News

Building Community: Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Enjoys Successful Take Steps Event
Building Community: Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Enjoys Successful Take Steps Event southfieldcc_3ik8d2

The sun shone brightly and excitement filled the Southfield City Centre on the morning of June 9 as hundreds of people milled around on the Southfield Municipal lawn, sharing stories, gathering information, and offering support to each other.

This was the scene at the 2019 Southeast Michigan Take Steps for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. The goal was to build community and support for those whose lives are impacted by inflammatory bowel disease.

“By about 9:45 a.m., there were people just about everywhere. Together, we were a little over 1,200 participants,” says Sarah Arminiak, Take Steps Manager for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.

Take Steps was bigger in size this year because groups in Washtenaw County joined forces with metro Detroit groups to form a larger Southeast Michigan Take Steps. The merge created one walk that was easily accessible due to the Southfield City Centre’s central location.

This was the second year the Southfield City Centre hosted the foundation’s signature event to raise awareness and funds for research into a cure for Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis and other related diseases.

The event kicked off with family-friendly activities designed to create a sense of excitement and raise visibility about Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis. Even people driving on Evergreen Road stopped to find out about the event as organizers were setting up, said Arminiak.

“Hands down, we have more awareness at this location,” she says. “A family who stopped by on Friday had just received a diagnosis and they came to the event to get a feel for it. This location really just encourages more conversations.”

The 2.6 mile loop made good use of Southfield’s City Centre Trail, a larger shared-use path that makes getting around the City Centre enjoyable and safe. The extra-wide path encourages event participants to walk side-by-side, even include a wagon or stroller, and the placement of benches allows walkers to take a rest when they need to.

“People just love that path,” says Arminiak. “It really feels like you are in a metropark. With all the signs and panels you can read and learn. It’s a hidden gem.”

Each participant received a reusable grocery bag stuffed with HAPPENINGS, the City Centre’s quarterly newsletter, and a trail map to encourage many returns to the area for additional exploration on foot or by bike.

The route took participants through the City Centre, past Red Pole Park and the newly-installed bird houses along the path.

“People said they loved seeing Red Pole Park finished, and many commented that they forgot they were in a major city because the space is so nice,” Arminiak says.

The wide open spaces in the City Centre allowed walkers to see one another from opposite sides of Civic Center Drive, affirming the “whole group” feel of the event. “There was a sense of community because everyone could see people walk under the finish arch,” Arminiak says.

Take Steps raised $175,000 this year, which is $18,000 higher than the previous year, according to Arminiak

The event was so successful, the organization is already selecting a date for the 2020 walk, again to be held in the Southfield City Centre, says Arminiak. Plans are underway with City of Southfield Parks & Rec, with the Planning Department, and with the office of Southfield Mayor Ken Siver.

“Really, the event is not about fundraising as much as it is about the community coming together to support those living with Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis,” says Arminiak. “Through this event, people learn they are not alone living with these diseases, but seeing others there to support their journey. While fundraising is our ultimate goal because we are working to find a cure, this event is about community.”

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Maccabees Undergoes Renovation and Rebrands as The Century
Maccabees Undergoes Renovation and Rebrands as The Century southfieldcc_3ik8d2

A familiar office building in the Southfield City Centre will soon be known by a new name.

The Maccabees Center at 25800 Northwestern Hwy. and Civic Center Drive will rebrand and be revealed as The Century, a name selected through a unique form of focused crowdsourcing, says Thomas Litzler, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Livonia-based Schostak Brothers & Company, which owns the building.

“We came up with the name through employee focus groups and research,” says Litzler. The new name will accompany a new look, with an extensive remodeling project to several key areas of the building planned. “John Hawkinson [project manager] put together a menu of enhancements for us, and concurrent with that, a cross-section of employees came up with a variety of possible names.”

Suggestions included geographic locations, family names, and other more generic options.

“This name became an amalgamation of all of those,” Litzler says.

The Century is an especially fitting name, as Schostak will celebrate 100 years in business in 2020.

Planned renovations will leverage the 360,000-square foot building’s already desirable attributes, making the office center even more attractive to a wide variety of employees. A tenant lounge will offer space for people to gather for informal meetings or to watch television and enjoy snacks. A leasing center will feature a showroom and place for potential tenants to meet with leasing professionals. A fitness center and updated cafe will provide places for tenants to work out, refuel, and relax.

