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WATERFORD TWP. Oakland County business workshops offered Business owners and entrepreneurs are invited to attend seminars in September, offered by the Oakland County Business Center. The following classes will be at the Oakland County Executive Office Building Conference Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford Township. For pre-registration, visit oakgov.com/peds/calendar or call 248-858-0783. “Five Keys to Successful Financial Management for Small Business — Fiscal Management Tools for the Nonfinancial Manager” is 8 a.m.-noon Wednesday, Sept. 8. The fee is $25. “Pre-Business Research” is 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9. This workshop is free. “Sales I: Effective Networking” is 9 a.m.-noon, Wednesday, Sept. 15. The fee is $40, which includes all materials. “Fundamentals of Starting a Business” is a seminar for those going into business is 9 a.m.-noon Thursday, Sept. 16. The fee is $30. “Fundamentals of Writing a Business Plan” is 9 a.m.-noon Thursday, Sept. 23. The fee is $40,...

TROY Best of Troy Award building nominations sought The Troy Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations of exterior building projects or interior upgrades to office space during 2009-10 for a Best of Troy Award. The Chamber award committee looks for a variety of project types and sizes. Judging is based on function, uniqueness, use of space and aesthetics and there will also be a “green” award. Send nominations to Jaimi Brook at 248-641-0031 or e-mail jaimi@troychamber.com by Tuesday, Sept. 7. BLOOMFIELD HILLS O’Keefe names Ianev new senior associate Transactional financial consulting and turnaround management firm, O’Keefe and Associates, appointed George Ianev of Troy as their new senior associate. In his new role, Ianev will provide transactional finance and turnaround management counsel to middle market automotive, manufacturing, health care, real estate and other clients in Michigan and throughout the nation. Prior to joining the firm, Ianev worked as CFO for North America at N...

PONTIAC Oakland County earns assessors' award Oakland County’s Equalization Division has garnered The Michigan Assessors Association 2010 Distinguished Assessment Jurisdiction Award because of its online personal property filing system. This is the first time the county has received this recognition. The system, created in collaboration with the Department of Information Technology, allows those who pay taxes on machinery and equipment to file online rather than fill out and mail forms to the county. It allows taxpayers to file or amend their personal property statements from year to year. It also improves the efficiency of Equalization Division employees who do not have to open envelopes, sort and file thousands of tax filings. Oakland County’s online personal property filing system will serve as a model for future online property tax filing improvements by the Equalization Division. To view the form, visit http://tinyurl.com/24xjamy . FARMINGTON HILLS Allstate recogn...

COMMERCE TWP. and WEST BLOOMFIELD TWP. Wesley Berry Flowers giving away 12,000 roses Wesley Berry Flowers is celebrating its 65th anniversary on Wednesday by giving away 12,000 roses in bunches of a dozen to any adult who visits one of their shops between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m, or until supplies last. The flower shop has locations at 2985 Haggerty Road in Commerce Township and 6677 Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield Township, as well as two shops in Detroit. Wes Berry, owner of Wesley Berry Flowers, says there’s one catch, those who receive free roses have to make a promise to keep one for themselves and give the other 11 away to different people. This is done in an effort to become acquainted with new people or to renew old friendships during what he calls, “Good Neighbor Day.” TROY Chase plans Wednesday job fair   Chase will host a job fair from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Embassy Suites, 850 Tower Drive, Troy. Chase plans to hire up to 50 full-time employees...

Azox new catalog engine allows users to narrow down and filter their search results with greater detail. Users can find what they are looking for quicker and easier. Below are some of the new features. - Selection box informs user which attributes have been selected for which categories - Search through multiple categories simultaneously - Narrow results down faster and easier with greater detail - Minimize and maximize categories by clicking them - Shadowed boxes indicate which options are not available

COMMERCE TWP. OCC director appointed to board Nancy Showers, director of institutional research at Oakland Community College, has been appointed to the 2010 Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. For more information about the award, visit www.nist.gov/baldrige. TROY Conference discusses expanding opportunities in the defense industry The Michigan Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association is hosting “Expanding Opportunities in the Defense Industry: The Upside to Michigan’s Economy,” their 4th annual Fall Business conference Sept. 13-15 at The Marriott Detroit Troy, 200 West Big Beaver Road in Troy. It will give Midwest companies an opportunity to network with government and defense industry decision makers from the Department of Defense, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, Automation Alley, the Defense Supply Center, the National Automotive Center and a wide variety of manufacturers who are currently working on a variety of defense-related projects. ...

