If men in Ann Arbor's State Street Area start looking a little more dapper in 2015, there's a reason why. Toronto-based men's barber spa Taylor & Colt is bringing its grooming services south of the border, and Ann Arbor will host its first U.S. location.  "We’re beginning to see men have an appreciation for the precise grooming techniques of their fathers and grandfathers," says Taylor & Colt's Birdie White. "We also want men to enjoy taking a bit of time for themselves in a space exclusively designed for them, rather than in a salon designed for women." White says Ann Arbor was chosen as the first U.S. Taylor & Colt for its unique, bustling downtown vibe. The shop's buildout is now underway in their 1,100 space on E. Liberty. "The physical space will be completely renovated, right down to the studs. Ann Arbor will be our flagship location, so we didn’t hold back," says White.  From here, Taylor & Colt plans to open a shop in Rochester Hills next year, followed by Birmingham, Grand Rapids, Lansing and then on to other states.  White hopes to finish renovations by mid-December and open in time for the holiday rush. They are currently hiring 7 to 8 barbers, as well as support staff and managers.  Source: Birdie White, Taylor & Colt Writer: Natalie Burg

If there's such thing as the perfect resumé for a pizza and cookie bakery entrepreneur, Harold Solomon has it. He began his career working for a French bakery before spending a decade in research and development for Dominos, working for and being a franchisee for Cottage Inn and then bringing the Insomnia Cookie truck to town. Now, he's shed those big business names and has opened his very own twist on all of it: Bake Me Crazy on E. Madison.  "I liked the Insomnia Cookie concept, but I'm a pizza guy," Solomon says. "We're, in effect, complicating their business model with other items we think people would like delivered."  Though the menu is still under development, that will include pastries, shakes, lunches, breakfast sandwiches, and, of course, pizza. Both with his full pizzas and the pizza by the slice he sells now, he plans to follow through on the "crazy" part of his company name with such pies as pot roast pizza, spaghetti and meatball pizza, Asian fusion pizza and more.  Solomon's experience in the food industry has taught him the importance of a good, long slow opening, during which he can perfect his menu and get everything up to snuff. He's been quietly serving to residents and workers in his neighborhood for a couple of months now, but is looking forward to a big roll out soon.  "We're almost there now, at the final menu stage" he says. "I'm thinking a couple of weeks."  Bake Me Crazy currently employs a staff of four in the 900 square foot location near the corner of Main and Madison. As his delivery services and grand opening gets underway, Solomon estimates he'll employ between 10 and 20 workers.  Source: Harold Solomon, Bake Me Crazy Writer: Natalie Burg

Universal Marketing Group announced the opening of a new call center in Ann Arbor last year with lots of fanfare. The Toledo-based firm promised to creates dozens of jobs and invest millions in Tree Town. One year later it has accomplished a lot of those things. The 11-year-old company has grown the Ann Arbor office (its second location) to 75 people, and it’s in the process of hiring 100 more people. "It's going pretty well," says Kirk Schimmoeller, general manager of Universal Marketing Group. "We are taking on more clients as well as servicing our existing client. We have the new office up and running now." Universal Marketing Group is occupying a large section of the former Border headquarters. It received a $600,000 incentive from the state to open the location with the promise of creating 400 new jobs by 2016. The company currently employs 300 people overall, and plans to have 150-200 employees in Ann Arbor by the end of next year. That hiring is ramping up now because its the beginning of the company’s busy season handling work for retailers and gyms. "Our busy season continue through the first quarter," Schimmoeller says. Source: Kirk Schimmoeller, general manager of Universal Marketing Writer: Jon Zemke

RetroSense Therapeutics hit a significant milestone when the U.S. Food & Drug Administration granted the Ann Arbor-based startup an orphan designation for its lead technology. Orphan status for a biopharmaceutical company is actually much better than it sounds. It gives the company bureaucratic cover to continue keep pushing forward its commercialization efforts by helping protect its rights to its research. "It's a form of intellectual property identification," says Sean Ainsworth, CEO of RetroSense Therapeutics. "That's a key part of it." The 4-year-old startup is developing a novel gene therapy to restore vision in retinal degenerative diseases, using technology licensed from Wayne State University. RetroSense Therapeutics' platform extracts a new gene from blue-green algae that helps make cells more photo sensitive. The company plans to apply this gene to human cells to regenerate photo receptors in the retina. The FDA Orphan designation is intended to support the development of medicines and technologies that diagnose, treat or prevent rare diseases and conditions that impact 200,000 people or fewer in the U.S. It serves as an incentive for their development by designating a seven-year period of market exclusivity following FDA approval, along with certain tax credits for clinical testing expenses. "It gives us the chance to demonstrate efficacy," Ainsworth says. "We expect to see that in our stage one clinical study." RetroSense Therapeutics employs four people. It is in the process of wrapping up some of its pre-clinical testing and plans to launch clinical tests in 2015. Source: Sean Ainsworth, CEO of RetroSense Therapeutics Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

