Economic gardening is a concept discussed quite often these days, with it's roots in developing small businesses across the state. As Larry and Mike discuss, biomedical development is laying the foundation for a strong economy with pillars in Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Detroit.  Mike also points to Former Governor Granholm's focus on alternative energy as a viable sector of growth. With so much new development, investment is nearing.

This week's conversation closes with a look at Mr. Brennan's first novel, Cyber Styletto. This mystery explores the story of a black-hat hacker turned CIA operative defending the US against international data theft. As Mike articulates, this info must be brought to light. The mystery novel, co-authored by Gian DeTorre, can be found at Barnes and Noble and other online retailers.

Tune in and download this week's podcast to hear more about Michigan's continued development and Cyber Styletto!

Welcome to another edition of Re:New Michigan from Eiler Communications. This week's conversation with Brother Francis of the Catholic-oriented, nonprofit child care and family preservation agency, Holy Cross Children's Services has been transcribed due to some recording issues. We invite you to listen along while reading the transcription. For more information on Brother Francis and Holy Cross Children's Services, please visit the company's website: Hccsnet.org.

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Larry: This is Larry Eiler with another edition of Re:New Michigan. And today I have Brother Francis Boylan who’s the head of Holy Cross Children's Services, which is an organization across Michigan that takes care of Children that are at risk. And we’re going to talk about what “at-risk” is. But we’re doing this right now because Brother Boylan and his colleagues at the Holy Cross at the Samaritan Center in Detroit have dedicated the new Ford Dental Clinic at 555 Connor.

We’ll talk a little bit about that and see how that fits into the overall offering of services of Holy Cross and Samaritan Center. So Brother Francis, good to welcome you. So tell us about Holy Cross and what it is and what it does, because it’s a state-wise organization that helps boys, girls and families.

Brother Francis: Thanks Larry. A brief history: In the 40’s and 50’s, we primarily housed and educated young men and women.  The 60’s and 70’s we recognized we really have to find the family and support the family. In the 80’s and 90’s, the families taught us, if the communities don’t change, we can probably predict, our children won’t finish high school, etc.

So today, we moved up to our community centers, that we call Samaritan, who is my neighbor, located east side Detroit. The real concept of Samaritan is what we might think is prevention; helping moms with their young children now, so their kids stay in school and live productive lives. So that’s how we get involved in programs like head-start. Because, everyone of those, the early years are very important.

Larry: Those are national programs that have been around at the national level since my kids were very little.

Brother Francis: And it’s a program that has proven to be very successful. On the other end, we try to find our young people’s’ moms. And we try to help them find a job and a home. And today it gets somewhat complex, because if you don’t have resources, how do you get a job? It’s crucial to a job today.

Larry: And you need the proper clothing, you need training in how to behave in an interview, and you offer all of that?

Brother Francis: And that’s what we do. So, we’re going to have training services. For those who can’t afford the physicals, we have doctors to administer physicals. As you mentioned in those articles, we were the first monks to open a beauty salon.

Of course, the most important part is how we prepare people for the interview, so they have the self-confidence to go. So, it’s been a wonderful experience of providing diverse services that we believe bring love and hope and the education to folks that perhaps haven’t been loved and aren’t sure what they can truly believe in.

Larry: And to those in broken families and broken lives?

Brother Francis: Yes, indeed.

Larry: And you do this with a lot of young men, a lot of young women and with families and you do it through an organization called Holy Cross Children's Services which in fact has different outlets to perform these services all across Michigan.

Brother Francis: Yes, and for some, Holy Cross Children's Services is the organizational name. In each community we chose to have their name, so the community can get involved. And our goal is, do we support the community in caring for kids? We don’t want to be the group that says, “We’ll only do it when they’re dependent.” So yes, every center does have its own name. 

We’re probably most recognized for the Boysville Campus. Secondly, St. Francis Saginaw because they’re now celebrating their 135 years of existence. So different communities have been very supportive and we hope to support them and care for the kids.

Larry: So you now have the Holy Cross Children's Services center is down Clinton, Michigan. And you have property that was given to you by the Ford family half a century ago. How much property is down there and what is that campus like?

Brother Francis: Henry Ford I in Macon, Michigan had set up a network of 6 country single-room schools and then had set up a campus to teach the high school kids agriculture and domestic work. That for a variety of reasons closed in about 1948 when we were trying to figure out how we can support young people with educational services.

So that’s where we are: Macon, MI. Today we still farm about 300 acres and the school is on 300 acres. The kids that live there came from almost 83 of the 85 counties in Michigan.

Larry: Yea, they’re from all over the state. They’re referred to the program through certain clerk systems and the kids have been involved in different things that have put them in the certain at-risk situations they’ve been in.

Brother Francis: Yes, yes.

Larry: so how many total acres are there on the campus down there?

Brother Francis: About 600.

Larry: About 600. So, 300 of the farming and 300 of the school yard. So what do they do with the farming? Do they have crops they farm?

Brother Francis: The students aren’t really involved in the farming today. The students stay with us probably less than a year now. So the major goal is reading, writing arithmetic, if you will. The farms really just help us bring some income to help us support the young people but basically, it’s just using the land productively.

Larry: So what kinds of crops are farmed?

Brother Francis: We still do soybean and corn. The gentleman that does our farming, Mr. Rule actually graduated from the Henry Ford Agricultural school and really done our farming for all of the 50 years. And I believe it’s all through the same Ford Tractor; a fairly simple operation.

Larry Eiler: Tell me about the Samaritan Center. That’s a partner organization of Holy Cross Children’s Services – it’s down in Southeast Detroit. And tell me what goes on down there.

