capitalgains - Innovation & Job News

MSU Partners With National Social Media Company, Creates 24 High-Tech Jobs

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

On Mar. 1, Michigan State University announced a new partnership with INgage Networks, a world-leading social media company working with organizations, governments, corporations and non-profits to help them utilize social media to enhance their business.

The partnership will allow INgage to establish a base in Michigan and work with in-state businesses that can expand and become successful through use of social media. It will also allow for growth in social media research at MSU, while giving students the opportunity for real-world experiences.

“The partnership with INgage Networks will significantly enhance the great work we already do every day in the social media arena,” says Pamela Whitten, dean of the MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences. “From research to consulting to teaching, we have a partner committed to working with MSU to cross new frontiers in the online world that are critical to economic and social development.”

The INgage research and development office will be situated in the Communication Arts and Sciences building, with initial plans for creating 24 high-tech jobs. Several shared projects are already in progress to leverage online collaborations throughout the state to create jobs, retain workers and assist Michigan with ‘green’ initiatives.

Source: MSU University Relations

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Lansing-Based Pet Sitting Company Sees 20 Percent Client Growth, Adds Jobs

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In June 2009, Sarah Haubert started Lansing Companion Animal Services (LCAS), a business offering customizable and affordable professional in-home pet care to pet owners in the region. in 2010 alone, the LCAS client-base has grown 20 percent.

LCAS accommodates and assists with all types of animals—from dogs to chickens to snakes—which Haubert sees as a great convenience for owners of multiple pets, and likely contributes to her business success.

"There is so much added value in choosing a professional service over an individual pet sitter—from training and certification to emergency plans and back-up," says Voss. Also, "everyone agrees that animals are more comfortable in their own home . . . and keeping the animals in their home where they're comfortable and secure minimizes their stress the best way [possible]."

To accommodate the increase in business, Haubert has added a pet sitter position already and expects to add several new pet sitting positions by the summer. "One or two positions might not seem like a lot, but for a relatively new pet sitting service, that kind of growth in the beginning is huge," adds Haubert.

Source: Sarah Haubert, Lansing Companion Animal Services

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

LCC Student Pioneers Full-Service Recycling For Businesses in Lansing Region

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

When Angela Voss started working in an office environment, she was surprised to see the amount of recyclable material being tossed away. Even though they had tried to recycle in the past, no one could keep it going, so Voss took on the added responsibility. Her recycling methods are still in use three years later.

"The more I thought about it, the more I realized that there are probably so many other businesses out there that tried and failed to keep a recycling program going, because of the effort and time it consumes," says Voss. That's why she decided to start Mission Green.

Mission Green offers full-service recycling for small to mid-sized businesses, offices and restaurants. Voss currently has eight customers in Lansing, East Lansing, Okemos and Mason.

"My main goal . . . is to get businesses to recycle and to make them realize how important their impact is on our environment and our economy," says Voss. "The possibilities are endless with Mission Green—we have hundreds of thousands of businesses in our region, and if we could get even half of them to start recycling, I think the results would be astounding."

Source: Angela Voss, Mission Green

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Cooley Law School Invests $1.485 Million for Naming Rights to Lansing Ball Park

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Thomas M. Cooley Law School has invested $1.485 million into the City of Lansing and its minor league baseball team, the Lansing Lugnuts. On Feb. 22, president and dean of the Cooley Law School Don LeDuc and Lansing mayor Virg Bernero announced that the Downtown Lansing baseball stadium will officially be named the Cooley Law School Stadium.

“Lansing is where Cooley started and remains its home campus. Cooley and Lansing have a 38-year history of growth together,” says Don LeDuc. “Further associating Cooley, the Lugnuts, and the City of Lansing is to our mutual benefit, as well as of great benefit to our students.”

The Lansing Lugnuts and Cooley Law School signed an 11-year sponsorship agreement, which mirrors the stadium lease between the team and the City of Lansing. The new stadium name agreement allows the baseball club and the city to evenly split the sponsorship support.

