In the News

Huntington Woods makes top ten list for city-loving burbs

MSN.com Wednesday, October 10, 2012

With the zoo in its backyard, tree-lined neighborhoods, and close proximity to Detroit, Huntington Woods ranks alongside Englewood, CA and Haworth, NJ for the tops in near urban suburban living.

Excerpt:

"No. 10 on the list is this Detroit suburb, also known as the "City of Homes," which was established in the early 1920s. One of the original developers was inspired by a trip to Huntingdon, England, and as a result, the streets and many historic homes have a distinctly British flavor. That also is reflected in street names such as York, Hereford, Huntington, Salem and Dundee."

Read the rest here.

Maybe transportation mandates are what we need

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, October 04, 2012

Public input and influence is an important part of our country's democratic process but sometimes it hinders necessary progress and yields stagnation. Nate Berg makes the case that when it comes to developing alternative public transportation systems maybe a little less democracy and a little more leadership may be needed.

Excerpt:

"Of the 225 metropolitan areas in the U.S. with populations above 100,000, those that show the most progress being made toward the widespread adoption of a multi-modal transportation diet are those located in states where comprehensive transportation planning is mandated. By looking at how transportation patterns changed between 1980 and 2008 in all these areas, Ohio State University researcher Anna McCreery found the most positive change in the places with top-down planning requirements."

Read the rest here.

Popular Mechanics gazes into crystal ball, sees an amazing 2025 Detroit

Popular Mechanics Thursday, October 04, 2012

You have to like an article that starts with "Detroit's comeback is not only inevitable, it's already underway." Makes you want to read more doesn't it? It's view of water and landscape is the stuff that dreams are made of.

Excerpt:

"Reemerging waterways and feral forests claim land left open by sharp population decline. Detroit goes green with planning that takes advantage of the city's unique ecology."

Read the rest here.

Crains picks this year's 40 Under 40

Crains Business Detroit Thursday, October 04, 2012

Come on, admit it, you were hoping you'd make the list of Crain's best and brightest for 2012. Well, maybe you know someone who did...

Here's a sample:

"Driscoll had worked in the restaurant business in California to get experience. But after a visit back to Michigan -- his and Christine's home state -- they decided Detroit was a better place to invest.

After nine months of searching for a property and then doing repairs on the one they bought on West Lafayette at 14th Street, Green Dot Stables opened in March. It didn't take long for word to get out about the sliders and fries."

Read the rest here.

Farmington equity firm director writes about cutting-edge tech investment

The Huffington Post Thursday, October 04, 2012

Jeff Bocan of Farmington's private equity firm Beringea talks about his time at the National Science Foundation's I-Corps, a program at U-M designed to fast-track research from the lab to the real world, and how the government can help foster greater entrepreneurship by funding cutting edge R&D

Excerpt:

"I have just completed a tour of duty as a venture capital faculty member at the National Science Foundation's I-Corps (short for NSF's Innovation Corps - a program designed to fast-track research from the lab to the real world), delivered in partnership with the University of Michigan. I-Corps is like the scientific version of PBS' Antiques Roadshow -- NSF-funded technological gems that have largely been tucked away in the labs of America's research institutions are being dusted off, given a heavy dose of commercial polish and have been unearthed to unlock the potential to create a lot of value for the technologists, their universities and society in general."

Read the rest here.

A better generational mix of people makes for a better neighborhood

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, September 27, 2012

Look around your neighborhood. What do you see? If it's mostly people that look like you -particularly with regard to age - then you (and your community) are missing out. Or so says writer Sarah Goodyear.

Excerpt:

"The segregation of generations goes deeper than just the swaddling of children in a cocoon of safety, though. In a society obsessed with aging, too often the generations are kept apart by prejudice and stereotypes. Young people are scared of getting old. Old people are scared of being inconvenienced. The debate over strollers in pubs seems to be never-ending here in New York, with a lot of young adults saying they don’t want to be disturbed by little kids (my opinion on a reasonable position echoes that of many commenters on this New York Times piece: In a decent place that serves food as well as booze, at reasonable times of day, there’s no reason to exclude families that are responsible about their own and their children’s behavior). Outside the city, many gated communities geared toward retirees won’t sell to anyone younger than 50, or 55, or 60. Presumably even a rowdy 45-year-old could upset the equilibrium. To quote one website marketing such a community: "

Read the rest here.

It's cider mill season in Metro Detroit

Berkley Patch Thursday, September 27, 2012

Fall has officially landed, which means that cider and donuts are on the menu. Patch has put together a round up of local cider mills that should put you in an autumnal mood.

Sample:

Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill

New this year to the popular autumn destination is a haunted 3D maze and a "zombie paintball safari." Other tried-and-true attractions include train rides, hay rides, pony rides, a straw maze, story book barn, animal petting farm, barnyard funland, straw mountain and more. Blake's also offer u-pick fruits and vegetables and a store filled with tasty treats and fresh apple cider.

Read the rest here.

Revealed: What's in White Trash Pie

The Huffington Post Thursday, September 27, 2012

Here's a fun interview with Nikita Santches, avante garde baker of Rock City Pies, which currently makes its home in Ferndale's Rustbelt Market.

Excerpt:

"A semifinalist in the Comerica Hatch Detroit contest, he hopes to win the grand prize of $50,000 and open a brick-and-mortar retail space in the city. Santches would plan to sell sweet and savory creations to hungry customers, as well as distribute the pies wholesale.

The Hatch finalists is determined by public voting through Sept. 18, and a final round of judge and public decision-making at the end of the month will determine the winner."

