SBA Administrator Karen Mills to Address National Press Club

WASHINGTON, D.C. – SBA Administrator Karen Mills will speak at a National Press Club luncheon, Monday, Dec. 14.  Mills’ speech, “Building Businesses, Creating Jobs, and Strengthening our Economy,” will highlight the Obama administration’s efforts to ensure that small businesses have the resources they need to continue to drive economic growth and create jobs.

The nation’s largest single financial backer of small businesses, the SBA has supported more than $16 billion in lending under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  The agency has also taken a lead role in helping small businesses compete for federal government contracts.  As a result, small businesses have been awarded almost $4.8 billion in Recovery Act contracts so far.  Through its affiliated counseling and training programs, the SBA provides technical assistance and advice to more than one million entrepreneurs every year.

WHO: SBA Administrator Karen Mills

WHAT: “Building Businesses, Creating Jobs, and Strengthening our Economy”

WHERE:    The National Press Club
529 14th St, NW, Washington, DC

WHEN: Monday, Dec. 14, 2009, 12:30 p.m.

OF NOTE: Reservations can be made by contacting the National Press Club at
(202) 662-7501 or emailing reservations@press.org.  The luncheon costs $17 for National Press Club members, $28 for their guests, and $35 for general admission.

Credentialed press may cover the luncheon with proper ID.

Technorati Tags: Business News, SBA, small business

Technorati Tags: Financing, small business

WASHINGTON ─ Women who own small businesses will be able to use a new online U.S. Small Business Administration training course to learn how to identify and take advantage of federal contracting opportunities. The new training course, Winning Federal Contracts: A Guide for Women Entrepreneurs, is part of an ongoing government-wide initiative to promote opportunities for women-owned businesses in the area of government contracting.

This free online tutorial is a practical and easy to use guide that walks a woman-owned small business through the contracting process. SBA is committed to ensuring that women-owned businesses receive at least 5 percent of federal contracts and believes better training opportunities are central to meeting this government-wide goal.

“Federal contracts can provide unique opportunities for women entrepreneurs and small business owners to grow their businesses and create jobs, particularly during these tough economic times,” Administrator Karen Mills said. “It’s also a win for federal agencies, by contracting with women-owned small businesses; they are working with some of the most innovative and dynamic companies in the country.”

The SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership oversees a national network of more than 100 Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) that provide education and training to help women start and grow small businesses. In addition, the SBA has 68 district offices and other resource partners throughout the country available to train and counsel women-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs seeking government contracts.

“This online training course makes critical information and training available to an even wider array of women entrepreneurs and small business owners,” said Ana Harvey, assistant administrator for SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership. “SBA wants to help ensure they have the tools and resources they need to compete for and win federal contracts.”

The Winning Federal Contracts course is designed to help women entrepreneurs learn about the federal procurement process and to prepare them to compete for contracting opportunities. The self-paced guide uses audio and script to provide information about contract rules, how to sell to the government and where to find contracts.

The Winning Federal Contracts course is available on SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov or directly at www.sba.gov/fedcontractingtraining. It is indexed by subject matter, and includes direct links to additional contracting resources.

Source: SBA

Technorati Tags: SBA, small business, Training

GPEC delegation met with top executives from software and solar energy firms

The Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Apache Junction Mayor John Insalaco and leadership from Avondale returned from a job-recruitment trip to California, having met with companies interested in expanding into the Valley.

Source : Greater Phoenix Economic Council

The delegation met with executives from two software companies and a solar energy firm. One of the software companies is looking to expand testing in the U.S. and is considering one of two states for their project.

“They’re looking at Greater Phoenix because of the talent base,” said Brad Smidt, vice president of business development at GPEC. “They’re attracted to this area because of the close proximity to California where their U.S. anchor company is located, and because of the lower cost of operating.”

The solar company, too, is interested in expanding into the Phoenix area, particularly because of the Renewable Energy Tax Incentive program passed this summer. The company is looking to expand its manufacturing operation and may be eligible for the tax credit, Smidt said.

The delegation traveled to California as part of a joint economic partnership with Tucson, Yuma and Flagstaff. The group, which included Avondale Director of Parks, Recreation and Libraries Dan Davis, made the trip to call on opportunities that will advance the Arizona Sun Corridor. This megapolitan stretch uniting Phoenix and Tucson will be one of 10 U.S. markets expected to see most of the nation’s growth in the next 35 years. Insalaco is the eighth mayor to take part in this effort since March.