NOVI Walter J. Powrozek receives wealth manager award   Walter J. Powrozek of Novi’s Sigma Financial Corporation, has been recognized as a “Five Star Wealth Manager” by HOUR Detroit Magazine and DBUSINESS, a business journal. Powrozek is an independent wealth manager. Less than 7 percent of Detroit Metro­politan area wealth managers, which includes financial advisers, accountants, and tax advisers were chosen for this group. TROY Michelle Carter elected director to Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Michelle Carter, a partner in Bodman LLP’s Troy office, has been elected to a three-year term on the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association’s board of directors. Carter also serves as the 2009-2010 president of the Wolverine Bar Association. She is recognized as a Rising Star in “Michigan Super Lawyers” under Business Litigation. ROYAL OAK Detroit Zoo adds environmental services manager The Detroit Zoological Society recently appointed Sarah Popp to manager of environmental...

DETROIT My Girlfriend’s Business Weekend offered My Girlfriend’s Business Weekend will benefit Women Healing Women, which provides scholarships for women and helps women start their own businesses. Detroit Faces “Beyond My Business Card”  is 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26 at Coach Insignia, 200 Renaissance Center. Tickets are $30 per person. “A Better You, A Better Me,” is 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27 at Radisson Hotel & Conference Center, 17123 N. Laurel Park Place in Livonia. This free event is hosted by No Limits Outreach Ministries. For information, call 734-272-2580. Pink Pajamas & Pillow Party hosted by My Girlfriend’s Business follows. Girlfriends Go Golfing is 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at Rogell Golf Course, 18601 Berg Road, Detroit. The event includes golfing and cooking demonstrations and eating tips. Tickets are $30. For more information, visit www.detroitfaces.com or call 313-444-5460. WATERFORD TWP. Pearson named a top college entrepreneur   Local entrepren...

WALLED LAKE Lakes Chamber hosts Oakland County chamber gathering The Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting an evening of networking with professionals from chambers throughout Oakland County, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 25, at the Bayside Sports Grille, 142 E. Walled Lake Drive in Walled Lake. The cost is $10 in advance or $15 at the door. There will be appetizers and a cash bar, as well as a door prize drawing for pre-registered guests. Register by calling 249-624-2826. SHELBY TWP. Mattress To Go donates  mattresses, pillowcases Mattress To Go of Shelby Township recently made a donation of five new twin mattresses and 50 queen pillowcases to the Mount Clemens Turning Point Shelter, a local domestic violence shelter. Mattress To Go is at 51260 Van Dyke in Shelby Township, and specializes in premium American Therapedic mattresses. For more information call 586-580-3611 or visit www.matt-to-go.com . LIVONIA Matchmaking event held for business owners The U.S. Small Business Adm...

SOUTHFIELD Levine receives leadership award Josh Levine of Huntington Woods has received the 2010 Mark Family Young Leadership Award for the Young Adult Division of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. Levine is director and wealth adviser at Telemus Capital Partners of Southfield. The award is given to one emerging leader each year who exemplifies outstanding achievement in leadership and contribution to the Jewish community of metro Detroit. ROCHESTER HILLS Citizens Financial promotes communications director Citizens Financial Group has promoted Jacqueline Wiggins of Rochester Hills to director of executive communications and engagement. Previously, Wiggins was senior vice president and director of public affairs in Michigan for Charter One. In her new role, Wiggins is responsible for helping to shape and implement the executive communications strategy at Citizens Financial Group, including providing internal and external communications support with speech writing and prese...

Web parts, or also known as web widgets, are objects built on the ASP.NET framework that allows HTML elements to be added to particular zones of a page. This allows users to easily add, move and manipulate content on a page fast and easily. Many people are probably already familiar with Web Part technology if they have used Microsoft SharePoint. You can see in the screenshot below how SharePoint takes advantage of Web Part technology. With eSource II, Azox’s latest E-Commerce engine, Web Part technology was implemented as a way for companies to create content and change the appearance on a webpage while minimizing the need to go into the source code. This also allows fewer IT resources to be used and can save time and expense. With web part technology, now less technically oriented staff can make changes and edits to a webpage without the need of a dedicated and experienced web designer on hand. Another advantage of web parts is that its modular and allows the web page t...

SOUTHFIELD Brooks Kushman names team leader, new associate Brooks Kushman P.C., a specialized intellectual property and commercial law firm based in Southfield, has appointed Mark Sparschu to head the firm’s diverse trademark team. Sparschu joined the firm in 2009 as a senior attorney, and previously worked as chief trademark counsel for Ford Motor Company in Dearborn. The firm also recently hired Christopher C. Smith as an associate to work with the firm’s Los Angeles office as a member of the California State Bar. Smith was formerly an associate with Kirkland and Ellis L.L.P. in Los Angeles.   TROY First Michigan Bank names two executives First Michigan Bank named Dennis Klaeser as chief financial officer and Thomas Brown as chief operating officer.  Klaeser assumes the position of chief financial officer. Klaeser was previously senior vice president and senior research analyst at Raymond James. Brown had served in the capacity of First Michigan’s chief financial officer and...

