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Job seekers have a safe way to interact with potential employers at a virtual job fair on January 26, 2021 from 1-4 p.m.

The virtual job fair, hosted by Oakland County Michigan Works!, in partnership with the City of Southfield and the City of Oak Park, is a chance for individuals who are seeking a variety of types of jobs to connect with employers across many industries in a safe, socially distant way, online.

“This is an opportunity for job seekers to meet with a variety of employers virtually,” says Jeffrey Granat, program operation coordinator with Oakland County Michigan Works! Southfield, which is located on Civic Center Drive in the Southfield City Centre. “Job seekers can move from booth to booth, read about the employers and learn about their job openings.”

Participants can chat with potential employers and have a brief interview. “Employers do a nice job of putting together booths to entice jobseekers to learn more about their company and to chat with their representatives,” Granat says.

Across the multi-industry fair, employers are seeking a diverse group of employees from cleaners, environmental attendants, call center workers, logistics specialists, human services workers, transportation employees, cooks, certified nursing assistants and more. The virtual platform can accommodate as many as 30 employers, so there will be a variety of industries represented.

“There are a variety of different employers here and we try to offer something for everyone. There will be small companies and big companies from different industries. We want people to know there is something for you here,” Granat says. “Oakland County Michigan Works! will also have a booth to provide tips on resume writing and interviewing, and other tips for people seeking employment.”

Job seekers can use a computer, laptop or tablet to participate and will connect through a user-friendly job fair tool. Job seekers should register and build a profile and they can upload a resume. “The more information a job seeker can provide, the better,” Granat says.

Even during the pandemic, Oakland County Michigan Works! and the City of Southfield are working to ease unemployment and provide safe ways for individuals to return to work.

“It’s great that we have been able to put this virtual job fair together to help job seekers throughout southeast Michigan get back to work,” Granat says.

Learn more about the virtual job fair at Oakland County Michigan Works! Southfield: OaklandCountyMIWorks.com. Or contact Jeffrey Granat at jgranat@cityofsouthfield.com.

Job seekers can register for the virtual job fair at: app.brazenconnect.com/a/Michigan/e/l5Pmw

As some businesses understandably struggle in pandemic conditions, others thrive. Toad Opener is one that is perfectly positioned for success with a simple solution for hands-free door opening.

When Nick Moritz, a Michigan ex-pat living in Shanghai, was forced to return to metro Detroit at the very beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, he noticed a product installed at the foot of a commercial door that allowed the user to open the door with a foot instead of a hand. Recognizing the inherent ingenuity, he contacted the company with the hope of becoming an installer of the product he knew would be needed during and beyond the pandemic.

When Moritz learned the product had no installer program, his entrepreneurial mind recognized an opportunity to create a similar — but better — product. In April, Moritz and business partner Clif Wells — a fellow Michigan State Spartan Moritz met in China — launched Toad Opener, a hands-free door opening product with enhanced design features not found in competitive products.

Installed with zero door damage

“The key differentiator is we are able to apply the units without having to drill permanent, damaging holes into valuable commercial doors.” Instead, the Toad Opener is affixed to the door using a patent-pending design and commercial-grade 3M adhesives, saving damage and allowing for removal and replacement if necessary. This also makes the units appropriate for glass and refrigerator doors.

In addition to servicing many other customers such as restaurants, bars and hotels, Toad Opener has provided “bright, beautiful, customized units” for the City of Royal Oak throughout their new city hall and ice arena. Using 3D printing, they embed logos and branding into the units. The product comes with a sticker affixed to the door at eye level to alert individuals to use their foot to open the door, hands-free.

Expanding product offering with support from Centrepolis Accelerator

Early on, Moritz and Wells sought the support of a business accelerator and contacted Dan Radomski, director of the Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University in the Southfield City Centre. Through the Centrepolis Accelerator, which is uniquely designed to support businesses that manufacture physical products, Toad Opener qualified for a $1,500 business accelerator fund grant for services, which the company is using to innovate new product offerings.

Moritz says he and Wells are now working with a new 3D filament material embedded with copper nanoparticles that are antiviral and antibacterial. “The new material kills not only COVID-19, but also the flu and MSRA,” says Moritz. “This makes Toad Openers appropriate for hospital and physician office settings.” They are also designing protective overlays for high-touch surfaces.

“From toilet stall latches to drinking fountains, we’re creating products that are healthier and safer and basically self-cleaning. We give people a high level of confidence, though we don’t want anyone to abandon the best practices of disinfecting,” Moritz says.

A target market for Toad Opener is government and commercial buildings in the Southfield City Centre. “A major selling point is not just that companies should add Toad Openers to their doors for the sake of it, but that it’s a competitive advantage for them to be able to say when people start coming back to offices, that they have invested in these products to make the return as safe as possible,” Moritz says. For now, Toad Opener positions itself in the business-to-business and business-to-government sectors, rather than selling directly to individual consumers. The product is also suitable for public buildings like libraries and schools.

