BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE 2 0 1 3 a n n u a l r e p o r t

D E C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 3

Stephanie Bergeron, Co-Chair Walsh College

Joseph Welch, Co-Chair ITC Holdings Corp.

Matthew Gibb, Support Staff Oakland County

Irene Spanos, Support Staff Oakland County

Steve Huber, Support Staff Oakland County

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Mike Cooper, Chair Harley Ellis Devereaux

Russ Shelton, Vice-Chair Shelton Pontiac, Buick, GMC

Bruce Babiarz Synergy/BAB Associates

Doug Brown ASTI Environmental

Mark Brucki Lawrence Tech University

James Clarke Robertson Brothers Company

Matt Farrell Core Partners LLC

Violet Gintsis Level One Bank

Vincent Gotko Fenner Melstrom & Dooling, PLC

Sheri Heiney Rochester Regional Chamber

Laura Hirschhorn JP Morgan

Donald Kegley, Jr. Cunningham-Limp Company

Thomas Kemp Kemp Building & Development

Don Lee Clark Hill PLC

Paul Marcus Marcus Consulting

Vickie Markavitch Oakland Schools

Phil McKenna McKenna Associates

Dan Raubinger Automation Alley

James Ralph James Ralph & Assoc.

Frank Rewold Frank Rewold & Son, Inc.

Sid Rubin Innovative Vending Services

Jim Runestad Runestad Financial

Fredrick Seeley Colliers International

Levi Smith Principal Associates – TCN

Camilo Suero MI Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Andrey Tomkiw Tomkiw Enwright, PLC

Peter H. Webster Dickinson Wright PLLC

Daniel Hunter, Support Staff Oakland County

Dave Schreiber, Support Staff Oakland County

QUALITY OF LIFE

Jennifer Radcliff, Chair Preservation Advantage

Jerry Dettloff, Vice-Chair Downtown Management Strategies

Greg Blass Blass Group of Companies

Ron Borngesser Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency

Robin Danto Michigan State University Extension

Gerald Fisher Thomas M. Cooley Law Schools, Auburn Hills Campus

Krista Q.Huber Oakland Unversity

William Langdon Langdon Capital Mgmt Suzanne Levine Greater West Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce

Jim McGuire Area Agency on Aging 1-B

James Meenahan Environmental & Energy Consultant

Peggy Miller The Dragun Corporation

Jon Noyes Oakland County Parks and Recreation

Kenneth Peterson The Peterson Group

Kent Roberts National Civility Center at Olivet College

Chip Roeder Couzens Lansky

Jackie Smiertka Quality of Life Center

Gary Warner Excel Technologies

Donna Zalewski ITC Holdings

Vicki Frame, Support Staff Oakland County

Daniel Hunter, Support Staff Oakland County

Dan Riley, Support Staff Oakland County

TRANSPORTATION

Alan Kiriluk, Chair Kirco Development Corporation

Walter H. Alix, Vice Chair Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.

Steven Brown SMART

Jean Chamberlain JNC Consulting

Adam Cheslin Merrill Lynch

Marie Donigan Jim Fetzer SMART

Laurene Funk Flagstar Bank

Robert E. Hagedorn LE Borden Lang Fastener

Herb Hipple

Greg Jamian Americare Medical

John Jamian Detroit Wayne County Port Authority

Dennis Kolar Road Commission for Oakland County

Joe Mercurio General Motors

Bob Morris SEMCOG

Chuck Moss

James Page

David Potts David W. Potts, J.D.

Dennis Richardson DDR Wealth Advisors

Lori Richardson Oakland Schools

Jim Santilli Traffic Improvement Association

Jay Shah Jay Shah Associates

Barry Stulberg Stulberg Development Consultants

John Swatosh SMART

J. David VanderVeen Oakland County

Eric Wilson Wilson Wilson PC

Ted Wilson Core Partners

JoAnn Browning, Support Staff Oakland County

Craig Bryson, Support Staff Road Commission for Oakland County

Charlotte Burckhardt, Support Staff, Oakland County

David Evancoe, Support Staff Road Commission for Oakland County

WORKFORCE & EDUCATION

Terence Adderley, Chair Kelly Services, Inc.

David Hay, Vice-Chair Kelly Services, Inc.

