Yesterday morning, leaders met in Ypsilanti to list local challenges and solutions. Yesterday afternoon, one brave leader, Jim Hettinger of Battle Creek Unlimited, addressed the BC-Connected technology networking group on a similar topic, but a very different approach. Jim introduced his comments by quoting All Along the Watchtower: “No reason to get excited,” the thief, [...]

An SRO crowd at this evening’s Knights of the Marketing Roundtable program heard PR luminary Sam Fine and his panel dissect buzz-marketing strategies for small product, service and nonprofit organizations.  The Q&A went wide, participants peppering the panel with issues from TV and Web 2.0 to sucking up to journalists and bloggers. Top story was [...]

Our economist-in-chief has a new (old) bogeyman on which to hang the economic ills of the country/world.  “It’s all congress’ fault.  I didn’t do it.  Really.” Canada can only roll its eyes, and slowly shake its head at the inanity of the developing nation, “our neighbors to the south.” They’re now considering a border fence [...]

M-LIGHT, the Photonics Industry Cluster of Michigan quietly put up a placeholder web page – a sort of pre-alpha way of saying, “we’re here.”  Watch this space: M-LIGHT is organizing a hundred companies, as well as universities and economic development agencies around Michigan’s not-insignificant Photonics Industry. What the heck is that? Photonics is lasers (welding, [...]

Problem: Everyone agrees that a business incubator is an economic development asset – until it comes time to pay for it. Solution: An incubator grows businesses, but at its heart, an incubator is a business. So create a business plan! Research entrepreneurial requirements, study other incubators and how they serve their constituencies, build a sustainable [...]

A recent NPD Group study dispels several myths: Nobody’s buying anything Software moved offshore Games are bupkes This boom comes home to Michigan when you consider the groundswell of local game development and shameless consumption demonstrated at the recent Penguicon fest, which was generously underwritten by Google.  The good folks at Stardock are growing leaps [...]

NYTimes’ columnist Phyllis Korkki is an enlightened career coach, i.e. she doesn’t just offer the blue pill. In her latest article, PK offers tips for the current economic context, particularly: Chill Network, Network, Network Consider contracting Chill Employment remains a key economic indicator, but at some point, economists will have to reconcile the mass exodus [...]

Problem: Business Incubators have traditionally focused on centralized facilities, to concentrate resources and focus services within four walls. But the entrepreneurial community is changing to a virtual model, which makes the old physical incubator look, well, “old.” Solution: A Virtual Business Incubator, that allows free access to resources and services, 24x7x365,over the web. Netwok consulting [...]

Met today with the entrepreneurs behind Project Freestyle – the online community for adult pick-up soccer. This is my favorite kind of Web 2.0 business – narrow, deep and viral. The SPARK Business Accelerator hooked them up with a consultant who gets soccer culture. He’ll work with the entrepreneurs on infectious usability, social network mapping, [...]

This story really has it all. An international Contract Research Organization (“CRO”) opens an office in Ann Arbor, to leverage the timely spike in available pharma talent. Read all about it. United BioSource’s investment in Ann Arbor ensures brain-trust rentention, and even provides a dash of intrapreneurship, as they significantly grow their FDA/regulatory services practice. [...]