Macomb-OU INCubator, Automation Alley sign on for regional alliance
Source: metromode, 6/24/2010
Automation Alley and Macomb-OU INCubator
are making up the core of a new regional alliance for economic
development - the Business Accelerator Network for Southeast Michigan.
The
new collaboration brings together Metro Detroit's four major business
accelerators - Automation Alley, Macomb-OU INCubator, Ann Arbor SPARK,
and TechTown - so they can share resources and strategy. The idea is to
work together in order to more effectively play the hands they're dealt
and to grow local start-ups and small businesses.
"For southeast
Michigan to be great, we need to embrace the notion that we need to grow
our own," says David Egner, executive director of the New Economy
Initiative, which is supporting the network with a $3 million grant
over three years.
The business accelerators have already been
quite successful on their own. They have invested $18 million in 339
start-up companies that have created more than 1,000 jobs and have
helped secure more than $101.2 million in additional capital for local
businesses.
"That's one year," Egner says. "That's not even our
best year. I think more will be coming."
Enabling such
collaboration is nothing new. Other major metropolitan regions have
utilized regional partnerships to reinvent their economies and images.
For instance, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance harnesses the economic
strengths of the entire 10-county area in the southwest section of
Pennsylvania to continually create new businesses and jobs. The Business
Accelerator Network for Southeast Michigan hopes to mimic that success.
"To
me this is a perfect example of regional cooperation," says Ken Rogers,
executive director of Automation Alley.
As one of the Top 10 technology
organizations in the U.S.,
Automation Alley is the big dog in this group. It could stand alone, but
its leadership looks forward to utilizing the resources of fellow
organizations to save on time and money spent on developing its own. The
Macomb-OU INCubator, which is just getting started, sees this as a big
hand up in building its organization.
"By all means, it's about
the businesses," says David Spencer, executive director of the Macomb OU
INCubator. "It's about the people they hire."
Source: David
Egner, executive Director of the New Economy Initiative; Ken Rogers,
executive director of Automation Alley; and David Spencer, executive
director of the Macomb OU INCubator
Writer: Jon Zemke
North American BanCard acquires Point and Pay, hires 50
Source: metromode, 6/24/2010
North American BanCard is growing by leaps
and bounds and acquisitions in Oakland County these days.
The
Troy-based firm has acquired Point and Pay from Vesta, opening
up a new market for the electronic payment processing company. That's on
top of 50 new hires so far this year, rounding out the firm's staff to
400 people. The company plans to continue to hire and acquire at this
pace for the foreseeable future.
"We continue to expect to have
very nice growth in our core business and from acquisitions," says
Howard Morof, CFO of North
American BanCard. "We continue to expect to be hiring to
accommodate our growth."
Point and Pay allows public sector
agencies and non-profits to process payments electronically, allowing
people to pay everything from parking tickets to condo association dues
online. It operates in 48 states, providing services for utilities,
courts, schools, and tax collection.
"This acquisition gives us a
platform in the electronic payment sector that we didn't have before,"
Morof says. "It fits quite well into our product expansion."
North
American BanCard, founded in 1992, is a leader in the electronic
payments industry. Its proprietary credit card e-commerce hardware and software technology processes $8 billion in transactions
each year from more than 100,000 merchants. If you swipe your debit or
credit card, then there is a good chance you're using North American
Bancard products.
Source:
Howard Morof, CFO of North American BanCard
Writer: Jon Zemke
Johnson Controls finalizes $6.3M investment in Azure Dynamics
Source: metromode, 6/24/2010
Azure Dynamics, a manufacturer of electric
commercial vehicles, is riding high after finalizing a $6.3 million
equity investment from Johnson Controls.
The Oak Park-based firm
will use the cash to fund ongoing product development and
commercialization efforts. The company makes award-winning commercial
vehicles, such as the Ford Transit Connect.
Successes like this
have allowed Azure Dynamics to expand to 135 employees, including 39 in
its Metro Detroit office. The company has added 19 new jobs in the last
year and has four open positions right now.