“The portion going to the Lugnuts will help them provide one of the best sports and entertainment values in the country through low ticket prices,” LeDuc adds. “The City will benefit from added revenue in a tight financial time for government.”

Source: Don LeDuc, Cooley Law

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Lansing-Headquartered Dewpoint, Inc. Acquires Indiana Technology Company

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Dewpoint, Inc., a leading enterprise technology solution provider headquartered in Lansing, has acquired the Indianapolis-based Moongate Technologies.

Dewpoint will benefit from Moongate’s leadership regarding Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), and their focus on Roadmap and Architecture, SOA governance, service development, hosting and implementation services.

The acquisition "enables organic growth for our SOA practice due to Dewpoint's presence throughout the Midwest," says Moongate president Julie Kennedy.

Strong competencies with partners such as Symantec, Microsoft, NetApp, Hitachi Data Systems, Akorri, Oracle, Sun Microsystems and others allow Dewpoint to bring best solution providers to business, education and government organizations. The combined strength of the two leading solution providers will result in one of the largest reseller presences in Indiana, with a deep local resource pool to support customers throughout the state.

“We’re extremely excited to bring Moongate on board with Dewpoint,” says Dewpoint president and CEO Andy Kotarba. “The companies both have a long history in [the Midwest], with complementary talents and technology offerings. Together our experienced team can deliver even more diverse strategic IT solutions to our local community as well as across the Midwest.”

Source: Katie Donovan, Donovan and Smith

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Old Town Marketing Firm Acquires Addis Enterprises, Doubles in Size

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Rizzi Designs, a marketing firm in Old Town, has acquired Addis Enterprises, an award-winning web design and video production company. Thanks to the merger, the number of Rizzi Designs' clients has doubled while they've also added new services to its list of in-house offerings.

"Part of becoming successful so quickly is that I had more clients than I could handle alone," explains John Addis of Addis Enterprises. "I began looking to partner with another small business, and when Rochelle gave me the tour of Rizzi's new location, we both realized how mutually beneficial a full merger would be.”

Rizzi purchased Old Town Manor—the newly renovated former School for the Blind—in November last year, moving from 300 square feet to 6,000.

“We never would have imagined that we would assume responsibility for 11 team members, additional infrastructure and over 90 new clients in only three months,” says Rochelle Rizzi, president and CEO of Rizzi Design.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be able to offer award-winning web design in-house and be able to offer personal attention and added strategic marketing services to the incoming clients from Addis Enterprises."

Source: Rochelle Rizzi, Rizzi Designs

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

MSU One of Five Universities Receiving $25 Million For New NSF Science Center

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Michigan State University is one of five universities nationwide to be awarded a $25 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a center, bringing together scientists from across the nation to study evolution in action in both natural and virtual settings.

The center, officially titled “BEACON, an NSF Science and Technology Center for the Study of Evolution in Action,” will serve as a resource for multidisciplinary academics and industry. It will unite biologists who study natural evolutionary processes with computer scientists and engineers who are harnessing these processes to solve real-world problems, ranging from the development of safer, more efficient cars to systems that detect computer intrusions.

"It is a great honor to be selected as one of five to be funded, out of hundreds of universities submitting pre-proposals," says Erik Goodman, MSU professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the center.

"MSU's biologists, computer scientists and engineers have a long history of strong collaboration in study of evolution—in nature and in the computer—and of applying evolutionary principles to solve problems for industry. It is the strength of these researchers at MSU that made [the university] a strong candidate for a new NSF Science and Technology Center."

Source: Erik Goodman, Michigan State University

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Small Business Incubator Forms in Lansing to Foster Creativity and Entrepreneurship

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A small business incubator, The Center for New Enterprise Opportunity (NEO), has formed in Lansing in response to a growing need in the region for a space that supports and enables the growth of a small business ecology.

"We're not just another office park," says Tom Stewart, President of NEO Center. "We're creating an environment that puts local innovators face to face with each other, encourages them to cultivate dynamic relationships, [while providing] services that help them bring their ideas to life."

The mission of NEO Center is to foster creativity and entrepreneurship by offering an environment that develops relationships while providing support services for growing ventures to expand into the Lansing community. The center hopes to attract entrepreneurs and small businesses with a focus on marketing and media technology or the creative arts.

