November 7, 2011

Atomic among 54 Michigan companies to participate in the economic gardening program

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November 7, 2011

LANSING — Atomic Object is one of 54 small and midsize companies from around Michigan that have been selected to receive business development support through the Pure Michigan Business Connect Economic Gardening Pilot Program being offered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Atomic Object President Carl Erickson announced today.

“We are very pleased to be selected to take part in the Economic Gardening Pilot Program and look forward to getting support that will help us identify and pursue opportunities for growth,” said Erickson. “We have a great commitment to our community and to Michigan, and see this opportunity as a benefit not only to our company, but to Michigan’s economy as well.”

The program will be administered through the Cassopolis-based Edward Lowe Foundation and will include four areas of support: strategy and management; market research/competitive intelligence; Internet and social media strategy; and geographical information systems to help identify potential customers in other states.

“The goal of this program is to help these second-stage companies grow and in turn, generate new private investment and create new jobs for Michigan,” MEDC CEO and President Michael A. Finney said. “The program is part of our toolkit for economic gardening that’s built on Michigan’s broad asset base of strong corporate enterprises, innovative entrepreneurs and rich technology resources.”

The 54 companies were selected by an independent review board from a pool of 108 nominees that were submitted by local economic development representatives from throughout Michigan. The companies were chosen based on the type and size of the markets they serve, their growth potential, and their likelihood of benefitting from the service.

Atomic Object will use the support to help identify further opportunities for growth in Michigan. “Adding more people is obviously one way to grow, but we’re looking to investigate other opportunities,” says Erickson. “With the MEDC’s help, we’ll be exploring the potential for strategic partnerships with startup software product firms, as well as the possibility of opening a satellite office, possibly in Detroit.”

“Our experience shows us that second-stage companies exposed to economic gardening techniques grow at faster rates than their peers,” said Penny Lewandowski, director of entrepreneurship development at the Edward Lowe Foundation. “MEDC’s support of the pilot program is exciting news for Michigan’s second-stagers — and a clear indication of the commitment our state has made to the next generation of Michigan success stories.”

The pilot program is the latest addition to Pure Michigan Business Connect, the $3 billion public-private initiative that provides Michigan’s businesses new ways to buy and sell, raise capital, and connect with each other through an alliance of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, state agencies and major Michigan companies and organizations. Visit here for more information on Pure Michigan Business Connect.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, a public-private partnership serving as the state’s marketing arm and lead agency for business, talent and jobs, focuses on helping grow Michigan’s economy. For more on the MEDC and its initiatives, visit: MichiganAdvantage.org.

About Atomic Object LLC

Atomic Object designs, develops, and delivers custom software solutions. We form partnerships with the business experts of our clients, contributing our knowledge of modern computing technologies and our reliable software development process. Based on agile practices in general, and Extreme Programming in specific, the Atomic Object development process delivers tested, reliable, maintainable software, predictably on time and budget, while significantly reducing project risk. With experience in a wide range of domains and industries — including e-commerce and web apps, business process automation, database integration, kiosks, and manufacturing software — Atomic Object specializes in having a world-class software development process, rather than being specialists in a particular business niche.

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Atomic Object Contact:

Carl Erickson
+1 616 776 6020
carl@atomicobject.com

MEDC Contact:

Michael Shore
+1 517-335-4590
Shorem2@michigan.org