BIZ

May 2010 -- What’s The Biz -- Lake Orion 1

What’s the

Orion Style
May 2010 Vol. 3 #13
A monthly collaborative with the Orion Area Chamber of Commerce
2 What’s The Biz -- Lake Orion -- May 2010

Tax and organizing tips for 2010

Last week you (or your tax preparer) tage of these changes if you aren’t orga- Folder 1) real estate taxes and 1098-INT
may have been scrambling to get your per- nized and ready? for mortgage interest, folder 2) auto regis- Orion Area Chamber of Commerce
sonal taxes and/or partnership returns filed. Here are some things to start doing now tration tabs (boats, motorcycles, trailers
Many of you have already received to help you get a grip on your taxes for too) newer than 1986, folder 3) charitable 2010 Chamber Leadership
those nice refunds the stimulus and recov- 2010. First, start a 2010 Tax File now. contributions.
ery act helped you get, Do not use a For contributions you must have a de-
depending on your in- shoebox (yes, tailed list what you donated, estimated value President
“Put everything, and I mean ev-
come level. people still use with a receipt from the 501(c)(3) organi- Rosemary Rangi
erything, you spend money on, Crittenton Medical Equipment
Some of you these) or those zation. The Salvation Army has a very good
probably had to file an in your budget...This definitely ugly manila fold- list. Go to www.salvationarmyusa.org un-
extension because you helps you be proactive and get ers. Get yourself der Ways to Give the last item is Donation Vice President
are waiting on your some fancy color- Receipts – Valuation Guide. Print this list Bill Kokenos
ahead of the game.”
schedule K-1 from ful folders with out and keep it in this folder for reference. Orion Senior Center
your partnership, sub -Anita Gates Delventhal, pockets and a The key here is to organize your tax
s corporation or other A.G. Consulting Services Inc. notebook so you file with the income and expense items you Treasurer
investments that were can keep every- (not your neighbor, brother, sister, etc.) Alice Young, CPA
put on extension. thing organized need to track for your taxes.
The rest just procrastinated getting your throughout the year. If you have a folder for each type of Secretary
taxes completed. If you have a business, color co-ordi- item it will help you to stay organized, fo- Loretta Spatafore
Well, it’s time to stop thinking about nate your business (ie; solid colors) and per- cused and reduce your stress at tax time. uSellOnline
2009. Get yourself thinking and doing sonal files (ie; strips). The next step you should do is to pre-
something about 2010 now. Label your folders for the different pare a budget for the rest of 2010. This Directors
Most people do not even give their busi- income and expenses you need to keep track will help you see what is coming in and Martha Bergquist
ness and personal taxes another thought until of for tax purposes. For example, label the what is going out every month. Did you
…..January of the following year. first folder W-2s, the 2nd folder 1099-INT know most people do not have a house-
Coffee News
Tax law changes have been in constant for interest income, the 3rd folder 1099-DIV hold budget? Carl Cyrowski
movement these last couple of years and for dividend income, the 4th folder 1099-B Put your net pay (what is directly de- Michigan Global Solutions LLC
they will continue to be moving at a faster for investments that you sell throughout the posited into your account) in first then your
pace than ever. year. expenses. Theresa Fiorani
So how are you going to take advan- Set up your expenses the same way. Do not use your gross. If you use Canoe Circle Graphics
your gross you will definitely run into
trouble managing your budget. You can’t Elizabeth Meyer
spend the amount that has been withheld Genisys Credit Union
for taxes.
Answers with Guidance Put everything, and I mean everything Dawn Neely
you spend money on, in your budget. The Seniors Helping Seniors
while Committed to providing things you pay quarterly (ie: garbage ser-
vices, newspaper, water…) you should split James Porritt
winning Solutions this out monthly on your budget because
sooner or later you have to pay for it…. so
Attorney at Law

why not budget for it and be ready. This Neal Porter

definitely helps you be proactive and get Vette Products
1. Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor / Accountant ahead of the game. Linda Sickles
2. Tax Preparation & Tax Planning / Tax Advisor Finally, make yourself use your bud-
get. I know at first it will be really difficult Orion Township Public Library
3. Benefits Counselor to do because it is like looking at yourself Monica Squarcia
in the mirror. National City Bank /PNC
Ready to make a change But as you use your budget monthly,
you will begin to be more comfortable with Karen Ulrich
and move forward? it and hopefully see how beneficial this tool Queensland Marketing
really is to help you manage your money.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither can your Craig Zmijewski
We will always return your call financial future. AAA Michigan
248-393-0403 Anita Gates Delventhal is President
& CEO of A.G. Consulting Services Inc.
Executive Director
She is an accountant, tax advisor and ben-
Your QuickBooks, efits counselor with 25+ years of experi- Alaina Campbell
Tax & Financial Resource Center ence in the small business arena helping
her clients handle employee benefits, ac- Orion Area Chamber of Commerce
counting and tax issues. She is also a P.O. Box 484
Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor and Lake Orion, MI 48361
248-393-0403 Registered Representative. For more in- 248-693-6300
formation call 248-393-0403 or email her
www.agconsultingservices.com at anita@agconsultingservices.com. info@lakeorionchamber.com
www.lakeorionchamber.com

