Small Business Grant | "THUMBS: NETC partners with Continuum to give back"

By : MORNING NEWS
Source : http://www2.scnow.com
Category : Small Business Grant

Thumbs up to Northeastern Technical College, college president Dr. Ron Bartley, and Continuum Performance Systems and its president Brady Turley for a recent initiative designed to encourage area entrepreneurs. The NETC Entrepreneurship Development Fund is accepting applications from NETC students and alumni for seed money grants, as well as hands-on guidance from business and marketing experts to help them achieve success and create jobs with their business ideas.

“We have many hardworking, intelligent people here who, if given the opportunity and guidance, could become successful small business owners,” Turley said. “Small businesses have the staying power to grow our communities and create rewarding jobs.”

Continuum established the NETC Entrepreneurship Development Fund when Turley wanted to “give back” a $25,000 grant he received from the State Department of Commerce to assist in the establishment of the Cheraw branch of his software company. He partnered with Northeastern Technical College to establish the NETC Entrepreneurship Development Fund to set the foundation for future entrepreneurs and business growth in Chesterfield, Marlboro and Dillon counties.

Turley, who is from Killingworth, Conn., said he was grateful for the willingness of county and state leaders to work together to bring his business to the community, when he began expanding it in Cheraw several years ago.

Continuum Performance Systems Inc. is a Connecticut-based software company that provides software to health insurance companies. Continuum opened a new programming office in Cheraw in 2010,

“Northeastern Technical College, the county and the state went above and beyond for Continuum, and it was very much appreciated – not just by me, but also by the people whose lives were changed by the jobs created here at Continuum,” said Turley. “The Entrepreneurship Development Fund is Continuum’s way of saying thanks and giving back to the community by helping others to build businesses that will create jobs. Continuum hopes to see this grass roots effort grow into many opportunities for creating better lives and meaningful jobs.”

The grant is open to students enrolled at NETC and to NETC alumni. An application can be completed and submitted online by going to NETC’s website: www.netc.edu. Applications are being accepted through June 15. Applicants are also required to submit an executive summary describing their business. A sample executive summary is available on the application website.

The NETC Entrepreneurship Development Board has been created to screen applications and select finalists who will be invited to present their ideas and business plans to the board. The board will use information gathered during the presentations to select the grant award recipients.

Continuum has pledged an additional $25,000 to match other donations to assist in the growth of the Entrepreneurship Development Fund for annual award opportunities.

“This is just the beginning of many success stories,” NETC’s Bartley said. “I am issuing a challenge to other local businesses, groups and organizations to contribute to the grant fund and share in Continuum’s vision for creating successful entrepreneurs and increasing jobs in Chesterfield, Marlboro and Dillon counties.”

 Thumbs up to Lee Freeman, owner of Florence’s Print Image Solutions. Freeman was named the 2012 Small Business Person of the Year by the Florence Chamber of Commerce at its recent Outlook Luncheon. Freeman is a native of Darlington and a graduate of St. John’s High School and Chowan University in North Carolina, where he was honored as the Most Outstanding graduate in Printing Technology. He has 30 years experience in the printing and marketing industry. Professionally, Freeman has served on several boards, including president of the Carolinas Chapter of NAQP. He is also currently serving on the board of the Florence Men’s Choral Society and Billie Hardee Home for Boys as Chairman. And, he has served on the board of the Florence Rotary and currently an active member of that club.

Source : http://www2.scnow.com/news/2012/mar/24/thumbs-netc-partners-continuum-give-back-ar-3467026/

Small Business Grant | "Small Businesses Gain New Contracts, Grow Business"

By : Financial
Source : http://finchannel.com
Category : Small Business Grant

The FINANCIAL -- Fifteen large corporations announced that thousands of small businesses have a new way to do business with them, giving them access to the $300 billion that these corporations spend annually on goods and services. Small businesses, which are catalyst for the U.S. economy now have access to the supply chains of these 15 corporations by introducing them to a free Web site called Supplier Connection. This portal is similar to the Universal College Application, where a potential vendor need only fill out simplified forms once to be considered for many types of contracts for goods and services.  Through the platform, small businesses can offer their goods and services to many large enterprises with the goal of winning contracts, growing their business and creating jobs.

