Innovation & Job News

The challenge for Wellco these days isn't convincing companies to adopt a health-and-wellness program. It's making the ones that exist work. That makes the Royal Oak-based business more a fixer of these programs instead of an establisher of them.

"The three biggest pitfalls include a lack of employees participating, a lack of leadership support and a lack of return on investment," says Scott Foster, president of Wellco.  "Wellco achieves all three of them."

The 17-year-old business sells software and programs it has developed that allows companies to document and track the health of their employees. That has allowed it to grow to 16 employees and the occasional intern. It has hired two people over the last year and plans to add another five employees over the next 12 months.

Driving this growth is acceptance and employment of health-and-wellness programs to help lower the overall bottom line by trimming health-care costs and improving productivity. The institutions of things like Obamacare have helped make them more popular in recent years.

Wellco has watched its revenue jump by 30 percent over the last year. Foster says a majority of that business is from companies that are looking to maximize near-dormant health-and-wellness program to help improve their overall profit margins.

"We're finding a tremendous need from employers to provide dependable results," Foster says.

Source: Scott Foster, president of Wellco
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Genisys Credit Union is riding high on some sizable growth numbers. The Auburn Hills-based financial institution has watched its membership, loan growth and employee base jump in the last year.

Membership for the credit union is up 7 percent, reaching a total of 138,000 members in Metro Detroit. That has allowed the credit union to hire about a dozen people, rounding out its staff to nearly 350 people. Its loan growth is also up several percentage points and is on track to be up between 10 and 11 percent in 2013.

"That's one of our best years ever," says Jackie Buchanan, president & CEO of Genisys Credit Union.

Genisys Credit Union got its start in 1936 as the credit union for workers of General Motors Truck & Coach and Burroughs Corp. It merged with three other credit unions five years ago to create Genisys Credit Union.

Since then the company has focused on growing its membership (credit unions are member-owned) by focusing on customer service. It doesn't try to push certain products on its members, instead focusing on finding ways to save them money in financial transactions. It has also been building out its technology to make banking easier for its membership.

"We have some really good technology," Buchanan says. "We have a really robust online platform and our mobile banking platform. We're adding to that all the time."

Source: Jackie Buchanan, president & CEO of Genisys Credit Union
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Nancy Schlichting, CEO of Henry Ford Health System, has been selected one of the “Top 25 Women in Healthcare.”
 
The selection, made by the editors of Modern Healthcare magazine, was to honor executives in all fields of health care “for making a positive difference in the industry.”

This is the third time that Schlichting has received this recognition from the magazine.
 
“Nancy’s vision, as well as the implementation strategy she has deployed with her leadership team, is the reason Henry Ford Health System is a national benchmark for quality, innovation and diversity,” says Sandy Pierce, chair of Henry Ford Health System.
 
In the summary about Schlichting, Modern Healthcare wrote:
“Nancy Schlichting, 58, joined Detroit’s Henry Ford Health System in 1998 as senior vice president and chief administrative officer, but has served as president and CEO since 2003. She is credited for leading the $4 billion system with more than 23,000 employees through a financial turnaround, helping it to start turning a profit in 2003, after previously posting losses. In 2011, Schlichting accepted the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, largely earned for Henry Ford’s “No Harm” patient-safety campaign.”
 
The 2013 candidates were judged on five criteria:
•             Successfully served as a leader or managed an organization or company.
•             Shown the ability or power to effect change in the healthcare industry.
•             Demonstrated a willingness to share expertise with others in the field.
•             Served as a role model or mentor to other female healthcare executives.
•             Assumed a leadership position in the industry outside of the candidates' own organization or company.
 
Others named include Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dr. Regina Benjamin, U.S. surgeon general; Leah Binder.  president and CEO of the Leapfrog Group; Maureen Bisognano, president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement; Karen Daley, president of the American Nurses Association; Dr. Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration; and Karen Ignagni, president and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans.
 

A couple of buzzwords are driving growth for RazorThreat: "insider threat."

The downtown Pontiac-based IT security firm has found the biggest need from its customers comes from combating and preventing insider threats. RazorThreat defines insider threats as credentialed employees that have gone rogue or malware that have invaded a company's network and are propagating unnoticed inside it.

"It's really now about the insider threat, whether it comes from a nation state or a rogue employee," says Greg Guidice, president & CEO of RazorThreat. "It's about protecting your high-value assets."

Guidice declines to specifically say how much the company has grown or how many hires it has made. He did say that it has grown its revenue significantly in 2012 and expects to do so again this year. The company has made a couple of new hires, expanding its staff to six employees and three interns.

He adds that there isn't a trend of specific sectors of business that is driving the demand to combat insider threats. Rather, it's businesses and organizations from across the digital spectrum.

"It's really across the board," Guidice says. "It's from the federal government to small-and medium-size businesses. Everyone has intellectual capital."