Briefly
Win a car
St. Joseph Church and
School is now selling tickets in
its 9th Annual Automobile
Raffle. Win a 2010 GMC Sierra
regular cab (outright ownership)
or a 2010 GMC Acadia/Buick
LaCrosse (36-month lease), or
a $15,000 cash grand prize.
Four other cash prizes will
also be awarded in the amounts
of $2,500, $1,000, $300 and $200.
Tickets are $100; only 500 tick-
ets will be sold. Drawing held
April 18 after 12:30 p.m. Mass;
need not be present to win.
Please mail check to St. Jo-
seph School, 703. N. Lapeer Rd.
Lake Orion, MI 48362 (ticket
will be mailed back within 7
days), or, purchase after Sunday
Masses. Raffle supported by
Golling Buick/GMC. For more
information, call 248-693-6215.
In the chips
Grab your shovels, wheelbar-
rows and buckets; Oakland County
Parks is giving away free wood chips
Saturday, April 24 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
at Orion Oaks County Park, 2301
Clarkston Road in Orion Township.
Participants can enter at the
Clarkston Road gate to load wood
chips.
Chips are of assorted wood
from power line maintenance prun-
ing and storm damage. All wood
chips must be loaded manually into
vehicles and small trailers; no com-
mercial haulers. Chips may also be
picked up May 8, May 22, June 5
and June 19.
Tell the world
What’s happening? How’s
business? Send your business
news and photos to us at the Lake
Orion Review and we’ll help spread
the word about how wonderful you
aree - no charge! Email us at
Lakeorionreview@sbcglobal.net
May 2010 -- What’s The Biz -- Lake Orion 3
Orion Area Chamber of Commerce
OACC celebrates 60th anniversary
A message from Chamber President Rosemary Rangi
This year the Orion Area Chamber of Many people do not realize that the owners through its networking events.
Commerce will be celebrating the 60th An- Orion Area Chamber was initially respon- It keeps you abreast of issues affect-
niversary since its sible for starting the Orion Christmas Pa- ing your business and also ways to im-
formation. rade as well as the Veterans Memorial. prove the way you do business.
The Chamber We will be acknowledging our anni- Participation in Chamber activities is
began in June of 1950 versary in October with a dinner/dance. a great way to promote your business.
and has played a very We will be inviting back all past presi- Lastly, the Orion Area Chamber of Com-
viable role in the Lake dents and board members to attend this merce is part of a united voice for the com-
Orion community. “reunion.” munity.
Past presidents Additional details of the event to fol- We can leverage our size and relation-
and their board of Di- low in the coming months. You can con- ship with our local governments to affect
rectors have in- tact us either by phone at 248-693-6300, change that benefits our members, the
Rosemary Rangi,
cluded many well- or at info@lakeorionchamber.com. business community and our community
President, OACC
recognized individu- In the interim, we are asking if any at large.
als that are still very active in the area to- Orion resident or business has any memo- We also try to promote our member-
day. rabilia involving the Orion Area Chamber ship to shop local any time they can to
Over the years, we have sponsored a to please forward it to us to share for this keep dollars in our own area.
variety of different events for both busi- event. Join is as we celebrate our 60th anni-
ness and community participation. The Orion Area Chamber’s mission is versary.
Most notable is our Community Busi- multi-purpose. Rosemary Rangi is Director for
ness Expo in May and the Chili Challenge First of all it provides its membership Crittenton Medical Equipment.
in September during Barn Daze. with an avenue to meet other business
New director takes reins at Chamber
It is with great enthusiasm that I have 2010 Community Business Expo Brochure. a.m. at Panera Bread on Baldwin Road.
started my first few weeks as the new Ex- With an expected attendance of over This group focuses on reaching out to new
ecutive Director of the Orion Area Cham- 1,500 community members this is an ex- businesses in our area.
ber of Commerce. cellent avenue for promoting your busi- Other notable
Along with getting familiar with the ness or organization. community events
office and my new duties, I’ve had the An exciting benefit for businesses include the Growing
privilege of who are ven- Green Earth Day
meeting many dors is that Expo sponsored by
local business Orion Area Chamber of Commerce hosts they may also Orion Township
o w n e r s , sell merchan-
the 2010 Community Business Expo Parks and Recre-
elected offi- dise at their ation on Thursday,
cials and com- May 11 booth. Take April 22 from 1-7
munity mem- advantage of
bers.
4 to 8 p.m. this opportu-
p.m. at beautiful
Canterbury Village
I look for- Lake Orion High School nity to boost in the King’s Court
ward to pro- spring sales Castle Restaurant & Alaina Campbell,
moting our community and our Chamber and get your name out in the community. Banquet Facility. OACC Executive
of Commerce. Other notable upcoming events in- Director
And don’t for-
The Chamber has several exciting clude our Networking Group that meets get about the Dragon Dash 8K Run and
upcoming events, the biggest being the every other Wednesday at 7:30 a.m., and Walk on Sunday, May 16 at Civic Center
Orionopoly Community Business Expo to is hosted by various local businesses.
be held at Lake Orion High School during The next one is scheduled for Wednes-
parent/teacher conferences on Tuesday, day, April 28 and hosted by AAA Michi-
Park! A great opportunity to get out and
enjoy the spring air. For more information
contact the Orion Township Parks and
May 11 from 4-8 p.m. in the Field House. gan, 3009 S. Baldwin Rd. in Suite B. Recreation department at 248-393-7040.
This free event will feature local busi- The Oxford Chamber of Commerce For more information about Cham-
nesses and organizations, a “Taste of will host a joint luncheon with our Cham- ber events or to find out about becoming
Orion” with free food from local restau- ber on Thursday, May 20 at Boulder a member of the Chamber please contact
rants and door prizes. Pointe at 11:30 a.m. This is a great time to me, Alaina Campbell at 248-693-6300.
It’s not too late to become a vendor. network with other area businesses and More information can also be found on
A registration form can be downloaded keep abreast of local issues. our website at
from our website at the bottom of the home Join us for our next Ambassadors www.lakeorionchamber.com.
page at lakeorionchamber.com. It’s titled Group meeting on Tuesday, April 27, 10
4 What’s The Biz -- Lake Orion -- May 2010

