Farmington - Partner City

DTE Energy’s community gardens expand

By Newsroom

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May 26, 2011

DTE Energy's community gardens are growing by four acres and possibly hundreds of new volunteers this year.Farming season for the 10 DTE Energy Gardens kicked off in Southfield earlier this week, starting a multi-faceted project that provides food to Gleaners Community Food Bank. The gardens also offer volunteers the opportunity to get involved in their communities, to get more exercise and to learn about gardening. The gardens also serve as aesthetic buffers around DTE facilities.Last year, the 10 gardens produced 44,000 pounds of food for Gleaners and its food banks. With extra land and more volunteers - as many as 1,000 total - the amount of food grown is expected to increase this year, DTE Spokesman Scott Simons says.DTE Energy and Gleaners started the program at two electric substations in 2008 and have since expanded to company properties in Allen Park, Birmingham, Farmington Hills, Frenchtown Township, Plymouth Township, Pontiac, Southfield, Lyon Township, Washington Township and Westland.Source: Scott Simons, spokesman, DTE EnergyWriter: Kim North Shine

Relume Technologies hires 15 on strength of LED lights market

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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May 26, 2011

Relume Technologies is hitting its growth stride just as it's beginning to stretch its sales of LED lights across the nation.The Oxford-based company has doubled its sales in 2010 and is on track to quadruple those sales in 2011. While the company is helping 15 municipalities in Michigan switch their street lights to much more energy-efficient LEDs, it is also aiming to continue to expand its sales force so it has a national presence."We're doing projects from California to Washington, D.C.," says Crawford Lipsey, CEO of Relume Technologies. "Our projects are primarily municipal-based." The light manufacturer has hired 15 people over the last six months, expanding its staff to 55 employees. "My plan is to employ 400 people in Michigan within the next three years," Lipsey says.Relume manufactures LED lights, primarily street lights for municipalities. About 50 percent of the materials it uses for the these products come from Michigan-based companies. The company also recently received a capital infusion from Farmington Hills-based Beringea, the largest venture capital firm in Michigan.Source: Crawford Lipsey, CEO of Relume TechnologiesWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

One dating service start-up leads to another, Infused Public Relations

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Arts & Culture

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May 26, 2011

Tatiana Grant didn't mean to get into public relations. When she left the Detroit Pistons public relations team a few years ago she planned to create a web-based dating start-up.While she was working to make that happen, she began to get inquiries to handle public relations work. Then a chance profile on CNN as part of Time magazine's Detroit project really brought in the PR work, prompting Grant to start Infused Public Relations & Events."It got to the point I had to create an LLC because I had so much work," says Tatiana Grant, president of Infused Public Relations & Events. "I didn't have a card or a website. It was purely word of mouth."The Farmington Hills-based business now does work for NFL wide receiver Braylon Edwards and the Hob Nobble Gobble event for the Parade Company. Grant now employs two people and an intern or two. She plans to go after larger corporate and out-of-state accounts this year, with the idea of growing to staff of 10 people within the next five years. And Grant is still working on the online dating service. She is preparing for a soft launch in October around Sweetest Day and a hard launch in February for Valentine's Day.Source: Tatiana Grant, president of Infused Public Relations & EventsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Six Oakland County Main Streets ace their tests