"Depending on how
things go with our new products, we could add more," says Curt Huston,
COO of Azure Dynamics.
Azure
Dynamics makes the electric version of the Transit Connect. It expects
to manufacture between 1,000 and 2,000 vehicles next year, thanks to
winning awards like Truck of the Year at the 2010 North American
International Auto Show in Detroit. The 22-year-old firm has roots in
British Columbia. It moved its headquarters from Toronto to Metro
Detroit a few years ago.
Source:
Curt Huston, COO of Azure Dynamics
Writer: Jon Zemke
Wayne County pledges $1.5M for new stem cell lab in Plymouth
Source: metromode, 6/24/2010
Wayne County is investing $1.5 million to
create a stem cell wet lab in Plymouth that will house a number of
up-and-coming small businesses specializing in research and
commercialization of new drugs and other biotech advances.
The
Michigan Center for Regenerative Medicine will feature a combination of
wet lab, offices, and manufacturing space totaling 21,000 square feet in
a soon-to-be renovated building. The center will be operated by the
directors of the Michigan Research Institute in Ann Arbor and will count
Innovative Bio Therapies as its anchor tenant. Other smaller firms are
expected to sign on by the time it opens this fall.
"This will be
a magnet facility," says David Humes, president of Innovative Biotherapies.
About
three quarters of the space is still available for lease. Humes and Jim
Richter, president of the Michigan Research Institute, expect another
5-10 companies to sign leases within the next year or two, filling the
building.
The project will begin construction in July and be up
and running in time for the 2010 World Stem Cell Summit
this fall.
"We think that will send a message to other companies
to come and set up shop here," says Robert Ficano,
executive of Wayne County and a champion of the project.
Source:
David Humes, president of Innovative Bio Therapies; Jim Richter,
president of Michigan Research Institute; and Robert Ficano, executive
of Wayne County
Writer: Jon Zemke
Troy-based Media Genesis adds 12 positions, opens Chicago office
Source: metromode, 6/24/2010
Media Genesis is growing here and there,
there being Chicago. The Internet company is hiring and has just opened
an office in the Windy City.
The Troy-based firm has hired a
dozen people over the last year, rounding out its staff to 60 employees
and a handful of independent contractors and interns. There are plans to
add about 1-2 new employees per month over the next year.
Founded 14 years ago, Media Genesis credits its steady growth to a pool of a few
hundred clients. It has opened the satellite office in Chicago to grow
that client base. Its work ranges from a reality TV show with Time
Warner to helping public sector agencies write grants.
"We're
doing some really great and fun stuff that is increasing our exposure
both nationally and internationally," says Antoine Dubeauclard,
president of Media Genesis.
Media Genesis started as a partnership between four EDS
co-workers who set up GM.com and then decided they could do the same on
their own. Today, Media Genesis specializes in services ranging from
consulting, interactive multimedia, audio/video, application
development, E-learning, online promotions, and hosting.
Source: Antoine Dubeauclard, president of
Media Genesis
Writer: Jon
Zemke
Custom Biogenic Systems adds 3 employees, starts internship program
Source: metromode, 6/24/2010
Custom Biogenic Systems is taking
inspiration from both home and abroad these days as it draws from local
interns at its Romeo home and opens up new markets abroad.
"We've
expanded," says Michele Moore, quality systems coordinator for Custom Biogenic
Systems. "We're a global company. I don't think there is a continent
we don't ship to."
The cryogenic storage maker has grown into
the 10th largest biotech company in Michigan, with $7 million in
revenues. The firm has also hired three people within the last year,
expanding its payroll to 46 employees. It expects to grow even more
within the next year or two as federal stimulus money is distributed for
research through the National Institute of Health.
John Brothers founded Custom Biogenic Systems in 1987 as a
manufacturer of stainless steel racks for cryogenic freezers. In the
late 1990s, he and his family patented a freezer that is used to store
blood samples and stem cells. The freezer uses liquid nitrogen in the
walls instead of at the bottom.