Insalaco said the meetings with the companies went well and he was glad to represent Greater Phoenix during the Sept. 29 trip. He also said he gained valuable insight into his own city.

“We still have a ways to go to be truly competitive in terms of facility and building availability,” he said. “But having seen the L.A. market and the visual upkeep, or lack thereof, I feel very good about the level of services we are sustaining here in Apache Junction.”

###

About the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) A true public/private partnership, GPEC is the regional economic development organization for Greater Phoenix. Working with its 18 member communities, Maricopa County and more than 140 private investors, GPEC attracts quality businesses to this dynamic region. By creating a high-performance economy through capital investments and jobs, Greater Phoenix companies enjoy a business climate where they can compete and thrive in today’s global economy. Since 1989, GPEC has worked to achieve an economically sound and sustainable region. For more information, visit www.gpec.org.

Technorati Tags: Arizona, Phoenix, Phoenix Arizona, Technology

Source:  Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce 4725 N. Scottsdale Rd. #210 Scottsdale, AZ 85251 480.355.2700 www.scottsdalechamber.com

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Source: The Go Daddy Group

Leading Edge Agents Scoring Unparalleled Success by way of Domain Names & Web sites

Sell a house in 43 days — in this market? A statistic like that stuns many home sellers and real estate agents. It’s being done across the country, including in the hardest hit U.S. real estate markets, through the power of Internet, specifically by naming Web sites after the property’s actual street address.

Go Daddy is the world’s largest domain name registrar, by far… and is also a leading Web hosting provider worldwide. The company recently discovered new statistics revealing a huge surge in the registration of domains named after street addresses.

In fact, comparing 2005, around the time the housing bubble “burst,” to last year, Go Daddy recorded a more than 320 percent increase in “home address” domain name registrations. States and cities with the most registrations include California, Florida, New York, Phoenix, Ariz., Atlanta, Ga. and Chicago, Ill. — all struggling real estate markets.

“We noticed an uptick on domain names containing words like ’street,’ ‘avenue and ‘road,’” said GoDaddy.com CEO and Founder Bob Parsons. “When we ran the numbers, the trend line was undeniable. More people are registering domain names matching their physical addresses.”

According to the Cromford Report, which tracks Arizona estate trends, the average time to sell a home in June ranged from 120 to 180 days, depending on the city. One Arizona realtor leveraging domain names and Web sites to sell properties averaged a remarkable 43 days during that period.

The strategy, used by leading edge realtors like Bloodhound Reality, involves registering the domain name that is the physical address of the home. From there, a single Web site is built for that home, or domain name. The sites are simple, but showcase a home’s photos, floor plans and relevant neighborhood information.

“Buyers typically want all the answers to their questions before they talk to me,” said Gregg Swann owner of Bloodhound Realty, who registers street address domain names with GoDaddy.com. “By making the exact address clients are considering available online, all they have to do is type the street address online and presto, the individual Web site pops up and buyers get all the relevant info.”

Web sites like 1946EastVistaDr.com and 7813WestBerylAve.com are promoted using on-site signage, posted flyers and other conventional tactics, but the domain name and Web site have given many agents an edge.

“The longer potential buyers spend on the site, the more they know about the home, the more they fall in love with it and the more apt they are to make an offer,” Swann said.

“We’ve always believed domain names are 21st century real estate,” said Parsons. “It makes absolute sense real estate agents are successfully selling homes through domains named for street addresses.”

Realtors, like Swann, also point out how the domain names boost search results, typically a result that requires big money and lots of time. “For less than four dollars a month each, my home sale sites not only promote home sales, but also help me with better placements though search engine optimization. It’s a win, win!”

To register a domain name and set up your Web site without spending a lot of money, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

About The Go Daddy Group, Inc.
Go Daddy is a leading provider of services that enable individuals and businesses to establish, maintain and evolve an online presence. Go Daddy provides a variety of domain name registration plans and Web site design and hosting packages, as well as a broad array of on-demand services. These include products such as SSL Certificates, Domains by Proxy private registration, ecommerce Web site hosting, blog templates and blog software, podcast packages and online photo hosting. The Go Daddy Group, Inc. has more than 36 million domain names under management. Go Daddy registers, renews or transfers a domain name every second. GoDaddy.com is the world’s No. 1 domain name registrar according to Name Intelligence, Inc. GoDaddy.com is also rated the world’s largest hostname provider according to Netcraft Ltd. During 2008, The Go Daddy Group registered more than one-third of all new domain names created in the top six generic top-level domains, or gTLDs, including .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz and .mobi.