“The building currently has an outdoor courtyard green space with tables, and we will be improving that to create an all-weather deck with outdoor year-round furniture to get more use from the space,” says Litzler.

Parking lot improvements, upgraded HVAC for improved tenant comfort, and a new drop-off dry cleaning service will round out the building’s renovations.

The Century will also feature a bikeshare station, as part of the popular Zagster bikeshare program that connects amenities throughout the Southfield City Centre and provides easy access to heart-healthy activity along the shared-use pathways of the City Centre Trail.

“The bikeshare is a convenient way to get around and to close places without having to drive. People can easily get to the Town Center or to food trucks that are here often,” Litzler says. “It’s a convenient, novel way to get around and get some exercise, too.”

Work has already started on the building, and is scheduled to be completed during the first quarter of 2020. With a new name, and new amenities, The Century will provide tenants and potential tenants with even more reasons to enjoy working in the City Centre, Litzler says.

“With prominent visibility, very easy access to all Detroit markets–from downtown to the western suburbs and Troy–and plenty of free parking and a protected underground deck, The Century really is a full-service building.”

The 2019 Southfield CommUNITY Cup Is Underway!
The 2019 Southfield CommUNITY Cup Is Underway! southfieldcc_3ik8d2

It’s CommUNITY Cup Challenge time in the City of Southfield. This is a friendly competition between Southfield businesses and is designed to create bonds, blossom team spirit, support fitness, and build friendships. One goal of the Southfield CommUNITY Cup is to support a worthy cause, and this summer, the competitors will work together to make Southfield’s Bedford Woods Park a more beautiful place for the whole community.

“Southfield businesses will get to know themselves and each other in new ways through participation in the CommUNITY Cup Challenge over the course of the summer,” says Rochelle Freeman, business and economic development director for the City of Southfield. “It’s a really fun competition and something we are always excited to plan with our subcommittee composed of several representatives from the teams.”

Companies will face off in events to test their team spirit, ingenuity, and sporting skill. From the end of June to mid-August, 21 companies will put forward their best competitors for Scotch doubles bowling, trivia, “amazing race around Southfield,” goofy golf, mural painting at Bedford Park and the grand finale, a kickball tournament.

Participants include Adient, AIREA, City of Southfield, COMAU, Credit Acceptance, DENSO, EATON, Epitec, Farbman Group, IHS Markit, Lawrence Technological University, Moncur, MSX International/GRI, Nexcess, P3 Group, REDICO, Robert Half, STTAS a UPS Company, The Mars Agency, Veoneer and XPO Logistics.  Over half of the participating companies are located within the Southfield City Centre District.

“This year’s focus for the Cup is beautification of Southfield Bedford Woods Park,” says Freeman. “We’ll be doing a group clean-up event in August, and also putting our creative spirits to work by painting a mural.”

In previous years, as many as 500 participants worked together to earn bragging rights over fellow Southfield businesses, and competitors have reported being surprised by how much they enjoyed building their teams and getting to know new people through their participation.

The Southfield CommUNITY Cup Challenge is always looking for volunteers to keep events running smoothly. Contact Rochelle Freeman at rfreeman@cityofsouthfield.com if you’d like your company to participate next year. Keep up with the Challenge on the event’s Facebook page.

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TEAM LTU

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TEAM MONCUR

Foster Financial Company: “We’re Big Fans of the Southfield Story”
Foster Financial Company: “We’re Big Fans of the Southfield Story” southfieldcc_3ik8d2

When breaking into the Southfield property market, Foster Financial Company, Inc. considered different properties in various business districts of the city. The properties they viewed weren’t always the right fit for Foster Financial’s business model, but the experience opened their eyes to what Southfield has to offer.

They got to know Central Park Plaza, a 6-story, 130,000 square foot office building at 26211 Central Park Boulevard, near Arbor Lofts. Pretty soon, they knew they had found their sweet spot. The building was at 50 percent occupancy and badly needed updates, but that didn’t deter Brad Foster, owner of Foster Financial, and his business partner Doug Noble. They purchased the building in September 2017, and in just 16 months, have increased occupancy to 93 percent.

“It had been foreclosed on a couple of times. It was 50 percent vacant. It was a cursed building that no one could ever make work,” says Noble. “We knew it was perfect. Right up our alley.”

With an improvement mindset, Foster Financial’s ownership style is unique. The first thing they did was renovate both lobbies, and met with current tenants to discuss their individual plans. They created their own construction company to outfit more space when tenants wanted to expand, and selected standard finishes that are of a higher quality that most office owners.