Gregory Adams iLearn Systems

Paul Agosta Applied Technology Systems

Denise Asker Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce

Mary Kaye Aukee Oakland Schools Executive

David Banchiu EdEn, Inc

Donald R. Blum Blum & Associates, LLC

Jackie Bracken

Karen Borski St. John Providence Health System

Alaina Campbell Orion Area Chamber of Commerce

John Carlos Greening Detroit.com

Joseph Cool Cool & Associates, Inc.

Terri Engstrom Fifth Third Bank

Kevin Finn Lawrence Tech University

Samuel Flam The Hunter Boulevard Group Morgan Stanley

Larry Fobes

Alysia Green Automation Alley

John Hancock Butzel Long

Art Holdsworth Oakland County Facilities Management

Michael Holzschu Holzschu, Jordan, Schiff & Associates

Linda Jolicoeur One World Business Finance

Lisa Renee Kujawa Lawrence Tech University

Thomas Landry Landry Consulting, LLC

Susanne Levine Greater West Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce

Michael Lewis Residential Home Health, LLC

Jonathan Liebman Specs Howard School of Media Arts

Jeff Love Baker College of Auburn Hills

Tanya Markos-Vanno Southfield Area Chamber of Commerce

Holbert Maxey Maxey & Maxey

Sharon Miller Oakland Community College

Victor Naidu Ramsoft Systems, Inc.

David O’Donnell DPM Consulting Services

Hriday Prasad Global MicroBio Products

F. Timothy Richards Consulting Services

Richard Romano Realtime Technologies, Inc.

Peter Rosenkrands A.B. Heller

David Shields Walsh College

Terri Spencer Oakland Schools

Sarah Serra-Prucha Independent Contractor/YMCA Board

Glen Shilling Detroit Country Day School

Alice Swanger Alimar Ltd.

Shelley Goodman Taub Oakland County Board of Commissioners

Wayne Thibodeau Oakland University

Anthony Thornton Lighthouse of Oakland County

Richard Turner Metro Welding Supply

John Almstadt, Support Staff Oakland County

Committee Members

L. Brooks PattersonOakland County Executive

Welcome to the 2013 Oakland County Business Roundtable Annual Meeting and breakfast and congratulations on our 21st year.

This all-volunteer group of more than 150 business, education and community leaders devotes its time, experience and talents to this important effort. This report is a compilation of committee recommendations how the county might better serve its 42,000 businesses and 1.2 million residents.

My sincere thanks go to members of the four Business Roundtable committees – Economic Development, Quality of Life, Transportation and Workforce and Education – for their continued commitment to improving Oakland County. A special welcome goes to members of the Elite 40 under 40 classes of 2012 and 2013, some of whom have been invited to join the Roundtable.

If today is your first time with us, I’m pleased you’re here and urge you to contact us about becoming a member of one of our committees.

Today’s guest speaker is Dennis Mannion, president and CEO of Palace Sports & Entertainment and the Detroit Pistons. Now in his third year, Dennis oversees all aspects of the organization’s business operations, which include The Palace of Auburn Hills, DTE Energy Music Theatre and Meadow Brook Music Festival. Dennis, 54, came to Michigan

from the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was president and chief operating officer. He has led executive operations with NHL, NFL and major league baseball franchises during his 32 years in major league sports. Dennis is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, married and the father of five children. I am profoundly grateful he is joining us today.

I extend my sincere gratitude to the committee chairs and Co-Chair Joseph Welch for his work on behalf of the county and welcome Walsh College President Stephanie Bergeron as the new co-chair. Special thanks go to Dr. Gary Russi, the former president of Oakland University, for his years of service as co-chair, and Deputy County Executive Matthew Gibb for overseeing the Roundtable.

Thanks also go to Fifth Third Bank and its President and CEO David Girodat who continue to sponsor the Roundtable breakfast. Their support, now in its sixth consecutive year, makes it possible for News/Talk 760 WJR and morning host Paul W. Smith to originate their broadcast from our meeting.

I am encouraged about our future. With your continued help, we are moving forward to ensure Oakland County remains a premier place to live, work and raise a family.