Source: Greg Guidice, president & CEO of RazorThreat
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Budding entrepreneurs whose business will be headquartered in Oakland County are invited to attend the new, free Walk-In Business Counseling Service beginning May 9 in the Oakland County One Stop Shop Business Center.
 
During Walk-In Start-Up Thursdays, entrepreneurs who want to start a business but do not know where to begin can receive confidential, one-on-one advice from an experienced business counselor in a supportive atmosphere with no appointment necessary. Counselors will provide direct answers to start-up questions, suggest next steps and provide guidance on business planning tools.
 
“Our One Stop Shop Business Center was designed to assist entrepreneurs who needed guidance getting their business to the next step,” Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. “Now we’re expanding our services to include those entrepreneurs who are just beginning and have questions about getting their business off the ground.”
 
The first walk-in counseling day is set for May 9 from 9:30 a.m. to noon and again from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sessions will be available on a first come, first served basis; no appointment is necessary. Initial counseling sessions are limited to 15 minutes.
 
“We usually operate on an appointment-only basis but many entrepreneurs walk into our One Stop Shop with questions on how to get started with their business idea,” said Greg Doyle, One Stop Shop Business Center supervisor. “By designating special walk-in days, we hope to reach more entrepreneurs and help them understand their next steps as well as present the resources we can make available to them. Our aim is to get them started quickly in a way that makes the most sense to their unique situation.”
 
All sessions will be held at the Oakland County Executive Office Building, One Stop Shop Business Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, Building 41W, in Waterford. The center is located on the first floor.
 
For more information, contact the One Stop Shop Business Center at 248-858-0783 or visit AdvantageOakland.com/expand.

Red Point Engineering made the move from Silicon Valley to Metro Detroit last year to take advantage of the region's talent pool and depth of resources in the automotive sector.

The nearly 10-year-old company specializes in advanced electric vehicle technologies and electric drivetrain development and integration. It choose to move to Auburn Hills because of the municipality's proximity to automotive suppliers and I-75.

"It (the city of Auburn Hills) has been very friendly and helpful to us so we can get started," says Monica Kedzierski, business development director of Red Point Engineering.

Kedzierski declined to publicly disclose the size of Red Point Engineering's workforce because of competition concerns, but did note that it has been growing since landing in Metro Detroit. It is constantly on the lookout for engineers in the software, electrical and powertrain fields.

"We're going to need to expand," Kedzierski says. "We will need a larger building to fulfill our customer requirements and scale the business."

Source: Monica Kedzierski, business development director of Red Point Engineering
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Allison & Taylor is one of those intriguing companies to watch if you want some clues about what direction the economy is heading.

The Rochester-based firm checks the references for corporations and individuals. For instance, Allison & Taylor will check the past work references of people looking to land a new job. Since the recession hit a few years ago, it has been handling work for the newly unemployed.

Today it's a combination of that workset and people who are employed and looking to climb the next rung of the career ladder. Those people are often the types who have been employed at the same job during the recession and looking to make the next step up, or to pay their bills took a job for which they were overqualified.

"Many of these people are looking for jobs that are more in their skill set," says Jeff Shane, executive vice president of Allison & Taylor.

Another growing part of the company is its cease-and-desist letter service. If Allison & Taylor finds that a former employer is giving a subpar reference, its attorney will send a letter asking that person to stop making the recommendation or face legal action.

"The cease-and-desist letter service demand has been strong in the last two to three years," Shane says.

Source: Jeff Shane, executive vice president of Allison & Taylor
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Promoshop is expanding its presence in Metro Detroit and Windsor with new hires on both sides of the Detroit River.

The Los Angeles-based company specializes in merchandising and marketing services for small and large businesses. It opened its office in Royal Oak five years ago and has grown it to five people after making three hires over the last year. It is also looking for an intern. Its Windsor office also stands at five people.

"We're in pretty strong growth phases, not only in this area but across the country," says Jennifer Lindsey Cooper, account manager for Promoshop.

Promoshop has some well-known local name brands on its client list, including the likes of Chrysler and Faygo. Lindsey Cooper expects that sort of local representation to continue to expand in 2013 as customers look to leverage the firm's expertise and other assets.

"We're also a minority-owned company," Lindsey Cooper says. "There has been a lot of strong growth in that area, too."

Source: Jennifer Lindsey Cooper, account manager for Promoshop
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Jack Aronson, co-founder and president of Garden Fresh Gourmet in Ferndale, shares the company's origins, how he and his wife, Annette, expanded the business from the rear of their former barbecue restaurant to what is now a sprawling campus, and what he feels is the right time for an entrepreneur to quit his or her day job.

Watch the video.

Tata Technologies, an international conglomerate, has relocated to a new North American headquarters in Troy which employs 50 engineers with plans to grow that to 100 by the end of the year.

Read more.

When Search Optics went looking for a place to set up shop in the eastern half of the U.S. to take advantage of the automotive Internet marketing space, no place made as much sense as Metro Detroit.

