Oakland County's Lola Are' Recognized by U.S. Small Business Administration

Oakland County Business Center Director Lola Are' has been recognized as an outstanding Michigan Small Business Counselor by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Are' assists potential business owners with analyzing the feasibility of their business ideas, developing a business or marketing plan, licensing and miscellaneous business questions. She also assists established and growing Oakland County businesses with management concerns and growing pains. She educates her client base on available resources offered by both Oakland County and its various partners including the State of Michigan.

"Lola is a passionate advocate for business success," said Maureen Donohue Krauss, Director, Oakland County Department of Economic Development & Community Affairs. "Her customers are well served by her business expertise and her commitment to Oakland County. This is a well-deserved honor."

Are', who heads up Oakland County's Business Center, a member of the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) network, shares the award with Lorne Greenwood, Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE) Counselor, SCORE Chapter 18, Detroit.

"I am truly thankful to my many bosses, colleagues, partners and peers for nominating me," said Are'. "I consider it an honor to be recognized as one of two 2011 Michigan Small Business Counselors of the year."

Are' is a certified Michigan Small Business Counselor and has counseled small businesses on a one-on-one basis for the past nineteen years. She brings a history of small business ownership, marketing and training experience to her position at the County. She is a certified FastTrac Facilitator and NxLevel Trainer and has taught entrepreneur classes for the last seven years. Class offerings have included the Business Basics series for startups as well as higher level entrepreneur classes such as the NxLevel Entrepreneurial series and FastTrac for established businesses. Information about Oakland County's Business Center can be found at www.globaloakland.com. Additionally, Are' is an Adjunct Faculty member at Walsh College in Troy and Schoolcraft College in Livonia teaching small business management and Industrial Entrepreneurship classes.

A graduate of Leadership Oakland XVIII, Are' is a member of the Michigan Women's Business Council (MWBC) Certification Review Committee and sits on the Advisory Committee for the Entrepreneur Initiative of Southeast Michigan (EISEM) at Automation Alley. She received her Masters of Business Administration (MBA) with concentrations in Marketing and Finance from The University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. Are' also has a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in General Business with a minor in economics from The University of Michigan - Flint.

The 2011 Michigan Small Business Awards will be presented on April 28, 2011 during the seventh annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business awards event at The Lansing Center in Lansing.

For more information and to register to attend this event, go to www.michigancelebrates.biz.