Jeff TischlerSenior Vice President

Senior Commercial BankerFifth Third Bank (Eastern Michigan)

At Fifth Third Bank it is our pleasure to sponsor the Oakland County Business Roundtable. It gives us great pride to support a process that serves as a model for how private and public enterprise works together to create opportunity, prosperity and a quality of life for citizens and businesses in a county.

Oakland County created four distinct strategic pillars that business and thought leaders from across the county lead in collaborative ideation to develop initiatives for improvement and visions for the future. Collectively these strategic pillars impact everyone in Oakland County and the region. This strategic approach establishes an esprit de

corps of excellence that county government and county businesses aspire to live up to. The Business Roundtable process firmly places Oakland County as not only the leading government entity in the state of Michigan but one of the premier county governments across the nation.

Fifth Third Bank is proud to play a role in this process and even more proud to be a business citizen of Oakland County. Congratulations to the fine team at the county and to the outstanding leaders who drive the Oakland County Business Roundtable.

Event Sponsor

Guest SpeakerDennis MannionPresident and CEOPalace Sports & Entertainment and Detroit Pistons

Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports & Entertainment President & CEO Dennis Mannion has a reputation as one of the brightest and most creative minds in the sports industry. With over 30 years of experience, he holds the rare distinction of having led business operations for teams in all four major league sports.

His career includes 14 postseason runs, two World Series appearances, a Major League All-Star Game, two National League Championships, an NHL Conference Championship and Stanley Cup Finals, and a Super Bowl Championship.

He cut his teeth in the sports business as a ticket sales rep for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1982 and worked his way to vice president of sales and marketing in 16 seasons. After two World Series runs and an MLB All-Star game in Philly, Mannion moved to Denver to serve as the chief operating officer for Ascent Sports, owners of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche. He supervised each club’s transition into the newly-built Pepsi Center.

Mannion next moved to the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens who won the Super Bowl during his first year there. He pioneered the Ravens’ efforts to converge its external programming, media assets and brand-generating properties and represented the team during the sale of its stadium naming rights to M&T Bank.

After nearly a decade with the Ravens, Mannion moved to the west coast as president & CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers. His innovative thinking led to the development of the Dodgers Sports Lab, an in-house production facility that integrated marketing, merchandising and media while creating a new telemarketing center and fan hospitality program. That marketing guidance helped the 2009 Dodgers lead Major League Baseball in paid attendance for the first time since 1986. He also initiated the team’s season-long celebration of its 50th anniversary and transitioned the organization from its long-time Vero Beach spring training home to a beautiful new facility in Glendale, Arizona.

Today, Mannion is charged with transitioning the Pistons into a new era of basketball and entertainment. He has brought dramatic changes to the company’s organizational structure with increased communication, collaboration and innovation between departments. He’s overseen nearly $35 million in improvements and renovations to The Palace, maintaining its reputation as one of the top venues in sports and entertainment. Finally, ticket holder and corporate partner experience has been elevated at all three PS&E properties and championship-contending basketball will re-emerge with one goal in mind – to bring sports and entertainment fans together and thrill them.

Stephanie Bergeron President, Chief Executive Officer

Walsh College

Walsh College is helping set the course for the lives of nearly 4,200 students who live primarily in Oakland County, students who soon will become business leaders in Southeast Michigan and across the state. This is why the participation of Walsh in the Oakland County Business Roundtable is both an exceptional honor and a significant responsibility.

Above all, Walsh values its role in creating the near-future stewards of our region’s quality of life and economic vitality for the benefit of citizens, communities, and businesses. In the past year alone, the college has granted 862 bachelor’s and master’s degrees, reflecting the sense of purpose and commitment of its students. An extraordinary faculty of more than 180 scholars and successful business professionals bring the institution’s programs to life—and to lives.

Our goal is to provide students with a business education that integrates application and theory to prepare them for successful careers. The intent is that they later invest those newly acquired or enhanced skillsets back into the communities where they reside and into their places of work. Walsh students can be found at many leading Oakland County employers, including Chrysler, Beaumont Health System, Flagstar Bank, Kelly Services, Meritor, and Plante & Moran, among others.

At Walsh, students combine online coursework with on-campus sessions of highly engaging, interactive learning. They can capitalize on a new Finance Lab with workstations that feature industry-leading financial software and analytics. Walsh faculty members also are teaching custom-designed entrepreneurship courses for students at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies.