Brother Francis: Several years ago, Ford Motor company a strategic plan. And the concept there was “how can the children that come to us, make it to college?” Because if we can prepare our young folks for college, they may be the first one in their family to finish high school and even think about college.  There are many opportunities for our young people to go to college.

The Samaritan project really came into existence to find all the services that might be needed to support a child and a family so the child gets to this point in life. So the Samaritan project came into existence to really help the moms and dads.

So we brought together now, about 80 organizations that are committed to the east side of Detroit. And they are also committed to the beautification of Detroit. So, they’re going to do things like help providing doctors if you have no insurance, providing a physical if you need one. Resume writing, beauty salons, clothing stores, barber shops.

Larry: Ah yes, like barber shops and the like. You talked about someone who started a janitorial service for all the companies.

Brother Francis: That’s right, and at the same time, how do we really support the mom’s needs. Maybe she has special mental health needs or substance abuse needs. So how do we help mom? And how do we help mom take care of the kids? And how do we help mom take care of the kids…for example, our high school starts at noon and goes until 9pm.

So if the young person does have a job that is providing income for the family, it doesn’t mean he or she can’t go to school. So we’re very flexible, building a system around the needs of the kids. Of course, some organizations have wonderful programs, except there’s a number of problems like no transportation or the times are wrong, etc. etc.

Larry: You also have a charter school down there, and that’s for boys and girls. About 100 students too.

Brother Francis: Yes, boys and girls. We are expanding that school to the Westside. It’s designed for at-risk. Mr. Evans is an MIT grad. We have a robotics program, which is fairly unique for at-risk kids and provided an opportunity for our at-risk kids last summer actually to go to Africa to set up a solar network at a village. Besides our kids, there’s been an ongoing relief relationship with the kids in that community and through skype.

Larry: Skype’s a wonderful way to communicate.

Brother Francis: We’re just learning about this. The kids are teaching me.

Larry: That’s a good tool to learn. Skype’s free!

Brother Francis: It’s a wonderful opportunity.

Larry Eiler: One of the people that’s down working at the shop that you’re talking about, I’ve talked to him last week. He’s a product of Holy Cross. He graduated from Holy Cross and then he got involved in working there. And now he runs the model shop down there.

Brother Francis: Oh you’re talking about Sal, he started with us forty five years ago and had early businesses – he’s theoretically retired. He wanted to teach kids and come back to work with us. Much like himself, so that’s a nice coincidence.

Larry: That’s a great story. And now we have the Ford Ross Dental Clinic official dedicated on May 22. That’s the fourth building on that campus I believe.

Brother Francis: Cardinal Mathis will have a prayer service for all those we serve in that community because we’re really trying to follow the message of god to care for the least of our brothers and sisters. So it’s a time to thank and celebrate the people we love.

Larry: Well this is a fascinating story Brother Francis, and I’m glad you could take the time to talk with us and the Re:New Michigan audience because it’s very important that we pay a lot of attention to people who are at risk as well as others. So thanks for coming on here and we’ll talk more as this program develops and the new structures that we’re all having to face in terms of hardships in the state.

Brother Francis: Thank you. People are welcome to come by! We’ll be happy to share with you our services that are provided.

Larry: There’s always people in the front lobby and there’s parking over there, although it is pretty full from time to time with all the employees and business visiting. But there’s always someone in the lobby there willing to visit and talk about their service offering and what they can do.

This is Larry Eiler with edition of Re:New Michigan, signing off for today. Thank you very much for stopping by today Brother Francis.

Brother Francis: You’re welcome.

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Larry: This is Larry Eiler with another edition of ReNew Michigan, in which we talk to community leaders and business leaders about their businesses and how they’re growing and thriving in Michigan.

Today I’m happy to have With me Bruce McCully who is the founder and owner, and called the supreme overlord of Dynamic Edge. Dynamic Edge is an Ann Arbor based company that has a number of people working for it. And basically, what they do is they maintain information technologies, computer systems for different companies around Michigan and around other places, I believe. And they also help to develop websites and do things like that.

So Bruce, welcome and can you start off by telling me a little bit about your background with Ann Arbor and University of Michigan and starting this business at a pretty young age – I think in your teens.

Bruce: Well Larry, not quite in my teens, but I started dynamic edge while still going to school at the U of M and basically what happened was, I was doing some work for some folks around town just kind of helping them out on the side and I got an internship and I was about ready to take off and leave Ann Arbor.

I started telling people, “I’m about ready to leave, you need to find someone else to take care of your computers and your issues and all that stuff.”

 This was back in 1999 and there weren’t a lot of options back then and a number of those folks, business owners said, “You know what? If you stay in town, we’ll refer you enough business to keep you busy.” So what I ended up doing is, I ended up staying and I learned how to rollerblade that summer because there weren’t that many referrals and I also learned how to cold call. I learned how to really sell and I think that’s a critical component of being a business owner. Not only selling your idea of service or idea of product to your customer, but really selling a vision to your team and getting them to stand behind you.

Larry: So how did you go about selling – how did you got about identifying who had the need of maintain computer systems, or did everybody have that need because you were really moving into the computer era?

Bruce: Well it was a little different back then. Everybody wanted to have a computer system to keep track of their information. They wanted to do accounting on their computers and so it was smaller businesses trying to figure out how to best utilize this new tool.

Larry: And you needed to be educated on it and you needed someone who could maintain it and help them learn about it?

Brue: Absolutely. Absolutely. We used to do classes every week, to every three weeks on some aspect of their computers. We actually still do that sort of thing. We do webinars now. It’s a little different.

Larry: Yea, yea.

