New Search Engine Aims To Grow Michigan Economy

ROYAL OAK -- A new Web site promises a new wrinkle on the "buy local" trend.

The developers of Royal Oak-based BuyMichLocal.com say their new site takes the search engine back to simplicity -- making it easier than ever to support community well-being and local businesses.

"We bring services like those found on Yelp, Groupon, Angie's List, and Survey Monkey all under one roof, and make it affordable for businesses, making them more competitive in the local market," said Michael Sacha, CEO and founder of BuyMichLocal.com.

Sacha said business signing up with the site get a listing on the Web site -- plus, automatically, a mobile app, as well as accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Simple fill-in-the-blank forms allow businesses to populate all those places online with fresh content that's tailored to look good on the particular social platform in question.

Sacha said BuyMichLocal uses a system developed by a Troy company called Axis Crossmedia to populate the social platforms.

Clients can manage all those platforms from a single site, Sacha said: "It's a plug and plan social media system."

BuyMichLocal.com is also different in that it doesn't charge a percentage of each transaction. "Ours is a low monthly subscription for the Web site," Sacha said, with silver, gold and platinum levels offering different versions of the service.

Also provided on the Web site are Daily Deals, electronic coupons that offer services and products to consumers, but at drastically discounted prices. Daily Deals make it simple to try new products and services, while saving money and fostering growth within the Michigan economy.

"We recently redesigned the site to make it more user friendly for both consumers and businesses," Sacha said. "We plan to continue to build on the site, making it more dynamic and engaging. With over 1.5 million consumers reached within the first two months of launching, BuyMichLocal.com can only continue to expand and spur growth in the Michigan economy."

Sacha, a Farmington Hills native, studied business and marketing at Eastern Michigan University and then became a mortgage banker at Quicken Loans. Most recently he worked in online marketing for the Detroit Media Partnership.