130 total businesses recognized for their commitment to the business community

By Jim Newell
Review Editor
LAKE ORION — Small businesses are the heartbeat of the community and contribute to the local economy, charitable and service organizations and youth programs and sports.
So, saying a heartfelt thank you to small business owners is just one way of letting them know how much they are appreciated for their commitment to the Orion community.
And that’s the message that Joyce Donaldson, president and CEO of the Orion Area Chamber of Commerce, and Molly LaLone, executive director of the Lake Orion Downtown Development Authority, and their teams of volunteers wanted to convey to the small business owners during a National Small Business Week in downtown Lake Orion on Thursday.
“We really want to express our gratitude for small businesses because they really are the heartbeat of the community,” Donaldson said, adding that there are 33.2 million small businesses in the United States as of January 2023.
More than 20 members of the chamber and DDA, area government officials and legislative aides visited 37 small businesses in downtown Lake Orion on May 4, handing out chocolate and treats from Nutz About Chocolate and while hearing the owners’ stories.
Diana Ostrand, owner of Accent On Art, has been in Lake Orion for 33 years. Her father owned a shop called Orion Top and Cabinet, located in the exact building of her current business.
“We’d walk into the businesses and we got to hear more about them and why they chose Lake Orion. It was just a very positive event and allowed everyone to see how important small businesses are,” LaLone said.
In all, chamber members visited 130 businesses in the Orion area from April 30 – May 6 in recognition of Small Business Week.
The chamber holds three business walks each year. On Valentine’s Day the chamber members visited businesses on Baldwin Road and the M-24 corridor. They will also hold a holiday walk later in the year.
“We usually try to hit around 100 businesses each walk. That’s about 300-plus businesses a year that we just walk in and say ‘Thank you’ with no other agenda,” Donaldson said. “It’s generally received extremely well. It’s not often that someone just walks into your office and hands you good candy and cookies just to say thank you for keeping your doors open. They’re so grateful that we took the time to come in and recognize them.”
According to the Small Business Administration, a company with less than 500 employees and annual receipts under $7.5 million constitutes a small business in a non-manufacturing industry.
“Small Business Week is a time to lift up and celebrate the contribution of small business owners and entrepreneurs. They are the backbone of our local economy and the glue of our local community. They contribute significantly to the local economy, they are resilient, diverse and drive innovation,” LaLone said. “They are better able to focus more energy on their customers and their needs and that makes them more adaptable to change in times of economic uncertainty. We saw our small businesses in Lake Orion reacting and adapting to the needs of their customers during the pandemic. So, this is very true locally.”
Small businesses account for 99.9 percent of all businesses in the United States and in the Village of Lake Orion it is 100 percent, LaLone said, adding that small businesses create approximately two-thirds of new jobs in the U.S. each year and employ 47.1 percent of the private workforce.
LaLone cited a survey by American Express that found that 62 percent of respondents prefer to shop at small businesses rather than at big box stores or online retailers.
“And we’ve certainly found that to be true when we do our downtown shopping passport. Our local residents are extremely proud of choosing to shop local,” she said.