It was Tuesday evening at Meadow Brook Theatre and as the spotlight turned on, so did nine acts at the Chamber’s first Drop the Mic Charity Lip Sync Battle.

Each team competed on behalf of a charity in hopes that they could deliver a performance that would wow the audience and the judges in order to bring home a win and a check for their charity.  The teams were made up of representatives sponsored by various companies or educational institutions and included:  Oakland University, Genisys Credit Union, Baker College of Auburn Hills, Lucerne International, Inc., American House, Great Lakes Crossing Outlets, Gardner-White, Faurecia North America, and Mahindra Automotive.

 

Local celebrity judges carefully evaluated each performance in four categories: Lip Sync Abilities, Appearance & Stage Presence, Overall Creativity, and Crowd Appeal/Audience Response.  With all of the judges votes tallied, the top prize went to Shoppertainers of Great Lakes Crossing Outlets, who received a check in the amount of $1,750 for their selected charity, the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan.  Each and every act was fun to watch and applause goes out to all of them for getting up on stage and performing their best for a great cause.

 

 

 

Thomas A. Tanghe, City Manager

We are looking for Volunteers who would enjoy helping an elderly homeowner in our community get their yard ready for spring!

 

Every year numerous volunteers from the community, civic organizations, schools, and business volunteer to help clean up yards for senior citizen homeowners.

Rakes and yard waste bags in hand, these wonderful volunteers spend 4-6 hours raking and cleaning the yards up yard waste left over from winter. We have several yards this year, and need a few more volunteers to help.

This can be a great opportunity for employee team building, civic groups, student groups, Scouts, sports teams, and families. If you or your organization can give 4-6 hours to help a senior give us a call at 248-370-9353 or email kadcock@auburnhills.org.

Karen Adcock, Director of Senior Services

On Saturday evening, April 28th, I was honored to attend the annual LifeBuilders event, a fundraiser for Oakland Christian School (OCS) here in Auburn Hills. This is the second year in a row that I have gone with our friends who have a student at OCS. The event is centered around the value of a Christian education and showcases the talents of many OCS students. The photos contained herein include students from the middle school choir program and a scene from the schools’ upcoming production of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe.

 

And finally, the City of Auburn Hills welcomes Mr. Pat McCarty, the new Head of Schools who will be moving to the area in the very near future from his current home in San Diego, California. Welcome to Auburn Hills, Pat!

Congratulations to everyone at OCS for a spectacular and successful event!

 

Thomas A. Tanghe, Auburn Hills City Manager

The 33rd annual Oakland County Economic Outlook Luncheon took place on Thursday, April 26, 2018. Dr. Gabriel M. Ehrlich and Donald R. Grimes from the University of Michigan Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics delivered their annual report. For those who want to learn more, the final report will be available online at AdvantageOakland.com.

In general, jobs growth has been steady in Oakland County as we continue to regain our losses after the devastating effects of the 2008 crash of the economy. It’s hard to believe that the crash that started the Great Recession began nearly ten years ago. A few facts worth noting is the Detroit area CPI is expected to be 1.7% in 2019 and 1.9% in 2020. While job growth has slowed down a bit, it is being forecasted to increase from 1.2% in 2017 to 1.7% in 2018, 1.9% in 2019, and 2.1% in 2020. This is the period of time covered by the outlook. The Oakland County unemployment rate in 2017 ran nine-tenths of a percentage point below the U.S. rate at 3.5% verses 4.4%. There is so much more to the report that goes far beyond the brevity of a blog post. You can learn much more in June by reviewing the report in its entirety at the website contained herein.

 

Thomas A. Tange, City Manager

 

Last week, Dr. Ora Hirsch Pescovitz was inaugurated as Oakland University’s seventh president. The O’rena was filled with overflowing promise and warmth as bag pipes echoed throughout the walls. Student and faculty alike welcomed Dr. Pescovitz with cheers and words of admiration.

Dr. Pescovitz was employed by the University in July 2017, and has already made great strides to create a more inclusive atmosphere and increase involvement with student life. Dr. Pescovitz has an extensive history and experience working in higher education, as well as the medical profession. Graduating as a Doctor of Medicine at Northwestern University in Illinois, she is a distinguished pediatric endocrinologist and leader in civic engagement.

Dr. Pescovitz aroused the crowd by sharing her personal story of being the first born child of a Rabbi and a nurse from Russia. She explained how her parents instilled the importance of education, both in academia and in life. Those values resonated with Pescovitz throughout her lifetime and now she intends to reflect that at the university.

After the ceremony, Oakland held a community reception for the public to meet and greet Pescovitz.

Auburn Hills welcomes Dr. Pescovitz to our community and look forward to her amazing plans for Oakland University’s future.