Entrepreneurs Across Oakland County Honored at Business Spotlight Event
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Greg Aubry Photography, March 24, 2024)
Royal Oak, MI – Business owners from across Oakland County gathered at Royal Oak Farmers Market on March 20 for a celebration of entrepreneurship hosted by Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, Oakland County Economic Development, and Oakland Thrive. Several businesses and organizations were presented with awards, and there was plenty of time to try food from local restaurants and browse booths featuring items from local shops.
“Oakland County’s business community prides itself on its innovation, inclusiveness and collaborative culture,” Oakland Thrive CEO Vicki Selva said in a statement about the event.
Those honored include:
- IDEACore (Birmingham)
- Lake Orion and Oxford DDAs
- Andy’s Place Restaurant (Holly)
- Fashion Savvy Beauty Bar (Lathrup Village)
- PitaWay (Clarkston)
- Sidetrack Bookshop (Royal Oak)
- Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce (Clawson)
- Kravings Restaurant (Oak Park)
- Consulate General of Mexico (Madison Heights)
- Exlterra (Hazel Park)
- Meknology (Southfield)
- Alchemi Restaurant (Royal Oak)
The restaurants featured represented a variety of flavors and communities, including Zeoli’s Modern Italian in Clawson, Tacos El Guero in Lake Orion, Shwarma Castle in Madison Heights, Qamairia Yemeni Coffee in Troy, Luisa’s Artisanal Street Food in Ferndale and It’s a Matter of Taste in Commerce Township.
Andy’s Place in Holly was also there, with a special announcement. Andy’s Place has been closed due to fire, and has been serving up burgers and other bar favorites out of a food truck while waiting to move forward with rebuilding their brick and mortar location. Finally, they said, the renovations are set to begin.
Oakland Thrive is a nonprofit organization that connects Oakland County’s entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources they need to be successful. Oakland Thrive is a strategic partner to Oakland County government and administers the innovative Business Forward program. Business Forward serves all Oakland County small businesses with special focus on underrepresented communities and minority, woman, and veteran-owned businesses. Oakland Thrive partners with local business service providers, chambers of commerce, local governments and other known economic support organizations to bring a wide array of services, resources and assistance to startups and companies poised for growth.
While Oakland County has a great many programs and organizations that support community and economic development, too often business owners are unaware that these resources exist or how to access them.
Oakland Thrive’s Business Forward consultants proactively reach out to Oakland County’s small and micro companies to connect them with these much needed benefits. Business Forward Consultants are business experts with a deep understanding of Oakland County’s business climate and decades of combined experience in the challenges facing small businesses, knowledge of how companies grow into large global entities, and the limitations of government. Oakland Thrive works with entrepreneurs and small business owners to provide free targeted support including one-on-one consultations, training, and workshops in business development, market research, eCommerce, legal support, accounting, marketing and more.
Learn more about Oakland Thrive at https://oaklandthrive.org/
