Your report for Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Midwest health care startups raise $44 million in first half; Michigan up
Midwest health care startups reported $443 million in total investments across 65 companies through the first half of 2008, according to the BioEnterprise Midwest Health Care Venture Investment Report. While the numbers are lower than the 2007 record year, BioEnterprise says the numbers are far greater than in prior years. Minnesota led the Midwest states in financings, attracting $106.4 million to nine health care ventures. Ohio ($84 million) and Michigan ($73.5 million) ranked second and third, respectively. The three states together accounted for more than half of the Midwestern health care activity. The leading regions for health care venture investment were Minneapolis, Detroit-Ann Arbor, and Cleveland. More.

New high-end gaming laptops from Dearborn computer builder
The Dearborn-based high-end computer manufacturer Zepto USA has introduced two new gaming laptops called Mythos and Nox. Both models feature a stylish, yet sturdy “soft touch” design with the most innovative technologies for gaming, movie-viewing and high definition sound. Depending on customer needs, Mythos and Nox laptops can be customized to include Centrino 2 technology, up to 2.8 GHz dual-core processor, eight gigabytes of RAM and a 500-gigabyte hard disk. Each includes a 15.4-inch WSXGA screen and is equipped with CrystalClear technology with Zero Bright Dot Warranty. Nox machines start at $1,214, Mythos at $1,339. More.

American Blind gets exclusive online deal with Levolor
Livonia-based American Blind and Wallpaper Factory Inc. has been selected by Levolor Window Fashions as the exclusive Internet retailer for its new customer drapery collection. The collection focuses on designer style made easy by offering customers an easy 1-2-3 shopping process, collection groupings by style, and inspirational tips. After completing the purchase online, the order is custom made and then is shipped to the consumer’s door ready to hang. And, if a customer wants their purchase measured or installed by a professional, American Blinds provides links on its site to independent professional installers who are ready to help. Shipping takes four to six weeks. More.

HealthMedia launches program to combat binge eating
Ann Arbor-based HealthMedia Inc. Monday launched HealthMedia Overcoming Binge Eating, a new online program America's top eating disorder and its growing impact on health care costs and productivity. The evidence-based program emulates the experience of an around-the-clock health coach, nutritionist, and psychologist working together via the web to help individuals suffering from binge eating disorder regain control of their eating and emotions. More.

New Web site offers logistics services
Detroit-based Interactive Capacity Gateway LLC Monday launched its new Web site, www.interactivecapacitygateway.com. Through this Web site, third-party logistics providers, brokers, shippers and carriers are able to access the company’s flagship product, Capacity Gateway, an on-demand shipment management software that enables users to create an online collaborative network to manage their customers’ ground shipment activity from a Web site branded with the 3PL, broker, shipper or carrier’s identity. Capacity Gateway provides a comprehensive package of standard software features including online order entry; online procurement; proactive event management; order visibility and tracking; and reporting tools. More.

Ann Arbor firm retrains laid-off auto engineers in defense design tech
Ann Arbor-based Universal Parametrics Inc. announced a free auto worker retraining boot camp and career fair for Aug. 4-8 at its headquarters. The company says it hopes to convert downsized auto designers and engineers in the auto industry into those with skills applicable in the defense industry, where demand is rising. More.

Azure Dynamics reports record shipments in second quarter
The Oak Park hybrid truck developers Azure Dynamics Corp. Monday reported that it had shipped a record number of units during the second quarter. The company also reported continued progress on "a number of key sales initiatives." The company shipped 49 hybrid electric and 37 electric vehicle systems during the second quarter. Key deliveries were made to FedEx, AT&T, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and several others. More.

FEV expanding Auburn Hills offices, test center
The FEV North American Technical Center is on the grow. The Auburn Hills subsidiary of the German automotive technology firm will add office space, eight additional testing stations and more. FEV is expanding its office by about 150 work stations, or 10,000 square feet, at its Luella Lane building, which was completed last year. In addition to staff space in Auburn Hills, FEV is also doubling the size of its vehicle integration lab to 50,000 square feet, housed in the same building on Luella Lane.At FEV's building on Glenmeade Lane, its original location in Auburn Hills, will grow by about 10,000 square feet, providing eight additional powertrain test sites. More.

Orion IT firm Alliance grows through customer focus, service

The business climate in Michigan has been one of the toughest for companies of all sizes. However, you can find evidence that through sound planning and strong business management, great results are still possible.

Alliance Technology Solutions L.L.C., an Orion Township IT products and services provider, has been able to deliver triple digit growth in the last four years of its five-year existence by focusing on real customer needs and delivering high quality customer service.

Alliance provides IT infrastructure products and services for health care, banking, the federal government and higher education.

Margie Garza-Carlson, the company's president and owner, believes a good mix of motivation, attention to detail and honesty is the formula. She says success always starts with highly capable and motivated people, who know what they are doing and why they are doing it.

"At Alliance we strive to gain our customers' trust and build a long lasting relationship,"
Carlson said. "We strongly believe that honesty is the key to gain our customers'
Trust. Top that with knowledge and quality customer service, and you are guaranteed that your customers will come back."