Bruce: It’s a little more hectic, getting people into one big room you know, standing in front of them. But basically, what we did, we built a client base of folks that when they needed something or they had a problem they called us. And then over the years, that’s actually changed a little bit.

We’ve been able to develop some tools, and come up with a way to make it so that so now, today instead of having a number of clients around town who call us when they have a problem, we have a number of clients around town  that we call when they’re starting to have issues and we tell them, “Hey, we’re working on your system right now”, because it’s important to communicate with them to let them know what’s going on, “and we’re going to work through the issues for you.”

Larry: So you now have tools or techniques that you developed to help find, isolate and fix different problems that occur in anybody’s computer system.

Bruce: Yea, think about it like this: If your car were a computer system, back in the day, people would drive their car until it stopped running. And then they’d call us and say, “Hey, what’s going on?” That slowly evolved into saying, “You need an oil change every 3,000 miles.” 

To today, which is, when you’re done with your car at night, you park it in your garage and our little elves come out and perform maintenance on it and fix everything on it, to make sure that tomorrow, when you’re ready to go, it drives just like it did today.

Larry: So how has the business evolved, because now, I don’t know how many customers you have - and that doesn’t matter - but how has the business evolved so that you’re providing additional services besides just keeping computer systems fine-tuned and upgraded?

Bruce: Well, there are really two different groups in our organization. There are the folks that provide that support, and really help folks maintaining their computer system and keeping them running. They also help those same people from a strategic component coming up with ways to make sure that they’re best utilizing their systems and getting the most out of them.  

For example maybe one of our customers is doubling in size and we need to help come up with a strategy to grow their infrastructure to match that growth requirement, as well as introducing new systems to make sure that they can capture the data required to run their business.

Larry: So is this kind of like a holistic approach where you’re programmers, your people will look at a system and say hey, “We better upgrade here, we better turn up performance here, we better do this so it’s like a whole approach that looks at things that could happen to different companies an different computer systems?

Bruce: Yes, but not only in a bad way, in a good way. I mean, basically what we’re doing, we’re looking at computer organization as a whole, as kind of a organism and we’re looking at that and making sure that it’s growing and that it’s healthy, and as that need changes for the customer, and we actually do a strategic planning session with our customers every year – helping them plan out their computer organization or organism – we help them plan that out.

Larry: So you’re using that computer strategic advantage, instead of just reacting to problems or issues, you’re making sure everybody understand the system and used it to its best advantage.

Bruce: Exactly, Exactly. So not only do we eliminate downtime for the customer,  but we help move that into a strategic advantage.

Larry: So can you name some of the companies in the area, around your market area that you deal with.

Bruce: Well, in Ann Arbor, just to name a couple, we have the folks out at flat out bread, you’ve probably seen their product End of the Aisle. Umm, staying in the food area, if you walk down the aisle, you run into Jiffy Mix, Chelsea Milling is also one of our customers. And then the produce station, and as you drive down State Street into the downtown area, you run into Bivouac.

These are all customers you would recognize. We also have some customers that you may not recognize like adaptive materials and some high tech manufacturing folks out there. All-and-all, we have about 300 active clients.

Larry: So you do on-going work for them, to keep the systems up and maintained and to fix issues as they come up.

Bruce: Absolutely.

Larry: What do you do in the area of web development and internet activity for companies? Do you help them as well?

Bruce: Yes. Originally I mentioned the side of our team that helps customers maintain their infrastructure and grow their infrastructure. We actually have another group in our organization that’s our innovation group. Basically what they do is a little bit different. They’re continuing to come up with and produce products for customers. And the product can be as simple as a shopfloor control mechanism to gather data from machines, so you can understand how much machining costs and how much labor costs you have involved with manufacturing a certain part - or tracking to build materials that are part of the assembly for a specific part. To a brand new product, like the one we launched about a year ago for a company called Disasters Net, and we’ve been working very closely with them and partnered with this organization, to help them become the go-to solution for hospitals when it comes to responding to an emergency like pandemic flu or natural disaster like a tornado or hurricane.

Larry: That’s a good success story. One more thing that I’d like to talk about is giving back to the community. Lots of computer companies like yours and other companies see Michigan for what it’s been for several years, everybody’s been down – we had an inferiority complex; this is not a good state. There’s a lot of that changing and changing in a hurry. It has a lot to do with new leadership and the state that people are in and their desire to fix things. So in giving back to the community, I know you started a program with Cody High School down in Detroit. Can you tell us how that fits into this whole giving back movement?

Bruce: Yea. At Dynamic Edge, we’ve always wanted to be a part of and support the community around us. And what’ we’ve done in the past is our Tech grad program. And with our Tech Grad program, we have an application process that happens in the Fall and we pick out a number of winners.

And then we work on projects for them, to do an in-kind donation of between $25,000 and $45,000. We’ve worked with organizations like Safe House, and Special Days Camp and Boys and Girls Club, etc. But this year we’re doing something a little different.

This year we decided that we might have a better chance at changing the world if we picked out a smaller world. So what happened was, I was at a leadership treat and one of the folks at a high school called Cody spoke and talked about a change that’s happening. Pilly, instead of basically building a brand new school or push everybody to a charter school, what they’ve done – they’ve actually taken Cody High School who had a graduation rate of something like 12% or something. They took this school- they closed it down and reopened it as four different schools. They divided the whole school, a city block in Detroit. And I was listening to this woman talk about the project and it just sounded so compelling, so I started to listen to the different schools and one of them was called the Detroit School of Technology.

And I was thinking about our designer to be proud and apart of the community. So we contact them, and we said, “Hey, do you guys need anything? Curriculum? What can we do to help out?”

