From ArtPrize to the seed accelerator Momentum to the web business incubator Pomegranate Studios, Grand Rapids-based Rick Devos has created an impressive farm team of entrepreneurial enterprises focused on strengthening Michigan's economic ecosystem. His latest creation, StartGarden, gets both professionals and the public behind projects with the potential to blossom into successful businesses.

Last week, at the Concentrate speaker event, blogger Mark Maynard interviewed a quartet of local business owners about the opportunities and challenges Ypsilanti's downtown offers them. From the impact of festivals to the need for space to claims that the city is easier to work with than Ann Arbor, the conversation took some surprising turns.