Alliance has been in the spotlight in small business circles, and has received many awards, such as the Michigan Top 50 Companies to Watch from the Edward Lowe Foundation, the Hispanic Business 500 and the Inc. 5,000.

The company currently has 13 employees and is searching for two more with a storage architecture background. Alliance is a business partner for IBM, EMC and Oracle, and has satellite offices in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and central Florida.

More at www.ats.biz.

Note: Today's Blue Box is sponsored by Alliance Technology Solutions. For information on how you can sponsor content in the Blue Box, contact Dan Keelan at (248) 455-7380 or dkeelan@cbs.com.

THE WORLD IN TECH

Analysis finds TV buyers steered toward costlier LCDs
LCD or plasma? If you've been shopping for a flat-panel TV, that's the big question. According to a mystery-shopper survey, electronics salespeople don't know much about the differences, but still have a ready answer: LCD. More than three times out of four, salespeople steer customers to a liquid-crystal display set rather than a plasma screen, according to a study by J.D. Power and Associates released Monday. Never mind that LCD TVs are more expensive for the same size. The survey also found that more than 37 percent of salespeople warned customers that images can "burn" into plasma screens, which is no longer a big problem. More.

Yahoo settles with Icahn to avoid shareholder showdown
Yahoo Inc. averted a showdown with rabble-rousing investor Carl Icahn on Monday by giving him three seats on its board of directors in a truce that still leaves the door open for a possible sale to Microsoft Corp. The compromise spares Yahoo from more bickering with Icahn, an acerbic billionaire who had spent the past two months spearheading a rebellion to replace the Internet company's entire board in retaliation for its rejection of Microsoft's $47.5 billion takeover bid in May. The duel had been scheduled to culminate in a shareholder vote at Yahoo's Aug. 1 annual meeting. It now appears there will be fewer fireworks at that gathering, although some Yahoo shareholders are still expected to vent about the board's inability to get a deal done with Microsoft after six months of wrangling. More.

Brocade to acquire Foundry Networks for $3 billion
Brocade Communications Systems Inc. says it is paying $3 billion in cash and stock to acquire Foundry Networks Inc., a deal designed to challenge industry behemoth Cisco Systems Inc. The melding of Brocade and Foundry would bring together two companies with presence deep in the data center and signals the growing importance of the equipment used to shuttle data and Internet traffic. San Jose, Calif.-based Brocade makes switches used to connect servers to data storage machines, an area where it dominates Cisco. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Foundry Networks makes routers and switches used to direct Internet traffic. Cisco has long dominated that market.

Facebook gets facelift to help users share
The popular online hangout Facebook is sporting a new look to reflect changes in how its members communicate with each other and how they share photos and updates about their lives. Central to the redesign, unveiled Monday, is an expanded Wall, the section of a member's personal profile page where friends can leave comments and photos. People will now be able to add items more easily, and the Wall will incorporate reports on a user's activities previously found on a user's "Mini-Feed." The development comes as Facebook and rival MySpace from News Corp. vie to become the central hub of online communications. Both sites are reorganizing their layouts this summer to reduce clutter and make information easier to find. More.

Stocks: Weak performance in chip, Net shares as earnings loom
Technology stocks joined the broader market with a mostly negative performance Monday on a day highlighted by a peace pact between Yahoo Inc. and Carl Icahn, and by Electronic Arts Inc.'s extension of its offer for Take-Two Interactive Software for a fifth time. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index ($COMPQ) fell 3.25 points or 0.1 percent at 2,279.53. The Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) fell 3.71 points or 0.7 percent to 550.47, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) fell 3.98 points or 1.1 percent to 361.89. The Amex Pharmaceutical Index (DRG) fell 3.86 points or 1.3 percent to 302.61, while the Amex Biotechnology Index (BTK) rose 15.72 points or 2 percent to 811.15. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) fell 29.23 points or 0.3 percent to 11,467.34. The S&P 500 ($SPX) fell 0.68 points or 0.1 percent to 1,260 even. The Conference Board's index of economic indicators declined 0.1 percent in June, with a board economist finding "no signs of strength" in the domestic economy. Read more.

Matt's Favorites

Local extras: Compuware Corp. writes the (e)book on business service management; General Motors will work with a utility trade group on electric vehicle charging stations; Oak Park's Gas Station TV picks its 'BroadcaStar' spokesperson; and a Fanuc robot is the first ever cleared for food handling. Elsewhere: Texas Instruments had a bad second quarter on weak wireless sales; Apple's stock drops despite a 31 percent profit increase; there's a chance an ousted AOL boss could help guide Yahoo's strategy; SAP is shutting down a subsidiary that was sued by Oracle; Nissan is adding solar battery chargers; here's one guy who knows just how his luggage is handled; how do you suppose that I could get this job?; XM Satellite Radio subscriber gains beat estimates; the oldest New Testament Bible is now available online; a semi-major Web celebrity now eyes a new gig, charity; folks are still worried about the health of Apple's Steve Jobs; the iPhone has tons of terrific new music applications; and a Web pioneer is reinvigorated by new business in green energy.

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