The firm recently started a
junior internship program to enable students from the Utica Center for
Mathematics, Science, and Technology to spend a few days working at
the firm.
"That was a really cool program," Moore says. "These
kids were scary smart."
Source:
Michele Moore, quality systems coordinator for Custom Biogenic Systems
Writer: Jon Zemke
Future Help Designs hires 5 iPhone app developers
Source: metromode, 6/24/2010
Christian Marcillo and Glen Konopaske were
a couple of Mac fanatics working in retail and robotics respectively,
dreaming of running their own start-up when the economy hit bottom in
late 2008 and they lost their jobs. That allowed the pair to act on that
ambition, forming Future Help Designs in Dearborn
Heights. It wasn't long before their friends wanted in, too.
"We
started having our friends and co-workers come up to us, saying we know
you're working on something," Konopaske says. "We don't feel secure in
our jobs so we want to be part of it."
The next thing they knew,
16 people with 185 years of software development experience between them
were sitting down and rattling off ideas on how to create iPhone apps.
That yielded 52 ideas which eventually became three iPhone games, such as
Pop!Pop!Pop! - a game based on popping bubble wrap.
"We didn't
have anything specific in mind," Marcillo says. "We just started putting
together ideas."
The firm now has 21 employees working on new
games with higher-quality animation. Developers are also working on a
game for school psychologists that should be released soon. The company
hopes to incorporate more daily life activities into its apps and to add
a few more employees this year.
"We're looking at what we can do
to take these apps to the next level," Konopaske says.
Source: Christian Marcillo and Glen
Konopaske, co-founders of Future Help Designs
Writer: Jon Zemke
MyNewMarketplace.com combines eBay and Craigslist
Source: metromode, 6/24/2010
Peder Blohm likes eBay and Craigslist well enough, but
there were also things about the two sites he felt could be better. Rather than sending them a letter of recommendations he decided
to make his own website, MyNewMarketplace.com, which combines the best
aspects of each.
"I call it a hybrid between eBay and Craigslist," Blohm says. "It's
eBay with the auction and Craigslist without the creep."
MyNewMarketplace.com
offers easy navigation and a variety of options to buy and sell
products and services, promote new businesses, post and search job
openings, and support the local economy. The site will not include adult
personal ads. It's similar to Blocket, a site based in Sweden.
??Blohm and his team of seven are working with Essential IT, JCI Design, and Margo &
Associates to get the site up and running with a scheduled release for
this week.
??Source: Peder Blohm, founder of MyNewMarketplace.com?
Writer: Jon Zemke
Automation Alley membership grows; 1,300 jobs created
Source: metromode, 6/24/2010
Automation Alley is watching its numbers
go up. The Oakland County business accelerator has grown to become the
biggest in Michigan and has the stats to back it up.
It has
invested $5 million in 25 companies that have created 734 new jobs. The
investments have been in a number of new economy start-ups, such as Cargo Solutions
Group in Sterling Heights, Franklin-based CircleBuilder
Software, and Clean Emission Fluids in
Detroit.
"In spite of the economy we have become one of the Top
10 technology organizations in the country," says Ken Rogers, executive
director of Automation
Alley. "We expect to be No 1 within five years."
Automation
Alley has helped in the creation of 1,285 jobs overall. It has more than
1,000 dues-paying members and expects that number to grow as the
economy picks up and Metro Detroit's entrepreneurial ecosystem fills
out.
"The customer sees a value," Rogers says. "They join the
Alley and they stay with the Alley."
Source: Ken Rogers,
executive director of Automation Alley
Writer: Jon Zemke
Metro Detroit firms rack up $327M in MEDC deals
Source: metromode, 6/17/2010
Metro Detroit companies took the vast
majority of the latest round of job-creating tax deals from the Michigan Economic Development
Corp, which means $327 million in new investments and 805 new jobs
in the next few years.
The tax breaks span a number of different
sectors, including traditional automotive in Redford Township, new age
tech companies in Southfield, along with Internet and bio-tech firms in
Ann Arbor. All of them worked through local and state economic
development agencies to come up with the best solution to expand their
businesses in southeast Michigan.