Another program that is important to the business community is our participation with the Emerging Sectors Educational Consortium (a group of community colleges, four-year public and private institutions and Oakland County Schools). Using the Skills Needs Assessment Project (SNAP) the Walsh Institute (a division of Walsh College) developed three workshops available at no charge for our students, alumni, and staff to improve their personal image and branding strategies, interpersonal interaction and communication, the types of soft skills employers have identified as core competencies they are seeking. Elements from the SNAP report have also been integrated into Walsh College’s curriculum in our capstone courses.

Walsh College has been a part of Oakland County since 1970 and is grateful for the opportunity to integrate that heritage with its approach to today’s Business Roundtable, helping to define the path for Michigan’s next business leaders.

Co-Chair

Co-ChairJoseph WelchChairman, President and CEOITC Holdings Corporation

For 20 years, the Oakland County Business Roundtable has worked to enrich the quality of life of those who live, work and find leisure in these great communities. Now, as we look to the decades ahead, an emerging issue will challenge the Roundtable’s efforts – and all of us – around workforce and education development.

There is a widening gap between the skills of graduating students and the needs of companies today. The education system is producing too few students with the basic skills necessary to enter training programs for 21st century jobs. Among 15-year-olds in 34 developed countries, the U.S. ranks 17th in science and 25th in math. Sixty-nine percent of American high school graduates are not prepared for college-level science.

It’s clear that we need to reinvent our nation’s educational system.

The current model of education may have met the needs of earlier industrial America, but it’s not suited to positioning our young people to compete successfully in today’s global economy. We need to move the discussion toward solutions that produce the results necessary to meet the demands of the 21st century.

Embrace Common Core academic standards: We need a common standard of what a high school diploma means that can be internationally benchmarked. Common Core standards are centered on the knowledge and skills that students need to succeed. We need to expose all students

to these fundamental principles in a uniform way across the country. The business community will be even more inclined to support and collaborate with schools operating under a consistent set of requirements.

Use more technology: In an age of rapidly advancing technology, educators and students should ride this wave to help transform the way they teach and learn. Tools including computer-based learning, which many schools are embracing, enable more individualized and collaborative instruction inside and outside the classroom. Aided by technology, students work toward common standards at a pace tailored to their abilities. Teachers continue in their critical roles with less lecturing and more interaction with students.

Reenergize the skilled trades: From construction trades to health care, our country is in need of skilled technical workers. Good-paying jobs and careers are available through vocational and technical training programs without a traditional college degree, but high school graduates still need strong academic competencies to succeed in these programs. In my industry, a field technician needs a solid math and science foundation in order to train on increasingly complex electric equipment that carries strict compliance requirements.

For the sake of our children, this county, our state and country, let’s advance the discussion on these and other ideas toward modernizing our education system.

Mike CooperHarley Ellis Devereaux

Russ SheltonShelton Pontiac, Buick, GMC

Creating The Coolest Corridor

Introduction

Woodward Avenue offers a unique opportunity to become the “Coolest Corridor” in the nation. If this happens it will result in enhanced economic vitality for the region, help reverse the brain drain, highlight a hidden gem in our region, accelerate the revitalization of Pontiac and better connect some of the region’s edgy communities that are so attractive to the tech community.

What does a successful “edgy community” look like and what does it take to become successful? An example of such a community is the Midtown area of Detroit. After 20+ years this area has developed workable solutions to issues such as providing a safe environment and opportunities for residents and visitors to connect.

Oakland County has a number of communities along the Woodward Corridor that are or have the potential to be edgy including Pontiac, Royal Oak and Ferndale. The county has many other communities that provide a greater range of life

style options than can be found in most regions. In addition, efforts already exist to develop and promote the Woodward Corridor including the Woodward Area Action Association and the world-famous Woodward Dream Cruise. Woodward Avenue does not stop at the boundary of Oakland County, providing an opportunity to connect with edgy communities within Detroit.

The Vision

The Coolest Corridor initiative would promote a vibrant mix of social gathering where commerce, culture, recreation, entertainment, education and inspiration meet.

