September 10, 2010
New mural by students at the Black Child and Family Institute | Dave Trumpie
In the News
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GiftZip.com Makes Entrepreneur Magazine National Top 10 Startup List
Source: Entrepreneur, 7/28/2010
An East Lansing web company has been honored a second time by Entrepreneur magazine.

GiftZip.com has been named one of “10 Hot Startups” by the national magazine.

According to an excerpt from the article:

They are the companies that capture the hearts and minds of their potential customers and, with them, that indispensable thing called market share. They're invariably run by men or women with an eye for sustainability—and expansion.

The list runs the gamut of sectors. Some have venture capital money behind them; most were bootstrapped. Some are service companies. A few are manufacturers. Others are retailers. And while we routinely receive news of hot startups, and it's usually impossible to compare apples to oranges—or in the case of this list, apps to beer—these 10 independents, with their fast-paced success and future potential, are the ones that made even our seasoned staff and contributors say, "Wow!"

Read the entire article and what they had to say about GiftZip.com here.
Michign Hot Dog Experiment Seeks Special Liquor License In East Lansing
Source: Lansing State Journal, 7/28/2010
The Michigan Hot Dog Experiment plans to open on M.A.C. Avenue and is seeking a special liquor license.

According to excerpts from the article:

The license the business wants is offered to establishments that open in areas of a city that are designated for redevelopment.

This is the first time the city has approved one of these licenses for its downtown. Mayor Vic Loomis said this was the perfect test case because the eatery is small, seating only about 50 people.

“It’s kind of a niche operation,” he said, adding that he’d like to see the license used in a similar manner in the future.

Read the article here.
East Lansing Woman Lands Dream Internship with NASCAR in California
Source: Lansing State Journal, 7/28/2010
A 21-year-old Lansing woman is enjoying the internship of her dreams this summer in the Los Angeles office of NASCAR.

Mariel Moorer is one of 23 young men and women selected from hundreds of applicants to participate in the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based company's diversity internship program.

According to excerpts from the article:

This summer marks Moorer's second stint with the company — she spent the summer of 2008 working on research and marketing for NASCAR's entertainment group in Los Angeles.

Moorer went to East Lansing High School and graduated in May from the University of Michigan with a degree in communication studies.

In addition to her gigs at NASCAR, Moorer has interned for WKAR radio in East Lansing and worked in marketing for Michigan State University's athletic department.

Her previous internship involved helping coordinate celebrity appearances at NASCAR events. Now she tracks media coverage on the West Coast.

Read the entire article here.
BWL Announces Plans For $182 Million, 180 Job REO Town Project
Source: Capital Gains, 7/21/2010
The Lansing Board of Water and Light has announced it will build a $182 million natural gas power plant in REO Town.

According to excerpts from the article:

The Lansing Board of Water & Light plans to build a $182 million natural gas-powered electric and steam generation plant in REO Town, moving 180 workers to the district south of Downtown Lansing.

The facility, to be built on South Washington Avenue, would replace the coal-fired Moores Park Steam Plant. It also would generate electric power as the BWL looks to phase out portions of the coal-burning Eckert Power Station nearby.

Residential and business rates would be boosted to help pay for the project.

The public utility will burn 139,000 fewer tons of coal per year once the Moores Park plant is closed.

"The coolest thing from my point of view is that company-wide, this plant will allow us to reduce our carbon for electric output by 20 percent," General Manager J. Peter Lark said. "Everything they're talking about in Washington calls for a 17 percent reduction in carbon by 2020.”

Read the full article here:

Emergent Biosolutions Lands $54.6 Million Contract, Adding 25 Jobs
Source: Capital Gains, 7/21/2010
Emergent BioSolutions, Inc. is expected to add 25 jobs at its Lansing plant after landing a $107 million contract from the federal government to produce the anthrax vaccine.

According to excerpts from the article:

Emergent expects to add about 25 jobs related to the contract through early 2011 and continue hiring after that, said Adam Havey, president of Emergent's Lansing operations.