"Ultimately, we think NEO Center will help draw the "underground" innovators out of their garages and basements and into a space that gets them interacting, bouncing ideas off each other, and creating solutions to the systemic problems that face our city and state," adds Stewart.

NEO Center is currently looking for entrepreneurs and small businesses to fill their future centers, and is exploring spaces for their coming sites.

Source: Tom Stewart, NEO Center

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Geeks for Good Helps Connect Non-Profits With Technology and Media Expertise

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Geeks for Good is a unique Lansing-founded non-profit organization, created to assist other nonprofits with their technology, design and social media initiatives. Their mission is to help improve an organization's capacity by bolstering their social media marketing and design efforts.

Geeks for Good takes volunteers with marketing, design and social media experience and partners them with non-profits needing assistance in those areas of their organization. These volunteers then assist in a wide variety of projects, ranging from creating a newsletter template to offering advice on web design.

“Think of how much time your average college student spends on Facebook,” say Robyn Stegman, founder of Geeks for Good. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could get them to use that time to help update a non-profit’s Facebook page or set up a Twitter account?”

Essentially, Geeks for Good provides non-profits with a service, but it also offers resume-building experience for young people, and a chance for experienced professionals to use their skills for the greater good.

“Service helps us rediscover our community,” says Stegman, “The people who will rebuild Michigan are out there. We just have to find them, one geek at a time.”

Source: Robyn Stegman, Geeks for Good

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

MSU Researcher Receives $2 Million to Tackle Parasitic Tropical Diseases

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Michigan State University (MSU) researcher Charles Mackenzie, received $2 million toward his efforts to reformulate an existing drug — flubendazole — that could stop the debilitating tropical diseases elephantiasis and river blindness in its tracks.

Mackenzie, a professor of veterinary pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, has been studying filarial diseases for more than 30 years and has done extensive work in Tanzania and Ecuador and focuses on flubendazole. He is currently in Sudan.

The drug was used in the 1980s with good results against filarial worms when it was injected in animals and humans. However, the injections caused severe abscesses and lost effectiveness outside of the digestive system. Because the medicine targets the adult parasitic worms so efficiently, Mackenzie is confident that developing a safe way to deliver it would have a huge impact.

"The technology we have today is leaps and bounds ahead of what we were using in the 1980s," says Mackenzie. "If we can reformulate the drug and easily administer it, we can make meeting the World Health Organization's goal of eradicating filarial diseases a reality."

Source: Michigan State University

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

MSU Researchers Study use of Social Network Sites in Educational Settings

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Researchers in Michigan State University's (MSU) Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media (TISM) are studying how social network sites (SNS) such as Facebook are used to connect and collaborate with others, and may actually produce social benefits for users including college students.

As part of this emphasis on collaboration through SNS, the research team is now exploring a less-studied aspect of Facebook – implications of use within educational settings, especially in relation to students’ use of the site to engage in collaborative activities such as study groups.

“In a recent survey, we explored the extent to which undergraduate students at MSU use Facebook to engage in classroom-related organizing,” says Nicole Ellison, assistant TISM professor and lead researcher on the project. “Over half said they were likely or very likely to use Facebook to arrange a face-to-face study group or to help manage a group project.”

Ellison explains that Facebook is preferred by the students to as they can determine common ground with their peers through access to their profile.

“Identity information found in profiles, such as high school, musical preferences and the 'friends' list, can help individuals develop common ground with their peers by highlighting commonalities such as shared hobbies or mutual friends.

“The use of Facebook to support learning inside and outside the classroom may be an untapped resource for instructors and students,” she says.

Source: Michigan State University

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Lansing-Based Fund Development Agency Provides One Full-Service Pro Bono Project Annually

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Sweaty Mouse is a Lansing-based fund development agency provides nonprofits and small businesses from around the country with a variety of services ranging from grant research and writing, to volunteer team building.

Sweaty Mouse’s work is mostly committed to assisting with green solutions and sustainable business methods and has implemented these efforts for many businesses and organizations in the greater Lansing region.