- The Go Daddy Group -
Copyright © 2009 GoDaddy.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Find Phoenix  Real Estate Agents

Technorati Tags: Arizona, Phoenix Arizona, Technology

GARY DIRKS JOINS ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY TO LEAD LIGHTWORKS RESEARCH INITIATIVE

TEMPE, Ariz. “ Arizona State University has selected Gary Dirks as director of LightWorks, a new initiative to position ASU as a leader in solar-based energy and other light-inspired research. Dirks is the former president of BP Asia-Pacific and BP China.

LightWorks will capitalize on ASU™s unique strengths in renewable energy fields including artificial photosynthesis, biofuels and next-generation photovoltaics. LightWorks will eventually broaden to include other light-based projects, such as lasers for biomedical applications and energy efficient lighting.

Gary Dirks will help position Arizona nationally and globally as a leader in renewable energy and light-based research, said ASU President Michael Crow. Gary™s broad range of experience will help us meet President Obama™s challenge to lead a green revolution and develop clean sources of energy.

Dirks received a Ph.D. in chemistry from ASU in 1980. He was the first doctoral student to work with Devens Gust, Thomas Moore and Ana Moore in ASU™s Center for the Study of Early Events in Photosynthesis (now the Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis).

Dirks went on to work in the energy industry as a researcher, strategic planner and ultimately president of BP China and BP Asia-Pacific. In China, Dirks grew BP from an operation with fewer than 30 employees and no revenue to more than 1,300 employees and revenues of about $4 billion in 2008.

What does that mean for ASU? It means we have somebody who respects and understands the academic enterprise, but also somebody who is very practically grounded in what works in the energy world. We have somebody who knows the energy environment not just nationally, but globally, said R. F. Rick Shangraw, ASU Vice President for Research and Economic Affairs.

I feel privileged to have been selected, said Dirks. As I explored the opportunity to direct LightWorks, I was struck by the depth and breadth of capability at ASU to apply light to big social challenges. When you combine the capability that ASU has, the social need and the very strong support from President Crow and his team, it makes a very attractive opportunity for my next career.

Dirks will provide the enhanced strategic focus needed to pursue major funding opportunities, including those in the competitive arena of federal stimulus grants. He will also facilitate collaborations with other universities, industry and government agencies.
He said his initial focus is to communicate ASU™s strengths and capabilities through the vehicle of LightWorks and to connect ASU with major sponsors and partners.

Dirks already is fully engaged. I am working on two large energy projects now, he said.
The first is a Department of Energy proposal to identify pathways to commercial production of liquid fuels from algae. We have more than 20 partners from across the country, and ASU is leading. The second project is in anticipation of Congressional support for the Department of Energy Hubs program, he said.

It is incredibly important to bring resources into Arizona that will fund jobs and create an environment for growing new companies, said Shangraw.

However, Shangraw added that Dirks will not neglect the importance of basic research.
We do not have all the answers, particularly in terms of renewable energy. We can™t simply take our existing science and convert it magically into commercial products. We still have a lot of basic research to do in this area to be successful in the long run, he said.

In addition to directing LightWorks, Dirks has been appointed the Julie Wrigley Chair of Sustainable Practices and a professor of practice in the School of Sustainability. He is also a member of the Global Institute of Sustainability board of trustees.

####

About LightWorks
LightWorks is an ASU initiative that builds on the depth and breadth of research advanced by natural or human-made light. The initiative is a multidisciplinary effort designed to provide solutions to societal challenges, such as providing clean, renewable energy.
LightWorks provides a framework for fostering collaboration, pursuing novel approaches and forming strong partnerships with industry, government agencies and other universities.

About Arizona State University
At once the youngest and the largest of the roughly 150 public and private research-grade universities in the nation, Arizona State University enrolls more than 69,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students on four campuses of equally high aspiration configured across metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, a region negotiating societal and environmental challenges that anticipate coming trends worldwide. For the last seven years, ASU has served as America™s largest effort at institutional transformation in higher education, building a solution-focused institution that combines the highest level of academic excellence, inclusiveness to a broad demographic and maximum societal impact. Although the university is first and foremost committed to educating the students of Arizona, it is equally a discovery organization, focused on contributing to regional economic development through enhanced research and academic programs, including major interdisciplinary research initiatives focused on innovative solutions to the world™s greatest challenges. Through its educational and discovery missions, Arizona State University is producing the nation™s newest national assets.

