Centrepolis Advocate Profile: Jeffrey Granat

Jeffrey Granat—Business Services Specialist/TAA Case Manager - Program Coordinator at Oakland County Michigan Works! Southfield—is in an instrumental part of stimulating the workforce and economy in Southfield and Oakland County. He is a man focused on building talent and setting that talent up for success by connecting local individuals searching for jobs with training and resources that help them start and establish a career. In turn, this talent empowers businesses to reach their goals and continue to grow.

How would you describe your current role?

I work with local businesses to ensure that talent needs are being met, help promote job opportunities for employers, collaborate with partners to develop programs to prepare/educate jobseekers for the workforce, and provide career assistance for job seekers to enhance their career development opportunities.

What do you like about working in Southfield?

The City of Southfield is the "Center of it All". It is a diverse community and our center is now part of Centrepolis, giving us greater exposure to the community and businesses. Southfield provides tremendous resources to its residents and businesses, and we are proud to serve this community because of that!

How long has your company been located in Southfield?

Oakland County MI Works! has been here for about 40 years. We recently moved to our current location at 21415 Civic Center Drive, Suite 116 in July of 2017.

How does your company benefit from being in Southfield?

We have the opportunity to work with a diverse group of job seekers and employers. It gives us exposure to different industries and a variety of populations. It really provides us an opportunity to make an impact in what we do. We are now in a more visible area of Southfield and this opens up enormous opportunities for more partnerships in the community.

How do you support the Southfield business community?

We support the Southfield business community by serving as a hub for a variety of business and workforce development resources. We have been active in working with companies of all sizes and helping them promote their job openings and getting out the word about the different opportunities that are available in many different industries. We have served as partners on different committees trying to be a part of the solution in the hunt for talent in Michigan and continue to be active in creating job fairs and regional events to attract job seekers and employers to the area. Additionally, we can provide businesses with information about the labor market that will help them make informed decisions (wage information, job growth, etc) based on trends and data.

Where do you see the Southfield business community in the next 15 years?

The business community in Southfield continues to be robust and we see the future as very bright. By being part of Southfield, we will be active in meeting with employers and learning about their needs and continuing to stay up on the trends. This will allow us to deliver quality services to the job seekers and ensure that we stay current with the needs of the employers. There are several large employers along with mid-sized and smaller employers in Southfield in various different industries, which will allow us to observe closely and build partnerships with these companies in order to have a representative understanding of market conditions.

How are you supporting the growth and success of startups?

Being part of LTU’s campus and sharing space with the LTU Collaboratory, we are able to connect startups and entrepreneurs with resources and funding available to grow their business.  We offer workshops and counseling through Oakland County’s One Stop Business Center for entrepreneurs.  We connect startups to local and state economic development partners, and promote their business.

To connect with Jeffrey Granat and Oakland County Michigan Works! Southfield, call 248-796-4578 or fax 248-796-3508.