Julie Majewski, owner of Deer Camp Coffee Roasting Company & Outfitters. She won the Hidden Gem Award at the company’s Sterling Heights store. (Photo by Susan Smiley)
The Andiamo Warren banquet hall was packed Thursday morning for the 12th annual Macomb Business Awards ceremony.
Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel and Director of Planning and Economic Development Vicki Rowinski served as emcees and kicked off the celebration with retired WJBK-TV (Fox 2) news anchor Huell Perkins.
“Every day, local businesses and organizations make our county a better place to live, work and experience, and the Macomb Business Awards are a great opportunity for us to showcase that,” Hackel said. Ta. “We are proud to share the stage with these amazing local leaders and once again promote the county as a trusted business partner.”
Awards were presented in eight categories. Strengthen your talent pipeline. Manufacturer of the year. Hometown hero. great place to work. Hidden Treasure; Non-profit organization and Partner of the Year.
Businesses from all over Macomb County, from Romeo to Roseville, took home crystal trophies, with Sterling Heights businesses winning four of the eight awards.
Epoch Expressions wins Startup of the Year. Deer Camp Coffee Roasting Company & Outfitters is this year’s hidden gem. AGS Automotive Metal Components Supplier was awarded as the Best Place to Work, boasting a turnover rate of less than 6% over the past four years. And Velocity incubators, accelerators, and coworking spaces have been named Economic Development Partners of the Year.
Founded in 2022, Epoch Expressions provides outpatient therapy for youth and families led by owner Stephanie Falotico and certified therapy dog Apollo. Since its inception, Epoch has served 73 clients.
“We have been so successful that we plan to expand soon to serve more teens in the Macomb County community,” Falotico said.
Deer Camp owner Julie Majewski said her retail store in Dodge Park opened during the coronavirus pandemic. That seemed crazy at the time, but the Michigan-based retailer grew to roast its own blend of non-acidic coffee and sell other locally produced foods, beverages, game, cheese, and outdoor products. .
The company added the Mio store and plans to open a third store in Harrison Township later this year.
“Opening Deer Camp during the coronavirus pandemic was a risk, but it has become a place to welcome visitors, connect the community and check out great Michigan products,” Majewski said. “
IF Metalworks of Roseville won the Manufacturer of the Year award, which recognizes companies that use the latest smart technology to adapt to industry demands and diversify their customer base. The company’s employees worked on a restoration at Michigan Central Station in southwest Detroit, recreating 100 historic staircases, 800 meters of decorative handrails, and 2,000 decorative ventilation grilles.
IF Metalworks was founded in 2002 and currently has three facilities with plans to open a fourth location in the near future.
The company recognized for fostering the talent pipeline and creating opportunities for the next generation of Macomb County workers is Aramark Facilities Management in Warren. This maintenance and housekeeping service provider offers an apprenticeship program with on-the-job training and partners with Michigan Works and Macomb Community College.
Romeo’s L&L Products, a Hometown Hero Award winner, was founded in 1958 to combine materials science, engineering and new processing techniques. This global company has his 500 employees at its Romeo location, provides his STEM grants to local school districts, has a vocational education partnership with Romeo High School, and supports several local nonprofits. I am donating to an organization.
“Our vision is for it to be a good place for everyone who touches it,” said Jay Kracik, director of human resources. “This award really means a lot to us because we want to be good citizens in our community and working with our local school districts is important.”
CARE of Southeast Michigan in Fraser has been named Nonprofit of the Year. This year, for the first time, the public was invited to nominate and vote for companies in this category. Over 3,000 votes were collected.
Susan Steiff, president and CEO of CARE, said while the agency is known by most as a place to serve people and families dealing with substance abuse, the nonprofit organization He said there are many other services available through the service. She is especially proud of her CARE program that addresses the mental health of first responders.
“For 46 years, CARE has been in business in Macomb County,” Steiff said. “CARE is known for its substance abuse services and prevention, treatment and recovery support, but what makes CARE unique is that it provides crisis support services for first responders.”
The 12th annual event was hosted by Consumers Energy. Additional sponsors include First State Bank, ITC, Macomb/St. Clairmichigan Works!, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, OneMacomb, Connect Macomb, Macomb Community College, Macomb County Chamber, Macomb Intermediate School District, Velocity, RCO Engineering, and SMART.
