Block grants, home improvement grants, home-buying programs, foreclosure prevention and counseling programs. All these things are facilitated by the Oakland County Community & Home Improvement Division. It's a department of our local government that is focused on maintaining the community, the neighborhood, and the home. Prosper dives in to find out a little about Director Karry Rieth's branch.
Encryption Security Solutions is creating jobs as a means to an end of retaining and creating even more employment here.The Lake Orion-based firm has added four positions in the last year, including two recent hires, bringing its staff to seven people. It plans to hire two more within the next 60-90 days to help deal with its increasing work load.The 4-year-old firm is helping manufacturers learn the ropes of becoming a government contractor. That basically means teaching them the ins and outs of the Internet Traffic Arms Regulations so they can begin taking on orders for defense and homeland security sectors. The state is subsidizing two thirds of the cost of this training (about $6,000) to help keep more manufacturing jobs here."When we were kids we were told Michigan is the Arsenal of Democracy," says Kevin Lasser, CEO of Encryption Security Solutions. "This is helping us be that again."The company specializes in digital security and has a subsidiary called Pure Entropy Technologies that deals with many government contracts.Source: Kevin Lasser, CEO of Encryption Security SolutionsWriter: Jon Zemke
Oakland County's Emerging Sectors program isn't trying to remake the county's economy in the image of Detroit, but more in the image of Pittsburgh and Chicago.The program, the pet project of Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, helped attract $191 million in investment from non-existing automotive-related companies last year and created 3,200 jobs. The idea is to diversify the county's economy so it has several major players, like the current economies of Chicago and Pittsburgh, instead of the dominant automotive sector has been in Michigan for generations."This program won't make Oakland County recession proof, but it will make Oakland County recession resistant," Patterson says.The county started the program in 2004. Since then it has helped attract $1.4 billion in investment and created more than 16,000 jobs. It claims investments from 133 companies, including 33 last year."I always said this program is a 20-25 year commitment to diversifying Oakland County's economy," Patterson says.Source: L. Brooks Patterson, executive of Oakland CountyWriter: Jon Zemke
The holidays are back again! Time to enjoy the mistletoe, eggnog, and "ho-ho-hos" of mall Santas (and the real one). So, enjoy the few days off and we'll see you back here Jan. 11. Happy holidays and have a great New Year Prosper readers.
Turkey. Cranberries. Sweet potatoes. Pumpkin pie. And, of course, we can't forget thanks. That sounds like a great Thanksgiving to us. Have a wonderful holiday and a happy Thanksgiving Prosper readers.
Last issue we rolled out a new feature to the Prosper newsletter. If you scroll down, below the featured stories, you'll see our workforce section. Each issue we'll display three jobs landed, three jobs available, as well as three internships that are up for grabs -- and they are all in Oakland County.
Oakland County is using cyberspace methods to get more real people voting in the next election cycle.Its latest innovation is to send out an email reminder to voters two weeks before elections and then again on election days. The reminder will also include a bevy of other information voters can use to make the process easier."It's kind of like an electronic post-it note," says Ruth Johnson, Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds.The emails will be sent out before all local, school, state, and federal elections and will link to the clerk's website. The site will feature a list of candidates and ballot proposals, campaign finance reports, polling locations, and instructional videos for using voting machines.It will also feature a new election reporting system that reveals results in real time. Also included will be information on voter registration and on how to become a poll worker, and a link to the state's Voter Information Center."This is just one more tool in the tool box," Johnson says.For information on these new systems, click here.Source: Ruth Johnson, Oakland County Clerk/Register of DeedsWriter: Jon Zemke
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson is pleased to announce that Waterford Township and South Lyon have joined the Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) Mentoring Program.
The city of Berkley is taking the first steps toward renovating its historic Fire Hall now that it has hired Stephen Auger + Associates Architects to perform a feasibility study.It will focus on improvements for the 10,000-square-foot neo-classical building, such as bringing it up to code, making it more accessible, and preserving the historic elements. The study will be done by this fall and the city is expected to make a decision on what, if any, work it will do by November."Right now we're just in the study phase," says Chris Aller, principal of Lake Orion-based Stephen Auger + Associates Architects.The 2-story Fire Hall was built in 1928 and originally served as a fire department station. Its exterior is made up of brick and limestone. It was added to Michigan's list of historic places in 1988. Today, it serves as home to offices for the Berkley Historic Museum and storage for the city.Source: Chris Aller, principal of Stephen Auger + Associates ArchitectsWriter: Jon Zemke
The last of three workshops aimed at the revitalization of downtowns in Oakland County is set to go down on Friday, August 14.The "Lead Your Downtown from Brown to Green" workshop will focus on tackling sustainability issues, such as historic preservation and eco-friendly development. "As the title says, we're trying to take downtowns from brown to green by letting them (local stakeholders) know what they can do in this economy," says Bob Donahue, executive director of Main Street Oakland County.A number of topics, including how to make best use of brownfield sites, effective historic preservation, and how to incorporate green-building practices, such as LEED standards, will be covered. Other subjects will include tapping into farmers markets, the cost-effectiveness of LED lights, and how best to employ urban forestry.Main Street Oakland County is encouraging local architects, planners, preservationists, developers, city officials, and community activists to attend. The cost is $75 per person. The workshop will be held between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the Oakland County Executive Office Building Conference Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, west of Telegraph, in Waterford. Source: Bob Donahue, executive director of Main Street Oakland CountyWriter: Jon Zemke
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