The website was created and is maintained by IBM through a grant of more than $10 million from the IBM International Foundation. “A recent national study revealed that within two years of winning a contract with a large company, small businesses doubled their workforce. Clearly by streamlining access to large company spending, we can help more small businesses create jobs,” said Stanley S. Litow, IBM Vice President of Corporate Citizenship and President of its Foundation. “By reducing complexity and offering access to spending by a group of large companies, Supplier Connection will help small businesses grow and improve their bottom line. The clear benefit to large companies is the access to the creativity and innovation of small businesses.”

Currently there are nearly 1,000 small businesses registered in the Supplier Connection program with more than 250 large company buyers actively searching for potential suppliers across 20 categories. One small business that has found success using the platform is Bottini Fuel, a provider of heating oil, propane, heating and air conditioning services based in New York’s Hudson Valley. Seeking to expand their commercial sales channel, small business owner Rick Bottini joined Supplier Connection to take advantage of the streamlined application process. Bottini Fuel became a new supplier to IBM’s operations in Poughkeepsie, New York providing fuel and service to power 24 backup power generators used at the 400-acre site where IBM’s mainframes are developed and manufactured.

"Becoming a supplier to a global business like IBM is something most small businesses envision as a daunting task," said Rick Bottini, Owner of Bottini Fuel based in Wappingers Falls, New York. "Using Supplier Connection we were able to establish a relationship with IBM and respond to their request for competitive bids in a timely manner. Having access to a powerful tool like Supplier Connection levels the playing field for a small business while helping save us valuable time and resources."

According to IBM, small business owner, Kurt Peterson, joined Supplier Connection less than one year ago and recently secured a contract through the Supplier Connection portal. “It is a resource that U.S. small businesses need,” said Peterson, president of Puritan Press, a printing and publishing company based in Hollis, New Hampshire. “With Supplier Connection, Puritan Press can now have increased visibility by the procurement offices of large corporations. Now, with a win through Supplier Connection, we look forward to increasing our revenue, strengthening our long-term business strategy and possibly expanding our employee base to meet business demands.”

Recognizing the possible impact this program could have on job growth among small businesses, Supplier Connection has doubled the number of large businesses in the initiative. New large companies to the consortium include: AMD , Caterpillar , Dell , Facebook, John Deere , JP Morgan, Kellogg Company , Office Depot , and Wells Fargo . These companies join founding members of the group: AT&T , Bank of America , Citigroup , IBM , Pfizer and UPS . Currently, the members of Supplier Connection purchase more than $300 billion in goods and services annually through their global supply chains.

The Supplier Connection program is a free program for both small businesses and large businesses. In addition to its one-stop registration capabilities, the portal enables small suppliers to learn from, collaborate with, and partner with each other so that they can become more competitive and successful in a bid with a large company.

Source : http://finchannel.com/Main_News/Tech/106141_Small_Businesses_Gain_New_Contracts,_Grow_Business_/

Small Business Grant | "Missouri River Bluffs Association helps small-business owners connect"

By : LAURA D'ANGELO
Source : http://www.columbiamissourian.com
Category : Small Business Grant

COLUMBIA — Even professional beekeepers Art and Vera Gelder get stung once in a while at Walk-About Acres, a family farm that focuses largely on using bees to produce honey.

Walk-About Acres is a business member of the Missouri River Bluffs Association, which has helped promote small businesses and other local organizations in or near the Missouri River corridor over the past two years. The association's members include wineries, bed-and-breakfast inns, small farms, restaurants, retailers, artisans, historians and individuals in five Missouri counties: Boone, Callaway, Cole,Moniteau and Osage. Nancy Grant, vice president of the group, said it is a geographically diverse group of businesses and people who are trying to make a living and provide enrichment for the area.

Boone County member Walk-About Acres is not just a honeybee farm. It also raises peacocks, pigs, rabbits, emus, chickens, geese, turkeys and goats. The honeybees, however, are probably the most fascinating creatures the farm has.

