Oakland County business events set for this week

Sept. 10
WATERFORD TWP. — Davidson Family Dentistry is hosting an open house and ribbon cutting, 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 5574 Cooley Lake Road, Waterford Township. Reservations requested at 248-977-3006.

Sept. 11
SOUTHFIELD — A seminar to assist franchise owners and operators in navigating union protests and strikes focused on quick serve restaurants and other franchises is being hosted by Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth &  Heller P.C., a Southfield-based law firm and Permanent Solutions Labor Consultants, of Brownstown Township. James M. Reid, IV, a Maddin Hauser employment attorney, and Ricardo Torres, a former high-level union official and president and CEO of Permanent Solutions Labor Consultants, will lead the seminar, which is scheduled for 8 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 11 at the Skyline Club, 2000 Town Center, #2800, Southfield. A complimentary continental breakfast will be available at 7:30 a.m. Register for the free conference by email to register@maddinhauser.com or call James Reid at 248-351-7060 or Bob Carroll at 734-536-7829.

Sept. 11
PONTIAC — The Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce presents a healthcare reform luncheon, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 11 at Downtown 51 Grill, 51 N. Saginaw St. in Pontiac. Healthcare reform starts Oct. 1 and  how it may impact business owners, will be discussed. The cost for chamber members is $18 and $35 for nonmembers.

Sept. 11
BIRMINGHAM — The Community House continues its monthly “Bulletproof Your Success Business” Lecture Series, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11. This lecture, presented by Camille Jayne, President and CEO of of The Community House is titled, “Strategic Planning For Your Career & Your Work.” The Community House is at 380 South Bates Street, Birmingham.

Sept. 12
WATERFORD TWP. — The Dance Place is hosting a ribbon cutting, noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12. The Dance Place is at 7544 Highland Road, Waterford Township. The event is a grand reopening and features snacks and give-a-ways.

Sept. 12, 19, 26
WATERFORD TWP. — The Oakland County Business Center offers Walk In — Start-Up Thursdays Free Business Counseling every Thursday. The hours are 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Sessions will be limited to 15 minutes and are available on a first come, first-served basis.
The weekly business counseling is held at the Oakland County Executive Office Building Conference Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford Township. For registration, visit www.AdvantageOakland.com/expand or call 248-858-0783.

Sept. 13
NOVI — The Greater Detroit Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) is hosting “Steer Business Forward,” as the organization sponsors a General Motors “Ride & Drive” event, Friday, Sept. 13 in the parking lot of the Novi Sam’s Club, 27300 Wixom Road. Several General Motors vehicles such as the Chevrolet Impala, Buick Encore and Cadillac ATS, will be onsite and available to be test driven, 4 to 6 p.m. It’s free to drive, but it is recommended to arrive early to get one of the limited amount of drive tickets. All drivers must be 21 years or older and present a valid driver’s license. The event includes a BBQ provided by Sam’s Club, a dessert reception and guest speakers talking on the topic of “Steering Business Forward.”
The reception, which includes a raffle, is 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at NAWBOGDC.org. The cost is $10 for NAWBO members, $15 for non-members.

Sept. 13
TROY — MI Biz Growth Expo and Workshop is Friday, Sept. 13 at Northwood University, 1500 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy. The event includes Expo and Networking, 9 to 10 a.m. and six speakers to choose from, 10 a.m. to noon. Register for the free event at www.mibizgrowth.com or call Minesh Baxi at 248-866-0063.

Sept. 13
TROY — Automation Alley’s 13th Annual Awards Gala is  6 to 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13 at The Henry Hotel in Dearborn. The categories and finalists for the awards include: Automation Alley Member of the Year: Rochelle A. Black, Oakland University; Tara Miceli, Walsh College and Karen Mitchell, DTE Energy.
Educational Program of the Year: Central Michigan University New Venture Competition; PTAC of Schoolcraft College and Wayne State University GO-GIRL: Gaining Options - Girls Investigate Real Life.
Entrepreneur of the Year: Bill Coughlin, Ford Global Technologies, LLC; Sarah Jacobs, The Robot Garage and Yan Ness, Online Tech, Inc.
Global Trader of the Year: Fluxtrol, Inc.; Fori Automation and Process Development Corporation.
Technology Company of the Year: Pratt & Miller Engineering; Secure-24 and Vectorform.
The cost is $175 per person for Automation Alley members and finalists and $200 per person for non-members. For more information, contact events@automationalley.com or call 800-427-5100.

Sept. 16, 23, 30
STERLING HEIGHTS — The Macomb-Oakland University INCubator will host its Startup Lean program. Part of the OU Lean Diversification Program, this three-part series will run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Mondays, Sept. 16, 23 and 30.
Startup Lean is targeted specifically toward startups, early-stage businesses and entrepreneurs. The Green Belt and Black Belt certificate programs, also part of the OU Lean Diversification Program, are more comprehensive and beneficial to companies at any stage.
"The Macomb-OU INCubator has successfully trained numerous existing companies in Lean through both the Green and Black Belt programs and decided that it made perfect sense to develop a course that was shorter in duration and focused primarily on startups," said Julie Gustafson, executive director at the Macomb-OU INCubator.
Tuition is $95, breakfast is included.
For more information and to register, visit oakland.edu/diversify or contact Joan Carleton at 586-884-9320 or macINC@oakland.edu.

Sept. 16
WATERFORD TWP. — A ribbon cutting is at Leo's Coney. 11 a.m. to noon, Monday, Sept.16 at Leo's Coney, 5076 Highland Road, Waterford Township.