See it, click it, fix it

The New York Times recently published watch” mentality.
an article about a website that has slowly The main goal is to bring attention to
grown to be something of a phenomenon in problems in a community, whether it be a
municipal informa- pothole, a bad intersection or graffiti. It
tion technology are- helps encourage dialog between members
nas. of a community about these issues and hope-
The idea behind fully results in solutions to these problems.
SeeClickFix.com. is By putting in the public eye it puts pres-
pretty straight for- sure on government to act or at least give a
ward: See a problem reason for not acting.
in your community Cities all around the world are using
(maybe a burned out this free service as another tool to monitor
light), post a descrip- the community and create communication.
tion, location and Michael Toth Newspapers are also using it as a way to
maybe a picture, the hear what is of concern in the area.
problem becomes public discussion, your The site is monitored so that inappro- A pizza and
community resolves the priate posts are deleted to help foster a civil grinder place
problem(hopefully). dialog. is what new
Anyone who looks at seeclickfix can This service is another tool communi- Bellacino’s
see a map of their area with any problems ties can utilize in ever increasing efforts to owner Sam
“pinned.” become more efficient, more transparent and Beydown
They can read the description, view any more directly linked withthe community. said he
photos and see what responses have come So if there is an issue you haven’t re- needed to
about as a result of the post. ported, this might be an easy way to do so. have. Photo
In Lake Orion’s case, I am the only If you have an iPhone, Seeclickfix has a free by Megan
“watcher,” someone who has subscribed to app that uses GPS to determine the location Collier
Seeclickfix and receives Emails regarding of the problem which makes reporting about
any issues. a 90 second process. Check out
Anyone can be a watcher for any area SeeClickFix.com.
and any area can have infinite watchers. Mike Toth is a member of the Lake Orion
This hopefully fosters a “neighborhood Village Council

Car Cruise
Less Than Two Weeks Away
Taste ‘real’ food at Bellacino’s
By Megan Collier grinder, which is topped with onions,
Starts May 4th Lake Orion Review Staff Writer green peppers, cheese, lettuce, toma-
5-8 pm Join Us A pizza and grinder place is what toes and mayo.
Of Lake Orion new Bellacino’s owner Sam Beydown All the ingredients are what
For said he needed to have. Beydown calls “real” food – that is, it’s