The Clean Energy Coalition wrapped up a number of sustainability projects over the last year, and got started on a few more. All of them added up to a broader reach for the Ann Arbor-based non-profit. The Clean Energy Coalition got its start in 2005 with the idea of helping spreading green practices across Michigan. Those have ranged from improving fuel-efficiency to making homes more energy efficient to promoting alternative methods of transportation. For instance, it teamed up with the city of Ann Arbor and Zingerman's on a pilot program to help make the employees of those organizations implement more energy efficient practices. That program wrapped up earlier this year but was not renewed by DTE Energy. The Clean Energy Coalition also wrapped up its Michigan Greenfleets program. The four-year, $42 million initiative worked to bring better fuel efficiencies to local government vehicles, such as introducing vehicles that run on natural gas or hybrid technology or installing electric charging stations. "We saw about 1.5 million gallon reduction of petroleum usage each year since we implemented the program," says Sean Reed, executive director of the Clean Energy Coalition. The Clean Energy Coalition also launched ArborBike this year. The bike-share program has locations across downtown Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan’s campus. ArborBike will have 14 stations with 125 bikes when it's fully deployed next spring. "Right now the system is at about half capacity," Reed says. All of these wins have led to a demand for the Clean Energy Coalition’s consulting services. It's working with the EPA's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado, and targeting other similar opportunities across the U.S. this year and in 2015. The Clean Energy Coalition currently employs 15 employees and a handful of interns. It has made a couple of replacement hires over the last year. Source: Sean Reed, executive director of the Clean Energy Coalition Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Bruce Katz of the Brooking's Institute has some advice for metro regions… and points to San Diego as a city that 'gets it.' Excerpt: "We have 100 metropolitan areas that really power our economy forward. They all have really distinct economic profiles — what they make, the services they provide, what they trade, who they trade with. Buffalo is not like Boston. San Diego is not like Syracuse. In the great words of Dolly Parton: “find out who you are and do it on purpose.” Cities should invest in those things that will really power their distinct economy forward — in some places that might be an investment in a port or an airport.  Everywhere it will require an investment in skills but it needs to be really customized to the kind of economy you have. Read the rest here.

Check out these two philanthropic groups that are making Ann Arbor and Detroit (and points  in between) more awesome $1000 at a time. Excerpt: "The Awesome model is a simplified, smaller-scale version of traditional philanthropic foundations. Detroit and Ann Arbor’s trustees meet monthly to sort through anywhere from 10-30 proposals, funding whatever project best spreads “awesomeness” in their respective communities. “We don’t follow any rules,” said Ann Arbor Awesome Foundation dean Mark Maynard. “We don’t answer to a board. People make a choice as to where they give their personal money, and then they do it.” Read the rest here.

After opening the Saline Pharmacy three years ago, Ziad Ghamraoui started hearing that his brand of customer-focused pharmacy services were in demand elsewhere as well.  "A lot of doctors and patients were very happy with us, and a lot of Milan residents told us if we moved closer to Milan they'd give us more business," Ghamraoui says, "because we help bridge the gap in healthcare." Ghamraoui met that demand, opening Little Pharmacy in Milan about two weeks ago. Like the Saline Pharmacy, he plans to serve customers in a variety of ways, including carrying over-the-counter medications as cheaply as possible, helping those who struggle to meet their copays, allowing people to pay with store accounts when their cash flow is short and more.  "Brand names can be expensive," Ghamraoui he says. "We get them coupons so we can save them on their copays. We want to make sure people get their prescriptions and make sure they're on the road to health with no restrictions whatsoever." Little Pharmacy currently occupies about 1,600 square feet of a 2,500 square foot space on Dexter Rd. in Milan. Ghamraoui has hired two employees to manage the new business.  Source: Ziad Ghamraoui, Little Pharmacy Writer: Natalie Burg