Red Hat CEO on Deck for Informatics Tour, Talks
The chairman of a company that pioneered the development of open-source software will soon get a first-hand look at some of the trails being blazed by researchers at the Indiana University School of Informatics. Matthew J. Szulik, president and chief executive officer of Red Hat, will visit the school Tuesday, March 7. He'll meet with faculty, researchers and students, and with IU information technology and business education leaders. He is expected to talk about industry innovations, collaborations and career trends at an open forum at 7 to 9 pm in the Indiana Memorial Union's Georgia Room.

Red Hat is one of the world's largest companies focused on developing open-source software—software made available to the public that enables users to copy, modify and redistribute it and its source code without paying fees. Founded in 1993, the company is known for developing Red Hat Linux, a popular server operating system, and more recently, Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Ideas Fest Hosts Founder of Camp Chaos Entertainment
As part of Indiana University's IDEAS (Interactive Digital Environments, Arts & Storytelling) Fest, Bob Cesca will be in Bloomington. Bob is a writer, director, and producer as well as the founder of Camp Chaos Entertainment, an animation studio based near Philadelphia. He's written and produced more than 200 animated shorts as well as music videos and an independent feature film entitled The War Effort. He's also the creator of the animated sketch show ILLustrated, which aired for two seasons on VH1, and currently airs on MTV2. Bob grew up in Northern Virginia and graduated from Kutztown University with a degree in political science. He's also a columnist for Arianna Huffington's political blog, The Huffington Post.

Bob will be speaking at IDEAS Fest on April 1. A meeting with Bloomington Information Technology Sector (BITS) is being planned for March 31, time to be announced. Please contact the Bloomington Exonomic Development Corporation at 812-335-7346 for more information.

Business EXPO 2006 - Only a Few Booths Left!
Bloomington's premier business-to-business networking event has been helping businesses reach new destinations for over 20 years. Each year, over 100 businesses from all over South Central Indiana journey to the Bloomington Business EXPO to showcase their wares, their people, and their services. If you want your organization to branch out and to cultivate new B2B connections, the 2006 Business EXPO is the place to get started. Exhibitors find all these advantages and more when they participate in Business EXPO 2006:

• Extensive networking
• 150+ exhibitors
• 3000+ potential customers

Don't wait! Fewer than 10 EXPO booths remain available! Reserve your booth today by contacting Terri Brown at the Small Business Development Center, 812-339-8937

South Central Indiana's area economy is made up of many unique small businesses which often are overlooked. Each month learn about a local small business that you might have not known about!

MNB Technologies, Inc.
MNB Technologies, Inc., is a for-profit, disabled veteran-owned small business, incorporated in Indiana in April 2004. Originally established as a research and development contractor serving the Department of Defense and the commercial sector in the field of advanced computing architectures and applications, MNB plans to expand into the homeland security marketplace. MNB’s research and development activities are an on-going business. They currently have 8 employees.

Their vision is to make the world a safer place through novel application of geographically specific digital information distribution and advanced computing architectures.

They seek to fulfill their vision by enabling public safety agencies to instantly, reliably, and effectively alert populations and manage critical incidents; improve the effectiveness of service men and women and bring them home safely; and expand human knowledge by accelerating computer-assisted scientific research. To learn more, visit the MNB Technologies website.

Leveraging Industry Information
Wondering where your business is headed? A good way to identify current and future trends is to learn more about the direction of your overall industry. Check trade journals and contact your trade organizations to review statistics and trends as they relate to your industry and your geographic region.

The Monroe County Public Library has several resources to assist local business with obtaining this information. These include:
• Reference USA
• Newsbank: America's Newspapers
• INSPIRE
• Associations Unlimited
and much more.

• Indiana University IDEAS Fest

• Navigator: Business Planning Software

• $100 Rebate on Microsoft Small Business Management Edition 2006

March 8: Business Orientation Start-up Session (BOSS)
What: Learn what it takes to start your own business and become your own boss.
Where: SBDC, 501 N. Morton, Suite 106
Time: 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Cost: $20
Contact: SBDC, 812-339-8937 (registration required)

March 16: Business After Hours
What: Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce monthly Business After Hours
Where: 1720 North Kinser Pike
Time: 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Sponsored by: Akento Technology Solutions and First Capital Investment Group, Inc.

March 21: Tech Tuesday
What: A series of video conference presentations with a networking and educational component for Bloomington technology businesses.
Where: inVenture, 501 N. Morton St., inVenture Conference Room
Time: 7:30 - 9:00 am
Contact: Terri Brown, inVenture, 812-335-7356

March 21: Life Sciences Lunch Series
What: The Indiana Health Industry Forum and Barnes & Thornburg present a monthly seminar series on critical issues in life sciences.
Where: Ivy Tech Community College, Bloomington Campus
Time: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Contact: BEDC, 812-335-7346

March 22: Icebreakers :: GET CONNECTED
What: Bloomington's after-hours networking event for tech-based businesses.
Guest: Patrick East, Hanapin Marketing, LLC
Where: Irish Lion, 212 W. 5th St. (second floor)
Time: 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Cost: Free
Contact: inVenture, 812-335-7356

March 22: Business Orientation Start-up Session (BOSS)
What: Learn what it takes to start your own business and become your own boss
Where: SBDC, 501 N. Morton, Suite 106
Time: 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Cost: $20
Contact: SBDC, 812-339-8937 (registration required)

March 27: Artists After Hours
What: Bloomington Area Arts Council Artists After Hours
Where: John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut Street
Topic: Risk Management
Time: 5:30 - 7:00 pm
Contact: Nancy Krueger, 812-334-3100

March 29: QuickBooks Basics
What: Learn the basics of accounting and how to set up QuickBooks software to fit your needs.
Where: SBDC, 501 N. Morton, Suite 106
Time: 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Cost: $39
Contact: SBDC, 812-339-8937 (registration required)

April 7: New Economy, New Rules Seminar
What: Series of video conference presentations from industry leaders geared towards the information technology industry.
Where: inVenture, 501 N. Morton St., inVenture Conference Room
Time: 7:30 - 9:00 am
Contact: Marilyn Skirvin, Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, 812-335-7346

Navigator: Business Planning Program Now Available!

Need a business plan to get a loan? Want to establish a strategic direction for your company?

Navigator online business planning software makes writing a business plan quick and painless. By following a step-by-step process online, you can easily develop a thorough and comprehensive plan that will help you manage your company and plan for the future.

for information or call her directly at 812-339-8937.

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