• 50/50 Drawings by the • All Cruisers Receive

M o t h e r ’s “I just stumbled upon it up for sale
– I just needed to get it,” he said, add-
unprocessed. That’s part of why he
loves the chicken grinder so much.
Lake Orion
Cheerleaders & Orion
Senior Center
15% Off All Meals
Anytime
• Cruisers From 2009 -
Day ing that restaurants are in his blood.
Businessmen in his family own three
“The chicken is really, really good.
It’s actual chicken – it’s not the pro-
Keep Your Same
• Oldies D.J. Phil
• Trivia Questions & Membership # Sunday, May 9th Subway (franchises) in the family and
a Papa Romano’s.
cessed patty,” he said.
Customers can even watch restau-
Prizes Every 1/2 Hour! See Cashier
• Custard Cones or Dish for New All Moms Receive A Beydown, now one-month into rant staff form fresh bread dough on a
$1.00 Card
• Average 150 Cars Per
Night
FREE 25% Discount ownership, says there won’t be many
changes to his restaurant, though he
wooden counter in the kitchen.
Bellacino’s offers a wide variety of
• All Cruisers Can Sign
Up Anytime To
One Scoop does plan to bulk up portion sizes a little pizza, grinders sandwiches, pasta and
Start Getting Sundae Outdoor Patio and do some small remodeling projects. salads. They even have a special kids
Your “As of now, it’s being run by the section.
Discount For Moms Now Open book, just as Bellacino’s wants it,” he Right now, customers can get a 16-
said. “I want to make it a nice looking inch, one-item pizza for $8.99 or, two,
Enter To Win A $100 Gift Package place for families to come and enjoy. A 12-inch, two-item pizzas for $14.95.
Enter anytime. Need not be present to win. lot of professional people stop here for Care for a sandwich? Cali ruebens and
$ 00 lunch – they run in here and grab a bite chicken barbeque grinders are on spe-
$ 00 $ 00
1 Off Regular
1 Off
Your Choice of 5 Dinners
1 Off to eat and head out.”
Customers order Beydown’s Ital-
cial for $5.90.
Stop by and say hello to Bellacino’s
Lemon Any Large
Beef Pot Roast ian grinder most often, also known as new owner, Sam Beydown and grab
Smoothie or
Cooler
Chicken • Fish
Chopped Steak • Shrimp
Salad the House Specialty, he said. some lunch.
Based on purchase at regular menu price. Please
no substitutions. Not valid with any other offer.
Based on purchase at regular menu price. Please
no substitutions. Not valid with any other offer.
Based on purchase at regular menu price. Please
no substitutions. Not valid with any other offer.
It’s got ham, sausage, salami, They’re located at 1188 Lapeer
Limit one coupon per person per visit. Valid only
at Lake Orion Culvers. Expires 5-19-10
Limit one coupon per person per visit. Valid only
at Lake Orion Culvers. Expires 5-19-10
Limit one coupon per person per visit. Valid only
at Lake Orion Culvers. Expires 5-19-10
mushrooms, onions, green peppers, Road, just south of Clarkston Road on
cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo. the west side. Give them a call at 248-
Located on Lapeer Road & Dutton (1/2 Mile N of the Palace) • 248-276-2222 Beydown’s favorite is the chicken 814-4030.
 May 2010 -- What’s The Biz -- Lake Orion 5