Source: Arizona State University

Technorati Tags: Arizona State University

A bright spot in a tough national economy, Tempe has about a dozen businesses announcing and opening new locations within the city, many of these within the Mill Avenue District.

These include:
The Irish Pub
Five Guys
Jimmy Johns
Bright Horizons Daycare
Smashburger
Dave’s Electric Brew
Suckerpunch Sally’s Cafe
Spark Magazine
Sea Life
Regions
Total Wine & More
Vanity on Mill
Pancheros
Media is invited to join the City of Tempe, Downtown Tempe Community (DTC) and Tempe’s newest businesses on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 2 p.m. for introductions to some of the city’s newest offerings and the announcement of the Mill Avenue Retail Competition winners. Meet at Centerpoint on Mill, located at the southwest corner of Sixth Street and Mill Avenue in Tempe.

City of Tempe Mayor and Council, DTC representatives and local entrepreneurs will be present to talk about their new business ventures in the Mill Avenue District.

“We are excited about all of our new businesses that are adding to the great destination that is the Mill Avenue District, both those that won our contest and those who independently chose to make Tempe their business home,” said Nancy Hormann, DTC Executive Director.

Mill Avenue Retail Competition winners will receive a year of free rent with three-year lease, free website design and development by Synapses Studios and free one-year-membership from the Tempe Chamber of Commerce.

Twenty business plans ranging from retail shops to restaurants to music venues were received. These were judged by a committee comprised of DTC, local retailers, City of Tempe staff and development owner DMB.

“This is an impressive list even in a great economic cycle. It’s a strong indicator Tempe remains the best place to do business, and is a great dining and entertainment venue,”said Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman.

Both Entrepreneur and BusinessWeek magazines recently named Tempe one of the 10 best places in the country to start a new business.

Dave’s Electric Brewpub will bring a grill to share with other restaurants to cook samples of some of their best dishes. Spark Magazine has a new issue coming out. Check out one of the custom-built motorcycles by Suckerpunch Sally’s and hear about their new, first in the nation café, which will be open 24 hours several days a week, complete with a homemade doughnut buffet.

These are the first Arizona locations for mid-size companies such as Five Guys, Smashburger and Pancheros. Others are mom and pop operations taking a chance on their first store.

Technorati Tags: Arizona

Arizona Department of Education and Greater Phoenix SCORE Host Unique Event

Greater Phoenix SCORE® and the Arizona Department of Education led by Tom Horne, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, are collaborating to host a day of business education on Tuesday, September 22nd from 8am to 5pm in Mesa.

Register for tickets and information on the Greater Phoenix SCORE website www.scorephoenix.org. Click on Special Events on the home page and then find the event on September 22nd.

During this day-long conference, businesses will learn how to integrate social media into their existing marketing systems and to deliver increased revenue and bottom line results.

In addition, as part of Arizona International Week, we will video-stream the PCFR International State of the State address by Governor Jan Brewer into the event.

The Social Media Summit will be held on Tuesday, September 22, 2009, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the East Valley Institute of Technology – EVIT — 1601 West Main Street, Mesa, AZ 85201 – conveniently located on the Light Rail.

This is a first-of-its-kind, nation-wide Summit. It is hosted by EVIT and co-created with the students at EVIT as part of their educational program. The Summit will be video-streamed nation-wide to selected regions. Greater Phoenix SCORE is sharing revenues from the Summit with all of the organizations using its content.

The Summit is also sharing proceeds with non-profit organizations. For every individual ticket purchased at full price by anyone connected to a non-profit organization, that organization will receive $25.00 from Greater Phoenix SCORE.

More Social Media Summit

Technorati Tags: Social Media, Social Networking

A resource to locate dog trainers and dog training websites and resources.

If you run a website related to dog training, please feel free to add the site to the Dog Training section of the EVLiving.com and to this brand new Dog Training Directory.

There is at least one Dog trainer listed in each state across the United States and there is room for plenty more to be added.  If you go to the directory for your state and don’t see your site (or your favorite dog trainer) listed, please feel free to correct the oversight.

Click HERE to visit the >>> Dog Training Section of EVLiving.com

Click HERE to visit the new Dog Training Directory >>> Dog Training Directory

Technorati Tags: business directory, Dog Trainers, Dog Training, Dog Training Directory, Dogs