To discover what's in a White Trash Pie click here.

A fascinating look at Dearborn's diversity

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, September 27, 2012

Writer Daniel Denvir does a deep dive into the character and controversies surroundings Dearborn's Arab-American culture. From the ugly anti-Muslim agendas of bigots to the city's unique culture of assimilation, the article is a must-read.

Excerpt:

"When Henry Ford moved production to Dearborn's vast Rouge plant, Muslim workers followed—though the Arab-American population was still largely Christian. The city's American Moslem Society, founded in 1938, is now the area's oldest continuously operating mosque. Chaldeans, Iraqi Catholics who often do not identify as Arabs, joined a tide of more well-to-do immigrants after World War II. After 1970, Muslim immigrants arrived from Iraq and Yemen, alongside many Lebanese fleeing that country's bloody civil war. The Gulf and Iraq wars have dispatched a new wave. The immigrants have found opportunities in a changing and troubled local economy, excelling in the sort of small business entrepreneurship that Jewish immigrants, and earlier Arabs, had skillfully managed a generation before. In Detroit, Chaldeans run most supermarkets and liquor stores, in part because they were tasked with handling alcohol in Muslim-majority Iraq. Lebanese own many gas stations."

Read the rest here.

Michigan needs better cities to attract better talent

Lansing State Journal Thursday, September 20, 2012

Lou Glazer, who heads the nonprofit think tank Michigan Future Inc., has never been shy about his opinion on what Michigan needs to compete as a worldclass economy, destination, or community. In a Q&A he advocates for a better educated workforce and more progressive cities.

Excerpt:

"Culture ends up being the most important ingredient. Learning, entrepreneurship and being (welcoming) to all. Michigan’s having problems with all of them.

You need cars less because all of these cities are walkable.

That’s what’s missing in Michigan."

Read the rest here.

Royal Oak cupcake champions celebrate win

The Detroit News Thursday, September 20, 2012

Back in April the gals who own and run Royal Oak's Taste Love Cupcakes emerged champions on the Food Network's "Cupcake Wars." The win couldn't have come at a better time since the shop hadn't yet hit its stride and talk of closing was in the year. Ah, what a difference salmon caramel cupcakes can make.

Excerpt:

"That episode will re-air at 7 p.m. Tuesday, and to celebrate, Michelle Brown and Yolanda Baston of Taste Love Cupcakes will offer the very products that won the "war.""

Pure Michigan Singalong shows off Metro Detroit, becomes a web sensation

YouTube Thursday, September 20, 2012

Come on, you gotta have a heart of stone not to be touched by this clever Pure Michigan promotional. And at nearly 2 million views in less than 2 weeks that's a helluva successful campaign.

Let's see if I caught all of our region's reps. There's the Erebus' ghouls (Pontiac), a high falutin' toast in Rochester, Royal Oak's polar bears, a Southfield weatherman, The Henry Ford (Dearborn), Ann Arbor's Big House, Detroit's Comerica Park, Lions, DIA, and Fox Theater, an ice rink in Novi, and the Ypsilanti Water Tower. Did I miss any?

Check out the video below.

Grosse Pointe salad joint plans for national expansion

RestaurantNews.com Thursday, September 20, 2012

How far can veggies take you? For this GP-based restaurant chain, they're looking to shoot the moon.

Excerpt:

"The Big Salad, a chain of restaurants in metro Detroit serving fresh, custom-made salads, healthy and hearty soups and a wide range of sumptuous sandwiches today announced plans to open two new franchises in 2013 with a goal to launch an additional 200 restaurants over the next 10 years."

Read the rest here.

The Atlantic magazine is looking for a few good start-ups

The Atlantic Thursday, September 13, 2012

Entrepreneurs and economic development officials, be on the alert for a pair of enterprising reporters from The Atlantic magazine. Beginning next week, they're making a beeline for the Upper Midwest, and Detroit is one of the regions where they're looking to find the region's brightest start-ups.

Excerpt:
"This year, we're starting the trip in Chicago and finishing up in Pittsburgh. Call it a Rust Belt Tour, if that's not a pejorative. If you're starting a business along this route (or even near it), we want to hear from you. While we're primarily interested in tech (very broadly construed), interesting entrepreneurs of all types should feel free to get in touch.

And stay tuned because we're working on putting together a few events, so that we can meet as many people as possible.

This year, we want to build maps of the startup scene in each city we visit. That means we want to map not just where startups have their offices, but also where they get coffees and beers and meetings and employees and money."

Read the full story here. And check here for MLive's coverage.

New Metro Detroit homes are hot properties, once again

Wall Street Journal Thursday, September 13, 2012

While the heady days of '06 and '07 seem long-buried, Detroit's housing market is rising from the dead. The Wall Street Journal reports on a real comeback -- bidding wars! -- in the metro area's new construction market.

Excerpt:
"Low interest rates and improving economic conditions are persuading people like Jerold Hawkins to take the plunge. Mr. Hawkins, a software developer for the auto industry, and his wife, Katherine, a nurse, recently agreed to buy a new five-bedroom home in Rochester Hills, Mich., for $289,900. "I now have a really good job and so does my wife," Mr. Hawkins says.

The auto industry's recovery has spurred demand for new homes in the $180,000 to $500,000 price range in the Detroit area, says Dan Elsea, president of brokerage Real Estate One in Detroit. In the choicest neighborhoods, even homes built without a ready buyer often sell long before completion and with multiple offers, he says."

Get the full story here.