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Doing Business In Royal Oak
"I think the biggest thing is hiring, because it's all about having the best people. Aside from downtown Royal Oak being super cool, it is also centralized. And not to mention just the massive amount of growth and the tech factor we're seeing in downtown Royal Oak."
Jake Sigal, co-founder and CEO of Tome Software, on why Royal Oak is a great home for Tome's mobility business.
- Planning
- Building (ordinance enforcement, permits, inspections)
- Engineering
- Downtown Development Authority
- Parking in Royal Oak
Local Grants
For businesses located downtown, the Royal Oak DDA has established a Façade Grant Program to reimburse applicants for approved façade work on downtown buildings. Approved applicants shall be reimbursed 50% of the eligible costs of façade work up to $10,000 upon completion of the project.
For more information about this program, please click here.
Partner Organizations
We work with a variety of organizations and governments with hyper-local, county-wide, and state-wide areas of operation.
Downtown Development Authority (DDA)
The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) develops programs and projects which are aimed at improving downtown Royal Oak including new business development, business recruitment and retention, downtown beautification, public improvements, and marketing and promotion. Click here for more information.
Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce
The Greater Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to bringing business persons, civic groups, local government and citizens together to advance the economic, professional, cultural and civic welfare of the community. A list of their upcoming events can be found here.
Main Street Oakland County
Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) is a unique economic development program for downtowns, with a historic preservation philosophy and an emphasis on "sense of place." MSOC is the nation's first and only county-wide coordinating Main Street program, coordinating with the Main Street America program.
Oakland County Business Development
Oakland County has a team of business development professionals to provide assistance to businesses of any size, stage, and sector in Oakland County, including Royal Oak. They offer support in the areas of technical assistance, access to capital, procurement assistance, workforce development, entrepreneurial support, and international business support. Find out more here.
Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
The City of Royal Oak works closely with its economic development partner at the state of Michigan to attract new investments and encourage business growth and expansion. An overview of MEDC programs can be found here.
Business Resources
The following resources are also commonly used by businesses currently residing in Royal Oak or considering relocating to the city:
Pure Michigan Business Connect
This statewide procurement database connects businesses to billions of dollars of opportunity to help them expand their supply chains, identify new opportunities and provides free or significantly reduced legal, accounting and web services.
Michigan Small Business Development Center (MI-SBDC)
The MI-SBDC enhances Michigan's well-being by providing counseling, training and research for new ventures, existing small businesses and advanced technology companies. A satellite office is located at Oakland County Community College's Royal Oak campus. To register for business counseling, please click here.
Oakland County Business Forward
Business Forward is Oakland County’s initiative to provide resources and services to small businesses in cooperation with community-based organizations. Find out more here.
Oakland Thrive
Oakland Thrive creates and hosts a wide variety of county-wide economic development and business events. They work with a variety of partners, including Oakland County, to host, support, and create events to support the Oakland County Business community. Find out more here.
Royal Oak PACE Program
Royal Oak is the latest municipality to establish a Property Assessed Clean Energy Program (PACE) in the State of Michigan. Under the program, commercial building owners may voluntarily assume a special assessment on their property tax bill to finance energy efficiency, water efficiency, and renewable energy projects. For more information please visit Lean and Green Michigan.
Royal Oak Library
Business & Investing Online Databases - Search an extensive variety of databases to effectively and strategically plan your business opening or expansion.
Meeting Space - Need space to host a meeting, workshop, or conference? Check out the library for cost-effective space rentals for up to 49 attendees.
Library Card - Workers at businesses based in Royal Oak are eligible to hold a library card.
U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. SBA provides help with SBA services including funding programs, counseling, federal contracting certifications, and disaster recovery. They can also connect you to partner organizations, lenders, and other community groups that help small businesses succeed.
Workforce Resources
Find support in the areas of recruiting and retaining talent, employee training and hiring support, and accessing real-time labor market data.
Michigan Works!
Michigan Works! Association educates, inspires, and trains individuals to meet the demands of Michigan employers and job seekers.
Pure Michigan Talent Connect
Employers and job seekers alike can search an extensive database of job openings, post and view resumes and jobs, view upcoming job fairs and tap into a variety of specialty career services.