Smoked out
By Laura Colvin
Review editor
Butt out. That, essentially, is the message smokers
will hear when a statewide smoking ban takes effect
May 1.
The ban, singed into law Dec. 18, 2009 by Gov.
Jennifer Granholm, makes it illegal to light up in res-
taurants, bars, theaters or any other public place—with
the exception of cigar bars, tobacco specialty stores
and casino gaming floors.
Around the Orion area, reactions were mixed as
smokers prepare for a last public puff.
Cheryl Millenbach, general manager at Applebee’s
of Lake Orion, said she didn’t anticipate much of a
problem.
Since most patrons are nonsmokers, she said, and
the restaurant offers only a small area where smoking
is currently allowed—three tables and the bar.
“And we still get a lot of complaints, because the
smoking area is not closed off,” Millenbach said. “If
we seat a family in one of the big booths around the
bar and people nearby light up, the family will say ‘Hey,
how do you call this nonsmoking?’ They get really an-
gry with us.”
With passage of the new law—the state Senate ap-
proved the bill 24-13, followed by a 75-30 House vote—
Michigan joins 36 other states with laws against smok-
ing; some states have similar statewide bans while oth-
ers opted for partial anti-smoking laws.
But while public health benefits seem obvious, the
effect on local business remains to be seen.
“In my travels to other places that already had a
ban enacted, they said yes, business from smokers
drops off for a little while, but they get used to it, and
they come back,” Millenbach said. “It will be a posi-
tive for our nonsmoking guests, because they feel in-
truded upon.”
Greg Mitchell, manager at Christi’s Bar and Grill
on Clarkston Road had a similar opinion.
“I don’t think it’ll be a bad thing,” he said. “A lot
Opinions mixed among local
business owners as Michigan’s
May 1 smoking ban approaches
of people say ‘We’re not coming, we’re not coming,” person who owns, operates, manages, or is in control
he said. “But I say, ‘Hey, where else are you going to of a public place shall make a reasonable effort to pro-
go?” hibit individuals from smoking in a public place.”
Besides, he noted, the ban could attract new cus- Those caught violating the smoking ban, it says,
tomers. will find the local health department on the doorstep
“For every smoker we might loose, we might gain within five days, and both restaurant and smoker could
another one who didn’t come in before because of the face fines up to $100 for a first offense and $500 for
smoke,” Mitchell said. subsequent violations.
But unlike Applebee’s, the majority Christi’s patrons At CJ’s, Joan Slomczenski said the new law is prob-
are smokers, he added. ably a good thing.
“Personally, I don’t agree with the law, and I’m a “We have a smoke eater to purify the air,” she said.
non smoker,” Mitchell said. “It’s taking peoples rights “But when a lot of people start smoking, we get com-
away. If I go into a bar and somebody’s smoking, it’s plaints from the nonsmokers.”
my choice to go sit next to that person or not.” Most who patronize the Sandbar are about 50 per-
Keith Aldridge, who manages his family’s business cent smokers, 50 percent not,
at both Canterbury Castle, where the Clansman Pub is she noted, while most
located, and Indianwood Golf and Country Club, who dine in the ad-
said even as a nonsmoker—and one who doesn’t joining restaurant
like his children around secondhand smoke—he’s not are not.
in favor of the law. “It’ll probably
“I really think it should be up to the local bar be good once
owner,” he said. “(The law) is against the American people get used to
way, and I don’t think its right for the state to say it,” she said.
‘You’re not allowed to have smoking here.’ It’s my
establishment; if I want to have smoking, the non-
smokers can go to another establishment and vice
versa.”
At Indianwood, he said, members have
been vocal about their displea- sure.
“It’s a private country club,”
he said. “We have a lot of cigar
smokers and guys pay a lot of
money to be in that particular
atmosphere; it’s their club and
now they’re told they can’t
smoke cigars. It’s a problem.”
Problem or not, Aldridge is
faced with the same task as oth-
ers in his shoes.
The law, in part, states “the

Want to be a quitter?
•Medicaid: Michigan ENROLLS can
help you find out if you qualify for
Medicaid. Many Medicaid programs
cover the nicotine patch and nico-
tine gum. Call 1-888-367-6557 or
visit www.michigan.gov/mdch
•Michigan Tobacco Quitline: The
Michigan Tobacco Quitline offers free
telephone coaching to help quit
smoking. No insurance? You may
qualify for free nicotine patches. Call
1-800-QUIT-NOW

•Medicare: The Michigan Medicare •Partnership for Prescription As-

Medicaid Assistance Program can sistance: This program can help find
help find Medicare and prescription drug company programs you qualify
savings programs. Call 1-800-803- for. Call 1-800-477-2669 or visit
7174 or visit www.mmapinc.org www.pparx.org
6 What’s The Biz -- Lake Orion -- May 2010