Recommendation

The Coolest Corridor concept would require the development of a strategy to incorporate elements that impact every Business Roundtable committee. We recommended the county executive appoint a Super Business Roundtable Task Force with representation from each of the four committees.

Economic Development Committee

The task force would determine how Oakland County can support existing trends and efforts to develop a nationally recognized “Coolest Corridor” that would attract and retain the tech community. Key elements of this strategy would include:

• Support the redevelopment of Pontiac and other communities in the corridor

• Support the development of transportation options to better connect residents and visitors to the corridor

• Ensure and promote the safety of communities within the corridor

• Extend the corridor from Pontiac to Downtown Detroit

• Promote the Woodward Corridor brand

Other Committee Activities

Obsolete Property Task Force

The Obsolete Property Task Force is exploring the issue of functional industrial and commercial properties obsolescence. These properties are holding down appraisals for nearby properties within their respective communities in Oakland County. If these types of properties were repurposed or redeveloped the market would improve, it would reduce neighborhood blight and improve business and resident safety.

One option to get these properties off the market is to either demolish or redevelop them. The question is how you make the economics work for either of those options.

Government, working with property owners, could play a proactive role by:

• Turning around tax delinquent properties quicker

• Speeding up approvals for demolition or redevelopment

• Developing a fund for demolition or redevelopment

The Task Force anticipates developing some specific recommendations regarding this challenging issue in 2014.

Broadband Task Force

The Broadband Task Force has been meeting with local broadband service providers to develop methods for ensuring that all businesses seeking broadband service can obtain it quickly and at a competitive cost. Meetings with several service providers this year, most notably Comcast and AT&T, have led to an enhanced working relationship between the providers and the Oakland County Business Development Team.

In 2014, information on service provider contacts will be added to AdvantageOakland.com to assist businesses in their identification of broadband availability to specific business addresses. This will help property owners and developers obtain vital infrastructure information.

Regional Business Forum

The Regional Business Forum, which this committee recommended in 2012, highlighted the fact that while regional collaboration is an issue of critical relevance, there is no group approaching this from a business perspective. This year, at the request of the county executive, the committee has been working with the Economic Growth Alliance (EGA) to explore the potential of their communities to support development of a regional business forum. They asked for a number of changes and clarifications to the original 2012 recommendation. These changes have been incorporated into a short concept paper. As the Governor’s Regional Prosperity Initiative may have an impact on regional alliances, the EGA decided to wait until 2014 to make a final decision regarding supporting a regional business forum.

Jennifer RadcliffPreservation Advantage

Jerry DettloffDowntown Management Strategies

The Quality of Life Committee explores innovative ways to make Oakland County a better place to live, work, and play.

Oakland County Marketing Strategies

Our objective is to communicate the elements of the outstanding quality of life within Oakland County to the age demographic between 25 and 35. This should be done in a manner that convinces them that Oakland County is an attractive destination in which to live, work and play.

As a result of exploratory work in 2013, a plan is underway to engage a marketing intern to work with the county economic development staff and our committee for 10 weeks, beginning in January, 2014. We will evaluate this approach for possible use by other Business Roundtable committees.

Age-Friendly Communities

More than 250,000 Oakland County residents are age 60 or older and the group increases by 8,500 each year. About three-fourths of the nation’s

wealth belongs to the 55+ age group, and 92 percent of the monthly income is spent in the month received. This represents an opportunity for economic growth in our local economies, particularly in our downtowns.

The Age-Friendly subcommittee has been working to create a pilot project in Clawson. The project has completed its market study and participation benchmarking through surveys of businesses and patrons, and focus groups. What has been shown is that downtown businesses have many amenities, products and services that are often unknown among the older resident population and the larger county market. Promotion of these assets is the core of a strategy to boost the economic impact of senior dollars in our Main Streets and throughout the county.

In collaboration with the Quality Communities subcommittee, several strategies have been explored and set the course for the further development of the initiative. Each community in the county can benefit from the results of the

Quality of Life Committee

Clawson project, and should be assisted in the initial discovery and planning phase by the county economic development team, Main Street Oakland County and the Quality of Life Committee.

Recommendations• Support implementation of an economic

development action plan to promote greater awareness of the assets found in our local downtown districts, using strategies piloted in Clawson and the unique ideas and sense of place of each community.