Larry: Problem things they didn’t even know they needed at that point.

Bruce: No idea. What ended up happening was remarkable – we found and secured a job. We actually had on the people in charge of hiring in our organization go out and talking to them about it. We ended up going out and talking to a history teacher about it there – and their principle who has been very supportive. We created a curriculum for them and we’re there in the classroom every Wednesday afternoon and we teach the kids something useful that they can actually apply in their lives about technology. We’ve done everything from removing viruses from a computer to how to how to use the internet. It’s been very helpful and we’ve already been asked to come back next year. And according to their principle, this has been one of the most successful projects she’s done out there.

Larry: That’s exciting because you’re probably tapping into a source of young people that probably want to learn something but probably have had no direct guidance on it and from people with hands on experience that’s a great way to learn something new. And that might lead into careers down the road.

Bruce: Yes, hopefully so.  Currently there are 18 students that attend this class every Wednesday afternoon.

Larry: So you send out a team of people from your company Dynamic Edge and they help teach them new things each week.

Bruce: Yes, absolutely. And really, what has happened here is, I came up with this concept and Brian and Debra (two Dynamic Edge employees) ran with it. They really made a great impact on the school. And our team, if you’re going to work for Cody that afternoon, we take care of your pay and your lunch.

Larry: This is  a great story Bruce and I appreciate you talking to me on Re:New Michigan because it certainly seems like you’ve done it for 11 years already with your company. So I welcome the chance to talk to you again in the future.

This is Larry Eiler signing off for another edition of Re:New Michigan.

Eric and Bill met in class at Eastern Michigan University's business school, talking about their goals to own a business in the future. After rejoining and founding Huron Valley Financial, the new company focused on achieving referrals and new business through handshakes and one-on-one relationships. They maintain this strategy in the acquisition process as well, seeking new opportunities with a company-wide commitment to strong involvement in the community with volunteer activities and business organizations. 

The mortgage business, like many around the nation suffered in the wake of the recession in 2008. But as Eric and Bill report to Larry, the mortgage industry is rebounding nicely due to recent regulation and recovery legislation.  Many of the recovery efforts have made progress in protecting the consumer, but others on the horizon may change the mortgage landscape.  Bill and Eric explain this position and more in the podcast.

Thanks for listening! Click here for more information on Huron Valley Financial Mortgage Company.

John Harding, Founder and Chief Executive of Current Motor Company, talks with Larry Eiler of Eiler Communications on another edition of ReNew Michigan. Current Motor is develops and manufactures all-electric motor scooters in Ann Arbor, Michigan filling an un-met need for electric vehicles (EV). Larry and John discuss the growth of the scooter manufacturer from a personal passion in 2007 to a company eyeing international markets. 

After purchasing and upgrading his own electric scooter in 2007, John encountered a curious customer base leading to a more robust operation in the founding of Current Motor in 2008. Since then, the company has focused on an audience of Green interests, similar to the mindset of Ford Prius owners. Current Motor offers motor-scooters that can be recharged with a regular household outlet. Currently offered scooters include three distance and mileage ranges: 

• Operating Distance: 50 miles; Top Speed: 70 mph
• 40 miles; 55 mph
• 30 miles; 55 mph

John points to two major factors propelling the EV market in years to come. The first being technological innovations. And the second factor coming in the form of lowered prices stemming from these innovations. As John tells us, the last big push for EV came in the early 1990's, but a great deal of development has occurred since then making EV a more realistic option in today's market.

Current Motor's success, like many smart business ideas in Ann Arbor and Southeastern Michigan, found support in the growing venture capital community. John points out that businesses like his must be "ready when the wave comes". As you'll find in today's podcast, the wave is closer than many think.

Thanks for listening. For more info on Current Motor Company, Ann Arbor's Venture Capital Community or Eiler Communications, click the links below:

·     Current Motor Company

·     Ann Arbor SPARK

·    Eiler Communications

In a spirited question and answer format, Burstein and Huse point out the success stories many of Michigan's robotics partners can draw from as our economy aspires to bring more jobs and benefits to the state's population. When the recession practically ended sales in the robotics industry, manufacturers and wholesalers had to adapt. Recent robotics trends are encouraging though, with a rebound occurring globally.

The RIA is primiarly a North American organization with 250 member companies, but as the discussion reveals, no country is out reach from the RIA's robotic arm. The association conducts business with manufacturers in Japan and Europe as well as other international operations. From March 21-24 the RIA is hosting Automate 2011, America's Broadest Automation Event. The convetion, to be held at McCormick Place in Chicago is intended to inspire US businesses to retain and reinvigorate America's job market; rather than outsourcing labor, the focus is placed on automating functions and procedures in exchange for adding full-time positions domestically.

Over Mr. Burnstein's 27 years involved in the RIA he has seen technology bring better, cheaper, faster products to market. This edition of ReNew Michigan closes with an encouraging look foward. With the economy starting to turn, he and the RIA are excited for the years to come.

Find more information at the following links:

Robotics Industries Assocation (RIA) Online

Automate 2011 - March 21-24

Eiler Communications

Dr. Toft is a strategic planner and primary figure in Michigan's economic recovery due to his role with SBAM and the economic Score Card the organization assembles yearly. Dr. Toft outlines the purpose of the Score Card, tying the evaluation to the concept of gardening; SBAM assesses the resources, capital and business conditions like a gardener considering a plot of soil.

Michael Rogers, the Vice President of Communications with SBAM, explains how the Score Card is disseminated throughout the state and how its findings help decision makers propel the state’s recovery. According to Rogers, whereas legislators and government officials once found the negative scores upsetting, they now see the evaluation as a means to an end, implementing suggestions and correcting errors.

