PROSPER®

CONTENTS
INSIDE
SERVICES
Prosper is published annually for the Oakland County
Department of Economic Development & Community Affairs.
OAKLAND COUNTY EXECUTIVE
L. Brooks Patterson
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
Stephen W. Huber
OAKLAND COUNTY EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING
2100 PONTIAC LAKE ROAD
WATERFORD, MI 48328-0409
PHONE: 248.858.1049
FAX: 248.452.9215
WEBSITE: AdvantageOakland.com
INFO: Prosper@oakgov.com
FOLLOW US AND LIKE US
Twitter.com/@OakGov
Facebook.com/OakGov
4
13
HEALTHY PROGNOSIS
Medical Main Street helps
companies connect.
16
THE AMERICAN DREAM
Helping international
newcomers feel at home.
18
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
OAKLAND COUNTY PARKS 41
ROAD COMMISSION FOR OAKLAND
COUNTY 54
EDUCATION
FROM SCHOOL TO WORK 68
EXCELLENCE IS THE NORM 69
WALSH COLLEGE 70
ROYAL OAK SCHOOLS 71
OAKLAND SCHOOLS 72-73
OAKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE 74
THE ROEPER SCHOOL 76
Photos: Courtesy of LEGOLAND® Discovery Center and Brad Ziegler
For more information, comments or to obtain additional copies
of this publication, please contact Prosper@oakgov.com. For
updates on Oakland County news, subscribe to the biweekly
Prosper e-newsletter at OaklandCountyProsper.com.
PUBLISHING PARTNER
HOUR CUSTOM PUBLISHING
5750 NEW KING DRIVE, SUITE 100
TROY, MI 48098
PHONE: 248.691.1800
FAX: 248.691.4531
GENERAL MANAGER Ed Peabody
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Suzanne Teggart
MANAGING EDITOR Kathy Gibbons
DESIGN DIRECTOR Ken Cendrowski
GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERNS Tara Lewis,
Marisa Marentette
EDITORIAL INTERN Katie Allen
COPY EDITORS Sydnee Thompson, John S. Schultz
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Jon Reynolds
SENIOR PRODUCTION ARTIST Robert Gorczyca
PRODUCTION ARTIST Stephanie Daniel
ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Keely O’Grady, Debra Lee
ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Katie M. Sachs
CONTRIBUTORS Tom Beaman, Marti Benedetti,
Jacquie Goetz Bluethmann, Julie Edgar, Kevin Fales,
Justin Maconochie, Jeanine Matlow, Jake Turskey,
Wensdy Von Buskirk, Brad Ziegler
Prosper is published exclusively for the Oakland County
Department of Economic Development & Community
Affairs by Hour Media LLC. Copyright © 2016. All rights
reserved. No portion may be copied or published without
the express written consent of the publisher. The views
expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of
Oakland County or Hour Media LLC. Products or services
mentioned in this publication may be trademarks of their
respective companies.
A DIVISION OF HOUR MEDIA, L.L.C.
CEO Stefan Wanczyk
PRESIDENT John Balardo
2
Q&A WITH
L. BROOKS PATTERSON
On prosperity and other
insights from Oakland
County’s top executive.
4
A BEACON OF
PROSPERITY
A thriving economy. Jobs.
Shopping. Restaurants.
Great communities. Lakes.
Parks. What’s not to love?
6
AAA — AGAIN
Top rating amps up
county’s borrowing power.
8
GOING GLOBAL
International companies
want Oakland County.
11
THE PLACE TO BE
Why they love living and
working here.
A perfect mix: country
comfort and urban access.
25
25
SPECIAL PHOTO ESSAY
A gallery of images — one
special place.
50
EMERGING SECTORS
Oakland County is a
hotbed of innovation.
104
A SENSE OF PLACE
An idyllic lakeside setting is
never far away in Oakland
County, a great place
to live, work and raise a
family.
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COMMUNITY
LISTINGS & MAP 78-79
TROY 80
ROCHESTER 82
ROCHESTER HILLS (CITY) 83
NOVI 84
FARMINGTON HILLS 86
FARMINGTON 87
SOUTHFIELD CITY CENTRE 88
SOUTHFIELD 89
ROYAL OAK 90
LYON TOWNSHIP 91
BERKLEY 92
BIRMINGHAM 93
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 94
WIXOM 95
WATERFORD TOWNSHIP 96
CLAWSON 97
ORION TOWNSHIP 98
LAKE ORION 99
HAZEL PARK 100
OAK PARK 101
PONTIAC 102
CLARKSTON AREA 103
ON THE COVER
The 151-foot-tall Elliott Tower has
become a focal point on the campus of
Oakland University in Rochester Hills
and Auburn Hills since it was dedicated
in 2014. Benefactors Hugh and Nancy
Elliott gave $6.5 million for its design,
construction and operation. Photo by
Justin Maconochie.
advantageoakland.com 2016 1