“We have full-glass conference rooms, chandeliers, and subway tiles in the kitchens, LVT and hardwood flooring, and creative reception spaces,” says Noble.

The diverse tenant mix at Central Park Plaza includes government agency, medical administrative, legal, insurance, automotive supply, security, charter school management, and home healthcare.

Detroit gets a lot of credit for making a comeback, but Foster and Noble are impressed with the accessibility of the Southfield City Centre and the significant improvements and added amenities throughout the district. Foster, in particular, likes the ease of traffic movement that the dual traffic circles on Evergreen Road provide.

“You never get congestion on Evergreen because there are no lights to get stuck at,” he says.

Central Park Plaza was Foster Financial’s first investment in Southfield, but it is not the company’s last. In January Foster acquired Lahser Center, a 175,000 square-foot building at Lahser Road and the Lodge Freeway. Since closing, the company has signed $35,000 in new leases in the building.

“We are big fans of the Southfield story, and it doesn’t get enough publicity,” says Foster. “Everything you hear is about Detroit and new developments. But there is a strong demand for people to have beautiful offices with half the rent [of Detroit].”

Eaton Employee-Volunteers “Paws” to Help Southfield Animal Rescue Organization
Eaton Employee-Volunteers “Paws” to Help Southfield Animal Rescue Organization southfieldcc_3ik8d2

Through Rebuilding Together Southeast Michigan, Eaton Employee-Volunteers “Paws” to Help Southfield Animal Rescue Organization

For 10 years, Eaton Corporation, a Southfield City Centre-based power management company, has teamed up with nonprofit service organization Rebuilding Together Oakland County to maintain, clean, and improve parks in Southfield.

In addition to providing funding support for Rebuilding Together, each year Eaton chooses a couple of days in April or May and gathers 30 to 60 employee volunteers at one of the city’s public parks to groom trails, install trailhead signs, paint trash receptacles and picnic tables, and spread mulch. This effort leaves Southfield’s parks that much more pleasant for everyone.

This year, changes are afoot. Or maybe the changes are a-paw.

On May 9 and 10, Eaton employees will dedicate their efforts to the Southfield-based Almost Home Animal Rescue, a nonprofit no-kill pet rescue organization. Eaton volunteers were offered three choices for their project, and they chose to work on the rescue, according to Halie Black, executive director of Rebuilding Together. Black met with Eaton volunteer coordinators, walked the site, and discussed what repair needs the rescue had that could be completed during the two-day project.

“Eaton volunteers will do some exterior work that the organization needs, and also next door at a training course for police dogs,” says Black. “It’s run down, so they will fix it up and waterproof the obstacles. It’s definitely a great before and after shot.”

Oakland County, Wayne County, and Macomb County police use the course to for dog training, according to Black.

For Eaton, the opportunity to do productive work in the community is a chance for employee volunteers to interact with Southfield on a new level.

“Eaton is all about giving back to the communities where we work and live. The relationship and history with Rebuilding Together is a great example of the responsibility Eaton accepts as a member of the Southfield community. Our employees look forward to this event every year and are very much looking forward to helping out at the Southfield Animal Rescue Organization,” says Larry Bennett, director of vehicle technologies and innovation for Eaton’s Vehicle Group.

Rebuilding Together has undergone its own changes in the past year. The organization, which once solely supported Oakland County, has expanded to include the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood of Detroit, and has joined up with the Macomb County branch to form Rebuilding Together Southeast Michigan.

Rebuilding Together is preparing for its National Rebuild Day on Saturday, April 27, when it will join sister organizations across the country to revitalize neighborhoods and make homes safer and more functional. This important work allows homeowners to stay in their homes to maintain stable, affordable housing for those in need.

This year, Rebuilding Together Southeast Michigan will put teams of volunteers to work to provide repairs to three homes in Southfield on April 27, plus work on an additional four or five Southfield homes in May and June.

The coordinated effort is a boon to neighborhoods, according to Rick Lampi, operations specialist with the City of Southfield. The work that helps income-challenged homeowners take care of their residences often beautifies the whole street, lifting the spirits of everyone in the neighborhood.

“It’s a win-win. At the end of the day, the homeowner is happy and the volunteers feel good about doing something good for others. Sometimes volunteers even get a kick out of having a reason to buy a new tool for volunteer day,” he says.