"They both did a very good job
of helping us understand the benefits of growing here in Ann Arbor,"
says Scott Robertson, managing partner of Grand River, which plans to
invest $1 million into expanding its Ann Arbor office.
The
biggest investments are coming from automotive firms. Detroit Diesel, a heavy-duty
diesel engine manufacturer, plans to invest $194 million to expand its
Redford Township operations. That investment will preserve 1,900 jobs at
the facility. Making this possible is a state tax credit valued at
$56.8 million over 11 years and a smaller tax abatement from Redford
Township.
Fisher & Company,
an automotive seat component supplier, chose to invest $14.8 million
in its St. Clair Shores and Sterling Heights facilities. A $778,358
state tax abatement over seven years is expected to save 189 jobs and
help spur the creation of up to 138 more. Both automotive suppliers
chose their Metro Detroit facilities over competing sites in Mexico.
WABCO North America,
a tier-one supplier to the commercial vehicle industry, plans to invest
$6.2 million to create a new division in Rochester Hills, a move that
will create up to 274 new jobs. It received a state tax credit of $1
million over five years and the city of Rochester Hills is also
considering a tax credit.
Troy-based Witzenmann,
a manufacturer of flexible metallic components, expects to invest $13.1
million to expand its Troy presence. The project is expected to create
75 direct jobs thanks to a 10-year tax credit worth $325,354.
Five
technology companies in Metro Detroit also came away with tax credits.
They include:
- National
Logistics Management, a Landstar subsidiary specializing in
supply-chain logistics technology, plans to invest $12.5 million in its
Southfield facilities. The company expects to retain 122 jobs and create
another 163 thanks to a $2.7 million state tax credit over five years.
-
Dearborn-based Nexcess.net,
a web-hosting firm, will create 42 jobs over the next six years by
investing $4.2 million to convert a building in Southfield into a data
center for Web hosting and software development. It received a state tax
credit valued at $202,081 to entice it to choose Michigan over Indiana
and Illinois.
- SPX
Corporation, a Warren-based infrastructure tech firm, will spend
the next five years investing $402,000 to create 34 new jobs. The firm
will provide support to automotive companies launching plug-in electric
vehicles. The MEDC gave it a $377,672 state tax credit and the city of
Warren is considering a $10,000 abatement.
- Ann Arbor-based NanoBio, a
biopharmaceutical company specializing in vaccines, plans to invest $1.4
million in its expansion plans that will create 32 new jobs. It
received a state tax credit of $434,378 over five years and the city of
Ann Arbor is considering a tax abatement of $800,000 over that same
period.
- Grand
River, an e-commerce company based in Ann Arbor, plans to create 48
new jobs through a $1 million investment in its facilities over the
next five years. It had been considering a competing site in Wisconsin
when a $361,376 state tax credit help convince it to stay in Michigan.
Source: Scott Robertson, managing partner
of Grand River, and the Michigan Economic Development Corp
Writer: Jon Zemke
VC firm Beringea invests in Ferndale's Livio Radio
Source: metromode, 6/17/2010
It looks like the signal between Beringea
and Livio Radio is coming through crystal clear now that the Farmington
Hills-based venture capital firm is investing in the high-tech radio
maker from Ferndale.
The terms of the deal have not been
disclosed, but the investment from Michigan's largest VC firm will allow
Livio Radio to launch new products for its Internet radio line, while
expanding sales and marketing efforts.
"What really attracted us
to the company was its founder, Jake Sigal," says David Ruby, an
associate with Beringea
who helped broker the deal. "He had a lot of success with other
companies before forming his own. It's really a bet on his talent and
his ability to develop products for his company."
Sigal, 28,
helped create the first USB turntable. He founded Livio Radio in 2008 when he
created a simple radio that let users listen to popular Internet radio
station Pandora. It now allows users to listen to NPR and 16,000
additional stations from around the world. That has allowed the firm to
expand to 10 employees and five independent contractors. It recently
added four positions and expects to add three more before the year is
out.