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Arts & Culture

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May 19, 2011

What does it take to be declared a perfect downtown Main Street?Six Oakland County communities have been told they're perfect when it comes to their Main Streets and carrying out the mission of working to make their core go-to destinations for great shopping, eating, working and living and community gathering places.Farmington, Ferndale, Lake Orion, Ortonville, Oxford and Rochester all received perfect 10 out of 10 scores on their accreditation from the National Main Street Center in Washington, D.C.. Each community has its own character: Ferndale with its eclectic, hipster vibe, Rochester with its upscale feel mixed with history, and all the rest their local style and appeal.Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson recognized the accomplishments of the Oakland County Main Street programs (half a billion in investment in 11 years) last week at the Rust Belt Market on Woodward and 9 Mile in Ferndale, a poignant example of concerted DDA efforts to keep Main Streets thriving."The perfect scores attained by these six Main Street communities in their annual evaluation attests to the hard work of many in our downtown areas involved with our Main Street Oakland County program," Patterson says in a statement. "This is a wonderful and well-deserved recognition."The 10 criteria for scoring were:Broad-based community support for downtown revitalizationA clear mission and vision statement for the downtownA downtown revitalization work planA historic preservation ethic recognizing the importance of sense of placeA downtown management organizationAn adequate operating budgetPaid professional program managerOngoing training for staff and volunteersReporting of key investment statisticsNational Main Street membershipOakland County was the first county in the United States to operate a county-wide Main Street program, Main Street Oakland County.Main Street is a trademarked program of the National Main Street Center in Washington, D.C. In addition to the perfect score recipients, members of Main Street Oakland County are: Franklin, Highland, Holly, Pontiac, and Walled Lake. Berkley, Clarkston, Clawson, Hazel Park, Leonard, South Lyon, and Waterford are in the Main Street Oakland County mentoring program.Since Main Street Oakland County's formation in 2000, there has been more than $560 million of new investment in Main Street Oakland County communities, over 5,100 jobs created, 551 new businesses opened, and almost 170,000 volunteer hours logged, according to the county.Source: Pam Tremble, executive assistant, Oakland CountyWriter: Kim North Shine

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By Prosper Oakland County, MI

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Arts & Culture

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April 18, 2011

Smart meters spreading across Oakland County

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Arts & Culture

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April 7, 2011

Installation of high-tech electric meters that will change the way DTE Energy receives power usage information and increase customers' control over energy use has begun in Oakland County.Over the next several months about 350,000 meters will be placed at homes and businesses in 25 communities: Berkley, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Birmingham, Clawson, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Ferndale, Franklin, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Lathrup Village, Madison Heights, Northville, Novi, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge, Rochester Hills, Royal Oak, Royal Oak Township, Southfield, Southfield Township, Troy, Walled Lake, and Wixom.This portion of the installation of the "smart" meters come at a cost of about $168 million, half of it from a Smart Grid Investment Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The meters will form what DTE Energy is calling "the backbone" of its SmartCurrents program. DTE's matching $84 million grant helps achieve a nationwide effort to update the country's electrical grid.The meters will provide detailed information about energy usage directly to DTE, recognize power outages without customer input, and allow DTE to quickly locate and repair outages and other service problems. The meters will nearly eliminate estimated billing and allow for service to be remotely connected or disconnected rather than requiring appointments with technicians. In addition, technology will be wired into the meters to allow customers to better manage their energy usage and bills. The SmartCurrents technology can be tied to similarly "smart" appliances, thermostats, and such. The DOE funding will allow DTE Energy to offer an in-home display product and special thermostats to nearly 1,500 customers. Check out smartcurrents.com for more information.DTE has installed about 250,000 meters so far in Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Commerce Township, Grosse Ile, Harsen's Island, and West Bloomfield Township. By early 2012 a total of about 600,000 meters will have been installed.Source: Scott Simons, spokesman, DTE EnergyWriter: Kim North Shine

Oakland Community College invests $1.3 million in campus improvements

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Arts & Culture

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April 7, 2011

As enrollment hits record levels at Oakland Community College, it is investing in improvements to campus facilities.The latest project, $1.3 million, will pay for improvements at the Orchard Ridge campus in Farmington Hills and the Royal Oak campus.In Farmington Hills, exterior sealant and glazing on bricks will be replaced while the other project will replace lintels and brick masonry supports above doors at three buildings. In Royal Oak, a shower is being converted into a science lab and multipurpose classroom and one of two parking structures on the edge of downtown will receive a new payment system on the first floor. "We have in excess of 29,000 students enrolled, the highest we've ever registered," says George Cartsonis, director of communications for OCC.Oakland Community College has five campuses and is the largest community college in Michigan -- 25th largest in the U.S., Cartsonis adds.Source: George Cartsonis, director of communications, Oakland Community CollegeWriter: Kim North Shine

