Five Mich
igan garnered more than 20 citations in the 2025 NACo Achievement Awards. Honorees were highlighted at the 2025 NACo Annual Conference in Philadelphia last week.
Macomb County alone collected 14 different citations in six categories. Also honored were Oakland (3), Wayne (2), Kent (1) and Saginaw (1) counties.
Examples of the outstanding and innovative work gaining these honors are:
Macomb County talent attraction campaign
Following multiple conversations with business leaders and roundtable discussions, Macomb County Planning and Economic Development (MCPED) launched a nationwide talent attraction advertising campaign in response to the increased need for a STEM workforce for the area’s growing aerospace and defense industry. The goal was to tell the story of Macomb County, while planting a seed in the minds of young and skilled workers to move to our community and work in our A&D sector. While we cannot actually measure our campaign’s success in terms of tallying recruits or relocations, we can look to our digital metrics to understand how the information resonated and possibly inspired a potential move to Michigan. The following are the results of multiple rounds of digital advertising throughout 2023/4: +112,300 clicks +12.2 million impressions +210,000 website views +86,200 website users, with 8,550 returning users.
Saginaw County’s “United We Soar”
In 2024, there was an opportunity to renovate the Dow Event Center. In preparation to host the 2024 Memorial Cup, these renovations exemplified a strategic move to bolster community and economic development in Saginaw County and the broader Great Lakes Bay Region. The venue upgrades aimed to enhance the spectator experience and improve quality of life, reflecting a broader vision to establish Saginaw as a premier tourism destination by developing permanent place-based infrastructure associated with traditional downtowns, social zones, outdoor dining, and placed-based public spaces. These investments, supported by the Board of Commissioners, have sparked comprehensive city-pride improvements, extending to public spaces around the venue and fostering a lasting legacy. These enhancement projects promised an array of engaging events, including fan festivals, parades, and local celebrations, contributing to the cultural and economic vitality of the region. The partnerships and collaborations underscore a commitment to elevating regional quality of life.
Oakland County’s MIPropDocs initiative
MiPropDocs is a first-of-its-kind service that allows infrequent submitters to electronically file non-conveyance land records to the Register of Deeds office without the time or cost associated with establishing a full-service e-recording account, bringing the convenience of e-recording to more users. While high-volume customers like title companies have utilized e-recording for years, establishing a full-service e-recording account requires purchasing an annual license from an e-recording company and a waiting period. MiPropDocs is now a convenient option for customers who don’t record frequently enough to justify this approach. For less than the cost of overnight mail, users can securely submit a document electronically. Document types acceptable for recording using MiPropDocs include Affidavits, Association Liens, Association Discharges, Claims of Lien, Certificates of Trust, Discharges, Lis Pendens, Notices of Commencement, Releases, and Satisfactions of Mortgage. Deeds or other documents that transfer ownership for property are ineligible for submission through MiPropDocs at this time.
Kent County’s animal microchip stations
In 2024, the Kent County Animal Shelter launched two innovative 24-hour microchip scanning stations in Michigan to assist residents in reuniting with their lost pets. These stations are housed in secure, weatherproof casings and feature written instructions in both English and Spanish, ensuring accessibility for everyone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. One station is located outside the Kent County Animal Shelter, while the second is situated at the county north campus located in the northern part of Kent County. The goal of these stations is to help facilitate the reunion of more pets with their owners.
Wayne County’s Well Wayne Vision Program
The Well Wayne Vision Program provides free vision exams and eyeglasses to students enrolled in Wayne County schools. In partnership with Vision to Learn, the Well Wayne Vision program schedules and provides examinations to all students who failed their school vision screenings to ensure that each student has access to optometry services. The goal is to eliminate the disparity for those who fail to obtain follow-up services by directly connecting students to eye examinations and corrective glasses.