DETROIT Better Made films commercials in honor of 80th anniversary It has won hundreds of awards and taste tests for their savory snacks, from local competitions to national and international tastings. Now, as part of Better Made’s anniversary celebration, the company has produced television commercials. Sal Cipriano, CEO of Better Made, whose father started the now famous snack food company back in 1930, stopped in at a recent voice over recording and editing session at CVMedia’s studio in Northville. The objective of the commercials was to highlight the company’s connection and loyalty to the state of Michigan and in particular, the Detroit area. From the time Michigan-grown potatoes are unloaded at the plant, to being washed, cut, cooked, salted (with salt coming from Michigan mines), seasoned (with Michigan made seasonings) bagged and finally boxed (in cardboard cartons made in Michigan) by Michigan workers. A total of three commercials were produced, which took more than months to...

FERNDALE Hobby shop hosts model car camp during Dream Cruise Woodward Avenue’s Rainy Day Hobbies offers interactive camp on model car building at 2 p.m. daily, through Friday, Aug. 20, at 22961 Woodward Ave. in Ferndale. The shop will offer the basics of model car building. Each session will give kids ages 5 to 13 a chance to learn how to assemble a miniature version of their favorite car from start to finish through a hands-on demonstration. Adults are welcome to stay. The cost for the Model Car Cruise Camp, is $15 per child, which includes a starter model car kit to be used during the camp, as well as a bottle of water. More advanced kits are available for an additional fee. For more information, call 248-545-5667 or visit www.rainyday hobbies.com . MACOMB COUNTY Allstate agents honored Macomb County Allstate Insurance agents were honored for top performance recently for outstanding customer service and business results in 2009. Craig Borowsky, John Ivkov, Jeremy Mlynarek, James Munr...

SOUTHFIELD Entrepreneur forum hosts Josh Linkner The Detroit chapter of Talent, Ideas and Enterprise, (TiE), the global networking forum fostering entrepreneurship will host an evening with Josh Linkner, founder and chairman of ePrize and entrepreneur, author, and jazz musician. The event is 5.30 p.m. today at UTLC Gallery, Lawrence Technological University, 21000 W. 10 Mile Road in Southfield. It is free for TiE members and $15 for nonmembers. For more information, visit www.detroit.tie.org . WHITE LAKE TWP. Chamber hosts mixer Waterford Chamber of Commerce Meet & Greet Business After-Hours Mixer is 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18, at 6707 Highland Road in White Lake Township. The event features appetizers, chocolate fountain and cash bar. The cost is $15 per person at the door. For information, call 248-666-8600 or visit waterfordchamber.org . CLARKSTON Chamber hosts state Rep. Eileen Kowall Clarkston Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting State Representative Eileen Kowall at the Augus...

BERKLEY Oakland Press editor, Glenn Gilbert, speaks at  marketing presentation   Oakland Press Executive Editor Glenn Gilbert will be the guest speaker at the upcoming “Keys to Successful Community Marketing” program presented by Community Marketing Associates. He will discuss how newspapers select news stories about local businesses. The free presentation is only available to business owners/managers of a Berkley business. The presentation outlines the marketing advantages of local businesses linking together to promote the community and their businesses. The presentation begins at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 25, at the Berkley Public Library, 3155 Coolidge. For more information visit www.communitymarketingassoc.com . FARMINGTON HILLS New investment adviser named at Bloom   Bloom Asset Management, investment advisers, appointed Nicholas Defenthaler as their new client relationship manager. In his new postion, Defenthaler will be responsible for managing client portfolios. Pri...

BLOOMFIELD HILLS Power networking event served with dinner The Association for Corporate Growth Detroit Chapter will host “Power Networking Event,” 5:15 p.m.-8 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 24 at Andiamo’s, 6676 Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Hills. The event is limited to 80 persons and will include a three-course dinner, where participants will dine and meet with a different person for each course, which will represent a round of networking. The cost of the program which includes breakfast and networking is $50 for members and $65 for non-members. For more information, call Sharon Kimble at 877-894-2754 or visit www.acg.org/detroit . OAKLAND/MACOMB COUNTIES Oakland and Macomb counties rated AAA Standard and Poors Ratings Services has again confirmed Macomb County’s outstanding AAA bond rating and a “stable economic outlook ahead. The highest rating possible from a Wall Street credit rating firm comes in support of $95.9 million Interceptor Drainage District Bonds which will be used ...

