In the News

Lansing scholarship program addresses IT talent shortage

Lansing State Journal Wednesday, May 08, 2013

A group of local organizations are working togeter to creat the Capital Area Tech Knowledge E-Pathways scholarship program to meet talent demands from the IT industry.

According to excerpts from the article

The Capital Area IT Council, Capital Area Michigan Works, Lansing Community College and other partners are working to provide an answer to the IT sector’s talent shortage through a $4.4 million U.S. Department of Labor grant.

Read the entire story here.

Okemos company to acquire Ind. firm

Lansing State Journal Wednesday, August 31, 2011

An Okemos software development firm is expanding with the acquisition of an Indiana company.

According to excerpts from the article:

Sircon Corp., which makes software for the insurance industry, is taking over an Indianapolis-based firm.

The Okemos company has an agreement to acquire the assets of Kaplan Compliance Solutions, part of New York-based Kaplan Inc.

Read the entire article here.

Spartan Tech Center to open downtown

The State News Wednesday, June 22, 2011

A new computer repair shop opens on Abbott in Downtown East Lansing.

According to excerpts from the article:

Spartan Tech Center will be filling the vacancy left by Swirlberry and is owned by Adna Technologies, a Lansing-based company that offers information technology services. The store will open for business sometime next week, with a more formal store opening happening in mid- to late July.

Read the entire article here.

Rustwire E-zine Highlights Lansing's Entrepreneurial Incubation Efforts

Rustwire.com Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Entrepreneurial incubators in the Capital region are fueling the economy and creating jobs by enabling business owners to get their ideas off the ground at a lower cost.

According to excerpts from the article.

Incubator is a loose term generally used to describe the capture of new talent, economic programs and business support in a physical structure. The greater Lansing area has four: The TIC, the Hatch, ITEC and the NEO Center. Between the four, approximately 45-60 jobs have been created.

Of the 20 original TIC companies, 13 remain. Some of them closed and some moved back into home office space but two of them � Enliven Software and Gravity Works � outgrew the TIC, moving their businesses to larger spaces within the community.

Read the entire article here.

Local Leader Opens New Micro Community Center Near Lansing's REO Town

City Pulse Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Understanding the importance of community, Detroit native and MSU grad Marcus Brown opened the Village Summit, a micro community center to provide services for youth and unemployed adults in the area.

According to excerpts from the article:

Living on Barnes Avenue near Washington Avenue for close to 15 years, Brown and his wife, Chitra Pulliam, watched foreclosures and unemployment devastate the area. Pooling their savings for retirement, they decided to invest in the neighborhood.

In February 2009, they purchased an early 20th century home at 119 E. Barnes. The idea was to turn the house into a community center.

�If you see a problem, go for it. If you give people the tools to make decisions, give people the opportunity to work, they will take ownership,� Brown, an august former Marine, said. �People here may not have the money to donate, but they have the time and willingness to help out. The neighborhood has been extremely supportive and has exceeded my dreams.�

Read the entire article here.

$150,000 in Grants Help ITEC Learning Center Secure Home Base in Lansing

Lansing State Journal Wednesday, September 01, 2010

The Information Technology Empowerment Center (ITEC), focused on helping area children learn science, engineering, technology and math skills, will soon have a home base in a refurbished Lansing school.

According to excerpts from the article:

After earning more than $150,000 in grants during the past year, in addition to other grant matches and donations, the organization is creating a home base to supplement its traveling programs that have been used in eight locations to reach more than 700 students during the past two years, according to Kirk Riley, executive director for ITEC.

The money will fund the creation of ITEC Pathways, a learning center in the former Holmes Street School that will offer technology instruction for mostly middle school students through activities such as programming robots and video games.

Read the entire article here.

Kiplinger Names Lansing One of Nation's Top Ten Best Cities For Young Adults

Kiplinger Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Lansing is among the 10 best cities for young adults, according to a national financial news magazine. Kiplinger cited Lansing�s low rent and high-paying technology job opportunities in its list of cities, which also included Chicago, Austin and Portland, Ore.

