Posted by – Stephanie Carroll, Manager of Business Development & Community Relations
This morning, I had the opportunity to attend the quarterly Oakland County Economic Developers meeting organized by Oakland County’s Economic Development and Community Affairs staff. Participants included economic development professionals, chamber directors, elected officials, utility representatives and others. It was a chance for all of us to hear about what’s been going on in Oakland County … and what we can look forward to in the months ahead.
When I looked around the room, I was reminded that these are the very people who make up our Oakland County “economic development ecosystem.” Even though we represent different communities and are even sometimes in competition for a new company or perhaps an expansion project, we all work together to create a successful Oakland County.
Oakland County’s outstanding staff offer us the logistical and networking support we need to thrive. We often talk about issues affecting our business community and how we can assist them with their challenges. Talent seems to be the biggest challenge facing our businesses. This isn’t just a Oakland County issue, this is a Michigan issue and yesterday it was announced that the training funds for employees in Michigan was increased 60% to $29 million. This training program has been so successful, that the Michigan Legislature decided to give more Michigan companies the opportunity to participate in this program.
The meeting was also fruitful in that my peers were invited to share what’s going on in their communities, which is always exciting and interesting. My colleagues continue to find solutions to the challenges our companies are facing and we share those successes with each other, which makes Oakland County a strong team as a result.