Walk-About Acres owner and operator Vera Gelder said if you would have asked her 20 years ago what a honeybee is, she would have said, "Well, they make honey, and, you know, they're bugs. What else do you want to know?"

Now she is able to answer her own question.

Vera Gelder said that one honeybee makes one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. It would take 556 honeybees their whole lives to visit more than 2 million flowers and fly more than 55,000 miles to make just one pound of honey.

"Fifty-five thousand miles is like twice around the world, and like I tell the kids: 'How would you like to walk that every day to get your food?'"

Walk-About Acres offers field trips for groups from preschoolers to senior citizens. It also offers beekeeping classes and sells diverse products, such as  beekeeping equipment and honey ice-cream.

Vera Gelder said the Missouri River Bluffs Association, which is a not-for-profit organization, works hard to get the word out about businesses such as hers.

"Its been beneficial networking with other members, but to go ahead and say that it's been bringing in more business, I can't make that statement yet just because it's so new," Vera Gelder said.

Grant said the organization meets every other month and encourages car tours about twice a year to member businesses.

Longfellow's Garden Center in Centertown hosted the most recent meeting. Grant said members got a tour of the garden center, potted some plants, met for lunch at Tammy's Restaurant and shopped at Centertown Antiques — all of which have been involved in the association.

Grant said networking and promoting other member businesses will help establish a distinct identity for the Missouri River Bluffs Association.

Vera Gelder said Walk-About Acres has sold honey, pork, goat meat and other products at the Columbia Farmers' Market, which is also part of the association, for the past eight or nine years, but will not be selling there this year.

"Our definition of local is approximately 55 miles as a bird flies," farmers market director Caroline Todd said. "That's why it's a good fit with our Columbia Farmers' Market because all of our producers come from a 54-mile radius."

The market opened Saturday at its outside location, the Activity and Recreation Center parking lot.

"A farmers market is an incubator for small businesses," Todd said. "Most vendors can come to a farmers market and start a business for less than $1,000, and I think that's really important in today's economy with people trying to find work."

Todd said that the cutoff date for new vendors to join the Columbia Farmers' Market is April 1.

Epple Haus Bed & Breakfast, about 20 miles southwest of Hermann, is also a member of the Missouri River Bluffs Association. The bed-and-breakfast inn has been in business for more than 10 years.

"It's a secluded, comfortable, country-living setting," host Arlen Schwinke said.

Schwinke said he is confident that once the association establishes a website, Epple Hause Bed and Breakfast will see more business.

Grant said the Missouri River Bluffs Association is developing a website and it is looking to recruit new members. There are about 40 members now.

"I think the organization has a lot of possibilities," Schwinke said.

Source : http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2012/03/25/mrba-helps-promote-small-business-efforts-mid-missouri/

Small Business Grant | "Cuomo team to hit road for small business help"

By :  The Associated Press  
Source : http://www.newsday.com
Category : Small Business Grant

QUICK READGov. Cuomo sends team of agency heads to meet with, help small businesses statewide
(AP) -- A team of state agency administrators are headed to meetings statewide to help small businesses grow.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is announcing the small business outreach initiative and has set several dates for meetings.
The state officials will be from the areas of economic development, labor, taxation and worker's compensation. Agencies that license business such as liquor stores will...

Source : http://www.newsday.com/news/region-state/cuomo-team-to-hit-road-for-small-business-help-1.3619081

Small Business Grant | "Small-business outreach planned"

By :  Casey Seiler
Source : http://www.timesunion.com
Category : Small Business Grant

ALBANY — The Cuomo administration will send a team of officials from at least six agencies — including the departments of State, Labor, Taxation and Finance, Empire State Development, the State Liquor Authority, and the Workers Compensation Board — to every region of the state over the spring and summer to talk about rules and state initiatives intended to help small businesses.
The program, dubbed NY Open for Small Business, is part of the state's economic development efforts. One of the first sessions will be held in the Capital Region, at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, at Schenectady County Community College, 78 Washington Ave. in Schenectady.
"This program is all about creating jobs because when small businesses do well, New York does well," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. "It's important for us to get out of the office and go into communities to see how we can help anyone who wants to start, grow or improve a business, and that's what this program will do."
Each workshop will be conducted with input from local chambers of commerce.
The sessions are an attempt to answer questions from small businesses on issues such as regulations and licensing; obtaining and filing tax forms; hiring employees; and becoming certified as a minority- or women-owned business — a sector of state contracting that Cuomo has vowed to expand.
For more information on the sessions and the initiative, visit the administration's website, http://www.NYOpenforSmallBusiness.com. Business owners and organizations interested in learning more about or getting involved in the Small Business Outreach Initiative should contact smallbusinessinfo@exec.ny.gov.