"This is a huge step forward for us in utilizing our assets here in Lansing," Havey said. "It's a great sign of growth and innovation - not just locally, but as our company grows globally it solidifies us as a manufacturing center of excellence."

Emergent said Wednesday it signed a contact with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services worth $54.6 million during the first two years, with options for three more years.

The company said it expects to see up to $10 million in revenue and $5 million in earnings before taxes in the second half of this year because of the contract.

Read the full article here.

Lansing Deluxe Inn Will Become Public Art Destination Before Demolition
Source: Capital Gains, 7/21/2010
Grafitti artists from as far away as Chicago are expected to be in Lansing at the end of this month to paint the now-shuttered but once notorious Deluxe Inn before it is demolished.

According to excerpts from the article:

By the end of August, the defunct Deluxe Inn at the southern edge of Lansing's  downtown will be rubble.

A demolition contract is close to being signed, according to officials with the Ingham County Land Bank, which bought the property for $400,000 in September.

But before it goes, the dilapidated motel  — once a haven for prostitutes and drug addicts — will experience a brief rebirth as an urban art hot spot and then as a different kind of hot spot for fire department training.

About 30 graffiti artists from the area and as far away as Chicago  and New York have been invited to use a symbol of urban rot as a canvas to showcase urban rebirth.

The artists will be doing their thing at their own expense July 30-31 and on Aug. 1 at the former motel on South Washington Avenue.

"We want to show there is a need for public spaces for public artists," said Joe Manzella, who works for Lansing Economic Area Partnership Inc.

Read the full article here.

Lansing Competes For $190 Million GM Plant Upgrade
Source: Lansing State Journal, 7/14/2010
Lansing hopes to entice General Motors to invest $190 million in a Lansing plant to ramp up for production of a new vehicle.

According to excerpts from the article:

The city of Lansing could end up offering General Motors Co. $9.8 million in tax incentives if the automaker picks a Lansing plant for a new vehicle.

That is the amount of a personal property tax abatement Mayor Virg Bernero wants the Lansing City Council to approve to help persuade GM to invest $190 million to add an unnamed vehicle — and about 600 jobs — to its Lansing Grand River assembly line.

The abatement would be spread out over 25 years — or about $390,000 a year.

GM isn't saying what other sites it's considering for the work.

However, GM has said it plans to bring the work to an existing factory. In addition to Lansing Grand River, GM currently has assembly plants elsewhere in Michigan as well as in Ohio, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Texas and Louisiana.

Read the entire article here.
Local Clothing Label Finds Niche With New Store Space
Source: Lansing State Journal, 7/14/2010
A local clothing label has carved out a niche among other retailers in Meridian Mall. DEFYE clothing recently moved from a kiosk inside the mall to a 1,000-square-foot store.

According to excerpts from the article:

The company, founded by Okemos native Michael Doherty, sells screen-printed graphic T-shirts, sweatshirts, button-down shirts, hats, jeans and other clothing items for men and women. Doherty also makes some children’s apparel.

Doherty designs the artwork for the screen-printed items for DEFYE, named after the phrase "define your own existence."

"It's really exciting," he said of his company's growth. "A lot of it has to do with this connection with college students and a lot of people kind of going through this same struggle of finding their own way in life, and a lot of them can relate to the whole message behind the label."

Read the article here.
Capital Region Concerts Work to Build On Area's Quality of Life
Source: Lansing State Journal, 7/14/2010
As Lansing kicks off its Common Ground Music Festival, the region takes stock of the myriad benefits of its growing concert and festival lineup.

According to excerpts from the article:

From city-sponsored events to events sponsored by arts councils and businesses, organizers say the main goal is to increase the quality of life in the community.

Businesses near free-concert venues also find themselves often benefiting, creating a mix that seems to make free concerts pay off for everyone involved.

The East Lansing Summer Concert Series helps draw people to the downtown business area. But it's also a way for the city to express how much it values community events, arts and culture, and bringing the community together, said Ami Van Antwerp, East Lansing's communications coordinator.

"One of the things people really value about living here is all of the festivals and events you can attend," she said.

Read the article here.