"It [the business model] is based on a concept of providing 50 percent of all my work and services pro bono, and each year selecting one big project to support 100 percent free of charge," says Erin Slayter, founder of Sweaty Mouse.

Last year, Sweaty Mouse’s big project was designing and implementing a Green Team for the Lansing JazzFest and Old Town's BluesFest.

“I believe [Sweaty Mouse has] shown that even nonprofits and small businesses with limited financial resources can be responsible stewards of the environment,” says Slayter. “We have helped create and implement waste diversion and recycling programs into community events that had never considered it previously because of the common misconception that greening is always more expensive.”

Source: Erin Slayter, The Sweaty Mouse

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

TechSmith Donates $2 Million in Software to Michigan Schools

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Okemos-based TechSmith Corp. is donating $2 million worth of software to Michigan schools. The company is the world’s leading provider of screen capture and recording software.

“We believe that education is going to be the key to economic recovery in Michigan,” says Dave McCollum, education evangelist at TechSmith. “Our software gives both teachers and students the opportunity to integrate technology into the existing curriculum, as well as extending the learning experience outside of the classroom.”

The TechSmith Michigan K-12 Software Grant Program includes licenses to the company’s most popular products and is open to all Michigan K-12 educational institutions and educators. Interested schools and teachers are asked to provide a plan for how they might implement the use of the products to improve or enhance their existing curriculum. TechSmith's products are already widely adopted by the K-12 and higher education communities.

“A great benefit of this donation program for TechSmith comes from the innovation that we’ll see as a result of getting our software in the hands of these great teachers and students all around Michigan,” adds McCollum.

Source: Dave McCollum, TechSmith

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Old Town Design and Marketing Firm Giving Away Up to $15,000 in Services

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Old Town-based Tria Design and Marketing are promoting a new part of their firm, DesignJuice for Entrepreneurs, by giving away an entire campaign for free. DesignJuice offers affordable packages that combine high-end design, marketing communications and web development, tailored for entrepreneurs of all stages.

“There’s a big push in Michigan to jump start our economy by supporting entrepreneurs . . . and we wanted to do our part,” says Ann Siegle, design and marketing partner at Tria. “We view DesignJuice as a potential game-changing option for entrepreneurs. Most are so focused on getting their business up and running, that marketing—and in particular the development of quality marketing materials—takes a backseat.”

The entrepreneur who wins can select one or all of the DesignJuice options, with a value ranging from $10,000 - $15,000 depending upon what they opt for.

“Then, at the end of the campaign's development, we'll follow up by promoting the winner of the contest,” says Siegle. "And we'll keep in touch to see how they're doing well after launch."

Entrepreneurs can submit an application for the contest until Mar. 1.

Source: Ann Siegle, Tria Design and Marketing

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

Newly Opened State of Fitness Gym in East Lansing Creates 11 Local Jobs

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

State of Fitness, a newly opened gym in East Lansing, is creating 11 new jobs in the city, including six certified personal trainers, three massage therapists, an operations director and a member services director. Co-owners and long-time Lansing residents Justin Grinnell and Rebecca Klinger are combining their years of experience with cutting-edge fitness equipment to provide the region with a new workout facility.

Grinnell specializes in training athletes from youth to professional level and has helped several of his young athletes proceed to college and professional level play. As a certified athletic trainer and personal trainer, Klinger uses her education and experience to take a comprehensive approach to individual fitness, based on age and fitness level, creating an individualized program that integrates fitness, nutrition and massage therapy.

“We founded our gym with the guiding principle of empowering us as trainers to better help our clients and members achieve their best state of fitness,” says Grinnell. “We offer only the best — in our trainers and our equipment — to help you reach your goals and have a positive workout experience.”

State of Fitness offers cutting edge workout equipment and locker rooms with full amenities. The gym offers both personal and group training sessions, including strength conditioning, zumba and yoga.

Source: Emily Wenstrom, M3 Group

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

Bailey Neighborhood in East Lansing Lands $115,000 Grant for LED Street Lights

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Bailey Neighborhood in the City of East Lansing has been awarded a $115,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) from the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth, to be used for installation of Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs in their street lights.