The conversation closes with a look at economic gardening’s rise from its roots in Littleton, Colorado to buzzword status amongst today’s business leaders. Many businesses remain uninformed on the basics of economic gardening. SBAM’s efforts strive to erase this uncertainty and fuel economic recovery.

Click here for SBAM's news release regarding the2011 Score Card, the organization's seventh edition of the report.

Mike graduated from the University of Michigan and spent time in Google's California headquarters before returning to Ann Arbor to head up the Adwords office. As many know, a majority of Google's revenue is derived from the paid search product Adwords. Adwords focuses primarily on helping small-to-midsized businesses around the world grow and find new customers. 

Mike and his Ann Arbor office are helping Michigan companies as well through several community programs, specifically Adwords in the Curiculumn. This program improves digital marketing literacy around the state in high schools and Eastern Michigan University. These students then apply these skills in helping non-profits attract search engine attention and traffic.

Larry and Mike then turn their attention to an explanation of Adwords and other Google products (mostly free) that can help Michigan companies conduct efficient and smart business practice. This first hand analysis of Google's products simplifies the bounty of ways the tools can be implemented.

Please click the following links for more information on Mike Miller and Google Adwords. Thank you for tuning into this week's edition of Re:New Michigan.

Willie touches on an interesting point while articulating a path towards a strong economy. It is no secret that Michigan has been experiencing a long-term downturn in terms of financial and economic development. But Willie and Larry focus on the silver lining; in terms of mortgage banking, Michigan was one of the first into the basement...so why shouldn't the state be the first one to revive?

Willie and Larry then focus their discussion on the resources that will accelerate Michigan's recovery: entry level workers, affordable working space and diverse resources. It is for this reason Willie has remained in Michigan despite numerous offers to pursue opportunities elsewhere. It is business leaders like Willie that will continue to drive Michigan forward.

Thank you for listening and please follow these links for more info on Willie or Cole Taylor bank.

Forsee Results offers technologies that measure the satisfaction of those viewing websites. The company's service offerings brings the world renown Customer Satisfaction Index of University of Michigan Professor Claes Fornell to the web.  ForSee helps clients measure the satisfaction of visitors to their website, while also suggesting areas to improve and change customer behaviors leading to increased sales. As Freed points out, this era of internet marketing must be built around accountability and measurement.

Customers have more choices than ever before when it comes to product purchasing. Consequently, marketing and customer satisfaction is more significant than ever when it comes to moving products. Companies around the world have recognized this need and worked with Freed and his team. 

ForSee Results is a leading company based in Michigan with 108 employees working inside the state, with 20-40 added each year. Like many on the Re:New Michigan podcast, Larry Freed sees technology as a way to reinvent the state's economy. He also sees large growth opportunities in the renewal of the state's researching divisions.  As he says, "Economic development depends n attracting companies and incubating these businesses with the job growth coming in between".

For more information, please visit the ForSee Results homepage.

Carol and her team of talented team of MBA's, business owners and economic specialists promote a sense of economic gardening with their efforts. By providing insight into raising funds, new market research and business plans, the SBTDC provides a foundation for small business growth; an area Carol believes we have forgotten about in recent decades. Carol identifies the resources that have popped up in recent years that spur economic growth. 

Larry and Carol then discuss the many areas of growth around Michigan.  As Carol says, "the whole gamut from A to Z" is growing. Examples include Main Street stores, personal services, Energy creation, and regional diversification.  

Stories like Carol's and the SBTDC make it hard to believe Michigan won't find a way to grow and prosper in coming decades. For more information on Carol or the SBTDC, please click the links below:

Carol Lopucki

Small Business Technology and Development Center

Thanks for tuning in!

Larry and Ted begin the discussion retracing some of the steps that brough Ted to a position with the incredibly successful Health Media. Ted's schooling background was in Mathematics, but after entering the business world, he focused on turning products and ideas into great companies, a skillset that appears to be lacking in Michigan. Entrprenuerial states like California have many figures like Ted that are able to drive new companies forward. This is the type of skillset that Larry and Ted hope to see in the coming generations of Michigan leaders.

Ted then turns towards a troubling trend he has experienced working with Michigan businesses over the years; a state-wide inferiority complex.  Although many Michigan companies have customers all over the globe, area audiences shrug when it comes to "buying local". As Ted puts it, there is a feeling of, "You're built in Michigan. How good can you be?" that has has permeated Michigan's economic mindset. Larry and Ted both point out areas where this feeling of inferiority is disapating due to the tremendous talent, investments, and infrastructure popping up throughout the state.

The podcast closes with a brief reflection on Michigan's upcoming gubernatorial race. After many years working with candidate Rick Snyder, Ted is confident his commitment to accountability is the right leadership to bring Michigan's economy back to superiority. 

Please visit the following links for more info on Ted Dacko, Arbor Dakota or Health Media

Larry Eiler welcomes venture capitalist Eli Thomssen to the studio for this week's edition of Re:New Michigan. Mr. Thomssen has guided many companies to success, including his current company, Armune BioScience, Inc. Armune, based in Kalamazoo is creating a diagnostic test for early stage cancer detection that eliminates the volatile of previous tests. The story of Armune offers many lessons for innovators within Michigan.

As Larry and Eli point out, Michigan provides a very viable landscape for entreprenuers and venture capitalists. The story of Armune serves as a great example. The technologies and tests in Armune's labs were first created at the University of Michigan.  This is a great model for companies to follow throughout the state.  

Resources like the U of M and the other great research universities within the state provide a stimulating environment for ideas and businesses.  But as Eli articulates, more investment in these ideas is necessary. Surprising to some, Michigan ranks fourth in the nation in terms of grant money, with the top ranking states coming from the East and West coasts. 