Rebuilding Together Southeast Michigan is always seeking corporate sponsors and individual volunteers, as well as homeowner applications for repairs and improvements that will keep homes safe and healthy for families.

Learn more at Rebuilding Together Southeast Michigan, or call 248-482-8061.

Join the Southfield City Centre Bikeshare Movement
Join the Southfield City Centre Bikeshare Movement southfieldcc_3ik8d2

The Perfect Time to Join the Southfield City Centre Bikeshare Movement? RIGHT NOW.Special Annual Membership Price until May 1, 2019!

 

Spring is the time when every bird, flower, rabbit, squirrel, and blade of grass is calling you to shed your winter coat and get out into the glorious fresh air. What better way to enjoy all that spring has to offer than by experiencing the Southfield City Centre on two wheels?

The Southfield City Centre’s Zagster bikeshare stations are ready to roll! It’s time to:
JOIN.
UNLOCK.
RIDE.
RETURN.

And REPEAT. With an annual membership, you can ride whenever you want.

Roll up and down Evergreen Road, traverse the City Centre’s 7.75 miles of urban trail system, visit the public art installations, ride through Red Pole Park, grab a smoothie and a sandwich, visit nearby Lawrence Tech… the possibilities are endless.

All bikes are trendy, easy-to-ride cruiser models with adjustable seats, automatic front and rear lights, fenders, and chain guards to keep your legs and clothing clean. The City Centre even has a three-wheeled version for accessible use by those who need a little more stability.

Here’s how your Zagster bikeshare works:

  • Find one of seven Zagster bikeshare stations along the Southfield City Centre Trail system.
  • Download the Zagster app on your smartphone.
  • Find your bike’s number and enter it into the app to unlock your bike.
  • RIDE and HAVE FUN!
  • Return your bike to any Zagster bikeshare station along the trail.
  • You can park and lock your bike at any public bike rack mid-ride. See the app for full directions. (Just remember to return your bike at a Zagster station at the very end of your ride.)

With an annual membership purchased during our SPRING BIKESHARE PROMOTION*, you can begin riding for just $15 – that’s $10 off the regular annual membership price. (See below for full details.)

An annual membership is not required to ride, but once you try it, you’ll be hooked. Your annual membership means all trips under TWO HOURS are free, then just $2 per hour up to $20 per ride.

Without a membership, the cost is $2 per hour, up to $20 per ride.

Become part of the micro-mobility movement. Get your annual Zagster bikeshare membership today.

*SPRING BIKESHARE PROMOTION details:
Go to bike.zagster.com/southfield
Use code Spring19
Pay $15 ($10 off regular price of annual membership)
Promotion only valid until 5/1/2019

LTU Design Students Cultivate Real-World Skills in City Centre Firms
LTU Design Students Cultivate Real-World Skills in City Centre Firms southfieldcc_3ik8d2

Problem solving through collaboration and exploration along the edge of creativity is, in a nutshell, what the design team at Airea does in an average working day. This Southfield City Centre-based interiors dealership is dedicated to designing and bringing to life innovative and inspiring workspaces for a variety of enterprise, automotive, educational clients and more.

Erica Kimber, director of design at Airea, spends her days meeting with clients, brainstorming creative projects, and reimagining spaces—but mentorship is a big part of her role, too.

As a student at the College for Creative Studies, she interned at Airea for a couple of years before graduating with a degree in interior design in 2011. She remembers the value of her real-life experience for building a broader understanding of the working world, and she enjoys paying it forward to emerging design professionals.

That’s why Airea has worked to develop a strong relationship with Lawrence Technological University. In addition to being a good neighbor, LTU’s strong graphic and architectural design programs cultivate students who are eager to gain practical work experience in their industries.

Aside from traditional internship opportunities, Airea partnered with LTU to help students recognize their close physical proximity in the City Centre district and to establish projects to augment on-campus learning. Because the company is an interiors dealer, Airea has active partnerships with architecture and design firms, as well as business interiors manufacturer Haworth. In addition to the nut-and-bolts of interior design, there is much for a budding designer to learn about the roles that all of these different entities play in providing services to clients.

“It’s important to us to make sure students and new batches of designers are familiar with what the contract furniture world is all about,” says Kimber. Airea conducts student day events to help these young professionals learn more about products made by Haworth.

These connection opportunities allow students and companies to size one another up and develop a deeper understanding of what they can each bring to the table.