The competitively awarded grant, which will include a 10 percent local match, makes it possible for the city to replace all of the old incandescent street bulbs in the Bailey Neighborhood. By replacing these bulbs with LEDs, East Lansing will lower its annual maintenance costs, reduce daily energy costs and cut back on long-term replacement costs over the life of the bulb.

“In addition to the positive environmental impact of LED lights, this installation will create a tremendous cost savings for the city on both a short and long term basis,” says Theodore Staton, city manager of East Lansing. “Street lighting is the second largest user of electricity in the city, so the environmental and economic impacts alone are huge.”

This is one of the first residential LED demonstration projects to be taken on by a Michigan community on a broader scale.

Source: City of East Lansing

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

IgniteLansing 3.0 To Be Held at Former Knapp’s Building in Downtown Lansing

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

On Friday, Mar. 5, the first IgniteLansing of 2010 will take place at the Knapp’s Department Store Building in Downtown Lansing. The event, in which speakers capture an array of Lansing culture in a series of speed presentations, has attracted more than 400 people. Past topics have ranged from ‘How to Survive Planning a Wedding’, to ‘Ways to Make Lansing Global Again.’

Lansing is one of many cities including Paris, Seattle and Chicago to host Ignite events, and was the first city in Michigan to hold one.

“One of the most remarkable things about IgniteLansing is that we are creating these events with a little help from partners, small donations and sponsorships and social media,” says Jennifer Middlin, managing partner at Nuva Marketing. “We are maxing out building capacity [and] having meaningful discussions, all while maintaining meaningful networking.”

During Ignite, 15 selected presenters get 20 slides and five minutes to make their point with a topic they chose and the public voted for. “There is an undercurrent of brilliant, creative people that want to speak at these events and, more importantly, want to listen,” Middlin continues. “We are thrilled to be having our third IgniteLansing in less than one year.”

Source: Jennifer Middlin, IgniteLansing

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Walt Sorg Debuts Locally Focused TalkLansing Internet Radio Station

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

TalkLansing, an Internet-only radio station is scheduled to debut Feb. 15, offering listeners access from anywhere in the world.

“The number of people who rely on the Internet for audio entertainment (music and talk) is growing exponentially,” says Walt Sorg, one of the owners of TalkLansing, with Chris Holman and Jim Fordyce. “We don't have the limitations of AM radio [and] can provide our listeners with high-quality audio wherever they are in the community through their smartphones or their computers.”

Sorg and Fordyce approached Holman from the Greater Lansing Business Monthly with a plan for an Internet radio station. Holman and Sorg were affiliated through WILS, with Sorg only recently leaving his post to focus on TalkLansing.

TalkLansing will air 12 hours of talk radio twice each weekday “We will offer a forum for community leaders, community organizations, local workers and locally owned businesses. . . . provid[ing] our listeners with information they can use in their daily lives.”

Source: Walt Sorg, TalkLansing

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Lansing JazzFest Lands $10,000 National Endowment for the Arts Grant

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The 2010 Lansing JazzFest has been awarded a $10,000 grant by the National Endowment for the Arts' "Challenge America: Reaching Every Community" program. The program supports projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations — those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics or disability.

NEA grants are awarded to professional arts programs that emphasize the potential impact of the arts in community development. A first-time NEA award recipient, the Lansing JazzFest is among only four grant winners in the state of Michigan.

"Through the recognition and support of this NEA grant, the 2010 Lansing Jazzfest will have additional resources to offer a wider variety of educational programming for all members of the community to participate in," says Sharen Lange, Executive Director of the Old Town Business & Art Development Association (OTBADA) and Coordinator of JazzFest.

Lansing JazzFest began in 1995 when OTBADA chose to develop high-quality free music festivals as a tool to positively contribute to community development. Both the Lansing JazzFest and sister festival, Old Town BluesFest, have a long-standing tradition of excellence in musical programming.

"The NEA grant is a significant indicator of not only our current success, but also our commitment to meet the growing need to produce accessible arts programming for our community," adds Lange.