• Elevate Oakland County as a retirement destination of choice, as a strategy to retain current residents and attract new retirees and their economic power. Promote that concept throughout our growing international population, senior centers, recreational outlets and medical groups.

• Partner with the tourism industry, current county programs in Parks and Recreation, Main Street Oakland County, Oakland County Historical Commission and others to take advantage of Oakland County’s heritage tourism potential.

Business Ambassador Program Update

Begun in 2009, the Quality of Life Business Ambassador program shares positive information about Oakland County’s quality of life attributes and business development services. Committee members make presentations to business groups on an ongoing basis throughout the county. The members carry special business cards for use in one-on-one B2B meetings throughout the year.

In 2013 presentations focused on the Oakland Chamber Network Board of Directors and local chambers boards as well as other business organizations.

In 2014, the Business Ambassadors will develop a LinkedIn group to include many of the business ambassador teams within local chambers. Training will include information on the One Stop Ready program and other business-focused services offered by the county economic development department. Other Business Roundtable committees will be trained as ambassadors and assist in identifying business groups or associations that might benefit from such presentations. Finally, participants will be surveyed after each presentation to gain valuable input on the needs of the business community and effectiveness of the program.

Alan Kiriluk Kirco Development Corp.

Walter AlixHubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.

Michigan needs to invest in its infrastructure in order to remain competitive in attracting residents, businesses, industries and jobs. However, since 1964 Michigan has ranked from 43rd place to 49th (1992) to 42nd (2008) place among the 50 states in per capita state and local expenditures on roads. Investing in our roads, aeronautics and public transportation will strengthen our competitive position and our ability to attract economic development, provide jobs and improve the quality of life in Oakland County and Michigan.

Action Steps

Last year, the committee developed a brochure that explains Michigan’s Road Funding Dilemma. Oakland County printed this brochure and distributed it at various functions, including the 2012 Business Roundtable Annual Meeting. This is a first step in helping the public understand why roads in Michigan are getting worse. Our consistent underfunding has led to the current situation of inadequate roads, highways and bridges. Compounding this is that increased fuel economy has led to reduced fuel tax being collected.

The committee took the next step by meeting with state legislators to address this issue. On May 15, seven Transportation Committee members met in Lansing with as many legislators as possible. Committee members did not advocate for a specific funding proposal but rather the need for legislative action. As a follow up to these one-on-one meetings, the entire Oakland County legislative delegation was invited to the May 20 Transportation Committee meeting. Two senators and two representatives attended. Legislators said they need to hear from people in their district that this is a crucial issue; constituent support is important since some of these funding proposals would require a public vote. Because voters have not been pressing their legislators on road funding, action has not been forthcoming. The committee decided that a public relations campaign should be the next step in moving this issue towards action. The campaign goal is to educate the public about our road funding dilemma so they acknowledge there is a problem that requires a legislative solution which includes funding. Part of this campaign is explaining how an investment in infrastructure is truly an investment in the future of Michigan and

Transportation Committee

will increase our competitive advantage to attract jobs to the state and improve our day-to-day quality of life.

Recommendation 1: County Executive L. Brooks Patterson should spearhead a public awareness campaign to ensure that Oakland County residents understand the current state of transportation funding and its impact on the future of Michigan. An outcome of the campaign would be for residents to contact their legislators for action. A focused message must be crafted, which could include:

• Personal impact of poor roads on the individual driver and on businesses; currently the impact is $3,014 per household. If nothing is done, by 2022 the cost will be $3,649 per household. If we can fix the roads, we could reduce that cost to $1,745 per household according to TRIP, a national transportation research group.

• Objective assessment of current road conditions in the county and state.

• Research from universities or other prominent organizations that project road improvement costs if we keep funding at its current inadequate level. It is far more expensive to bring a poor road up to good condition than to bring a fair road up to good condition.

