There’s no question that an economy at least some of us grew up with has dramatically changed in recent years.
Really, no surprise there.
The somewhat surprising component to this story of transformation is just how well an area economy that was once viewed as the heartland of American manufacturing has become one of its most proliferate when it comes to companies whose livelihoods embrace digital, science and technology.
Corp! magazine is once again honoring those DiSciTech winners for their sense of enterprise, innovation and, yes, plain old gutsy determination to make a difference in whatever field they’ve decided to embrace, often with a disruptive edge (in a good way, of course).
From the digital realm, firms like Chesterfield, Mich.-based Apex Apps, a developer of mobile apps that help to make our world (and our children) safer is one stand out.
“Our schools should be a safe haven for learning, and we are working hard to do our part in helping ensure they are just that,” says Jim Hankins, the firm’s president and founder, who adds that innovation is at the core of Apex Apps. “We are a small company, so fostering a culture of innovation is simple now. As we grow, we’ll use that same innovative spirit.”
Another player in the mobile space is the Coil Group, a Rochester-based company that’s identified (and subsequently targeted) the need for sales managers and marketing directors to gain customer insights faster through better use of the data found in a typical Customer Relationship Management system. One of its products is Stage, a mobile cataloguing solution that’s available right now.
And then there’s Gokit, a Birmingham enterprise that’s taking social media to an entirely different level by enveloping it into a visual storytelling application. You really do have to see it to believe it.
Following that “see it, believe it” theme is Hashgram, a venture that lets its community of users share Instagram images and videos beyond that popular app (now part of the Facebook ecosystem). Even now the Hashgram “discovery platform” is being used by millions worldwide, in part due to its role as an early development partner of Instagram.
There are, of course, other key players in the digital realm, including JacApps, a developer of mobile apps based in Bingham Farms; Novi’s Mastery Technologies, which delivers on-demand workplace training to employers (think Netflix for business); and Mobile Comply, which focuses on technology training with an emphasis on, you guessed it, mobile.
In the Science category, stand out organizations include the venerable Michigan Science Center, whose leadership—notably CEO Tonya Matthews—passionately believes in the power of innovative, hands-on opportunity as a tool for inspiring a new generation of science, technology and math aficionados.
And proving that medical innovation is every bit as important as anything else we might be considering, Novi-based Miller Vein offers non-invasive treatment options with no scalpels, sutures or downtime. A key to the firm’s success, says founder Jeffrey Miller, is its innovative system. “This allows us to be much more efficient and spend more time with patients and less time with paperwork.”
Even technology that’s beyond the understanding of most of us represents an area of growth for companies like Rigaku Innovative Technologies Inc., based in Auburn Hills. In this case, it’s a business that delivers multilayer-coated optics for extreme ultraviolet lithography, analytical X-ray instruments and X-ray research applications as well as micro-focus X-ray generators and small angle X-ray scattering cameras. Think about the kind of technology that’s used in the manufacture of computer chips among other applications and you get the picture.
Technology leaders such as Attendance on Demand, a Livonia-based firm that brings real time, cloud-based management of labor data to clients who would rather focus on their own business than worry about expensive infrastructure.
Or Avegant, the Ann Arbor firm that is developing the next generation of personal, wearable display devices, technology that’s providing a premium multimedia experience without the constraints of an immersive, virtual-reality-ready device.
Can you feel the energy? If you’re using technology developed by Breeze Design Studio you might. The Birmingham-based firm specializes in touch/motion and gesture technologies, video mapping, advanced Web and mobile app development, holographic solutions and augmented reality.
And because all this technology requires enormous amounts of networking prowess, companies like Brightline Technologies have stepped forward, bringing their consulting and hosting solutions, including managed IT services, network assessments and audits, cloud hosting, and network security to the table.
Remember the telephone? Southfield’s BullsEye Telecom certainly has, although it’s made a name for itself by developing a comprehensive portfolio of telecommunications services, from traditional local and long distance voice service to digital voice (VoIP) and cloud solutions, all with a personal touch.
Proving that technology doesn’t always have to mean computers and high-tech video displays, there’s the Fremont Community Digester, a system created by NOVI Energy to turn tons of organic waste (typically from restaurants) into biogas and ultimately renewable energy.
Passion is more often than not part of a recipe for success.
Take for example Detroit-based Global Telecom Solutions, where CEO Mark Stackpoole makes the key point: “If management isn’t passionate and invested, employees won’t be either.”
Growth is a challenge commonly found with firms such as IDV Solutions, a Lansing-based data visualization company where CEO Mark Morrison is running hard to keep up with demand for talent.
“We’ve doubled in size over the past three years, and we sometimes find it hard to fill positions with the right candidates, especially in the technology area,” notes Morrison, who says investing in awareness creation and working with local universities, recruiters and state and regional government agencies to find candidates is a key strategy.
What you do with the talent you bring on board is then just as important, notes ImageSoft CEO Scott Bade, who worked hard to create an office environment that is vibrant, open and colorful, with many collaborative work spaces for groups of people to interact and work together.
“Creating such an office environment was an important and strategic decision on our part because our people and the ideas they generate are key to ImageSoft’s success.”
What great ideas those companies we’ve honored with this year’s DiSciTech Awards have created!
Source: Corp! Magazine