Source: Sharen Lange, Old Town Business & Art Development Association

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Winners Chosen in Netvantage Marketing's 2009 Lansing Web Awards Competition

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Lansing Web Awards (LWA) contest, sponsored by Netvantage Marketing, was launched in December 2009 as a way to draw attention to Lansing Area websites and businesses. On Jan. 4, five contestants received awards in the categories of: first year business; non-profit; small business; corporate and student run websites.

The winners, decided by the voting public, were GiftZip.com, the Ronald McDonald House of Mid-Michigan, Life in Lansing, Liquid Web and Shock Media.

"It was great to see how people latched onto this, especially since it’s the first year,” says Adam Henige, managing partner of sponsor Netvantage Marketing, a search engine marketing firm located in East Lansing. “Hopefully we can build off of this momentum and make this event bigger and better year in and year out.”

Local talent was also responsible for the development of all the winning sites. The Shock Media, GiftZip and Liquid Web sites were designed and are currently maintained by internal staff. The Ronald McDonald House and Life in Lansing sites were developed by local companies Traction and MC Squared Technology Group, respectively.

“It’s exciting to see the type of response these companies and organizations were able to receive,” adds Netvantage Marketing's Joe Ford. “It’s also nice to know that some of the winning sites are also showcasing the work of other exceptional Lansing businesses.”

Source: Netvantage Marketing

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Boost Competition Gives Entrepreneurs the Opportunity to Pitch Ideas to Investors

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Boost Mid-Michigan is a pre-pitch competition that gives early-stage entrepreneurs an informal opportunity to talk about their businesses in front of a friendly audience of consultants, coaches and entrepreneurial support professionals. The goal: to identify area entrepreneurs and match them with the services they need to put their best foot forward when meeting and presenting to investors.

The competition was developed by the Jumpstart team, part of the Prima Civitas Foundation's Moving Ideas to Market (MI2M) initiative, to prepare Mid-Michigan entrepreneurs to pitch their business opportunities to investors at Blue Water Angels' Pitch Nights occurring throughout the year.

The two top-ranked ventures are rewarded with impromptu advisory board meetings and dinner with the panelists. At the Boost Mid-Michigan event on Jan. 14, Sam Hogg of GiftZip.com took home first place, and Jimmy Tomczak of Creative Opportunity Gear and Robert Fulk and Susanna Tellschow of Inventure Enterprises tied for second place. All the winners were from the greater Lansing area.

“It's these types of connections and networks that help guide businesses through the start-up process to create robust, sustainable businesses for the Greater Lansing region and around the state,” says Holly Hetzner, special projects administrator and legal affairs specialist for Prima Civitas, which invested in Jumpstart.

Source: Holly Hetzner, Prima Civitas

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Liquid Web's New Cloud Hosting Platform Creates Nearly $2 Million in Jobs

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Lansing-based Web hosting company, Liquid Web, Inc., launched Storm On Demand, a flexible cloud-hosting platform for businesses that have or need a computer server. Storm On Demand was launched January 11, after nearly two years of product development by Liquid Web engineers and private beta testing by Liquid Web clients.

"This is the first full-time software development team that is focused on developing proprietary Liquid Web software products to consumers," says Liquid Web director of marketing, Travis Stoliker. The company invested nearly $2 million in jobs alone for the development and testing of Storm On Demand, and $1.2 Million on its technology.

"Cloud hosting and cloud computing are technology advances that make it easier and less expensive for clients to deploy, migrate, backup, and scale their server in near real time with the click of a mouse,” adds Stoliker. "This will be a significant advance for Liquid Web, our clients and for the State of Michigan, which is working hard to move its economy from smokestacks and assembly lines to advanced computing technologies and fiber lines."

Source: Travis Stoliker, Liquid Web

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

Web Ascender Launches New Division Focused on Product Development

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Web Ascender, a company focused on delivering web design, programming and internet marketing services has launched a new division of the company called DNNspot, with an exclusive focus on product development.