"The people in Detroit are intrinsically tuned to what's going on in the automotive industry," says Christian Fuller, executive vice president of Search Optics. "Everybody bleeds a little oil here."

The San Diego-based company now has more workers in its growing downtown Ferndale office than its west coast home and Toronto satellite office. Search Optics opened its office in downtown Ferndale two years ago and it now has 55 employees and a couple of interns there.

It has hired more than 30 people over the last year, prompting it to expand its space. It currently operates out of the first floor of a loft-style office and is building out the second floor of the building to accommodate its growing staff. Fuller expects the Detroit office to grow to 100 people within the next year.

"In the last year we have almost doubled our business," Fuller says. "We have been absolutely elated with the quality of people who have filled positions here in Detroit."

Source: Christian Fuller, executive vice president of Search Optics
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Green Arrow Enterprises will turn four in June, and the Auburn Hills-based company has its sights set on growing its reach outside of Michigan.

The staffing company deals mostly in placing high-end tech professionals in engineering, design and IT jobs. It has also expanded into a little light industrial and skilled labor work. The company has placed 13 people in full-time jobs over the last year and another 45 in contract work.

"We expect more growth, just looking at the growth patterns in the market in automotive and transportation," says Wayne Montour, president & owner of Green Arrow Enterprises. "We're trying to get into healthcare. I just see so much growth here."

Green Arrow Enterprises has raised its revenue from $3 million last year to an expectation of $4 million or $5 million in 2013. All of that work is coming from business in the Great Lakes State. Montour expects to expand in Indiana later this year and is eyeing markets in the southern U.S.

Source: Wayne Montour, president & owner of Green Owner Enterprises
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Troy-based direct mail marketing company SAVE on Everything has partnered with Red Plum to bring money-saving coupons to Minneapolis/St. Paul. 

Read more.

The Michigan Film Office announced the feature film How to Catch a Monster, written and directed by Academy Award-nominated actor Ryan Gosling, has been approved for a film incentive from the state. The project, a modern-fantasy drama, is scheduled to film in metro Detroit late this spring.

Read more.

South University, Novi announced the addition of a new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program to the offerings of the Twelve Mile Road campus. The program is designed to prepare students for careers in the nursing field.

"This is a great time to add a nursing program in this area. There are a growing number of students seeking education and training in nursing and health care programs," said Ted Blashak, president of South University, Novi. "The curriculum is comprehensive, and I expect students accepted into the program will find it engaging and challenging."

South University's Nursing Program Director, Rosalind Woodson, says the program is designed for the non-registered nurse student seeking a career in the nursing profession. "South University already offers advanced practice graduate programs in nurse practitioner specializations and an RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program for nurses with current registration. This is our first program for undergraduates that want to pursue nursing."

Students accepted into the program may complete prerequisite courses in as few as six quarters and then apply for admission to the nursing program, which is taught over seven quarters. The program allows highly motivated full-time students to complete the program of study in nursing in a concentrated period of time. After successful completion of the nursing program, the graduate must pass the National Council Licensure Examination Registered Nurse (NCLEXRN) in order to obtain licensure and begin practice as a registered nurse.*

For information on requirements to apply to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, transfer credits and the admission process, please contact the admissions office at 248.675.0200 or visit www.southuniversity.edu.

Limited Access Program
Nursing is a limited access program. Qualified applicants are considered for selection after successful completion of all prerequisite courses and all admission requirements.

About the College of Nursing and Public Health
In December of 2010, South University announced the College of Nursing and Public Health received a 10-year accreditation for its traditional and online baccalaureate and master's degree programs by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The 10-year accreditation is the result of an examination of an extensive self-study and a comprehensive onsite evaluation of the College's curricula and resources in April 2010 by CCNE representatives.

Acknowledged as the nation's top nursing school review body, CCNE awarded the College of Nursing and Public Health the highest level of accreditation a nursing program can receive. The accreditation confirms to current and prospective students that South University offers programs of study in nursing that are nationally recognized and reaffirms the College of Nursing and Public Health as a leader in nursing education.

CCNE is an autonomous accrediting agency officially recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a national accreditation agency ensuring the quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate and residency programs in nursing. Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education may be contact at this address: One DuPont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington DC 20036-1120; 202-887-6791; http://www.aacn.nche.edu/

For more information about the job outlook for registered nurses, please visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012-13 Occupational Outlook Handbook at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm.

About South University
Established in 1899, South University (www.southuniversity.edu) is a private, accredited, academic institution dedicated to providing educational opportunities for the intellectual, social and professional development of a diverse student population. South University offers over 50 degree programs across its 15 campuses located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. South University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of South University. OH Registration # 11-07-1971T; Licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education, License No. 2987.

See suprograms.info for program duration, tuition, fees, and other costs, median debt, federal salary data, alumni success, and other important information.