Larry and Eli continue the conversation, covering Eli's career path and the entrepreneurship history. For more information on Eli Thomssen, his involvement in our state's biotechnology leadership, and Armune's product development, please see his LinkedIn Page and the Armune homepage.  

The stimulating conversation opens with Al's first adventure in entrepreneurship in which he turned a coin collection into a $20,000 boon over summer vacation in the 9th grade. From here he moved into the computer resale business. These success stories reveal several key factors for entrepreneurial success; one being to never fear failure.

The conversation closes with Al's recent experiences in mentorship. While serving as a mentor to the Business Side of Youth, several Eastern Michigan University students and ex-sex workers, Al sees the fear of failure all to prevalent in today's business community. He seeks a framework wherein failure does not keep Michigan residents from enacting change. 

For more info on Al Newman, his great message and ReCellular, please visit www.recellular.com.

This week Larry sits down with Ian Bund of Plymouth Management Company for another edition of Re:New Michigan.  Continuing with the program’s focus on stories of economic inspiration and motivation, Larry and Ian discuss a topic of interest lately, Economic Gardening. Plymouth Management Company (PMC) is heavily involved in financing and adding value to growth stage companies in Michigan and the Great Lakes region. Ian has been active in venture capital for over 40 years and brings a keen economic perspective to conversation.

Ian and Larry identify three factors that Michigan’s population must be aware of in order to grow and renew the state’s growth cycle.  As Larry puts it, “Michigan has an inferiority complex when it comes to economic growth. It’s important to tell the positive stories that are around our state.” PMC and similar investment firms serve as catalysts to fuel and assist companies with an emphasis on growth and “doing”.

The conversation closes with the elements Mr. Bund feels will spur the Michigan economy most effectively. Make sure to listen to this week’s podcast. If you would like more info on Ian Bund or Plymouth Management Company, please visit their homepage: www.plymouthvc.com.

Bill Van Cleve, owner and CEO of Paragon Display Group, is a leader who has guided his company through many adaptations, keeping with the ever-changing technologies available to his visual communications production facility. Bill and his business partner,Gerry Snyder opened the doors of a Foto 1 in 1982 in Ann Arbor, MI. Originally a 1 hour photo production and processing operation, the two continued to evolve the company, while maintaining their keen eye for visual display and production.

Today's version of Foto 1 focuses on Imaging Technology, assisting both consumers and commercial clients. One of Bill's current projects involves producing the art and displays for each suite at the newly renovated Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, MI.

Listen in as Larry and Bill discuss the details of Paragon's evolution, adaptation and new business models in this week's podcast. For more information visit Paragon Display Group's website where you can contact Bill directly.

In this edition of Re:New Michigan, Larry Eiler sits down with Amanda Ross of Stunning Creative. Stunning is a digital consultancy in Ann Arbor with expertise in web & graphic design as well as social media, SEO and analytics strategy. In the interview, Amanda shares a story about Stunning’s unique marketing and outreach approach. Recently, Amanda won three auctions on eBay, but these weren’t bids on antique lamps or baseball cards. Rather, Amanda won three trips to Silicon Valley for her and colleagues to meet with the biggest and brightest names in the tech industry.  With one successful trip already in the book, Amanda is looking for internet CEO’s and tech leaders in the Ann Arbor area to join her on her next trip on July 20^th.

This type of marketing and client outreach represents the unique approach Stunning Creative brings to the table. Rather than wine-and-dine clients and prospects, Amanda and her husband, Andy (the creative force behind the company) choose to provide actionable value.  Those that have accompanied Amanda so far have benefited from the increased exposure and access to the Angel investors and venture capitalists in the Silicon Valley.

If you would like more info on Stunning Creative or would like to contact Amanda for her next trip to Silicon Valley, please visit www.StunningCreative.net.

Larry and Dr. Kinnear first focus on the three legs that support the stool of the Michigan economy: Ideas, Talent, and Capital. Dr. Kinnear goes on to explain the various ways his groups are focusing on driving these three elements to a successful, self-sustaining level. Historically, Michigan has come a long way in the life cycle of entrepreneurialism.  

Dr. Kinnear points out that venture capital cycles move in 10 year segments, each cycle getting progressively stronger. Due to the recruiting, seed money and stimulation provided by venture capital organizations and in-state universities, Michigan's entrepreneurial community is growing increasingly stronger each year.  

Listen along as Larry and Dr. Kinnear articulate the various groups, companies and organizations driving our economy forward.

This week’s business conversation focuses on the success of one of American’s best brands, Jiffy Mix.  Howdy Holmes, CEO & President of Chelsea Milling, the producer of Jiffy Mix, sits down with Larry Eiler to discuss some of the exciting things happening at the company, including a $6 million Research & Development Center to open in May on the Chelsea Milling campus.

The conversation begins with the current state of Jiffy Mix’s business model.  Surprising to some, it hasn’t changed much since the company started in the late 1880’s. Chelsea Milling and Jiffy Mix is a family business at the core and in the eight generations since Howdy’s family has led Jiffy Mix, the company has targeted customers that bake and mix up delicious meals in the kitchen.  When families and individuals started eating out more in the 1990’s, fewer meals were produced at home and Jiffy’s business suffered slightly.  But as always, Jiffy Mix remained at the forefront of value. 

As Howdy explains, “We are able to provide a better price point to our customers by cutting out advertising, couponing and free inserts. Our brand is built on value”.

