Winners & Finalists:

Nominees were named in seven sectors for businesses that exhibited significant progress over the past year, with impact measured on the company, its employee base and the community. Winners were announced at the November 4, 2011 Deals of the Year gala event. Executive of the Year and Company of the Year were also recognized at the event.

 

 

 

2011 Deals of the Year Nominees:

EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Michelle and Aaron Crumm [AnnArbor.com coverage]

COMPANY OF THE YEAR
ForeSee [AnnArbor.com coverage]

HEALTHCARE
Winner:
Evangelical Homes of Michigan: Evangelical Homes of Michigan signs a deal to lease the vacant inpatient unit at St. Joseph Mercy Health System’s Saline hospital. EHM is using the space to expand the rehab capabilities of its Saline nursing home facility.

Finalists:
St. Joseph Mercy Health System: St. Joe’s acquires Integrated Healthcare Associates and Michigan Heart in a series of deals that position the nonprofit to adapt to federal health care reform.

Cielo MedSolutions: University of Michigan electronic medical records startup Cielo MedSolutions is acquired by The Advisory Board Co. and continues to expand its Ann Arbor presence.

RETAIL
Winner:
Mark’s Carts: Downtown Home & Garden owner Mark Hodesh creates a new, innovative model for local dining — an outdoor food courtyard that has proved to be instantly popular to customers and serves as a springboard for culinary entrepreneurs.

Finalists:
Rider’s Hobby Shop and Tree Town Toys: The Ypsilanti area Rider’s Hobby Shop coordinates a deal with Ann Arbor’s Tree Town Toys to move into the same retail space at Traver Village Shopping Center on Plymouth Road, keeping the 65-year-old Rider’s brand alive and providing shoppers with a unique shopping experience.

Aubree’s Pizzeria & Tavern: The Ypsilanti restaurant, owned by Bill and Andy French, spawns a Dexter franchise in the former location of North Point Seafood & Steak House.

TECHNOLOGY
Winner:
Accuri Cytometers: Accuri, one of the Ann Arbor region’s biggest success stories in the medical device sector, was sold for $205 million to Becton, Dickinson and Co.

Finalists:
Mobiata: The Ann Arbor-based mobile software company, founded by Ben Kazez, was sold to global travel website Expedia, which is using Mobiata to develop its mobile presence and has authorized a quadrupling of the company’s local office space.

Adaptive Materials: The Pittsfield Township-based fuel cell firm was sold to United Kingdom-based Ultra Electronics for $23 million — and the company has since expanded its local production capacity and hired new workers.

RESEARCH:
Winner:
University of Michigan Technology Transfer Office: The Tech Transfer Office launched the Venture Accelerator, making good on a promise to use part of the ex-Pfizer space to house its own startup companies, providing impressive facilities, mentoring and business services to enhance and accelerate success.

Finalists:
Lycera: The U-M drug discovery startup signed a licensing deal with Merck that could be worth up to $300 million, then proceeded to move from Ann Arbor SPARK’s incubator in Plymouth Township to a leased facility at the ex-Pfizer site in Ann Arbor.

Molecular Imaging Research Inc.: Entrepreneurs and investors restarted Molecular Imaging Research Inc. in the same 22,000-square-foot Pittsfield Township building where it had been operating when corporate parent Charles River Laboratories shut it down in November. They secured $7 million in venture capital and rehired 13 employees who had been laid off.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
Winner:
Phoenix Contact and Amcor: One building sale created opportunity for two global companies with offices in Pittsfield Township’s Avis Farms. Phoenix Contact bought the building at the entrance of the business park after it entered foreclosure, adding space for it to expand. At the same time, it moved out of another office in the park - creating room for Amcor to expand its offices, too.

Finalists:
University of Michigan Credit Union and Arbor Research Collaborative for Health: Nonprofit Arbor Research signed a deal with the U-M Credit Union to lease the 19,700-square-foot third floor of the 58,000-square-foot former Ann Arbor News building.

Tim Hortons: The coffee shop chain signed deals to build stores on two long-vacant sites in the city of Ann Arbor: one at the former Enzo’s at the northeast corner of State and Ellsworth Roads; and one in Maple Village at the site of the former Golden Chef Restaurant, which was destroyed by fire in 2006.

NONPROFIT
Winner:
United Way of Washtenaw County, city of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County and the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation: Officials created a new coordinated funding model, simplifying application processes, expediting funding distribution and coordinating grant decisions to fund human services.

Finalists:
Eastern Michigan University: EMU agreed to play a significant role in assisting Gov. Rick Snyder’s new statewide Education Achievement System. EMU’s College of Education will have a number of responsibilities that could include creating a “laboratory” schools and training public school teachers.

Michigan Future: The Ann Arbor-based nonprofit group is using $13 million in grant funding to help launch new college preparatory high schools in Detroit, including the Dr. Benjamin Carson High School of Science & Medicine and the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy.

CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT
Winner:
C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital: The new $754 million facility is set to up in November after five years of construction, completing what is believed to be the most expensive construction project in the history of the state.

Finalists:
Costco: The national retailer won rezoning and site plan approval to start construction on a new store near the corner of South State and Ellsworth in a development that was widely applauded by local residents and political leaders.

Parkview Apartments: Years of litigation came to an end this year at Parkview Apartments, as the Ypsilanti Housing Commission acquired ownership of the 144-unit low-income housing complex. The deal means a $12 million renovation started, adding to the city’s affordable housing stock and ending the highly visible blight at the city’s southern gateway.