“We are focused on protecting the community and making everyone safer,” Moritz says.

Learn more about Toad Opener at www.toadopener.com. Discover the Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University at www.centrepolisaccelerator.com.

The Pure Michigan Small Business Relief Initiative will utilize federal CARES Act funding to provide $10 million in grants to meet the urgent need of Michigan small businesses disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 virus. Applications for businesses to apply will open on December 15, 2020.

Grant Information for Small Businesses

The Pure Michigan Small Business Relief Initiative (“Initiative”) will disburse an aggregate of $10 million in grant funding to eligible small businesses in Michigan. Applications will open at 9:00 A.M ET on December 15, 2020 and will be reviewed on a “first-in” basis by the Michigan Municipal League Foundation, which MEDC has selected to serve as the grant administrator. MEDC expects to fund approximately 650 small businesses with the funding allocated.

Prior to December 15, businesses can prepare for the application process by reviewing the following information:

• Application Questions and Instructions
• Application Video Tutorial

Read More at MichiganBusiness.org

When experienced entrepreneur Alex Downs of Michigan startup StarAgilis was ready to advance to proof-of-concept stage for a 5G controller for consumer and industrial applications, he sought to maximize design and testing resources and build connections where manufacturing expertise is already strong. His research led him to the Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University in the Southfield City Centre.

Downs connected with Centrepolis Accelerator director Dan Radomski and expert-in-residence Dennis Shaver. To help Downs advance his concept to a physical product, they hatched a unique collaboration with Lawrence Tech’s College of Architecture and Design and College of Engineering. Faculty members from each college embraced the opportunity in different ways.

The team knew the students would not only benefit from cross-disciplinary development of a real physical product but that they’d likely jump at the opportunity, too, given that this controller has an appropriate application in the video-gaming market — gaming being an activity familiar to and enjoyed by many students. Using 5G technology, the product can operate an augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) headset and drone simultaneously, which was not possible under earlier communications protocols.

“We came in with the technology and LTU is really helping us develop it. The students are on track and their output is good,” says Downs, who is originally from New Hampshire but currently lives in Hong Kong. “Our proof-of-concept will be basically proving a novel industry 4.0 application.” The connection with the Centrepolis Accelerator is a good match, as the business development resource exists to support entrepreneurs and established businesses prototype, test and manufacture physical products.

Radomski and Downs worked with Li Chen, adjunct faculty with LTU’s College of Architecture and Design and George Pappas, assistant professor with LTU’s College of Engineering who set to work with students to collaborate and advance the product design. Industrial design students worked in teams to develop the look and feel of the controller while engineering students designed the electrical controls and mechanical placement. Both sets of students needed to pay attention not only to packaging space, but water and humidity intrusion, thermal management and impact resistance.

For students who typically work in silos, the opportunity to collaborate across disciplines and negotiate their needs on behalf of an actual product is a real-world experience, Radomski says. Participating students can go on to use the experience in their own portfolios.

“We really have a captive audience with the students because a lot of them are gamers and they really understand the product,” Downs says. “They have very good insights and they approach it from their own perspective, with a lot of knowledge of what’s on the market right now. This is expertise we can really leverage.”

A grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation Business Accelerator Fund, together with financial support from StarAgilis, has funded the hardware and provided stipends for some of the student work, according to Radomski.

Ultimately, the 5G controller could be put to use in construction and industrial applications, and Downs is confident that Michigan is the place to advance his product to the manufacturing stage. With a goal to find partners — in the automotive and medical industries, specifically — StarAgilis is positioned to advance technology and manufacturing in southeast Michigan.

“Our hope is to be part of the ecosystem in Michigan that leads to great connections with great companies and people,” says Downs. “It’s really a people business and finding and attracting talent is very important. We are grateful for LTU for working with us and we appreciate what they are doing for us.”

Learn more about StarAgilis and the Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University at centrepolisaccelerator.com.

To cap off an unprecedented year in the Southfield business community, the Southfield Area Chamber of Commerce will host a 2020 Excellence In The City event. The virtual event will center around a 45-minute video presentation beginning at noon on December 8. The event will highlight key points from Southfield Mayor Ken Siver and bridge the gap from the annual State of the City event, which was canceled in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Excellence In The City will be broadcast through YouTube and Facebook Live.

To recognize the hard work of dedicated individuals and businesses in the Southfield area, 2020 Excellence In The City will be a celebration of award winners from five categories: Young Professionals, Health Heroes, Community Cares, Chamber Member of the Year and Innovation.

The Southfield Area Chamber is encouraging individuals to nominate the individual or business they feel most aptly embodies the spirit of each category. Award winners MUST be Southfield Area Chamber members. Nominators are encouraged to create and submit a 60-second video that highlights the nominee’s accomplishments and qualifications. Cell phone videos are perfect for this submission.

Nominations will be accepted through November 13, 2020.