"The DNNspot division builds products for a very popular content management system called DotNetNuke," says Web Ascender's President, Ryan Doom. "Millions of companies have downloaded the system and there are lots of websites built using the DotNetNuke platform as the core to manage their content."

The DNNspot division has also enabled Web Ascender to sell packaged products to companies around the world, including South Africa, Australia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the Bahamas.

Essentially DNNspot offers easily installable add-on modules for a website framework, allowing a company to download DotNetNuke and then purchase one of the DNNspot modules to add features like an e-commerce store, chatroom module, photo slide show or a way to make tabs in content.

"Web Ascender is more about understanding a company's issue and finding what best way to solve it," adds Doom. "DNNSpot already has the solutions for some problems, but DNNspot clients already know the problem and are searching for the exact solution. "

Source: Ryan Doom, Web Ascender

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Cravings Gourmet Popcorn Invests in Social Media, Sees Growth of 25 Percent

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Lansing-based Cravings Gourmet Popcorn opened for business during the fall of 2007 at the Lansing City Market. The innovative company invested in social media to help bolster the business and create a buzz around their brand. They also became involved with several local networking initiatives, like co-sponsoring a Grand River Connection event with Biggby Coffee and giving away lots of caramel popcorn.

"Our sales growth from 2008 to 2009 was nearly 25%," says owner, Chad Jordan. "Much of our growth can be attributed to social networking and good old fashioned face-to-face networking."

Cravings also enlisted the assistance of the MSU Public Relations Student Society of America, putting together a focus group to develop new ideas and initiatives for 2010. From that focus group, Cravings debuted Sweet Chili Cheddar popcorn as a test flavor and also came up with the idea of MSU campus popcorn delivery.

"Social media [and local networking] has opened doors and put us in front of business leaders and a creative community," Jordan says. "We are a Lansing business, I was born in Lansing and I really want to be a Lansing attraction-icon someday. "

Although Cravings has moved into the New Lansing City Market location, Jordan has bigger goals. "My goal is to be in a storefront within two years and possibly keep the city market location."

Source: Chad Jordan, Cravings Gourmet Popcorn

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

Next Bright Idea Competition Connects Students to Lansing Area Opportunities

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The partners and members of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) in partnership with MSU students created the The Next Bright Idea Competition in December of last year. The goal of the "idea" competition is to foster smart and innovative thinking by rewarding the winner with $5,000 and many other resources. The competition hopes to encourage students to stop sitting on their ideas and to start acting on them.

The deadline to enter the competition has been extended to January 24 and is open to any student currently enrolled in any Ingham, Eaton or Clinton County higher education institution. The community is encouraged to visit the website and vote for their favorite ideas. The top 10 ideas voted on will earn a place in the final competition held on February 18.

"I think the competition can play a huge role in positively impacting the Lansing area," says Kelly Steffen, one of the student organizers of the competition. "First, on an individual level, I think those submitting their ideas will realize that Lansing has many of the resources that they need to start their own business or to act on their idea. Showing those bright and talented students that they have the option to stay in Lansing is huge."

Source: Kelly Steffen, Next Bright Idea

Writer: Suban Nur Cooley

MSU Participating in $16.7 Million W.K. Kellogg Foundation Teaching Fellowship

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Michigan State University (MSU) is one of six universities participating in the Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowship, a new fellowship in Michigan created last fall with a $16.7 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The WKKF-WW Michigan teaching fellows receive a $30,000 stipend to pursue a master’s degree in teaching, agreeing to spend three years teaching in high-need schools.

The fellowship is designed to provide more services for underserved areas as well as produce more educators in the area of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“MSU is committed to helping address critical shortages in the work force as Michigan faces the demands of today’s global economy,” says MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. “Our College of Education has already made the enhancement of effective math and science teachers a top priority. The Woodrow Wilson fellowship will allow the teacher education program to build on its strengths and produce more teachers able to provide high-quality STEM instruction in our state’s urban schools.”

The fellowship will prepare 240 teachers over two years, beginning in 2011. The University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University,Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University and Wayne State University are also participating in the fellowship.

