Oakland County Continues International Attraction

Oakland County Continues International Attraction

Michigan has solidified its claim since 1905 that is the central location of the automotive industry. While there has been a renewal of success in the automotive industry in the past couple of years, growth in the IT and Medical fields has also been rapidly expanding in the area. Being a hub for international companies, Oakland County has seen an exponential amount of growth in these areas over the past couple of years. With OU INC’s role in successfully serving international clients, there is a strong strategic partnership enabling attraction of international companies to Oakland County.

Oakland County employees a small team of individuals whose focus is on economic development across three main fields. Concentrating not only on domestic retention, but also on developing and obtaining new international companies, Oakland County provides a great opportunity in the automotive, IT, and medical fields. With over 1,000 international firms from 38 different countries, Oakland County continues to lead the way in developing and retaining international companies in Michigan.

As the Senior Business Development Rep. for Oakland County, Alan Weber is one of the individuals responsible for continuing Oakland County’s success. “A lot of companies want to test the market. Being able to come here, spend time here, without making a large investment gives them an opportunity to test the market” said Weber “With the help OU INC, Oakland County can work with companies further in these stages of development. It would help bring in companies that are on the fence.”

Oakland County’s economic development team does not stop after recruiting companies. Their goal is to help companies on both the business and personal side. For helping companies to find land, financing, staffing, being up to regulations, and speed to market, their goal is to have no barriers for the company to experience.

Over the next 10 months, the Oakland County Economic Development team will be going on 6 different international business trips. France, Germany, Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan are all on the agenda and have been some of the highest areas of international business development in Oakland County. These trips take extensive amounts of research into company details such as revenue, customer location, company size, and company goals, and reviewing cultural information and preparing materials. After reviewing company goals and needs, Oakland County also uses multipliers, bringing professionals from areas such as law firms and CPAs to help demonstrate what Oakland County has to offer.

Oakland County will continue to see tremendous development in their international business sector and their hard work is a defining reason why. From the substantial amount of time put into researching before, to the continuation of that effort with company follow ups, the trips are very structured and focused on helping international companies find a home in Oakland County. With the continuation of successful development for international companies at OU INC, there is a tremendous chance for Oakland County to further establish themselves as one of the leading headquarters for international business in the U.S.