There's 'job creation' and then there is job, creation. Ann Arbor-based Advanced Photonix practices the latter.

The facts are these: Advanced Photonix and its University of Michigan spin-off subsidiary Picometrix (circa 1992) employ 170 people. About half of those people are based out of Ann Arbor. In the last 18 months the company has created 25 new jobs in Ann Arbor and plans to hire another 100 people in the next 3 to 5 years.

"All of our technology development comes out of Ann Arbor," says Rob Risser, CFO of Advanced Photonix and the president and GM of Picometrix.

The tech firm specializes in making optimum electronic semiconductor sensors. These sensors are used by a wide variety of fields, ranging from homeland security's search for WMDs to eye scanners for the healthcare industry. Meanwhile, Picometrix focuses on making sensors for the telecommunications industry, one of the firm's most promising new sectors.

These sensors are on the high-end of the technology pyramid, making them more expensive and more profitable. The firm's revenue has grown about 25 to 30 percent this year alone and is aiming for $30 million in revenue. Their profitability is expected to grow even higher.

Source: Rob Risser, CFO of Advanced Photonix and the president and GM of Picometrix
Writer: Jon Zemke