Salon’s new look is 100 years old

By Megan Collier
“So many buildings are already ‘there,’
so to me it’s silly if you don’t bring ev-
erything back to the original historical
state. Sheet rock, vinyl siding – they don’t
match. It just doesn’t give it a nice, fluid
Review Staff Writer
look. You want people to come down and
It will be a whole new storefront. It
say, ‘Oh, what a cute little town,’” she
will be a whole old storefront?
said.
Either way, Patti’s Place For Hair his-
The DDA director says Patti’s Place
toric façade renovation will be “absolutely
has been high on the renovation grant list
beautiful,” said Suzanne Perreault,
for a while, and is pleased with plans for
Downtown Development Authority
the building.
(DDA) executive director.
Salon-owner
“I think what Patti is doing to her build-
Using a matching grant from the
Patti Snider ing is going to be absolutely beautiful,”
DDA, worth $12,365, Patti’s Place owner
shows the said Perreault. “It’s a perfect example
Patti Snider is tearing off what she calls
building as it of what some buildings could have down-
a “hideous” awning and wood façade,
was and as it town. She really set a standard for build-
and restoring the front of her 21 S. Broad- will be when ing rehabs.”
way building to its original brick design. renovations According to Perreault, each year the
The entire project will cost between are complete. DDA budgets funds to go for improve-
$28,000 and $30,000. Photo by ments that historically preserve buildings.
The renovation, she says, is just in time. Megan Collier
“What we’re looking for from prop-
“When they took [the awning] off, the
erty owners is preserving historical char-
builder told me I had probably another
nal barber pole. “staircase to nowhere” as a retail dis- acter and architecture and matching the
year and it was going to rot off,” she said,
“The history of this place is so cool play. The staircase used to be the only money that we put up,” she said, noting
adding underneath the wood were lay-
and I’d love to find out more of it,” she access point to her neighbor’s upstairs the grant allows owners to “make an ini-
ers and layers of building materials
said. apartment. But renovations next door tial investment with the grant when they
chronicling the buildings’s 100-year-old
The owner notes she’s also uncover- walled in the stairs, leaving it quite liter- otherwise might not be able to.”
history.
ing some “interesting” items, like old ally a path leading nowhere. Perreault says projects should pre-
But, she found out, through all that, it
newspapers, in the walls and ceiling while Snider says she’s doing the renova- serve original architectural features like
was always a home to a barber shop or
the salon’s interior is spruced up, too. tions to keep up the historic feel of down- going back to brick, taking off aluminum
hair salon. On the first layer, Snider says
Snider’s also given new life to an old town. siding and enlarging small windows.
she even found an imprint of the old origi-

James R. Porritt, Jr. Contentious charity

ATTORNEY
30 Years Real Estate Experience The maker of a living trust fa- the dispute.
Licensed Broker • Chairperson of County Bar R.E. Comm vored some friends and family They claimed that if the re-
Member American & State Bar R.E. Sections over others in the ultimate distri- siduary beneficiaries who all sur-
bution of her es- vived, were shown to have been
248-693-6245 tate.
She also pro-
guilty of undue influence, that
they would be barred, but the trust
SIMPLE WILLS e Fr vided that in the could still be valid and the char-
• Self directed disposition of assets Con e Init event the residu- ity would take all.
sul ia
• Your choice of administrator tati l ary beneficiaries The trust was relatively small
• Your choice of Guardian for minors on had all died, that and could not afford long term liti-
• Your choice of Trust for minors to be set up after your passing. her estate would gation. The trustee settled and
“Avoiding Probate” does not justify the cost or inconvenience of setting up a Living Trust and maintaining it for the pass to her favor- ended up paying the charity to get
rest of your life. Michigan’s unsupervised probate procedure is inexpensive, uses preprinted forms, avoids formal ite well-recog- Attorney James out of the litigation.
accountings, court appearances, or approval of asset disposition. nized charity. R. Porritt, Jr. In cases where a challenge
When some to a trust might be expected,
of the family members chal- makers of trusts should think
For Sale By Owner
TRANSACTION Short Sales lenged the validity of the trust,
the charity’s attorney joined in
twice about opening the door to
contentious charities.
• Advice, preparation of Purchase Agreement, Procedures & Negotiations
Mandatory Disclosures & related documents. If You Must Sell Your Home
• Coordination of financing, inspections, surveys, And Cannot Without A Try not to become a man of success
appraisals, title work & closing Reduction In Your Mortgage
Cash To New Mortgage Transaction 1/2of 1% Balance, Call For An but rather try to become a man of
Seller Financed Sales 1% Appointment.
(Land contracts, private mortgages, lease with option) value. ~Albert Einstein
436 S. Broadway (M-24) , Suite C • Lake Orion
 May 2010 -- What’s The Biz -- Lake Orion 7

