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| 2008 Business EXPO Registration Is Underway The greater Bloomington area boasts a dynamic business environment. For more than 20 years, the Business EXPO has been showcasing Bloomington's champion businesses, and helping them build strong business-to-business teams. Reserve your Business EXPO booth today, and your business will get an early lead on the competition. The 2008 Business EXPO will provide you with the perfect opportunity to showcase your new products and top merchandise, and to promote the services and people in your organization. For more information please visit the EXPO website. Chamber Honors Small Business of the Year “POLARIS Laboratories was selected from our largest pool of nominees yet – a true testament of the prestige of this award,” offers Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar. “A relatively new company, POLARIS has demonstrated tremendous strategic growth while providing excellent quality in its industry.” Founded in 1999, four former co-workers started POLARIS after the small oil analysis laboratory they worked for closed. POLARIS now has 79 employees in Indianapolis and 28 employees at laboratories in Houston and Salt Lake City. Revenue in 2007 reached $9.2 million, an increase from $7.2 million in 2006. POLARIS has achieved consistent double-digit growth with customers in all 50 states and 15 countries. With its three laboratories, POLARIS placed itself within 48 hours ground transit to almost anywhere in the continental United States – a move that allows for quick turnaround on customers’ test results. POLARIS has been named one of Indianapolis’ 25 fastest growing privately-held companies four times. Companies recognized as finalists for Small Business of the Year were: Elwood Staffing Services, headquartered in Columbus; Heraeus Electro-Nite Company of Peru; McCormick Motors of Nappanee; Midwest Tube Mills of Madison; and Option Six of Bloomington. Other highlights of Small Business Day included the lunch keynote by Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and informative session on resources from state programs – including Buy Indiana, Women and Minority Business Enterprise, Indiana Small Business Development Center and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. A legislative briefing and session on communicating with lawmakers prepared attendees to meet with legislators at the Statehouse. Sponsors for Small Business Day at the Statehouse were Indiana State University, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Forum Credit Union and Time Services Inc. For more information, please visit the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Verizon Wireless Expands Wireless Broadband Network to Bloomington, Indiana, and Surrounding TownsBLOOMINGTON, Ind., Dec 27, 2007 (PrimeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Verizon Wireless announced today that it has expanded the national rollout of its high-speed wireless network to Bloomington, Bedford, Ellettsville, French Lick, Mitchell and Paoli. "This is a vital area with dynamic, tech-savvy business people and consumers who want to stay connected," said Greg Haller, president-Indiana/Kentucky/Michigan Region, Verizon Wireless. "The expansion of our broadband network in Bloomington and the surrounding towns provides our customers with access to the very latest wireless technology." With the wireless broadband network now available in Bloomington, Bedford, Ellettsville, French Lick, Mitchell and Paoli, Verizon Wireless customers can enjoy two prime services: BroadbandAccess Based on Evolution-Data Optimized Revision A (EV-DO Rev. A) network technology, BroadbandAccess provides mobile workers with the ability to access their corporate information as if they were attached to this data via a high-speed wired connection but with the freedom of true mobility. Developed with a range of users in mind, the service enables large enterprises, small to medium-sized businesses and mobile professionals to conduct business anytime, anywhere in the BroadbandAccess coverage area via a secure, true high-speed data connection. With BroadbandAccess, business customers, residents and visitors can expect average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and average upload speeds of 500 kbps to 800 kbps. That means they can download a 1 megabyte email attachment -- the equivalent of a small PowerPoint(r) presentation or a large PDF file -- in about eight seconds and upload the same-sized file in less than 13 seconds. BroadbandAccess also enables Verizon Wireless customers to download files approximately 10 times faster than customers of wireless service providers that use different broadly deployed network technologies. Furthermore, customers who travel outside the enhanced BroadbandAccess coverage area with an EV-DO device will switch seamlessly to the company's NationalAccess service. "Our enhanced BroadbandAccess service gives our customers three key advantages in wireless communication -- speed, mobility and security," Haller said. "With these advantages comes an increase in productivity and bottom-line business benefits." V CAST: Video and Music The company's wireless broadband network also enables its V CAST multimedia services, which offer customers the ability to download full-song tracks, play cutting-edge 3D games and stream video clips straight to the handset with top transmission speeds. With content updated daily, customers can watch dozens of on-demand videos, including breaking news, weather updates, sports highlights and the hottest entertainment clips. With V CAST Music, Verizon Wireless has built a massive full-song mobile music store that contains more than 2.5 million songs -- from well-known as well as independent artists -- that customers can download over-the-air, directly onto their V CAST Music-enabled wireless phones. For more information please visit, FOX Business.com.
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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! TWISTED LIMB PAPERWORKS CELEBRATES 10th ANNIVERSARY Media attention in hundreds of national newspapers, magazines and websites, including the Wall Street Journal, E Magazine, Organic Style Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, and Get Fresh! with Sara Snow on Discovery Home Online |
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| February 1: New Economy, New Rules Seminar February 5: Community Chats February 12: Community Chats February 19: Life Sciences Lunch Series February 19: Community Chats February 20: Business Orientation Start-up Session (BOSS) February 20: Icebreakers :: GET CONNECTED February 26: Community Chats March 4: Community Chats March 5: Business Orientation Start-up Session (BOSS) March 7: New Economy, New Rules Seminar |
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| Web sites to help your business succeed. |
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How To Improve Cash FlowCash flow is the life blood of every business and lack of cash is a much more significant cause of business failure than trading losses. The management and preservation of cash is a priority task which must be performed day in and day out in every business. This task is so routine that its importance is often overlooked. Here are some ways to improve cash flow:
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Bloomington's downtown Certified Technology Park is made up of many unique technology development businesses. Each month learn news about these innovative businesses and other initiatives impacting the Park tenants! State of the City: Mayor Mark Kruzan Certified Technology Park The Certified Technology Park’s future was discussed, along with how the land north of the Showers complex can be utilized. IU will be vacating those 11 acres that currently house food services and other IU offices. Since the land is 20 percent of the tech park, Kruzan is talking with IU about the city’s desire to buy the land. The city would then work with local investors and sell off parcels as projects are finalized. “It’s crucial a local vision be implemented in this area,” Kruzan said. Kruzan submited two design scenarios to IU President Michael McRobbie that include adaptive reuse of historic buildings, mixed with new construction. He stressed that the designs were simply ideas on how the land can be used. For more information, please visit the Herald Times Online.
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Business Valuations Thinking about selling your business? How do you know what price to set? SBDC Business Advisors use business and industry characteristics of small to midsize businesses to arrive at a suggested selling price. We can assist in structuring the deal so that the downpayment and the terms of the loan can be justified to potential buyers while showing the business owner their potential gain from the deal. You will receive a report which includes: |
