Non-profit Organizations Receive SBA PRIME Grants to Assist Micro Entrepreneurs

Non-profit Organizations Receive SBA PRIME Grants to Assist Micro Entrepreneurs

Release Date: September 8, 2011
Contact: David J. Hall (202) 205-6697
Release Number: 11-50
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

WASHINGTON, D.C. – One hundred nonprofit organizations from 44 states and the District of Columbia received grants under the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs Act (PRIME), the U. S. Small Business Administration announced today.

Grants will be used to provide business-based training and technical assistance to low-income and very low-income entrepreneurs to help them start, operate, or grow a small business. Grants will also be used to better equip community-based nonprofit organizations to provide training.

“In the midst of the economic downturn the country has been experiencing, SBA’s PRIME grants are an increasingly important tool in our toolbox to help small businesses,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills. “With these grants to nonprofit organizations, more entrepreneurs will have access to the training and technical assistance they need to have their businesses grow, succeed, create jobs and promote stronger local economies.”

PRIME grants are intended to help qualified community-based organizations provide training to small businesses with five or fewer employees that are economically disadvantaged, and businesses owned by low-income individuals, including those who live on Indian reservations and tribal lands.
The PRIME grants competition was open to all 50 states and territories, with about $7.9 million available for PRIME grants this year. Approximately $6.3 million was awarded to grantees that received funding in previous years to allow them to continue work in their communities begun in FY2009 and FY2010. Grants totaling approximately $1.67 million were awarded for new projects.

Grants ranged up to $227,500 this year and require a 50 percent match by each recipient organization. The PRIME grant is open to microentrepreneur training and technical assistance providers in all 50 states and U.S territories, and has a one-year performance period, with four 12-month options. For a complete list of new and option year PRIME grants, visit http://www.sba.gov/content/prime-grantees and click on “2011.”

For more information about all of the SBA’s programs for small businesses,
visit the SBA’s website at http://www.sba.gov.

SBA & Agility Recovery Solutions Host Free Webinar on the “10 Basic Steps toward Business Disaster Preparedness”

SBA & Agility Recovery Solutions Host Free Webinar on the
“10 Basic Steps toward Business Disaster Preparedness”

Advisory Date: September 8, 2011
Contact: Carol Chastang (202) 205-6987
Advisory Number: MA11-19
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

WASHINGTON – Businesses nationwide are currently in the process of recovering from a year of costly natural disasters. Insurance industry experts say insured catastrophic losses have exceeded $17 billion during the first half of 2011, more than the $13 billion total for all of 2010.

Recent hurricanes, floods and wildfires are reminders that business owners should have a plan to protect their assets, recover quickly and be ready for the next emergency. During National Preparedness Month, the U.S. Small Business Administration and Agility Recovery Solutions are hosting weekly webinars aimed at helping business owners take responsibility for the economic well-being of their own companies, as well as their communities.

On Wednesday, September 14, James Rivera, SBA’s associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Assistance will talk about the essential items business owners should include in their business continuity plans. The presentation will include an overview on preparing a supply chain, developing a communications plan, and assessing risk.

SBA has partnered with Agility to offer business continuity strategies for entrepreneurs via their “PrepareMyBusiness” website. Visit www.preparemybusiness.org to access past webinars and get additional preparedness tips.

The SBA provides disaster recovery assistance in the form of low-interest loans to homeowners, renters, private nonprofits and businesses of all sizes. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov/disaster.

WHO: James Rivera, Associate Administrator, SBA Office of Disaster Assistance

WHAT: “10 Commandments of Disaster Preparedness” will be presented by Rivera. A question and answer session will follow.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 14 at 2:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. EDT

HOW: Space is limited. Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/767371552

29th Annual MED Week Conference Will Bring Top Minority-Owned Businesses to Washington in September

29th Annual MED Week Conference Will Bring Top Minority-Owned Businesses to Washington in September

Release Date: September 6, 2011
Contact: Tiffani Clements (202) 401-0035
Release Number: 11-49
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

WASHINGTON – One of 10 small businesses from around the country will be selected as the National Minority Small Business Person of the Year at the 29th annual Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week conference, hosted jointly in September by the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency.

The MED Week conference will take place Sept. 27-30 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

“We are happy to partner with MBDA on this year’s MED Week event to bring together accomplished minority small business owners, respected business leaders, federal agencies and top Fortune 100 companies to provide a lively, interactive framework for small businesses to learn critical tips on how to gain access to capital and federal contracts, how to expand their businesses and take their businesses global,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills.

The national winner will be chosen from 10 regional winners representing Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Texas, Kansas, South Dakota, South Carolina, Indiana, California, and Washington.