Helping businesses build business since 1987

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choices available today so Queensland Marketing Communications “on message” with all
they can reach their perfor- your marketing and ad-
mance and sales objectives. www.qmarcom.net vertising.
We help build business Services include
by putting our client’s name, representation for
phone number, logo, and message into the hands of sales, service and account management, marketing
their customers, employees, and prospects through communications, sales promotion programs, incen-
clever, creative and effective logo apparel and logo tive programs, corporate identity and brand aware-
merchandise. ness, corporate gifts, safety campaigns, awards,
Q marcom offers a plethora of items to meet printing, and promotional advertising specialties.
each client’s needs and budget, including embroidered Providing the highest quality service is our stan-
and screen printed apparel, awards and custom dard.
plaques, executive and holiday gifts, coffee mugs and Contact us so we can begin working to build your
drinkware, pens, food gifts and much, much more. business. Call toll free 800-380-1477, or by email at
When “Outstanding Performance” is rewarded KUlrich@queenslandinc.com, or by fax at (248) 370-
with incentive merchandise, we offer name brand 9311.
merchandise such as Cutter and Buck Apparel, Nike You can also visit our website at
Apparel, Waterford Crystal, Bic Products and www.qmarcom.net and browse through one of our Karen Ulrich owns and operates Queensland
Franklin Mint to name just a few. on-line catalogs. Marketing Communications of Lake Orion.

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8 What’s The Biz -- Lake Orion -- May 2010
Not just another free
checking account
MCCU pays big interest on Platinum Checking
Michigan Catholic Credit Union has
created a great way for you to save
money and earn money at the same time.
Their new Platinum Checking is not
just another “Free” checking account.
This account pays you 3.00 percent
APY* on balances up to $25,000.
Platinum Checking gives you all this
and more: • No minimum balance
• Interest paid up to $25,000
• Free Electronic Bill Pay
• Free Electronic Account State-
ments
• Free Unlimited CO-OP Network
ATM Withdrawals
• Rebates up to $15 per month on
Out-of-Network ATM withdrawals
• Access to 28,000 non-surcharge
ATMs
It’s easy to receive the maxi-
mum interest rate. All you need to do is:
• Use your MCCU Debit Card - at
least 15 Signature/Credit transactions per
month
• Have monthly Automatic Deposits
• Receive Electronic Statements
You can’t lose with this checking ac-
count.
During any given month that you do
not meet the qualifications listed above
for the 3.00% APY interest rate, you will
still receive .05% APY on your checking
balance.
Some restrictions do apply, but you
must ask yourself. What does your check-
ing do for you? Angie Dempsey of Lake Orion, left, pic-
For more details about Platinum tured with Culver’s owner Joe Zimmer and
Checking or about membership with Marriott Springhill Suites General Manager Liz
Michigan Catholic Credit Union, call Kaplan, was the winner of this month’s Big
Diane Leier, Lake Orion Branch Man- deal giveaway. As the winner, Dempsey will
ager, at 248-693-3400, ext. 1500. receive a once-a-month one-night stay at
*
APY=Annual Percentage Yield.
Rates are subject to change without
Survey says...
notice. Advertised APY accurate as
of 3/30/2010.
Membership eligibility required.
Federally insured by NCUA
Newspaper websites
most-trusted source
for local online news
Newspaper Web sites are the single
most-visited and most-trusted source of
online local news, according to a survey
of 3,050 adult Internet users by
comScore conducted on behalf of the
Newspaper Association of America.
Overall, 57 percent of respondents
said local newspaper Web sites were their
No. 1 destination for various kinds of lo-
cal information — more than all other
online local news media combined.
The survey also revealed high
rankings for the trustworthiness of ad-
vertising on local newspaper Web sites.
Breaking local content and advertis-
ing down into various categories, 29 per-
cent said newspaper Web sites were their
primary destination for local news, 27 per-
cent ranked them first for local sports,
26 percent for local entertainment, and
39 percent for local classifieds.
Setting aside duplicates, this comes
to well over half of those surveyed. The
proportion of respondents ranking news-
paper Web sites as their primary destina-
tion for local content rose to 60 percent
among college-educated respondents and
63% among well-to-do households.
"The Lake Orion Review is trusted,
A ‘Big Deal’
Marriott Springhill Suites in Auburn Hills for
one year, plus a once-a-month $50 certificate
for dining at Culver’s for one year. The pack-
age was valued at over $2,000. Look for the
giveaway entry form in the Big Deal—arriving
in your Ad-Vertiser—every month.
and has earned its credibility over the
course of 100-plus years," said Sherman
Publications advertising manager Eric
Lewis. "The trust we have earned from
the community transfers right over to the
internet."
According to Review online track-
ing, as of March 3, over 4,300 people
visit www.LakeOrionReview.com every
day. Each visit, according to the report,
last over 12 minutes.
Not surprising, noted publisher, Jim
Sherman, Jr. "Much of our print content
goes online, but not everything.
Online, however, there are different
attractions. Viewers can get their up-to-
date local weather, watch old movies,
look up local restaurant menus, discover
new recipes -- even upload pictures and
videos to our community galleries."
The NAA noted that newspaper Web
sites beat various competitors — most
notably the Web sites of local TV sta-
tions — across the board in terms of
trustworthiness as well.
Local newspapers were chosen as the
most trustworthy source of local news
by 34 percent of respondents, compared
to 23 percent for local TV news sites.
They also ranked ahead of local TV
news sites in local sports (30%-24%),
local entertainment (30%-20%), and lo-
cal classifieds (42%-13%). For advertis-
ing in general, 36 percent said they con-
sidered local newspaper Web sites to be
trustworthy advertising media, compared
to 23 percent for local TV news sites and
just 12 percent for online portals in gen-
eral.

