Innovation & Job News

Tolle Group picks Ann Arbor over Chicago, Phoenix for new home

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

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Ann Arbor

The Tolle Group may be one-man operation, but it's just the type of business the state's leaders talk about during speeches on reinventing Michigan's economy.

The management-consulting firm is run by Brian Tolle, who does much of the work but often employs five different contractors to assist his technology-based clients, some from as far away San Francisco.

He chose to move to Ann Arbor three years ago after spending time in Chicago and Phoenix. The combination of a medium-sized city where he can afford a house with a yard for his dog works perfectly for him. That is as long as it's near a major metropolitan airport.

"There's enough locally to keep a business like mine enganged but it's close enough to a big metropolitan airport so I can jump on a plane and go anywhere in the world," Tolle says.

It's been a good enough recipe to keep Tolle happily employed while allowing him to spread the wealth to other independent contractors. He expects his revenues to continue to increase by 15 percent over the next two years as he takes on more clients in the IT, bio-tech and any other area that deals with engineering.

Source: Brian Tolle, president of The Tolle Group
Writer: Jon Zemke