Regional award winners have businesses that offer services ranging from manufacturing of military and occupational uniforms and marketing and staffing services to the design and construction of office furniture and environmental services including wildlife habitats, wetlands development and naturalized landscaping.

MED Week celebrates the accomplishments of outstanding minority entrepreneurs and leaders and provides a platform for small, minority-owned businesses to learn about business growth strategies, receive premier training and networking opportunities.

“Minority businesses are a phenomenal asset to the U.S. economy in a variety of sectors, from manufacturing to hospitality services and everything in between,” said MBDA National Director David Hinson. “These firms create good paying jobs and boost economic growth in America’s communities. The businesses recognized through the MED Week awards program represent just a few of our nation’s brightest and most innovative minority enterprises.”

The conference will also include workshops on access to SBA’s lending programs, access to federal contracts through the Small Business Jobs Act, growing your business through social media and access to government contracts through federal Mentor-Protegé programs. The SBA will participate in a roundtable entitled, “Doing Business with the Government,” to discuss government contracting opportunities for small businesses. For more information on MED Week workshops, or to register for the conference, visit www.medweek.gov.

The theme for this year’s MED Week event is “Emerging Industries & Markets: A Blueprint for Success,” and will continue its focus on helping minority small businesses expand their operations and establish a presence in the global marketplace while helping them weather the current economic climate in the U.S. There will also be a business expo and tradeshow and a Small Business Town Hall to discuss the Small Business Jobs Act.

In addition to announcing the national minority small business award winner, SBA will present the SBA Administrator’s Leadership award which recognizes the recipient’s tireless efforts and unwavering commitment on behalf of the nation’s minority small business community and the award for the 8(a) Graduate Firm of the Year.

The 10 Regional Minority Small Business Persons of the Year are:

REGION I REGION VI
Charran K. Fisher, President Armando A. “Rocky” Aranda Jr., President
Fisher Contracting Corporation MILCON Construction, LLC
Worcester, Mass. San Antonio, Texas

REGION II REGION VII
Oscar Quiles, President Elizabeth K. Harshfield, President
Pentaq Manufacturing Corporation Exhibit Arts, LLC
Sabana Grande, PR Wichita, Kan.

REGION III REGION VIII
Carlos Del Toro, President & CEO Jacqueline Nettleton, President
SBG Technology Solutions, Inc. Mountain Movers Construction, Inc.
Stafford, Va. Rapid City, S.D.

REGION IV REGION IX
Kenneth B. Canty, President & CEO Ricardo A. Lopez, President & CEO
Freeland Construction Company RAL Investment Corporation
Charleston, S.C. National City, Calif.

REGION V REGION X
Clyde D. Harris II, President Lorraine Kimberly Erion, President
Diverse Staffing Services, Inc. LKE Corporation
Indianapolis, Ind. Washougal, Wash.

For more details on this year’s MED Week conference, please visit www.medweek.gov.

See How First Communications can Benefit Your Business

See How First Communications can Benefit Your Business

First Communications has been an industry leader in telecommunication for more than 20 years and offers voice and high-speed data services designed to fit any business need.

Over the last eight years, the company has built one of the largest fiber networks in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic United States. If you are looking for a telecommunication system to fit your specific business needs, check out First Communications’ services, and contact us to see how we can help you achieve your goals. First Communications provides these telecommunication services designed for small-and medium-sized businesses:

First Connect:
First Connect T-1 delivers mission-critical voice and Internet services that keep your business connected. There is no need to buy additional equipment because First Connect works with your existing phone and computer system.


Essential T-1:
Essential T-1 is designed to be the first and last integrated voice and data system your business will need. Essential T-1 also works with your existing phone and computer system.


Anytime Conferencing:
Anytime Conferencing enables your company to meet anytime—with a simple, secure online system that is easy to use and allows up to 125 participants.


First Communications Business Bundle:
The Business Bundle is the ultimate telecommunication service for your business, which includes: Web hosting with data storage; domain name hosting; and 10GB of data transfer per month.

Business E-mail:
The First Communications Business E-mail is a complete e-mail administration system that includes POP/IMAP with 20 e-mail accounts and distribution list.

Local, Toll-Free and Fax to E-mail Numbers:
This system is designed to grow with your business with up to 100 local DID numbers, so you easily can add employees or whole departments to your system. It also offers two extra toll-free numbers and fax to e-mail to keep you in touch with your office.To see how First Communication can help your business call Wirehead Technology to set up an appointment

Wirehead Technology

Tel: 773-944-1365

Email: wireheadtec@gmail.com
Web:Wirehead Technology

I’d like to invite you to join an exciting new community – connXus.com

I’d like to invite you to join an exciting new community – connXus.com.