You can avoid bank fees
at Lakes Community Credit Union
The banking crisis hit – you saw
it on the news, you may have experi-
enced problems with it as well - some
of the largest banks in the country
were turned upside down and the gov-
ernment had to
come in and “bail
them out”.
As a result of
the crisis, additional
rules and regula-
tions have been put
into place on all fi-
nancial institutions
to try to help avert Carolyn Chevrier
a similar crisis from is president of
occurring in the fu- Lakes Community
ture. Credit Union.
A couple of ex-
amples include regulations that are
designed to scrutinize the types of
mortgage products that can be of-
fered; while others are designed to
protect the customer from making
taking on a credit card that they hon-
estly can’t afford.
There are new regulations both
in place and “in the making” regard-
ing fees. How do you avoid exces-
sive fees?
It can be done. The first step is
to look at the paperwork you sign
when taking out that credit card, or
opening a checking account. It may
be in the fine print – take time to re-
view it.
When are you assessed a fee on
your credit card? When the payment
is one day late? How big is the fee –
and are you then penalized for the
next several months with a higher in-
terest rate?
At Lakes, we allow a “grace pe-
riod” after the due date before you
are assessed any fees.
And, if you find still yourself un-
able to get your payment in before
the grace period ends, we will not
change your interest rate on you.
“Things happen”.
Many institutions offer checking
accounts that have a lot of bells and
whistles – “special privilege ac-
counts” that offer interest and
www.LakeOrionReview.com
May 2010 -- What’s The Biz -- Lake Orion 9
Free Yourself From
Excessive Fees
“awards” you can cash in on.
But, often these privileges come
with a price – a monthly checking fee, • No Gimmick VISA
a low balance fee, a requirement to • FREE Checking *
have direct deposit, etc.
Take a closer look – are the • 100’s of Surcharge Free ATM’s *
awards offsetting the costs of keep-
ing that account? How much money • New & Used Car Loans
do you have to keep in your bank to
get “free checking” - $1,000 in sav- Be sure to check out our
ings? article on page 11
Or how many loans must you
hold with them?
At Lakes, we offer a “free
checking” account to our members
that maintain a combined balance of
$100 in their savings and checking ac-
counts.
Certainly, in these times, much
more reasonable than $1000 or more. 350 N. Park Blvd. (Lapeer Rd.)
And this has always been our rule, Lake Orion
we didn’t lower it due to the crisis.
Many of our members do qualify 248-814-4000 *Restrictions apply, stop in or
for a bonus when they have their pay- call for more details.
roll direct deposited to their checking
account – a ¼ percent higher rate on www.LakesCommunityCU.org
CD’s and ¼ percent lower rate on
loans they qualify for.
Mark Your
Your
4
This gives you more money in
your pocket at no additional cost to
you
We do charge a fee if a transac-
tion takes your account negative –
but beware There is a new trend of
Calendars
checking accounts being offered that
claim you won’t be charged a fee for
certain types of transactions that take
3 Great Special Sections
your account negative. Which trans- That Will Be Sure To Increase Your Business
actions?
Look closer at the paperwork –
you won’t receive a fee that day, but
you could be charged if your account
4 Oxford May 12
Schools
Lake Orion Revew, Oxford Leader, Ad-Vertiser,
stays negative – a fee every day you Penny Stretcher, Clarkston News, The Citizen
are negative What if you are a week
away from pay day?
Come check out Lakes – we
have no secrets No surprises No gim-
micks
4 Flower May 19
Fair
Ad-Vertiser, Clarkston News, Penny Stretcher
We’re interested in helping you
Graduation Issues
4
reach your financial goals, are fed-
erally insured, and are rated as “well June 9 - The Oxford Leader
capitalized” by the state examiners.
June 9 - The Lake Orion Review
Anyone living, working or worship-
ing in Oakland County can join.
Call Your Ad Representative Today
For More Details
248-628-4801
10 What’s The Biz -- Lake Orion -- May 2010

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