“Everyone is looking for the next batch of the most talented designers in the industry. Having this real-life experience and seeing who stands out is appealing to these firms,” says Kimber.

Double-layered education

Through cultivated partnerships, LTU offers a double-layered educational experience for students, says Christopher Stefani, adjunct faculty in interior architecture and associate director for the LTU’s Detroit Center for Design + Technology. The college’s studio course is a one-semester deep dive into the practice of design.

“Academically, we are pushing rigor and simultaneously working with the real end-users and clients to understand limitations in the professional world,” says Stefani. Through professional collaborations, students develop the skills to pull together a design, and partners can leverage fresh ideas, emerging technologies, and things that have a high cost to implement inside a company.

For companies, collaborating with an LTU studio make a lot of sense.

“It’s more cost effective to sponsor a studio and get the brain-share of 10 to 12 young emerging professionals than it is to pay a quarter of the salary of a new professional,” he says.

At Airea, for example, the studio course challenged each student to design their own version of a 4,000 square foot office space. “For students, the beauty of this is they get access to real-world resources and really build an understanding of the concept of costing and variables of design. It’s an opportunity for practicality, so we aren’t putting students into the real world with pie-in-the-sky ideas,” says Stefani.

“Our goal is to release professionals, who are able to be leaders, carry on conversations at a high level, and think holistically past the surface.”

Pitch Contest Blends Students, Faith Community, and Education at Lawrence Tech
Pitch Contest Blends Students, Faith Community, and Education at Lawrence Tech southfieldcc_3ik8d2

Through a unique collaboration between higher education and a faith-based community, student entrepreneurs challenged themselves to bring their best business ideas forward in what may well be the first ever business pitch contest of its kind.

On March 7, teams of high school students pitched their concepts on stage at Lawrence Technological University’s campus in the Southfield City Centre during an event sponsored by Centrepolis Accelerator and Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, funded by a grant from the New Economy Initiative (NEI).

“NEI was looking for innovative ways to share and spread awareness of entrepreneurship among youth. There are many programs trying to get into the schools, but never in faith-based organizations, which are entrepreneurial by nature,” said Ross Sanders, manager of corporate partnerships with LTU, who has been working with youth entrepreneurs for about 15 years. “Essentially, faith-based communities are communities, and that’s what entrepreneurship is all about: creating community and connections.”

The competition allowed students to gain plenty of business know-how, Sanders says.

“When you learn about business, you learn math, computer science, how to work in a team, finances, pitching, developing a website, funding, equity, and investment. So regardless of whether you go on to launch a business, you’ve experienced a lot of learning through this event,” he says.

In first place was a product called Scholarship and Homework Aid Finder, or SHAF, an app that helps students get ready for college through support for finishing homework, and searching for colleges and financial aid sources. The winning business concept took home $1,000 in cash and $5,000 in LTU scholarships.

The second place award of $500 in cash and $2,500 in LTU scholarships went to StressLess Funerals, a website designed to support families who have lost a loved one. In third place, winning $375 in cash and $1,750 in scholarships is a product called Slashguard that helps stop toilet flush splashing.

Other pitched ideas ranged from toys embedded in soap to encourage bathing for small children, an online network for suicide prevention, a biometric gun lock to prevent accidental shootings, and a shoe-leasing business for high-end designer footwear.

“I was surprised by the ingenuity of the pitches,” says Sanders. “The students came up with a lot of innovative stuff, in my opinion.” The footwear leasing concept was an exercise in applying one business model to a new segment, as the students intuited that people who like to drive high-end vehicles will lease, thereby creating an additional market for the sale of those used cars. “The kids said ‘why can’t we do the same with shoes?’ It was an interesting thought, and a business model that fills a customer need.”

Sitting on the judging panel were Lee Gaddis, founder and CEO of Gaddis Gaming, a Detroit-based gaming table manufacturer; Lee Gorman, owner of Barton Consulting Services LLC, an Ann Arbor business consulting firm; and Belinda Turner-Dubois, loan officer at CEED Lending, a small business lending center of the Center for Empowerment and Economic Development, an initiative of the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council.

Part of the business pitch experience were four Saturday bootcamp-like coaching sessions with Jackie Stavros and Matt Cole, who are professors in Lawrence Tech’s College of Business and Information Technology, and Sibrina Collins, executive director of LTU’s Marburger STEM Center.