Source : http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Small-business-outreach-planned-3428292.php

Small Business Grant | "Lawsky, business groups push for health exchange"

By :  Casey Seiler, Capitol bureau chief
Source : http://blog.timesunion.com
Category : Small Business Grant

Hoping to move the push for a state health insurance exchange back into public consciousness amid this month’s flurry of other issues, Department of Financial Services Superintendent Ben Lawsky unfurled a host of endorsements of the concept by small business, insurance brokers and health insurers.

Lawsky and company want “immediate” passage of language, which was included in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal, to create a state exchange. A new emphasis is being placed on what might be seen as a neo-state’s-rights argument: “If the legislation is not passed now, the federal government will run the exchange and New York will not be able to make important decisions about how it operates and who it serves,” the DFS release states.

Cuomo and the Democrat-controlled Assembly reached an agreement last summer which apparently had the blessing of some moderate Senate Republicans, but resistance from others in the Senate majority, who view the exchange as part and parcel of “Obamacare,” blocked it as the year wound down. Some in the Senate GOP want to wait until the Supreme Court rules on the federal health care reform act, although supporters of the exchange concept say it’s unlikely the court would go so far as to gut the portion of the law calling for their creation.

From the DFS release:

“Affordable health insurance is one of the top issues for businesses, especially small business. New York’s more than 400,000 small businesses are our engines of growth, generating two-thirds of all new jobs. Helping those businesses grow will improve the entire state’s economy. This should not be a Republican or Democratic issue — it’s about jobs,” Superintendent Lawsky said. “If New York waits any longer, the federal government will impose an exchange not tailored to the needs of our small businesses and consumers. Certification for the state exchanges begins in mid-2012 and we must be able to demonstrate we can run it by January 2013. If we don’t start building ours immediately, we will have a federal exchange in 2014.”

Last year, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, and the Senate and Assembly agreed to compromise language to create the exchange. The language in this year’s budget reflects that agreement. But the Senate, which agreed to create the exchange last year, has not included it in its budget this year.

The federal government will operate exchanges for states that do not create their own. That means the exchange and its jobs could be located outside New York. More important, a federal exchange may not be the best design for New Yorkers. New York requires minimum benefits and prohibits insurers from charging higher premiums to seniors and small businesses with older employees. A federal exchange operating in New York may provide fewer health insurance benefits, while charging older New Yorkers higher premiums.

“This issue is too important to too many people and businesses to let it be scuttled by politics in an election year. Let’s pass the exchange now, to help New York’s small businesses thrive and create jobs to lead our economic recovery,” Superintendent Lawsky said.

Chuck Steiner, Chair of Chamber Alliance of New York State (CANYS), which represents chambers of commerce around the state, said, “As negotiations continue related to the establishment of a Health Insurance Exchange in New York, CANYS supports the creation of a public authority that would have oversight of the exchange in New York State. We encourage the involvement of chambers of commerce, business associations and brokers as a means of distributing products within the exchange.”

Benjamin Geyerhahn, director of special projects, Small Business Majority, a small business advocacy organization, said, “Healthcare premiums are spiraling out of control and insurance plans are getting more complicated every year. As proposed, the New York health insurance exchange would reduce premium costs and make it easier for small businesses to purchase healthcare insurance. The State should seize this historic opportunity to provide relief to New York’s small businesses. Unfortunately, the Senate’s inaction will force federal regulators to seize control of the New York exchange, which no one wants.”