"We're doing well," Sigal says. "We have retail distribution
in the U.S. and Canada. Plus, we have a lot of stuff coming down the
road."
Livio Radio recently launched an iPhone application, the Livio Car
Internet Radio, that lets users access Internet radio stations
during their ride. It's also working on apps for other smart phones and
the iPad. More products are also cooking further down the road thanks to
the recent infusion of venture capital.
That money comes at a
time when venture capital, seed capital, and financing of just about any
kind is hard to come by in the wake of the recent financial crisis.
Sigal says he has been working for months to land Beringea's "smart
money" (a combination of cash and business expertise) in his start-up,
which has already raised a couple of rounds of seed capital from angel
investors.
"I was successful because I was boot strapping all the
way," Sigal says. "That's why I was successful -- by pitching a product
and not a story."
Source: Jake Sigal, CEO of Livio Radio and David Ruby, an associate with Beringea
Writer: Jon Zemke
Global Renaissance makes offer on Allen Park studio complex
Source: metromode, 6/17/2010
The future of the film studio in Allen
Park that houses Unity Studios is up in the air while the city weighs a
purchase offer from Global Renaissance Entertainment Group.
"We're in discussions right now," says Gary Burtka, mayor of Allen Park. "Our attorneys are reviewing the offer."
He
says the city could make a decision on that offer as soon as next week
or it could take longer than that. He also confirms that all of the
existing tenants at the partly finished movie studio would be allowed
to stay.
The idea of turning 100 acres of vacant industrial and
municipal land in the Downriver suburb into Unity Studios shortly after
the new film incentives was introduced a little more than a year ago.
Those plans experienced some hiccups earlier this year, causing a
public flap between the city and Unity Studios. Not long afterward,
California-based Global Renaissance made an offer to take over the studio complex.
The
original $146 million project called for renovating a
600,000-square-foot building to add four feature-size sound stages on
10 acres. Each of the sound stages measures out at 25,000 square feet.
Plans also called for developing the 64 acres into Unity Village, a
tourist destination with housing, retail, and complementary commercial
businesses.
Source: Gary Burtka, mayor of Allen Park
Writer: Jon Zemke
Detroit Trading Company plans to add 3-4 positions
Source: metromode, 6/17/2010
When the economy collapsed almost two
years ago, the Detroit Trading Company didn't go down with it. Instead
it tweaked its business model, allowing it to adapt to the rapidly
changing market and set the stage for some significant growth.
The
Southfield-based business developed a technology that gathered,
analyzed, and organized Internet sales leads for car dealers. Prior to
2008, the six-year-old company sold them on an open exchange. After the
financial markets collapsed and credit lines froze, its good subprime
leads were no longer in demand. The company then switched to selling its
best leads with the best credit scores to dealer groups who signed on
for the service.
"There was no point in buying a lead from
someone with average credit when they can't get a loan," says Pete
Bonner, senior vice president of Detroit Trading Company.
This
eliminated the open market model that depended on volume, rendering
several hundreds of thousands of leads worthless. However, the segment
with high credit scores was gold in an auto market desperate for buyers.
"All leads are not created equal," Bonner says.
The
company has been able to maintain its profitability and its staff of 13
through the recent turbulent waters. It plans to hire 3-4 people within the next year, including a new salesperson and a new programmer.
Source:
Pete Bonner, senior vice president of Detroit Trading Company
Writer:
Jon Zemke
The WorkingHabitat Group pairs workers with home-based assignments
Source: metromode, 6/17/2010
A lot of employment agencies and similar
service-based businesses work to get you a job in a cubicle. The
WorkingHabitat Group wants to keep you out of that cubicle and in your
home, but still at work.
The Auburn Hills-based firm pairs
white-collar workers with jobs they can do from the ease of their homes.
The idea is that Metro Detroit has more new-economy workers than jobs,
so why not pair them with telecommuting assignments from outside the region,
thereby negating the need to move. The firm has 18 companies looking for new independent contractors, and dozens of job candidates.