Source: MSU

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

Airport Pods Help Boost Architectural Solutions’ Revenue by 25 Percent

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Perhaps most recognized for its unique airport pods, Lansing-based Architectural Solutions tracked an estimated 25 percent increase in revenue during 2009.

“Airport architecture is a specialized niche and we’re very good at it,” says Architectural Solutions President Brad Williams.

Several years ago, the company started expanding into markets outside of Michigan, eventually grabbing contracts for airport retail space build-outs.

At the end of 2009, the company landed a contract to oversee $1.5 to $2 million in construction and installation of the first airport pods in the United States.

Referred to as Unique Retreats, the pods provide privacy, entertainment and relaxation for weary travelers. Fourteen of the units will be constructed in Michigan and shipped to the San Francisco airport by spring 2010.

Though the company is landing national contracts, Williams says he has no plans to add out-of-state offices.

“The way the business has developed we don’t really need to have offices in other states because we do everything electronically,” he says. “The Mid-Michigan workforce is hardworking.”

Source: Brad Williams, Architectural Solutions

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

Lansing-Based DEFYE Growing Strong, Adding More National Markets

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

December was a busy month for DEFYE's Michael Doherty, who is rapidly adding retailers to the growing list of companies interested in carrying his clothing line, "DEFine Your own Existence.” His company, which has been in existence for two years, has also seen business more than quadruple.

“We’ve been doing outstanding and I know a lot of people are surprised,” says Doherty. “They ask me how I’m doing so well in these times especially, and it’s really exciting.”

Doherty designs and sells both men’s and women’s shirts, hoodies, jeans, accessories and other items. Doherty started his company in L.A., but brought it back to his hometown, creating a presence in the Meridian mall and the Refinery in downtown East Lansing. He also has locations in Grand Rapids, Detroit and Chicago.

“We definitely want to keep a location here along with probably opening in other major cities throughout the U.S.,” he says.

In February, Doherty will bring his designs to Las Vegas and display them at one of the biggest international clothing trade shows in the world.

“When I do that, the sky’s the limit,” he says. “We’ve grown probably at least 10 times in the last two years.”

Source: Michael Doherty, DEFYE

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

MSU's $1 Million Gates Foundation Grant Targets Sustainable Ag in Africa

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Michigan State University (MSU) researchers are using a $1 million Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant to improve sustainable agricultural practices in Africa.

The AgShare Open Education Resources project is an 18-month pilot designed to give African educators free access to educational tools researchers hope will improve agricultural practices.

The funding allows for the creation of a virtual educational environment and curriculum for Master of Science degrees in agriculture, with areas of emphasis in livestock, crops and agribusiness.

AgShare will allow users to form learning networks that will share content such as modules, textbook material and videos via the web. In remote areas where Internet is less accessible, information will be distributed through DVDs and printed material.

“The project comes at an important time for African institutions, which are looking for effective ways to address the development of their educational agriculture programming with limited financial resources,” says Christine Geith, assistant provost and executive director of MSUglobal Learning Ventures, an entrepreneurial business unit.

MSU faculty will work with OER Africa, a new project headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and other international experts to develop best practices for sharing information through open education resources.

Source: MSU

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

Same Company, New Positioning: Vision Creative Gains Traction

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

After 15 years of developing the Vision Creative brand and more than a year revisiting Vision Creative’s identity, Camron Gnass has renamed the company Traction.

“We are repositioning what we are in the marketplace, and we really want to make sure that we are projecting the culture of what it is that we do,” says Gnass.

Gnass says several people were confusing Vision Creative with retail graphic design companies or web developers.

“They thought we did we did one or the other,” Gnass says. In fact, Traction supplies a combination of these services and works in several different mediums including naming and identify design, social media and outdoor strategies.

“We provide unique branding solutions by creating identities, advertising and marketing campaigns through print or interactive design,” he says.

Gnass says Traction is designed to “make people act” and was created to continue the growth established by Vision Creative, meeting growing local, regional and specifically, national demands.

“By adding incredible staff and positioning ourselves, we’re getting some attention regionally and nationally,” he says.

Source: Camron Gnass, Traction

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.