SHELBY TWP. Panera Bread opens drive-thru Panera Bread of Southeastern Michigan opened a drive-thru at its Shelby Township cafe at 14121 Hall Road and to celebrate, the store is holding a fundraiser on Tuesday, Aug. 17. Customers who donate $1 throughout the day will receive a small coffee or regular size fountain drink. Funds will be donated to the Shelby Community Foundation for the scholarship fund. CLARKSTON 4 area chambers host networking seminar The Clarkston, Orion, Ortonville and Pontiac Chambers of Commerce  are partnering to host “Networking is for Neanderthals: Relationship marketing in a new economy,” an interactive, humorous and high energy seminar with six time EMMY Award winning Shawne Duperon. The program is  8:45 a.m.-noon Friday, Aug. 20, at Clarkston Community Schools Administration Building, 6389 Clarkston Road in Clarkston.The cost is $35 for Early Bird and $50 at the door. To register call 248-625-8055 or visit www.clarkston.org . CLINTON TW...

ROYAL OAK Bill Ford to speak at Dream Cruise breakfast WWJ Newsradio 950 will be holding a special Dream Cruise business breakfast with guest speaker Bill Ford, executive chairman for Ford Motor Co., at 7:30 a.m. Aug. 20 at Duggan’s Irish Pub, 31501 Woodward Ave. in Royal Oak. Ford will be discussing his career, innovation at Ford Motor Co. and the future of the auto industry. There will be a question-and-answer session. Advance registration is required for the event and costs $50 which includes valet parking. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketweb.com . TROY NorthPointe names director of marketing and client service NorthPointe Capital, a domestic equity institutional investment management firm based in Troy, promoted Sarah Schattner to director of marketing and client service. She will assume a leading role in consultant and client relations for the firm, leveraging her strong relationships with the community. Schattner has been with the company since 2005 and has managed all aspe...

MEA-TV adds AWWL Big Time Wrestling program MEA-TV of Southfield and AWWL Big Time Wrestling have announced a deal that will add the Original Big Time Wrestling program to Detroit and 5 million other homes. The AWWL Big Time Wrestling promotion is expanding with a new 30-minute program on Saturday nights at 9:30 p.m. on the MEA-TV network. The program will air on Comcast Digital Cable Channel 667 and Cox Cable Channel 480 starting Aug, 14. It will also air in the future simultaneously on the station’s website, meatv-radio.com . The program will be a combination of exclusive classic matches featuring legends such as The Sheik, Bobo Brazil, and Dick The Bruiser as well as a mix of new stars for today’s generation such as AWWL Heavyweight Champion, Whipdog Johnson, High Risk Damien Michaels, Big Rookie, Sabbath, Tim Horner Jr. and the Human Highlight Reel Sabu.   Russell elected to Oakland Employment Diversity Council The Oakland County Employment Diversity Council elected Frank Russe...

OAKLAND/ MACOMB Tim Horton’s offers smile cookie to benefit charity Tim Horton’s locations in Metropolitan Detroit are hosting their Smile Cookie campaign to benefit Children’s Hospital of Michigan from Saturday, Aug. 14 through Saturday, Aug. 21. While supplies last, guests can purchase a special chocolate chip cookie, decorated with a smile, for $1 plus tax. Proceeds from this year’s campaign will benefit the Children’s Research Centre of Michigan, whose mission is to promote knowledge in the area of science and medicine in order to improve methods to prevent, cure and treat childhood diseases. STERLING HEIGHTS Donations sought to restore 1967 T-Bird Larry Sauger of Sterling Heights, a member of Vietnam Veteran Chapter 154, has donated his 1967 T-Bird to the Baker College Auto Restoration program. The car will be a teaching tool for students because it requires hands-on metal finishing and painting. The college had hoped to complete the car this year, but budget constraints are makin...

CLINTON TWP. Career expo presented The Empowering Michigan Career Expo will take place from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, at the Concorde Inn Hotel, 44315 Gratiot Avenue, Clinton Township. Several businesses will be present and ready to interview and discuss hiring opportunities and representatives from the Unemployment Insurance agency will also be on hand to answer basic questions about unemployment and the extensions that are available. Attendees should dress for success and bring lots of copies of their resumes. Additional information is available at www.expogiant.com . WATERFORD TWP. Sphere Trending wraps up 2010, begins 2011 Sphere Trending of Waterford recently finished their reports for trends in 2010 and have already started working on 2011. Sphere Trending was founded by Maxine Lauer, CEO and president. She started the company in 2000 because she saw a gap in bringing together macro and micro trend information to provide key implications customized for each business. Her car...

