Weekly Rewind: Ann Arbor’s Business News Recap

A look back on this week’s economic development headlines, announcements, and other share-worthy news from the Ann Arbor region.

Upcoming Events

• June 23: Employment Litigation: Identifying Risks of COVID Quarantine
  This is part two in a four-part series.  Ann Arbor SPARK invited the experts from Bodman Law to help navigate the challenges that new legal requirements present as businesses welcome employees back to the workplace.

• June 29: Pandemic Pivots: Ann Arbor Healthcare Startups Responding to COVID-19
  Our panel of inventors will share how they successfully shifted to making products like PPE, ventilators, germicidal light innovations, and vaccines — pivoting their startup and technology to support the healthcare challenges in Michigan.

Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

• University of Michigan’s Business Engagement Center checks-in with R2 Space, which set up operations in Ann Arbor last year

Mobility News

• Mobility Entrepreneurship Moves Ann Arbor Native Back to Hometown

• According to Forbes, Toyota looks pretty smart right now on autonomous vehicles

• Ann Arbor SPARK’s June Mobility Newsletter 

Regional Updates

• LLamasoft to Host Tenth Annual LLamaCon Supply Chain Conference as a Virtual Event

• Online Onboarding, Virtual Career Fairs Keep Tech Company Growing
  Corp! Magazine profiled KLA’s virtual career fair and the company’s plans to shift to online recruitment.

• Career Transition for WCC Student Results in Acceptance to NASA Cohort

• LivCoCollaborative Launches #LoveLivCo Marketing Campaign and Livingston County Small Business Relief Fund.
  Ann Arbor SPARK, Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce, Howell Area Chamber of Commerce, Hartland Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Livingston County Convention & Visitors Bureau join forces on a campaign to support Livingston, and to provide small business support grants.

Around the Mitten

• Michigan finalizes plan to spend $880 million in federal coronavirus funds
  “Michigan would use another $100 million of its CARES Act money to provide grants to small businesses and nonprofits rocked by the pandemic. Firms with 50 or fewer workers could qualify for up to $20,000 each. Grants would be awarded by local and nonprofit development agencies, along with the Michigan Strategic Fund.”

• Michigan’s Initial Jobless Claims Lowest Since Pandemic-Related Shutdown

• Michigan performs well in the 2020 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards, which recognizes state economic development efforts.

Food for Thought

• Returning to Work: A Design Approach
  Good tips like “Block off downtime in meeting rooms. A 30-60 min gap between meetings can ensure that if a meeting runs over, teams are not trying to get in and out of the same door in a small margin of time.” (SPARK Blog)

• Behind The Scenes of Midwest Tech During COVID-19
  “Talent is looking for new opportunities especially in work from home tech jobs.”

• Consumer Products Startup Investment Surged Amid COVID-19. Here’s Where Funding Went

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