DETROIT—The Michigan Economic Activity Index compiled by economists at Comerica Bank increased in March to a level of 104.9, It was the fourth straight rise for the index, as six out of the nine variables were positive for the month. The index is comprised of nine variables: nonfarm payroll employment, continuing claims for unemployment insurance,
SOUTHFIELD — Lawrence Technological University will become the new home of the Specs Howard School of Media Arts. Specs Howard has offered courses in radio and television broadcasting, graphic design, and digital media arts since 1970, and has graduated more than 15,000 alumni in these fields. Lawrence Technological University has had a relationship with the
SOUTHFIELD—The Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University has been awarded $197,985 in grant funding to provide regional Industry 4.0 programming and services to increase manufacturers’ readiness to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies. The funding is part of a Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC)-led initiative to ensure 50 percent of Michigan manufacturers are prepared to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies
SOUTHFIELD—An unprecedented surge in the speed and power of computers is allowing the analysis of complex data sets to develop new vaccines, to analyze financial risk, to create efficient supply chains, or teach cars to drive themselves. A new degree at Lawrence Technological University will train students to analyze data to do all of those
ANN ARBOR—The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan will host its annual Positive Business Conference — an event aimed at informing and discussing topics related to improving workplace culture and delivering tangible business results — on May 13 and 14. The theme for this year’s virtual conference is “Meaningful Engagement in a Fragmented
SOUTHFIELD—The team from St. John Lutheran School in Rochester won a fourth place finish in the national tournament of Future City. Future City is a project-based learning program where students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades imagine, research, design, and build cities set at least 100 years in the future. The competition’s theme changes every
ANN-ARBOR—Genomenon, the genetics informatics company, has completed a $5.3 million financing round, company officials announced. The financing will enable the company to expand its commercial operations, which serve genetic testing labs, hospitals, pharmaceutical and biopharma companies. New investors in this round of financing included BroadOak Capital Partners LLC of Bethesda, Md., Green Park & Golf
NOVI—DuraMag, a brand of the Shyft Group’s specialty vehicles business unit, will engineer, manufacture, and install vocational body upfits for Boston-based EV Transportation Services Inc. and its FireFly vehicles, making the all-electric lightweight utility vehicle well suited to a variety of essential service and electro-mobility (e-mobility) functions. DuraMag, an all-aluminum truck body manufacturer, will build food
ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan announced that students will, for the first time, be able to take online courses in the university’s Masters of Social Work program, ranked the best social work program in the country by U.S. News & World Report, and the first of its kind Health Infrastructures & Learning Systems program offered by the
TROY—Electric Last Mile Inc., a commercial electric vehicle company focused on last-mile delivery systems, announced a partnership with Oakville, Ontario-based Geotab Inc. to develop a factory-installed connectivity system that will equip ELMS customers with the data they need to help manage and optimize their vehicles. As part of the collaboration, ELMS plans to integrate Geotab’s