It’s is an online service that connects small, minority- and woman-owned businesses with companies seeking to hire diverse suppliers. I’ve joined connXus because it offers a simple, transparent and direct way for my company to quickly and easily do business with other companies. And a basic membership is FREE. Here’s how it works:
If you want to purchase from small, minority- or woman-owned businesses, you register as a buyer member, identifying the categories of products or services you need.

Buyers can search for suppliers or post contract opportunities to solicit bids.If you are a diverse business, you register as a supplier member, describing your company and identifying the products or services you provide. You request performance ratings from prior customers. The more good ratings you have, the higher you rank in buyer searches.

The connXus.com system actively matches buyers and suppliers based on their profiles. Buyers are finding new suppliers they never would have found and small, minority- and woman-owned businesses are getting business opportunities they never would have known about in the past.

Take a look for yourself at www.connXus.com. More members mean more opportunities for everyone! When you sign up, be sure to enter this code in the Referral Code box so you and I both have a chance to win a 16GB Wi-Fi iPad 2! Referral Code:233 I hope you’ll join me and start connecting on connXus.

Best Regards,
Howard Lee
CIO
Wirehead Technology
Tel: 773-944-1365
Email: wireheadtec@gmail.com
Web: www.wireheadtec.com

SBA Brings Matchmaker Conference to Tampa to Connect Small Business

SBA Brings Matchmaker Conference to Tampa to Connect Small Business Manufacturers with Export Specialists

Release Date: August 29, 2011
Contact: David Hall (202) 205-6687
Release Number: 11-47
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Small Business Administration will host the second of its Export Matchmaker Trade Fair & Conference series in Tampa, Fla., on September 14. The program is designed to provide small business manufacturers and suppliers an easy and inexpensive means for exporting their products by matching them with trade intermediaries from across the country.

“One of President Obama’s goals in the National Export Initiative is to double U.S. exports in five years,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “In these challenging economic times, and with 96 percent of the world’s population living outside the U.S., it just makes sense for Florida’s small businesses to export.”

These trade intermediaries – export management companies, export trading companies, foreign sales brokers and agents – are export specialists that will either buy a company’s products and sell them in foreign markets or represent a company’s products abroad through a distribution agreement or similar contract.

Engaging with an export management company or export trading company can be the most cost-effective means for small businesses to either begin exporting or expand export sales, because they do not need to commit additional personnel or resources to the effort. In fact, indirect marketing via trade intermediaries can make exporting as easy as making a domestic sale.

The Tampa event follows the first Matchmaker conference conducted last year in Jersey City, NJ. The SBA is encouraging trade intermediaries from across the country, as well as foreign buying missions and other trade facilitators such as foreign consulates and bi-national chambers of commerce, shippers, and other trade-related service organizations to meet with small business manufacturers and suppliers at the event.

The conference is cosponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Service, the Florida District Export Council and the Florida Small Business Development Center Network. For more information and to register for the event visit: www.sba.gov/exportmatchmaker-florida.

Registration Opens for 29th Annual MED Week Conference

Registration Opens for 29th Annual MED Week Conference

Release Date: August 31, 2011
Contact: Tiffani Clements (202) 401-0035
Release Number: 11-48
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

WASHINGTON – Registration for the 29th annual Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week conference that will bring business leaders and top minority business owners to Washington in September is now open, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today.

The MED Week conference, hosted jointly by SBA and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency will take place Sept. 27-30, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The theme for this year’s MED Week event is “Emerging Industries & Markets: A Blueprint for Success,” and its focus will be on helping minority-owned small businesses expand their operations and establish a presence in the global marketplace while helping them weather current economic climate.

“MED Week celebrates the accomplishments of outstanding minority entrepreneurs and leaders and provides a platform for small, minority-owned businesses to learn about business growth strategies, receive premier training and networking opportunities,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills.

“MED Week is more important than ever before as minority-owned firms are seen as a valuable asset and significant source of job creation for the country,” said MBDA National Director David Hinson. “Business owners, corporations, federal agencies will all be in attendance seeking to be a part of the solution to ‘Win the Future’ for America.”

Keynote speakers include Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan. Corporate executives from Honda, General Motors, Chrysler, Northrop-Grumman, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin also will participate in industry-specific workshops on increasing supplier diversity. The conference also will include sessions on high-speed rail construction projects, public utilities and green business.

SBA will present workshops on improving access to its lending and government contracting programs, and increasing business growth by using social media. SBA will participate in a roundtable entitled “Doing Business with the Government.” There will also be a business expo and tradeshow, business-to-business matchmaking sessions and a Small Business Town Hall to discuss the Small Business Jobs Act. For more information on MED Week workshops, or to register for the conference, visit www.medweek.gov.