LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS HONORED AS ONE OF “ Michigan 50 Companies to Watch”

(June 7, 2006)- Menlo Innovations, a software and design company located in Ann Arbor, MI , has been recognized as one of the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch,” an awards program sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation. Menlo received the honor at an awards ceremony on April 19 in East Lansing , held during the second annual Michigan Celebrates Small Businesses event.

“Michigan 50 Companies to Watch is a unique awards program designed to shine the spotlight on second-stage companies,” says Edward Lowe Foundation Executive Director Mark Lange. The non-profit organization seeks to “champion the entrepreneurial spirit” by helping second-stage entrepreneurs learn from each other. “Startup companies and large corporations often garner attention for their achievements,” Lange notes, “But growing second-stage enterprises work mostly behind the scenes, even though they are a powerful economic force.”

“It is so great to see our ambition and potential noticed,” co-founder and president, Richard Sheridan describes, “We are committed to designing client-centered software, and this award has re-assured us of our increasing strength in the Michigan economy.”

Menlo Innovations offers a variety of services, ranging from High-Tech Anthropology® training to software creation and implementation. This creative and energetic company is dedicated to producing usable software with customer value. Menlo, which was founded by four local business partners, has obtained other recent acknowledgments, such as the Washtenaw Fast Track classification, signifying the company's 20% yearly growth. Menlo aims to fix the abundance of poorly run software projects through increasing awareness of the business issues at hand and revealing effective solutions and implementations. The company focuses on its clients and often collaborates with them in order to fully understand their problem, while proceeding to explore the most practical solutions. Their unique philosophy stresses the client's true needs and enables them to create beneficial software for them.

Winners of the award must be Michigan-based companies generating $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue. They were selected by representatives of the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center , the Small Business Association of Michigan, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the U.S. Small Business Administration-Michigan, the Michigan Certified Development Corporation, and the Edward Lowe Foundation, based on the company's capacity and intent to grow in a number of aspects.  

For more information:

                        www.menloinnovations.com

                              www.michigancelebrates.biz

Menlo Innovations LLC (c) 2006