative. "We're never going to be
able to get rid of these things."
Sources: Scott Flanders, professor of medicine at the
University of Michigan Medical Center; Tom Leyden, manager of clinical
program development for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke
Skidmore creative marketing agency is expanding in Royal Oak
Source: Metromode, 9/2/2010
New clients equal new hires, or at least
that's the formula at Skidmore Studio. The downtown Royal Oak marketing
agency has just hired a senior graphic designer and plans to further
expand its staff later this year.
"We have some new clients that
are pushing our capacity and capabilities," says Tim Smith, president
and CEO of Skidmore
Studio.
Those new clients include Troy-based North American
Bancard and Sport U Technologies (Brighton), locally based companies
with a footprint that extends into the Midwest or nationally. Skidmore
Studio plans to hire a web programmer and media planner buyer with
national experience later this year. A new project manager and account
executive may also be added to the staff of 21 people.
Skidmore
Studio is filled with creatives, including graphic designers,
illustrators, interactive designers, copywriters, and motion artists.
The agency has specialized in design and illustration in Metro Detroit
since the 1950s. It has relied primarily on customer referrals for its
growth, a plan Smith intends to stick with for the foreseeable future.
"We
need to concentrate on doing an extraordinary job for our clients,"
Smith says.
Source: Tim Smith,
president and CEO of Skidmore Studio
Writer: Jon Zemke
Realtime Technologies fills out customer base in Royal Oak
Source: Metromode, 8/26/2010
Realtime Technologies continues to grow
its downtown Royal Oak office as it builds its high-end 3D visualization
technology for its base customers.
"We just want to be like Pinky
& The Brain and take over the world... but in a nice way," says Clayne Woodbury, national sales director for Realtime Technologies.
The
company employs 10 people at its Royal Oak office and is looking to add
some staff there in the near future. Part of the reason for that
expansion is its increased sales volume to its existing customer base
and expanding into emerging markets, such as China.
"We have had some huge projects, and it's been multiplying," Woodbury says.
Realtime Technologies
creates simulators for the likes of the automotive industry and is
expanding to other areas, such as simulating soil shifting for
environmental firms. It's also looking at expanding into the video game
world.
Source: Clayne Woodbury, national sales director for Realtime Technologies
Writer: Jon Zemke
Oakland County Medical Main St attracts $11M in investment, 275 jobs
Source: Metromode, 8/12/2010
Healthcare, an industry long taken for
granted in Metro Detroit, is proving to be an increasingly strong job
source in Oakland County.
The Oakland County Medical Main Street
program has attracted $11 million in investment, creating 275 new
positions, over the last two years. The latest round comes from Royal
Oak Medical Devices. The company plans to spend $2.6 million to expand
its medical device design, manufacturing, and distributing operations, a
move that is expected to create 26 new jobs over the next few years.
"In
the past we have taken these jobs a little for granted because they
were part of our infrastructure," says Maureen Krauss, director of the
Dept of Economic Development and Community Affairs at Oakland County.
No
longer. Oakland County's life sciences industry employs 93,000 people
and is projected to create another 45,000 jobs over the next decade,
according to a study by the Anderson Economic Group. This industry also
has deep roots in the research sectors. Just under 4,900 clinical trials
are currently underway in Oakland County -- more than what is taking
place in California, Florida, Texas, and New Jersey.
Oakland
County started its Medical Main Street program
in 2008 with the idea of helping fast-track growth in the life sciences
industry. "It keeps the talent, assets, and people here," Krauss says.
"It's a really strong part of our retention program."
Source:
Maureen Krauss, director of the Dept of Economic Development and
Community Affairs at Oakland County
Writer: Jon Zemke
Royal Oak's Vectorform grows staff by 50%
Source: Metromode, 8/12/2010
Condense the words "early adoption" into
one and there is a good chance it might spell Vectorform.
The
Royal Oak-based firm has turned creation of the latest in applications
for mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad into a steady stream of
hires around the world. It has gone from a staff of 70 people worldwide
last summer to 100 today, including 30 in Royal Oak.
"We have
been growing fairly substantially," says Alison Weber, director of
communications for Vectorform.
"We have probably added 30 people, primarily in the Seattle area." The
company has made eight hires for its Royal Oak office, including a
couple of former interns. It hopes to add eight more positions there
over the next year.
Vectorform specializes in interactive design
and development, such as web design and multi-touch hardware for the
likes of the iPhone and Microsoft Surface. It recently released for the
iPhone "The
Ancient Game of GO", inspired by a 2,500-year-old Chinese game. GO
focuses on capturing territory on a game board by surrounding your
opponent's respective stone chips with yours.
"We're starting to
become a more recognized and respected name," Weber says. "Until this
point we have been a bit of a well-kept secret."
Source:
Alison Weber, director of communications for Vectorform
Writer:
Jon Zemke
Wellco's health tracking software a hit, adds positions
Source: Metromode, 8/12/2010
Royal Oak-based Wellco isn't a provider these days as
much as it is a fixer when it comes to improving the health of Metro
Detroit's workforce.
"We have become much less a wellness
provider and more of a company that fixes wellness programs," says Scott
Foster, president of Wellco. "Wellness has become such a hot topic but
companies have no idea whether their programs are effective or not."
Wellco
has developed software and programs for companies to document and track
the health of their employees. The idea is to create a healthier, more
productive workforce that ultimately saves significant sums of money in
medical costs, both in the short- and long-term.
Its newest
technology, HealthHammer,
helps its customers benchmark, measure, and improve healthy lifestyles.
It also gives them the Top 15 health conditions to avoid, such as back
pain, diabetes, and depression.
Wellco has avoided its own
pitfalls and experienced some healthy growth in the last two years,
adding two hires to round its staff out to a dozen people and three
independent contractors. It currently has one open position for a
wellness specialist and expects to create another five jobs over the
next six months.
Source: Scott
Foster, president of Wellco
Writer:
Jon Zemke
Dark Spark Media at tip of film industry spear
Source: Metromode, 8/5/2010
The people at Dark Spark Media are big on
Michigan and its emerging film industry.
The Royal Oak-based
post-production house was the first local firm to do post-production
work on a movie last year. That work is normally shipped back to
California or other places that have more established film industry
infrastructure.
Dark
Spark Media is also the
driving force behind Under the Radar
Michigan, a new
local-centric TV show on PBS. The show profiles cool and sometimes
eccentric aspects of Michigan's towns. It does three of these profiles
with each episode and could be used as a template for other states
looking to beef up their brand image.
"It's all about refreshing
and rejuvenating the attitude about Michigan," says Annie Harrelson,
sales and marketing manager for Dark Spark Media.
The
company used to specialize in creating training films for the likes of
the automotive industry, but began to diversify into live exhibits and
other filming when the car sector began contracting. Last year it moved
into feature film and TV work to take advantage of Michigan's new tax
incentives. Headcount now stands at 10, including the eight founders and
two interns hired last year.
Source:
Annie Harrelson, sales and marketing manager for Dark Spark Media
Writer: Jon Zemke