Oakland County Medical Main Street now $61M program; 45,000 jobs to come

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Arts & Culture

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April 7, 2011

A now 3-year-old Anderson Economic Group study called for the health-care and life science sector to be the fastest-growing in Oakland County, prompting it to create the Medical Main Street program to encourage investment. That prediction is beginning to ring true today.The Oakland County Medical Main Street program scored investments totaling $34.8 million from five companies either moving or expanding in the county in the first quarter of this year. This contributed to the creation or retention of more than 1,000 jobs. Fifteen companies have put $61 million into Medical Main Street since it was founded in 2008, a trend Oakland County officials expect to continue as the economy rebounds."We're seeing this accelerating," says David Schreiber, chief strategist for Oakland County Economic Development. "This is trending upward."Among the recent investments are $3.7 million (162 new jobs) from Ascendant MDx for a new clinical laboratory for diagnostic tests in Farmington Hills and $28 million (640 new jobs) from health-care info tech provider CareTech Solutions to complete the second phase of its expansion project. Oakland County already had a strong base in the health-care and life sciences industries. The 2008 study shows approximately 93,000 jobs at about 4,300 life science and medical facilities there. About 45,000 more positions are expected over the next 10 years.Source: David Schreiber, chief strategist for Oakland County Economic DevelopmentWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Tanner Friedman PR firm keeps a steady beat, adds jobs each year

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Arts & Culture

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March 31, 2011

Business culture can be as important as the business plan for the people in charge of Tanner Friedman. Actually, the two are practically synonymous for the Farmington Hills-based firm."We foresaw a lot of the changes that were coming in business in general and especially in Michigan," says Matt Friedman, partner of Tanner Friedman. "We thought a firm that was nimble and adhered to a specific culture would be successful."Tanner Friedman's culture revolves around a core set of values, such as respect for clients and picking customers that are a good fit with the public relations firm's work environment. Add to that a business model that allows for smaller projects with more clients, and a billing system to accommodate it."It's all part and parcel to our growth," says Don Tanner, partner with Tanner Friedman.Tanner Friedman started with two people in 2007. Today it has seven employees, seven independent contractors, and a couple of interns. The company's revenues have consistently increased since its founding and it is projecting another banner year in 2011.Source: Don Tanner and Matt Friedman, partners at Tanner FriedmanWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Main Street Oakland recognizes top downtown projects

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Arts & Culture

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March 10, 2011

An assortment of projects, seen as prime examples for how to carve out thriving a downtown, are winners of the 2011 Main Street Oakland Awards.Among the more than 25 winners were:The Farmington DDA's Grand River Avenue Streetscape Promotion Campaign, which won the Outstanding Brand & Imaging Campaign Effort/Strategy.In the design category, Patti's Place in Lake Orion won Outstanding Facade/Building Rehabilitation Award for projects between $10,000 and $50,000. The Village Mall in Farmington won the same award for a project of more than $50,000.Ferndale took home several awards, including the Pedestrian Alley Project, a cooperative effort between the city, the DDA, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Foley & Mansfield, which won the Outstanding Private/Public Partnership Award. The Lofts on 9 in Ferndale won the Outstanding New Construction Project Award and the Ferndale DDA won the Special Achievement award, in addition to businesses that took home awards.Creekfest in Ortonville won the Outstanding Special Event Award.A Special Partnership Award went to Pontiac Mayor Leon Jukowski, the Pontiac DDA and the Pontiac Downtown Business Association.The Outstanding Core Area Downtown Master Plan went to the Walled Lake DDA Design Committee and Beckett & Raeder, Inc. for the Walled Lake DDA Lakefront Area Framework Plan.Main Street is a program of the national Main Street Center in Washington, D.C. Farmington, Ferndale, Franklin, Highland, Holly, Lake Orion, Ortonville, Oxford, Pontiac, Rochester, and Walled Lake are MSOC communities. Berkley, Clarkston, Clawson, Hazel Park, Leonard, South Lyon and Waterford participate in the mentoring program.Oakland County was the first in the U.S. to operate a county-wide Main Street program that works with 32 downtowns deemed to be distinct or historic. Since Main Street Oakland began in 2000, according to the county, there has been $560 million in investment in 11 downtowns, more than 5,000 jobs created, and 529 businesses established.For more information or a complete list of 2011 Main Street Oakland Award winners, go to www.mainstreetoaklandcounty.com.Source: Stephen Huber, Oakland County Economic Development and Community AffairsWriter: Kim North Shine