Ortonville- The village has a new Main Street Manager and Downtown Development Authority Executive Director.
Janine Saputo was hired by the DDA board and began her part-time position on Nov. 14.
‘It’s exciting,? said Saputo. ‘There’s a lot going on and Ortonville has a lot of potential. I will pick up where Julie left off and keep it going.?
Julie Courtney, Ortonville’s first Main Street manager and DDA executive director, resigned last summer to take a design assistance position with Main Street Oakland County.
Ortonville was named a Main Street community in 2004, and is one of 12 such communities in Oakland County that receive technical resources to revitalize local businesses and downtowns as part of the preservation-based economic development program.
Saputo, who is in her 50s, is an Oakland Township resident. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Wayne State University and has previously worked as an information technology manager and consultant with EDS in Troy; was part-owner of Business Technologies, Inc. in Rochester Hills and worked with the non-profit Oakland Mediation Center in Bloomfield Hills. She has volunteered with MSOC for the past 10 years and worked hands-on to preserve a farmstead in Oakland Township.
She is looking forward to helping the village reach their goals as part of the Main Street program.