Clancy's Fancy
By: Keith Jefferies, 12/2/2009
From boarding school experimentation to cult following, Clancy's Fancy isn't the hottest hot sauce you've ever tasted, but it's probably the most unique. Each 7.5 oz bottle of pungent goodness brings with it a kaleidoscopic personality that screams, "Made in Ann Arbor."
Jacobsen Daniels: Planning Airports and the Aerotropolis
By: Keith Jefferies, 11/18/2009
In eight years this airport planning firm has grown more than ten fold, bought a building in downtown Ypsilanti and count many of the nation's biggest airports as their clients. From internships to aerotropolis development, Jacobsen Daniels is not only the kind of new economy business Michigan needs more of, they are passionately invested in their community's future.
I Love Ypsi Has A Winner (Three, Actually)
By: Concentrate, 11/4/2009
They came with video camcorders, Flip cams, and a dream... to produce a compelling tribute to the city they love: Ypsilanti. And to score an easy hundred bucks. Check out the winners of the I Love Ypsi video contest. Those who are allergic to phallic humor need not attend.
Gallery Project
By: Keith Jefferies, 10/28/2009
With 500 artists from 40 states and 6 countries under their belt, this collaborative gallery space generates some of the most thought-provoking and dynamic art shows in the region. Now that its bold, five year mission is drawing to a close, Gallery Project ponders what's next.
Dexter Does Research Too
By: Keith Jefferies, 10/14/2009
Dexter Research doesn't live in A2's shadow but rather thrives alongside the city that U-M made famous. And even as the economy has struggled this 70 person Dexter-based company has hit a comfortable stride, finding new applications and industries for its thermal detectors.
Ann Arbor's Veggie Fueled Party Bus
By: Keith Jefferies, 10/7/2009
The B2B Party Bus is everything sustainable new urbanist hipsters ever dreamed of: An entrepreneurial enterprise that runs small scale private transit on secondhand cooking oil in order to transport young party-goers around downtown.
Small Company Innovation
By: Keith Jefferies, 9/30/2009
U-M produces two very important things: Talent and research. The university's Small Company Innovation program connects the commercial to the academic by placing and subsidizing graduate research students in local firms.
Knocking On Ann Arbor's Fairy Doors
By: Keith Jefferies, 9/23/2009
Unauthorized. Unsponsored. Ann Arbor's fairy doors have become a part of the city's public art identity, attracting wee-ones (and their p's) from all over. How did they start? Who is behind them? We just happen to have a video answering those very questions.
A2Success
By: Keith Jefferies, 9/16/2009
Entrepreneurship. Education. Mass Transit. Regional Cooperation. A2Success has gathered together more than 70 community leaders to help secure smart and successful growth for the Ann Arbor region. See what they're planning and how you can get involved.
Canoe Canoe?
By: Keith Jefferies, 9/9/2009
While the Huron River is undoubtedly the Ann Arbor area's life blood (the city gets its drinking water from it, after all), it's also a vital part of our park system, offering a wide variety of recreational opportunities. Grab a paddle and get in. The water's fine.
Ann Arbor's Robot Repair Superstore (And Really Cool Non-profit)
By: Keith Jefferies, 8/12/2009
Robots. Creative writing. Dave Eggers. Kids. 826Michigan is the hippest non-profit organization in Ann Arbor. Offering writing workshops and tutoring to kids for free, and channeling the energy and enthusiasm of nearly 200 volunteers, author Dave Eggers' brainchild changes both minds and lives.
Accuri Cytometers
By: Keith Jefferies, 8/5/2009
From co-founder Collin Rich's kitchen table to the offices of U-M's Tech Transfer office to shipping their high tech cytometers to laboratories all over the world, Accuri Cytometers is a model for Ann Arbor startup know-how, and success.
U-M Students Get A Tech Start
By: Keith Jefferies, 7/29/2009
Think of it as a Head Start program for budding entrepreneurs. U-M's Office of Tech Transfer teams students from a variety of backgrounds with university researchers and innovators to start new companies from scratch.
Planet Rock
By: Keith Jefferies, 7/22/2009
Get vertical! Yes, even here in the flatlands of SE Michigan it's possible to boulder and top rope with the best of 'em. With over 20,000 sq ft of climbing, Planet Rock is the official cure to the 2-D blues. Plus they serve espresso. Even Joshua Tree can't give you that.
Logan Restaurant
By: Keith Jefferies, 7/15/2009
Upscale, tasteful and tasty, Logan is one Ann Arbor's must-visit bistros. With a menu and ambiance that would feel at home on either coast, it's one of the few restaurants in town where you can actually have a conversation with your dinner date.