According to excerpts from the article:

We began our search using the criteria we used to select our overall list of Best Cities for the Next Decade: healthy economies fueling new job growth.

We fine-tuned our search using other youth-friendly factors such as large percentages of people under 35, cost of living and rental costs, culture, nightlife, and the time you're likely to spend in traffic.

Home to five medical schools, two law schools and Michigan State University, Michigan�s capital is a little-known hotbed for young professionals. Granted, this Great Lakes community can�t quite compare to the larger cities on our list in terms of job prospects or things to do. But it has a relatively low cost of living. And its youthful population, downtown renewal projects, and emerging technology sector make Lansing a stand-out in mid-sized cities.

Read the entire article and view the slideshow here.

Young Lansing Leaders Adopt Twitter Tools To Tackle Local Challenges

Lansing Noise Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Young leaders in Lansing are on the cutting edge of Twitter innovation, applying the social media tool to a variety of local needs and entrepreneurial opportunities.

According to excerpts from the article:

Capital Area Michigan Works communications officer Kate Tykocki, 29, uses Twitter primarily to post Lansing job leads. It gives her a way to interact with local employers and job seekers in real time.

"It's been invigorating to connect with people and hear these stories and know we are making a difference," Tykocki said.

She said it took her a while to warm up to the idea of using Twitter.

"I was almost a little resistant to start," Tykocki said. "I didn't want to waste a bunch of time. I waited to jump on the bandwagon."

Brett Kopf, 23, didn't hesitate to dive in and start using Twitter�and now it's his job. The MSU graduate recently started Social Bonfire, a social media consulting company.

Read the entire article here.

MSU Technologies and Business-CONNECT Celebrate Downtown E.L. Openings

Media Newswire Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The area surrounding East Lansing�s Technology Incubation Center (TIC) is starting to fill up, and two new tenants have been added to the mix: MSU Technologies and MSU Business-CONNECT.

According to excerpts from the article:

Both MSU Technologies, which promotes the transfer of MSU�s best research ideas into the marketplace, and Business-CONNECT, a new MSU office that helps businesses connect with MSU and its research enterprise in more efficient and productive ways, demonstrate MSU�s commitment to the economic future of Michigan.

�MSU Technologies brings our inventions to the marketplace, so it is only fitting to operate MSU Technologies in the marketplace,� MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said when the move was announced in 2009. �This move will improve service to faculty and allow us to interact with companies and investors in a cutting-edge business environment.�

Simon joined other representatives from MSU and the city of East Lansing to formally open the offices.

Read the entire article here.

IBM Will Double Its East Lansing Workforce With 60 New Tech Hires

MLive Wednesday, March 10, 2010

IBM is increasing its local hiring as it looks to hire 60 employees at its East Lansing location on the Michigan State University (MSU) campus.

According to excerpts from the article:

The openings are for computer application specialists. IBM is seeking candidates with one to seven years of experience in application testing, Web development and other skills, said John Hill, director of MSU's Alumni Career Services.

Hill said he could not provide information about salary for the positions, and he is not sure exactly when the jobs would begin.

MSU and IBM will hold recruiting events 1:30-3:30 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Monday, March 8, at the MSU Varsity "S" Club Room, Career Services Center in Spartan Stadium. The event is open to non-alumni.

Read the entire article here.

Lansing EDC Expands Loan Program to Include More High Tech Companies

Lansing State Journal Wednesday, February 24, 2010

The Lansing Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is broadening the geographic coverage of its business loan program services to include more high tech companies.

According to excerpts from the article:

Historically, the Business Finance Assistance Program targeted specific areas such as Old Town, Michigan Avenue and downtown. It provided loans to several bars and restaurants.

"We've got to think about how we're going to help small businesses�in particular, how to diversify them," said Bob Trezise, the LEDC's president and CEO.

"The downtown has taken off. Maybe the loan and other efforts did their jobs."

Read the entire article here.

Sales Jump 303% for GiftZip.com

WWJ Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Though overwhelming, the holiday season went well for GiftZip.com, an East Lansing-based gift card aggregation site that saw its sales increase 303 percent from November to December 2009.