Jiffy’s creative business and marketing strategy offers lessons for businesses in Michigan looking to build brands and find customers.  With more meals occurring in restaurants in the past fifteen years, Howdy has discovered new marketing channels and the move has been positive. They are in the process of starting a new brand focused on retail and institution sales under the name CMC Foods.

The opening of Chelsea Milling’s Research & Development Center is a response to an increase in nutritional studies and regimented diets in today’s health market as well a continuation of Jiffy Mix’s impeccable brand. Howdy points out that the 11,000 square feet facility is part of both the image and scientific advancement of the brand.

The conversation closes with a speculative look at Howdy’s perspective on his varied career and viewpoints on Michigan’s business economy.  Future business opportunities might include helping family businesses increase succession rates between generations; an important part of business health.

For more information on the opening of the new R & D facility and Jiffy Mix, please visit: JiffyMix.com.

Larry and Tommy's discussion focuses on the roots of the company. CooLHeadS as a product grew from Tommy's involvement in sports and outdoor activities. After witnessing friends and players draping towels over their heads to keep cool in the summer sun, Tommy designed a product to stay on your head, covering your neck and shoulders from the intense heat.

The conversation then moves to various ways Tommy has dealt with the trepidation of starting a new company in this especially harsh business climate. Tommy and his team, which includes his fiance and a few other Eastern Michigan University graduates believe CooLHeadS can become a rallying point for the local community.

"It's not just a hat, it's a way of life with recycling and helping out in the community," explains Tommy. 

As the summer months approach, Tommy has big plans for CooLHeadS. Look for this exciting new product at summer festivals and fairs around Michigan. For more information visit GetCooLHeadS.com.

As Larry points out, the B-Side of Youth is just one example of the growing infrastructure throughout Michigan focused on reaching out to business people both young and old who wish to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities and jobs.  Jack pulls from his vast business-growing opportunities as he and his team shape big ideas into manageable, tangible business plans.

If you'd like more business on Jack Bidlack or the B-Side of Youth, please visit BsideOfYouth.com.

Michigan is one of 12 states featuring a Israel Business Bridge organization.  Due to the highly collaborative relationship the 12 organizations share, startup ideas from Israel are able to find outlets and funding in the United States. According to Ron, Michigan's increasingly entreprenurial economy has benefited from the influx of ideas and products flowing from Israel to Michigan.

The MIBB was founded as a volunteer organization in 2007 by Chuck Newman (now of Recellular) and Susan Herman. It has since grown a strong business presence in and around Ann Arbor through an increase in ideas in the pipeline and a growing membership. For more information on this burgeoning organization, visit www.MichiganIsrael.com or contact Rob at info@MichiganIsrael.com.

David elaborates on specific strategies and opportunities that he has utilized, as he focuses on building his network in industries outside automotive fields. As David points out, there are many opportunities within the venture capital world, but the shift from a large company to a startup is a transition that is simplified with agile decision-making and internship experience.

The conversation covers many of the community sponsored networks, programs and organizations in the area such as Ann Arbor Spark, Tech Town and Automation Alley. These communities can help job-seekers find a way to make experiences fit into these new opportunities. More info on David can be found on his LinkedIn profile.

Paul describes Issue Media Group's first publication "Model D" (http://www.modeldmedia.com/), which is a Detroit publication. "Concentrate" (http://concentratemedia.com/), which is the Ann Arbor publication was started a few years later. Larry and Paul also discuss how Issue Media group was able to grow in the economy and how they have expanded to other cities and are always in the process of adding more.

For more information about Issue Media Group and to see their various publications visit http://www.issuemediagroup.com/.

ReCellular's comprehensive commitment to environmental protection has won numerous national and local awards. All phones and accessories that cannot be reused are recycled; the company recycles thousands of tons of electronic scrap every year. With millions of dollars donated to charities, tens of millions of phones recycled or reused and customers in more than 40 countries, ReCellular has developed a global network dedicated to finding the most responsible solutions for the handset industry.

Larry and Chuck also talk about some of the emerging businesses and growth specific to Michigan.  For more information about ReCellular visit http://www.recellular.com.

The Center of Entrepreneurship was established in 1985 as state-based entrepreneur support program, supported primarily by the United States Small Business Association. The Center is the host for the Michigan Small Business Development Center program (Region 9) serving Wayne, Oakland, and Monroe  counties. Their goal is provide entrepreneurs the information and support they need to build their business, no matter where they are in the development process.

Richard has been with the Small Business Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) for 10-12 years. The Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center enhances Michigan's economic well-being by providing counseling, training, research and advocacy for new ventures, existing small businesses and innovative technology companies.  With offices statewide, the MI-SBTDC positively impacts the economy by strengthening existing companies, creating new jobs, retaining existing jobs, and assisting companies in defining their path to success.

For more information regarding the Center of Entrepreneurship, visit http://www.cob.emich.edu/include/templatesubpage.cfm?id=1018. For additional information on the MI-SBTDC, visit http://www.gvsu.edu/misbtdc/.

MetaSpring provides creative and technical consulting services for businesses large and small all around the world. Their development and design teams are trained in rapid development techniques that help reduce the time for development iterations and the costs. Larry and J.P. go through and discuss a number of steps that they take in providing their services, with examples.

Case Ernsting and Larry then discuss "Web 2.0". The term "Web 2.0" is commonly associated with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web. A Web 2.0 site allows its users to interact with other users or to change website content, in contrast to non-interactive websites where users are limited to the passive viewing of information that is provided to them.

For more information regarding MetaSpring, visit http://www.metaspring.com/.

