Business & Tech

Greater Farmington Area Chamber Celebrates

Business award winners will be recognized Oct. 27 at Oakland Community College Orchard Ridge campus.

From a , to a boost in membership, director Mary Engelman said the has a lot to celebrate this year.

Members will gather Oct. 27 at , building J, for their annual awards dinner, catered by the college's culinary arts department. Engelman said the Chamber will hand out a variety of business awards and take a look back over a year that has brought its membership to just under 500.

Two years ago, when the organization rose from the ashes of the Farmington-Farmington Hills Chamber of Commerce, Engelman said there were about 150 members.

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"It was a very dark time," she said. "We've worked very hard."

While some businesses have dropped their membership, Engelman said she has data that shows their reasons were strictly financial, not because they were dissatisfied. "That's comforting," she said. "You don't want to hear you're not doing your job."

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More than 50 events held over the past year have included partnerships with other Chambers, like the Snyder luncheon with the Livonia Chamber. The two groups will next sponsor what promises to be an interesting lunch with Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson Nov. 15.

Planning for the annual business to business expo, scheduled Nov. 10 at , is underway, with 60 percent of the booth space already filled.

"We are a Chamber that thinks out of the box," Engelman said. "If there's an opportunity to do something for our members, we jump on it."

Services are provided that help entrepreneurs grow their businesses – and this year's awards ceremony will honor one outstanding entrepreneur. Engelman said the Chamber also provides services for large, established businesses, such as providing certificates of origin for businesses that ship their products overseas.

Reservations for the annual dinner can be made by writing to amanda@gfachamber.com or by calling 248-919-6917.


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