According to excerpts from the article:

GiftZip.com, the East Lansing-based online eGift card kiosk developer, said Wednesday that its holiday season was marked by growing site traffic and sales. ??Overall, site traffic increased 25percent in December from the previous month and has increased sevenfold since June of 2009. The higher amounts of traffic resulted in unparalleled sales for business, as sales jumped 303 percent over the previous month.

In addition to a prosperous December, GiftZip.com rung in the New Year with continued recognition and support from the Michigan business community. GiftZip.com was awarded The Best First Year Business Website in Lansing in the 2009 Lansing Web Awards.

In an effort to support the Michigan economy and foster relationships with local businesses, GiftZip.com continues to use contractors from Michigan. GiftZip.com switched its site hosting to Lansing-based LiquidWeb and also enlisted the services of Nicholas Creative, a fellow East Lansing Technology Innovation Center business, to design GiftZip.com 3.0. The new site,which hopes to be launched within the next few months, will update the look and feel and offer enhanced search features to increase ease of use for consumers.

Read the entire article here.

MSU Grad's Enliven Software Company Expanding Into International Markets

State News Wednesday, February 03, 2010

East Lansing-based Enliven Software recently moved into a larger space within the East Lansing Technology Innovation Center (TIC) and is now expanding into west African and Australian markets.

According to excerpts from the article:

A map would tell people Nigeria and East Lansing are worlds away. Bunmi Akinyemiju would tell people they share a border.

The international expansion wouldn�t be possible without MSU�s commitment to global initiatives and reputation as a worldly university, he said.

�MSU is one of the top global universities in the country,� said the MSU alumnus, who was born in Michigan when his parents came to MSU from Nigeria to earn their master�s and doctoral degrees. �I think that (MSU has) invested in really making sure the education that students get here is global.�

Read the entire article here.

Innovations and New Developments Mark Bright East Lansing Economy in 2009

Lansing State Journal Wednesday, January 13, 2010

2009 was a good year for the Capital region, which welcomed several important economic investments including the $550 million FRIB facility, the Technology Information Center (TIC) and IBM�s move to East Lansing.

According to excerpts from the article:

While Michigan felt the pain of the highest unemployment in the nation, the bankruptcy of GM and Chrysler, a tanking housing market and a sharp slowdown in commercial sales, East Lansing could point to the following developments:

1.) FRIB, okay, Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. The $550 million Department of Energy-funded nuclear physics research facility will be a science facility dedicated answering complex questions about the structure of matter, about the stars, about basic elements on our plan, event how the planet came into existence.

Its practical benefits, as well: $1 billion economic impact over the first decade, 180 new jobs for scientists, 5,800 one-year construction jobs, 220 spin-off jobs.

Read the entire article here.

Entrepreneur Magazine Sings Praises of Innovative East Lansing/MSU Partnerships

Entrepreneur Magazine Wednesday, December 09, 2009

According to Entrepreneur Magazine, the many innovative partnerships between local businesses, the City of East Lansing and Michigan State University are jumpstarting business and creating a bright spot in a tough economic climate.

According to excerpts from the article:

In economically hard-hit Michigan, there�s at least one thing going right: Michigan State University is pulling no punches in an effort to create and incubate new local business ventures.

The MSU Product Center for Agricultural and Natural Resources is commercializing new food manufacturers. The Lansing Area Economic Partnership is working with MSU-bred startups to find resources to keep them in the community. The Prima Civitas Foundation, partly funded by MSU, is working to bring biotech and alternative energy projects to central Michigan. MSU Technologies is a tech transfer office on steroids and � along with MSU Business Connect, which links businesses with local resources� is the anchor tenant in East Lansing�s new Technology Innovation Center.

�The synergy between these initiatives is helping to improve the culture of innovation in the community,� says Tim Dempsey, director of planning and community development for East Lansing.

This is a community doing everything possible to jumpstart a new entrepreneurial vision for itself, and the university is its key power source.

Read the entire article here.

IT : In the News