Michigan Future's goal is to be a catalyst for recreating a high prosperity Michigan. A place with a per capita income above the national average in both national expansions and contractions. Their basic conclusion: What most distinguishes successful areas from Michigan is their concentrations of talent, where talent is defined as a combination of knowledge, creativity and entrepreneurship. In a flattening world where work can increasingly be done anyplace by anybody, the places with the greatest concentrations of talent win.

For more information regarding Michigan Future, visit http://www.michiganfuture.org/.

Men and Women of all walks of life are invited to join Clint Arthur and a self-selected group of like-minded individuals around the world as we consciously live out the last year of our lives together, using the topics presented below as a guide to ensure that the experience of our final 12 months of life as we know it will be rich and fulfilling... And unlike any other year we’ve ever lived.

For more information regarding "The last year of your life program", visit http://www.thelastyearofyourlife.com.

Rob has come on the show to discuss how to succesfully develop a business in michigan, specifically about "economic gardening." Economic gardening is a concept for growing businesses from the ground up as opposed to bringing in business from outside of the organization. The term "economic gardening" is useful as a strategy aimed more at people that want to start a company, & how SBAM reacts and supports those who want to start a company.

For more information regarding the Small Business Association of Michigan visit http://www.sbam.org/.

Larry & Marisa also discuss the Whole Brain Group's past work doing work flow automation. Over the years, the Whole Brain Group has established a presence in Michigan by providing custom web-based software for academic institutions like The University of Michigan and Michigan State University. Marisa talks about specific examples including the General Counsel Office for the University of Michigan.

Larry and Marisa also talk about "AccreditStation." The Whole Brain Group introduced their AccreditStation product in 2004, and began to expand their reach beyond Michigan, and have now gained a national reputation among research institutions as the leading provider of accreditation management and automation software. AccreditStation helps educational institutions, community hospitals, healthcare systems, and VA facilities manage successful AAHRPP accreditation projects by automating and streamlining the application process.

They also discuss "Press Room", another product that The Whole Brain Group offers. Press Room is another web based system that stores articles, press releases and videos, in a searchable archive.

Robert Pasick is a Ph.D from Harvard, and has been an executive coach in the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan. For the past 30 years, as an Organizational Psychologist and Executive Coach, he has helped leaders and their teams to perform well in challenging circumstances. Rob briefly discusses his new book, "Balanced Leadership in Unbalanced Times", & goes into depth talking about his clients, qualifications, & past.

Larry Eiler is the co-founder, chairman and chief executive of Eiler Communications, a public and investor relations and marketing firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The firm’s business expertise is in five core competencies – Positioning, Writing, Media Relations, Corporate Communications and Periodic Events.

Larry explains social media and how it can be used to market effectively, especially in a down-economy. He also discusses how new techonology is quite effective at reaching out to people & how it's a necessary tool to use as a business.

Larry and Joe then discuss some of the innovative ideas & plans that Joe was able to implement with Triton Stormwater Solutions. They also discuss a new commercial project for Joe, in Kaiser WV. They are able to touch on many of the successes that Triton has celebrated within the last year.

SBAM focuses soley on helping small businesses, which is a trait that helps seperate them from other organizations. Michael also elaborates on some future events that SBAM is holding in the future, and explains how these events help bring different small business owners and entrepreneurs together. Larry also has Michael talk about "Power Suites," which is a program that SBAM uses to help provide professional services to small business owners.

For more information regarding the Small Business Association of Michigan visit http://www.sbam.org/

Larry talks about how the funding of technologies and life sciences getting better in Michigan, and how this is helping compliment the region's businesses, and also help to bring in new company. He also talks about some of the new funding that goes into Michigan's automotive design engineering capabilities. They finish the discussion by touching on some of the other companies that are active and doing positive things in the south-eastern region of Michigan.

Larry also discusses different internet-related ways that companies can target their very specific audiences. He cites examples of different ways to optimize Google to help pull up your company for your potential audience and ways to refine this. There is also discussion of this podcast, and how this podcast has been able to focus on Michigan economy specifically, and Larry has been able to talk directly through this means about the different flourishing businesses in the state of Michigan.

They also discuss the different methods and tools that will utilize and facilitate these different technologies.

Bill Hermann talks about "Great Lakes Strengths," which is a report Plante Moran published that point out different ways to look at this region in Michigan, and the economic and workforce opportunities available. Bill discusses research results, providing ideas and insights, and then talks about some opportunities for the future.

JobApp Network is a company that is based in Clinton Township, Michigan, and focuses on building resumes for both job seekers and employers. JobApp Network is a service and business model that uses both telephone services and the internet to help bring employers and future employees together. This service looks at many different attributes, including behaviors and background to fit employers and job seekers together.

Fred Nussbaum talks with Larry about JobApp Network's different methods and the different innovative ways that they are working with local businesses to be successful for all parties included. Fred also speaks about their successes and how the business model is working.

Bill Bennett, CEO of Otterbase, starts the discussion explaining how the company started, and why they chose Michigan. Bill talks about how the business grew and overcame various market trends and changes.

Joe Sod, the Vice President of Otterbase, comes on next and discusses his segment of the business that is located in Livonia, Michigan. Joe also discusses the different facets of the company, and how they have branched out from their IT niche and into other area of staffing.

They begin the discussion with speaking with Jimmy Hsaio, founder and Chief Executive of Logic Solutions, a computer-based solutions and technology company that operates in the United States, China, and India. They are focused on doing sourcing, which is doing computer based analysis and programming for customers at one of its locations.

The second guest is Bill Milliken, a commercial real-estate expert and has been head of the Ann Arbor chamber of commerce, the Washtenaw Development Agency (processor to SPARK), and has been widely active in the local business scene. He is currently the director of SPARK.

They discuss on how there are good things for Michigan that can come out of China.

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