Paul F. Macielak, president & CEO, New York Health Plan Association, a health insurance trade association, said, “HPA and its member plans support the establishment of a New York exchange versus one developed under a federal model. Health plans have been a partner in the state’s efforts to increase access to affordable health insurance for New Yorkers and a state exchange allows New York to control its own destiny as we continue working toward that goal.”

Andrew F. Biernat, President, New York State Association of Health Underwriters, which represents brokers who sell health insurance, said, “We ask that all of our State’s legislators act quickly and pass legislation that will allow us to move forward in creating a New York State Health Insurance Exchange. The Empire State has always been a leader and innovator in providing our residents with quality health insurance that takes into account our State’s unique needs. If legislation is not passed soon, the Federal Government will step in and create a Health Insurance Exchange for New York, without taking into account the complexities and uniqueness of the New York State insurance marketplace.”

Vincent C. Ashton, President & CEO, HealthPass New York, which provides health insurance options for small businesses, said, “Small businesses and individuals in New York State are trapped in unaffordable, confusing and dysfunctional health insurance marketplaces that threaten their health, livelihood and future. They desperately need a Health Benefits Exchange designed by New Yorkers to meet the needs of New Yorkers, not a Federal Exchange designed to meet the needs of the mythical ‘average American’, and which is likely to be hobbled by compromise in order to insure that one size fits all states.”

A health insurance exchange will offer a choice of reasonably priced health insurance policies. Individuals and small businesses will be able to compare rates, benefits and the quality of competing plans in an open and transparent marketplace — thus encouraging insurers to offer more competitive prices and plans. And federal tax credits will help consumers and small businesses pay for coverage.

The exchange will feature a Small Business Health Options Program, which can act as a human resources department, helping employees make choices and enroll, and collecting premiums to send to insurers. Small employers can set a defined contribution toward employees’ coverage, and employees can choose from a broader range of plans.

Some opponents have raised the issue of costs, but New York State will not use any of its own funds to create or operate the exchange. Federal grants are available to support the exchange through December 2014, when under federal law, the exchange must be self-sustaining whether run by the state or the federal government. New York has already received $88 million in health exchange federal grants.

Source : http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/121900/lawsky-business-groups-push-for-health-exchange/

Small Business Grant | "April workshop aims to teach small businesses how to export"

By : Saipan Tribune
Source : http://www.saipantribune.com
Category : Small Business Grant

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos, through the CNMI Department of Commerce, announced the availability of a new program under the State Trade Export Program, funded in part through the Small Business Administration, to assist the CNMI's eligible small businesses who wish to take the opportunity to participate at international trade shows, trade missions or reverse trade missions, to enter new markets or grow existing ones.

The State Trade Export Program or STEP program is a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration that was recently awarded to the CNMI Department of Commerce. This program is to provide assistance and services through SBA resource partners to eligible small businesses in the CNMI. The STEP program aims at increasing the number of small businesses that are exporting, and increase the value of exports by small businesses in the states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.

“This is an opportunity for existing small businesses to avail of this program in terms of expanding their locally made or produced products into the foreign markets. In addition, the program also offers an opportunity for a new entity who wishes to learn and understand the dynamics of exporting through the Foreign Trade Development Program,” said Perry Inos Jr., NMI STEP point of contact for Commerce.

The Foreign Trade Development Program is designed to provide CNMI small businesses the opportunity to engage in the foreign trade and export marketing. This includes providing the CNMI small business program participants with appropriate export organizational sessions and technical assistance to prepare and address the various dynamics of exporting to foreign markets.

“The FTDP program will provide the program participants with foreign trade and exporting elements through series of export organizational sessions, which will be conducted by export industry experts. Upon successful completion of the FTDP, participants will be required to develop an Export Business Plan. The participants will have their Export plan reviewed and guided by the CNMI STEP team and SBA resource partners,” added Inos.

There will be an Export 101 workshop scheduled for April 11-12, 2012, from 8am to 4pm, at the Multi-Purpose Building in Susupe. Any interested small business who wishes to participate in this opportunity may call Inos at (670) 664-3023, or David R. Maratita at (670) 664-3065, or email: NMISTEP.POC@commerce.gov.mp. (Office of the Governor)

Source : http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=117507&cat=1