Business students from LTU also volunteered to act as team coaches. “The student coaches were major contributors to this event. It would not have gone off as well as it did without them,” says Sanders. “Each team was assigned a student coach, who worked with them and helped come up with and refine their business ideas.”

The high school participants toured LTU’s campus, visited the Detroit Food Academy at Eastern Market to learn about youth-run food businesses, and stopped off at Tech Town, the midtown Detroit-based startup accelerator.

“Tech Town is within a few minutes of Tabernacle Church, and it really exposed the students to all the entrepreneurial resources available there,” says Sanders.

Overall, the faith-based student pitch contest highlighted the need for more engagement with high school and middle school youth in entrepreneurship. The high turnout for this event is an indication of its value for the educational, business, and faith communities.

“These kids now know more about business than a lot of adults,” Sanders says. “They learned about scaling, leveraging, building platforms, multiple revenue streams, and a lot of other deep concepts.”

Surprise Yourself: Hit the Trail!
Surprise Yourself: Hit the Trail! southfieldcc_3ik8d2

Follow the Southfield City Centre Trail Map and explore heart-healthy activity close to home (or work!)

Are you ready to shed winter and join the birds and flower buds in appreciation of early spring? Southfield City Centre now has more shared-use paths than ever before, just waiting for you to explore. Surrounded by a friendly urban ecosystem, you’ll find public art, natural beauty, historical landmarks, and a park made entirely of red poles that at night, magically twinkle blue.

Upgrade alert: be aware that during the spring and summer, about two miles on either side of the Northwestern Highway service drive will be under construction. Along the southbound side, construction will take place from Civic Center Drive to 9 Mile Road. On the northbound side, the work will take place from Northwestern Highway to Lahser Road. This minor inconvenience is work that extends the trail, so be sure to come back in the fall when the work will be complete.

Bike, hike, walk, or run along the expanding Southfield City Centre Trail. Here is a brand-new trail map to help you find your way. Watch for updates to the map as the trail expands.

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Technosoft Expands in the Southfield City Centre
Technosoft Expands in the Southfield City Centre southfieldcc_3ik8d2

When Technosoft Corporation was preparing to expand its corporate footprint at One Towne Square in the City Centre, Southfield became its location of choice, edging out other locations across the country. With support from the Michigan Strategic Fund, Technosoft is creating a Digital Transformation Center of Excellence to deliver data solutions to its clients, using blockchain, robotic automation, and data science.

Business development support from Southfield helped make the decision to expand here an easy one.

“We think Southfield is very business friendly,” says Glenn Moore, vice president of marketing for Technosoft. “The city government was helpful in getting permits quickly when we were building out space and putting out signage. They helped us understand funds that were available to us, got to know us, and helped us with a lot of outreach.”

An IT company that helps clients digitize their businesses, Technosoft also embeds tech talent directly into its customer locations to work on projects, innovate, and create solutions. The Digital Transformation Center of Excellence will bring together talent teams to build and test applications, manage projects, and create digital solutions using artificial intelligence.

“We will have cross-functional tech teams work together to do cool project work for our customers,” says Moore.

With more than 4,400 employees globally, 1,200 employees in the U.S. and 900 right here in Michigan, it made sense for Technosoft to expand its presence here in the Southfield City Centre. The initiative is projected to create 104 high-paying jobs, according to information from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

In 2018, Technosoft applied for funding from the Going Pro talent fund through Oakland County Michigan Works! Southfield, which provides up to $117,000 reimbursement for tech skills training for new and existing employees.

“We are creating higher skilled employees in the area who are getting higher wages with better skills,” says Moore. “The City of Southfield [Business Development Department] was very helpful in making us aware of this program and helping us understand how it works. We give the City of Southfield some kudos for their support.”

Southeast Michigan has the talent that Technosoft needs, and Southfield provides a geographically attractive location for employees who live in different parts of metro Detroit. “We also like have Lawrence Tech so close by,” says Moore, who also serves as an adjunct instructor on campus. “We have been forming closer ties with the university for a potential pipeline for tech talent.”

When attracting talent, it helps that the Southfield City Centre offers walkability in a mini-urban environment, which helps potential employees visualize a comfortable fit in Technosoft’s office at One Towne Square. “With the Evergreen Road renovations and a nice walkway in front of our building, the city has made some improvements that make it more appealing,” Moore says.

“We have noticed the investments that have been made to make the City Centre a more interesting place to work.”

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