"Great
things are happening," says Tim Calkins, president and CEO of The WorkingHabitat
Group. "Our agenda is to help Michigan's white collar workers."
It
would also launch them into the ultra-flexible workforce of the 21st
Century where more people work from 1099s than W2s. It basically turns the traditional model of employment (retiring
after 40 years at the same company) on its heads, allowing people to
work as hard or as seldom as they please from the comfort of their home.
The
one-year-old company based in Macomb County started with two employees
and now has five. It hopes to make 5-10 more hires within the next year.
Source:
Tim Calkins, president and CEO of The Working Habitat Group
Writer:
Jon Zemke
Technology Solutions adds positions, expects to grow globally
Source: metromode, 6/17/2010
Technology Solutions may be based in
Livonia, but it's got its sights set well beyond Metro Detroit.
The
telecommunications provider is getting ready to set sales records and
take on customers from around the world. The firm of 10 employees, an
independent contractor, and an intern has hired two people within the
last year and is in the process of hiring three more.
"We're on a pretty torrid pace and I see that
continuing," says Steve Futrell, president of Technology Solutions. "We have taken on
our first global client and I have a meeting scheduled with another
prospective global client."
The company was able to maintain its
profitability in 2009, which Futrell sees as the platform for some "big
growth" over the next year or two.
"This year is where we're
seeing our growth," Futrell says. "We will exceed last year's sales
numbers by June."
Source: Steve
Futrell, president of Technology Solutions
Writer: Jon Zemke
Air Movement Systems turns air purification into green tech
Source: metromode, 6/17/2010
What do air systems and chickens have in
common? A lot of money, Dennis Danville hopes.
His
Southgate-based firm, Air Movement Systems, specializes in creating an
air circulation and purification system. Thanks to a recent microloan
from the First
Step Fund, it is now
installing a prototype at a University of Georgia chicken farm to prove it can create a healthier environment for the
livestock.
"We believe that by purifying the air we can remove
the ammonia problem, which blinds them and causes other problems," says
Danville, the president of Air Movement Systems. "It also
removes other viruses and bacteria from the air."
The founders
see this as a technology that can improve air quality and keep buildings
cooler (or warmer) by improving air circulation. The system could be
used by both residential and commercial customers.
"The low-lying
fruit is the commercial applications," Danville says.
The two-year-old firm, which came from
Detroit's TechTown
small business incubator, has three employees, five
salesmen, and plans to add one or
two more positions later this year. It is aiming for $20-$30 million in
sales within 3-5 years.
Source: Dennis Danville, president of
Air Movement Systems
Writer: Jon Zemke
D.Troit creates biz around investing in other start-ups
Source: metromode, 6/17/2010
The two people behind D.Troit are taking
an old idea and turning it into a method for funding new economy start-ups. Good news for Metro Detroit's entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The downtown
Ferndale-based firm designs and sells unique, Detroit-themed t-shirts.
The revenue generated is then invested in up-and-coming start-ups in
southeast Michigan. Think everything from alternative energy-based
companies to firms that do business only on the Internet.
"I did
it out of my passion that I want to see Detroit change," says Brian
Bandemer, president and founder of D.Troit. "The more I can invest in the city
the more I can help it change."
Bandemer and Michael Savoni
started the company in May as a side project for their day jobs. Savoni
works in public relations while Bandemer, a graduate of Eastern
Michigan University's Center for Entrepreneurship, works for the Michigan Small Business
& Technology Development Center. The pair hope to eventually
develop 5-6 Detroit-themed t-shirt lines and spread into other cities.
They can see business increasing to where the company could grow to 5-10
people within the next year or two.
Source: Brian Bandemer, president and co-founder of D.Troit
Writer: Jon Zemke
Local start-ups cash in on GLEQ and E&Y entrepreneur competitions
Source: metromode, 6/17/2010
Lots of local small businesses are
benefiting from the latest round of awards handed out by the Great
Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest and Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The
Year awards.
The Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest
hosted a business plan competition for start-ups that gave out $250,000
in awards to local companies looking for a leg up. Also included were free business development services from Automation Alley, Ann Arbor SPARK and the Michigan SmartZoneSM Network. The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards recognizes established entrepreneurs who have exemplified themselves and their businesses.
Margery Krevsky, CEO of Bingham Farms-based Productions Plus - The Talent Shop,
was one of the 10 winners of the Ernst & Young award and one of the
four from Metro Detroit. She compares it to the top awards her talent
agency deals with, such as the Tony and Academy awards.
"It's
the best you can get," Krevsky says. "It brings credibility and it
substantiates my team. One person can't do this. It takes a team."
Other local winners of the Ernst & Young award are John Rakolta, CEO of Detroit-based Walbridge; Pete Lazic, president of New Hudson-based Michigan Automatic Turning; and Mindy Fynke, president of Southfield-based Employee Health Insurance.
Southeast
Michigan swept the top spots in the Best of Biotech Awards. Royal
Oak-based Innovative Surgical Solutions received $40,000 for first
place. It is developing a fast, safe, effective surgeon-driven nerve
monitoring system for minimally invasive surgical procedures. Second
place and $25,000 went to Bloomfield Hills-based Angott Medical
Products, which is working on a multi-modality breast cancer test with
higher sensitivity and positive predictive value than clinical breast
exams. Tangent Medical Technologies
of Ann Arbor took third place and $10,000 for its work addressing
health and safety shortcomings of existing peripheral intravenous
fluid/medication delivery systems.
Source: Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest, Ernst & Young and Margery Krevsky, CEO of Productions Plus - The Talent Shop
Writer: Jon Zemke
PixoFactor Entertainment hires 20 in Royal Oak
Source: metromode, 6/10/2010
If you're looking for a poster child for
the job creation benefits of Michigan's film industry incentives, then
look no further than PixoFactor Entertainment.
The
special-effects firm, based in downtown Royal Oak, went from a pair of
founders two years ago to 20 employees and another 15-20 independent
contractors today. All were hired within the last year and that hiring
pace is expected to pick up in 2010-2011.
"We could easily grow to a
combination of 100-200 employees and independent contractors in the
next 12-24 months," says Sean Hurwitz, president of PixoFactor Entertainment. "We're
already looking for bigger space in this area."
PixoFactor
Entertainment develops digital content for both video games and special
effects for the film industry. Think video games for the Nintendo Wii.
Most of its business comes from out-of-state video game and special
effect companies looking to take advantage of Michigan's film incentives
by hiring a local firm.
The catch, and it's a good catch, is
that all of that work is done by local creatives out of PixoFactor
Entertainment's offices. It's also financed by local investors looking
to build on Michigan's emerging film industry.
"Everybody lives
here. They eat here. They sleep here. They went to school here," Hurwitz
says. "We are truly building the Michigan economy."
Source:
Sean Hurwitz, president of PixoFactor Entertainment
Writer:
Jon Zemke
GM creates $100M venture capital subsidiary
Source: metromode, 6/10/2010
Some big institutional wealth is tapping
into Michigan's growing venture capital ecosystem.
General Motors has established a
subsidiary called General Motors Ventures that will identify, develop
and invest in tech start-ups. The $100 million fund will focus on the
automotive and transportation sectors.
The entry of a major
global corporation like GM could serve as a major boost to the local
venture capital scene. Aside from the nine figures worth of investment
capital, downtown Detroit's signature corporate citizen could become a
more active player in acquiring emerging start-ups. That could lead to
more successful serial entrepreneurs and job creation.
GM isn't
the first major automotive industry player to enter the local venture
capital game. Bill Ford Jr., chairman of Ford, helped found Fontinalis
Partners last year. That firm has many of the same aims as GM's
subsidiary.
Jon J. Lauckner, GM's
vice president of Global Product
Planning, will lead General Motors
Ventures. His appointment takes effect in July.
Source: General Motors
Writer: Jon Zemke