Few counties in the United States can claim the international diversity of Oakland County’s business community – 900 firms from 37 foreign countries call Oakland County home. County Executive L. Brooks Patterson frequently cites the county’s foreign firms as a critical part of Oakland County’s economic signature.

Thousands of miles separate, but Israel and Michigan operate in a parallel universe. What happens when you cross Michigan's established manufacturing base and high-tech mindset over to Israel's 3,000-plus tech start-ups? The Michigan Israel Business Bridge yields an array of academic and entrepreneurial matches.

American Plastic Toys is an all-American-made toy company based in Walled Lake, Michigan. Their injection-molded plastic toys are sold in places like Walmart, Sears, JC Penney, Big Lots and Toys"R"Us at prices significantly lower than their name-brand counterparts (which are typically manufactured outside of the United States). American Plastic Toys have been proudly made in the USA since 1962, and currently employ 175 people here in Michigan.

For eight years Royal Oak's IBC has been a stealth company, pulling in customers and profits with its old school ideas about servicing clients. Now the e-commerce and credit card processing firm is ready to step into the sunlight and school other companies about the power of topnotch customer service.