Part of the message should include an explanation of Michigan’s spending priorities and funding methods such as:

• Our per capita status among the other 49 states

• Gas tax and vehicle registration fees are major sources for road funding; neither sales tax on gas and diesel nor property tax go towards road funding

• The reduction of gas tax collected as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards increase in the future

• Review of how the leading per capita states fund their roads

Publicity strategies could include:

• Newspaper articles, ads, billboards and social media

• County Executive hosted breakfast with select groups and larger audiences

• Meetings with editorial boards

• Television and cable interviews

• Partner with the County Road Association of Michigan and the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association

Recommendation 2: The county executive should support continued investment in aeronautics. Aviation contributes more than $20 billion annually to Michigan’s economy. Good airport infrastructure, both for commercial and general aviation, is critical to business, industry and residents in this global economy.

Recommendation 3: The county executive should support continued investment in public transportation, which is widely recognized as critical for workforce mobility, quality of life and as an efficient generator of private investment. New investment in existing bus transportation as well as mass transit initiatives on Woodward Avenue and other corridors is critical to regional success.

Other Accomplishments:

The Transportation Committee has been actively engaged with the other Business Roundtable Committees this year by sending committee members as liaisons to attend the other committees’ meetings. This has allowed our committee to gain a better understanding of the issues being discussed by other committees and an opportunity for increased synergies between the committees.

Terence AdderleyKelly Services, Inc.

David HayKelly Services, Inc.

The Workforce & Education Committee examines issues that involve students of all ages, job seekers, those who need retraining and those who may be entering the workforce.

Recommendations: From 2001 through 2013, the Workforce & Education Committee made five recommendations that continue to be implemented. These recommendations and their status follow:

Market Oakland County’s Workforce Development and Education Programs

Oakland County launched MiTradeSchool.org, which describes skilled trades jobs and their educational requirements, median salaries, future openings and training options.

The committee recommends Oakland County continue to market workforce development programs and services, including student internships, to job seekers and employers.

Develop Partnerships with Business

Oakland County Michigan Works! partnered with the Beaumont Health System to receive a Skills Trades Training Grant that will train 128 incumbent workers at Beaumont. Similar grant partnerships are under way.

The committee recommends the county continue to promote internships to support business needs and provide real work experience for students and adults.

Retain, Train, Retrain, and Recruit Workers for Oakland County’s High Demand Jobs

Oakland County Michigan Works! trained more than 700 customers for high demand jobs in health care, engineering and information technology.

The committee recommends Oakland County continue to provide training and resources for information technology, advanced manufacturing and health care jobs.

Workforce & Education Committee

Bridge the Skills Gap

The Troy Michigan Works! Service Center developed summer engineering internships at Rigaku Innovative Technologies and the Oak Park and Pontiac JobLink Centers and developed health care internships at the Beaumont Health System and McLaren-Oakland Hospital.

This recommendation and recommendation number 5 should be combined to create a new recommendation.

Train Oakland County’s Workforce for Jobs in Emerging Business, Health Care and Advanced Manufacturing Industry Sectors

County Executive L. Brooks Patterson issued a report on a Skills Needs Assessment Project survey which was completed by 150 advanced manufacturers in southeast Michigan. The report, which is available in hard copy or online at AdvantageOakland.com, identifies 14 high-demand jobs that go unfilled because employers cannot find qualified workers to fill the position. The report also identified the skills needed to obtain the jobs.

New Recommendation:

Oakland County’s Skills Needs Assessment Project report verified that gaps between the skills employers seek and the skills job seekers have still exist. The Workforce & Education Committee recommends that these skills gaps be bridged by addressing several key questions:

1. Why are skills gaps not being bridged?

2. What resources are available?

3. How can training programs such as Oakland County Michigan Works! and MiTradeSchool.org be used more effectively?

4. What additional resources are needed and how can they be developed and/or obtained?

5. What partnerships with employers, education and economic/workforce development can be expanded and/or developed?

6. What other strategies can be implemented?

As these questions are addressed, the efforts and research of other organizations such as Michigan’s Workforce Development Agency, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Oakland Education Advisory Group and the Workforce Intelligence Network should be accessed and studied.

Committee Highlights for 2013:

The Committee:

• Heard presentations from several speakers, including County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Doug Smith, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s senior vice president for Government Affairs and Strategic Partnerships.

• Held a meeting at and toured Terence E. Adderley’s garage, which houses more than 40 restored cars from his classic collection.

• Completed satisfaction and issues surveys.

A more detailed version of this annual report is available at AdvantageOakland.com.

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