Here’s a look at the categories up close:

Ascension Providence Health Hero Award

Candidates demonstrate community benefit by improving the health of their communities through healthcare, economic, or social initiatives. Ascension Providence Health Hero Award nominees demonstrate a passion for improving the health and well-being of the community through a profound dedication to their healthcare profession. They represent the healthcare industry with integrity, fighting for the health and safety of our community.

Centrepolis Accelerator Innovation Award

Candidates are businesses or entrepreneurs with a unique blend of vision, energy and perseverance. They develop innovative solutions to navigate through challenges and experience business growth as a result.

International Minute Press Chamber Member of the Year Award

Candidates are individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in service to the Southfield Area Chamber of Commerce with enthusiasm and dedication. They promote the mission of the Chamber: creating connections that drive and strengthen businesses.

Young Professional Award

Candidates have consistently demonstrated a commitment to some or all the following: contributing to the community, growing and excelling in their field through professional development, and/or achieving notable professional accomplishments. YP’s 40 and under are eligible to receive this award.

The Mars Agency Community Care Award

Candidates have consistently demonstrated that they are operating to enhance the workplace and community while impacting social change with their business beliefs, practices and profits. Nominees for the Community Care Award demonstrate an individual, business, or corporate social responsibility model, including financial commitment through economic and social initiatives.

The 2020 Excellence In The City sponsors are Ascension Providence, Lawrence Technological University, Comcast Business, the Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University, the City of Southfield, International Minute Press, The Mars Agency and Michigan First Credit Union.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available, including some award category sponsorships.

Learn more about the 2020 Excellence in the City event and register at southfieldchamber.com.

In a virtual awards ceremony, Red Pole Park, a larger-than-life interactive public art installation in the Southfield City Centre was recognized by the Michigan Chapter of the American Association for Landscape Architects (ASLA). The recognition took place in the virtual State of the Chapter and Awards Ceremony.

The General Design Merit Award was presented by ASLA President Wendy Miller to Landscape Architects Mijung Ko, ASLA, PLA, LEED GA and Mark Hieber, ASLA, LEED AP, Principal at HED, a national architecture and engineering firm with a local office in Southfield, that was retained by the Southfield City Centre to design the first phase of a shared use pathway system and this environmental art feature as a centerpiece for community engagement.

“This design award is a nod toward the power of landscape, in all its forms, to enhance the positive perception of ‘Place,'” said Hieber. “It is the result of a broad vision by the City of Southfield and its planning department to advance Southfield toward a more walkable and bikeable city.”

Hieber graciously recognized the partnership with the City of Southfield and Director of Planning, Terry Croad, AICP, ASLA, also a member of the Michigan Chapter of ASLA.

“We want to congratulate Mijung and Mark for working on this exciting project,” said Croad. “This was a goat path before the pathway went in and Mark and his design team created a series of outdoor rooms. This was built not along a river or an old rail-to-trail, but a freeway that has 110,000 cars that go by it every day.”

Recognized as “monumental and memorable”

The award is significant in that it was adjudicated by the Iowa Chapter of ASLA, rather than by a local panel. The jury said, “The creative solution and innovative approach to using existing utility infrastructure not only pushed the design further but worked within the limited budget.

The buzz this project generated is very exciting and not surprising considering its unique, monumental and memorable quality. This project shows what can happen when the role of the landscape architect is expanded beyond the traditional definition.”

Consisting of 65 red poles, each 35-feet tall, the installation intersects the extra-wide shared-use path at a segment of the Southfield City Centre Trail visible to the vehicles that traverse the Lodge Freeway each day. Red Pole Park represents the past, present and future of civic mindfulness in Southfield, with special historical recognition for past generations and founders of Southfield, as well as the growth and development of civic leaders yet to come.

At night, the tallest of the poles are lit with twinkling blue lights, which signal safe harbor, much like Michigan’s many beautiful and historic lighthouses. Walkers, runners and cyclists on the Trail can interact with the poles, which are home among native wildflowers, trees and unique birdhouses.

“We felt that we needed something bold and exciting to get people’s attention and it has done that and more,” said Croad during the awards ceremony. “It was the first piece of a 2.25-mile trail that has continued to be expanded on along M-10 the Lodge through the city of Southfield. We want to congratulate HED for our partnership with the city on this project that has been a catalyst to a number of redevelopments along this corridor including a new North American headquarters for Clarience Technologies, a convention center, two new hotels and expansion at Lawrence Tech University.”

Creative…and creatively funded

As unique in its design is the story behind how Red Pole Park came to be. Sparked by the generosity of 3,665 sponsors in a 2017 Patronicity crowdfunding campaign, the funding was matched by a grant through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) Public Spaces, Community Places funding initiative.

Installed in 2018 and dedicated in a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 22, 2018, the park is located directly on the Southfield City Centre Trail along the Northwestern Highway service drive, just north of Civic Center Drive and is accessible on foot year-round. Red Pole Park is just one of several art installations available along the Southfield City Centre Trail and within the district.