SOUTHFIELD and WAYNE Staffing firm to interview applicants at two job fairs Impact Management Services, a Southfield-based staff management and workforce consulting firm, is holding on-site interviews at job fairs on Tuesday, Aug. 10, beginning at 9 a.m. at two Michigan Works’ offices, located at 15950 E. 12 Mile Rd., Suite 100 in Roseville and 35731 W. Michigan Ave. in Wayne. Program managers will be looking to fill dozens of immediate-hire positions for their automotive clients. All applicants should come prepared for a professional interview with an updated résumé, proof of a diploma or degree, photo identification, social security card and reference list. Those interested must call the Impact’s office at 248-262-5200 by close of business on Monday, Aug. 9, or visit www.theimpactanswer.com . WATERFORD TWP. Lunghamer Buick GMC brings Lisa Harbert into the fold Lunghamer Buick GMC at 5825 Highland Rd. in Waterford Township announced that Lisa Harbert is now part of the Lunghamer Buick...

There is strong consensus that title tags play a huge role in having a properly optimized site. A title tag defines the title of a document and tells the user and search engines the topic of a particular page. Title tags also appear on the top of the browser and in opened tabs. Title tag should appear just after the tag of the html document. Tips for Title Tags Reduce Character Length - It’s recommended you keep title tags to under 60 characters because many search engines will not display them properly. You can see below the Title Tag for Dell is fully displayed with nothing cut off. If you look at TigerDirect.com there is more description left that cannot be fully displayed as noted by the ellipsis. Use Title Tags within the Title Tag Appropriately - Placing keywords in the Title Tag that you use throughout your website is very important as well. But be careful not to over-stuff keywords in the title tag. Keyword stuffing is overloading keywords in a webpage or in this instance a ...

PORT HURON Teacher certification seminar offered Saginaw Valley State University will present a teacher certification seminar from 5 to 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 16, at St. Clair Community College’s Port Huron Campus, 323 Erie Street, Port Huron in Room 150 of the Citizens First Michigan Technical Education Center. The seminar is for those who already have a bachelor’s degree or higher and want to obtain initial certification in elementary or secondary education from the State of Michigan. The meeting is free, but attendees are asked to reserve a spot by calling Lisa Kramp at 810-982-5530 from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday-Thursday or via e-mail at lmkramp@svsu.edu . WARREN New Domino’s Pizza location opens Domino’s Pizza franchisees Ron Asmar and Jason Dally opened a new location in Warren, at 6115 E. 10 Mile Road. The shop is open for delivery and take out from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday. WARREN FedEx driver to compete Rick Bailey, a driver for Fe...

ROCHESTER HILLS Chamber hosts seminar on online marketing, e-commerce The Rochester Regional Chamber is hosting a seminar titled “Legal Pitfalls Around E-Commerce and Online Marketing” featuring Troy-based attorney John T. Carter of Carter & Affiliates PC. The seminar is 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 6, at the city of Rochester Hills, 1000 Rochester Hills Drive. To register contact the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce at 248-651-6700 or visit www.rrc-mi.com . The seminar is free. WATERFORD Golf Classic is Aug. 13 The Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Chamber Golf Classic is Aug. 13 at Pontiac Country Club, 4335 Elizabeth Lake Road. Registration and continental breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. and shotgun scramble start is 8:30 a.m. It includes 18 holes golf with cart, buffet dinner, prizes and drink tickets. The cost is $125 per golfer, and $50 for dinner only. BIRMINGHAM Birmingham/Bloomfield annual golf event slated for Aug. 16 The Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber golf event...

FARMINGTON HILLS Mango doubles its size, relocates offices Mango Languages, a leading provider of online language learning services to libraries, government agencies, corporations and the general public, recently announced that it has relocated its offices and has more than doubled the size of its space to accommodate the company’s continued growth. Mango Languages is now located in Farmington Hills at 30445 Northwestern Highway, Suite 300. For more information visit www.mangolanguages.com . COMMERCE Florist named top member Florists’ Transworld Delivery has named Wesley Berry, owner of Wesley Berry Flowers of Commerce Township, as one of its prestigious “top members” for the sixth year in a row. To be named one of FTD’s top members is one of the highest achievements in the floral industry, and is based on monthly order volume, membership qualifications, and purchases of business and product support. To find a Wesley Berry Flowers location, call 800-937-5397 or visit www.800wesleys.com...