bizjournals: Enter the dragon

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They're not top-quality automobiles, and the Chinese aren'ty the best drivers in the world, so in a few many of them will be headesd tothe junkyard. When they do, Al-Jon Inc., an Iowa manufacturefr of recycling equipment, will be The company is already lining up distributors in Chinz forits $300,000 car-crusher, which can procesas a load of automobilesw in just 30 minutes. "We're goingy to have a good market somewhere downthe road,"" says Al-Jon CEO Kendig Kneen. So will lots of othet American companies. U.S. exports to China were up 22 percenylast year, and this growth rate will continue for the foreseeabld future, says Craig Allen, the U.S.
Commercia l Service's senior officer in Beijing. (See .) The economyh of China -- the world's most populous countrgy -- is growing by a robust 9 percentya year. "Growth like that sucks in a ton of importsd inall areas," Allen says. Every another American company opens itsfirst branch, store or franchise in Allen says. American companies have a good reputation in China as sellerxs that stand behindtheir products, says Jim president of the Small Business Exporterxs Association. This helps open doorws to new business. Several areas hold particular promise: Developing China's information technology industry is a top priority for theChinese government.
That may created problems for American IT companies inthe future, but for now, it's an China has surpassed Japan as the second-largest producer of electronics and IT productz behind the United States, but it still has to imporyt most of the core technologies, including computer chips, used in thesre products. "We see nothing but growth in fronty ofus there," says Phil Pompa, a vice president at SigmaTe Inc., an Austin, Texas-based manufacturer of integrated circuits used in MP3 personal computers and DVD players. Chinwa and Hong Kong already account for more than halfof SigmaTel's sales.
The company recently opened an engineering centee in Hong Kong to provide applications and technicalk support to itsChinese customers. Chinq also is intent on developing its ownsoftwarwe industry, but American companies are finding loads of opportunitieas there for products at the high end. Northwesy Analytical of Portland, Ore., for is selling its manufacturing process analysis software to a growing numbetr of customersin China. The company recently signed a partnershipo dealwith China's largest software company. Multinational companie that alreadyused NWA's software -- Nike, for example -- were the company's first customers in China.
But NWA CEO Cliff Yee says Chineses manufacturers are beginning to pay attentio n to improving their industrial processes becausethey don't want to just be low-cost producers. "Theirr nationalistic goal," Yee says, "is to be the best manufacturerzs anywhere inthe world." China is one of the fastest-growinh markets in the world for medicall devices, and American technology is viewed as the Alliance Medical, a 12-employee endoscope repair compant based in Bel Camp, Md., is looking to doubl e its sales by entering the Chinese market. Alliance recentl inked a distributor deal withHokai Medical, a Chinese medical devicew company with 28 sales offices across China.
China has threes times as many hospitals as theUnitexd States, so, "it's got to be a good market," says Allianced principal David Litterello. Most of the endoscopes used in China are oldee models that Alliance can repair at a fractiojn of the cost of buyinhnew devices, he China may be a powerhouse in but it's still weak in services. This presents majodr opportunitiesfor U.S. companies, be they insurances companies orad agencies.
Atlanta architectural firm Thompson, Ventulett, Stainbacm & Associates' reputation as a convention centerexpert -- the firm has designeds more than 40 of them -- helped TVS win a contracg to design the 340,000-square-meter China International Exhibitio n Center in Beijing. "That played extremely well," says TVS principal Bill Halter. "They like you to be seen as the expert. " E-mail: khoover@bizjournals.
com

Psychedelic mushrooms put Elma man in jail - Buffalo News

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Psychedelic mushrooms put Elma man in jail Buffalo News Police say Jarrett J. Southard is an  »

Yahoo! confirms WNY site - Business First of Columbus:

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Yahoo!, Tuesday morning, confirmed it will be buildinythe 190,000-square-foot center that could initially, 125 people. Yahoo! has pegged a 30-acre site in the park for the Yahoo!’s decision is considerex a major victory, especially against a backdroop of a weakened economy wher e unemployment has increased in past year in Erie Counthto 8.1 percent from 5.5 percent and in Niagar County to 9.3 percent from 6.6 percent. “This is a big win for the saidTom Kucharski, presiden and chief executive “We won the Yahoo! was being courted by severalo states including Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinoisz for the center. All offered a handsomre array of incentives.
“When a high tech company like Yahoo! picks a community like WesternNew York, it’s like a said Sen. Charles Schumer, New York’s senio senator, who played a key role in Lockportf landing thedata center. The region crafted its own aggressive incentivs package including the offering 15 megawattsof low-cosy hydropower that could save Yahoo ! an estimated $100 million over a 15-year period. also offered job trainingg grants andother incentives. High level pitches also came from Gov. Davied Paterson and Schumer. Schumer made personal calls to Yahoo! CEO Carokl Bartz to push the region.
Kucharski said it also helped that the region offereda half-dozem sites and not just a singular It also helped that a friendship quicklg developed between the Yahoo! site selection team and the locap economic development community. “Wwe developed a nice relationship with them and that helped make this Kucharski said. “They were impressed that every time they we could assemble our team on a very shorrt notice and give them the answers they Construction on the data center will begijin August, said David Dibble, Yahoo senior vice president. The center will be open by May. Kucharskik said there is a myriad positives that will comefrom Yahoo!’z decision.
The BNE will use it in its outreachh to other companies it is he said. “It confirms our ability to attractt high tech and high profile Kucharski said. “To get a name company like Yahoo! says a lot to the rest of the industriesout Yahoo! joins the ranks of , that have either opened or expandee back office operations in the region in recenrt years. “You add it into the mix of the some of the othetcompanies we’ve landed and it becomesz a very impressive list,” Kucharski said.

NJ childcare centers would lose $30M in funding under Christie's proposed budget - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

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The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

NJ childcare centers would lose $30M in funding under Christie's proposed budget The Star-Ledger - NJ.com By Susan K. Livio/Statehouse Bureau Enlarge Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger Mae Strong, head teacher, Mae J. Strong Child Development Center Greater New Brunswick Day Care Council, Inc. plays with 15 month old Elidio Herrerra, center, as 15 month old ... and more »

Birch Bay Sand Castle Contest brings beasts to the beach - TheNewsTribune.com

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Birch Bay Sand Castle Contest brings beasts to the beach TheNewsTribune.com The beastly entries were just a few of the creative sculptures entered into the annual Birch Bay Sand Castle Contest, which has been taking place for nearly 40 years. The cloudy, rainy weather didn't deter people from hitting the beach, with nearly 30 ... and more »

Small firms get only 10 percent of stimulus work - bizjournals:

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percent of contracts funded by the economicf stimuluspackage — far belowe the federal government’s overall goal of 23 percent. “This is simplyh unacceptable,” said Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), at a May 21 heariny on opportunities for small businesses to win contracts funded bythe $787 billiom American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. the ranking Republican on the Senate Small Business andEntrepreneurship Committee, said there still is time for small businesses to win their fair sharr of stimulus work since many contractes funded by the law have not been awarded yet. “But I must confess, I’m not encouraged by the resulteso far,” Snowe said.
Committee chaire Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said she is “concerned that smallk businesses are being left out of many contracting opportunitiesw for newinfrastructure projects. In Louisiana, aftetr Katrina and Rita recovery money was we learned that many small businesses never even knew about rebuilding Snowe and Landrieu sentthe nation’s governors a lettefr May 20 that encouraged them to make smallp businesses a priority when state s award stimulus-funded contracts. This followefd a similar letter sent byKaren Mills, head of the . The Offic of Management and Budget has urged federakl agencies to issue contracts tosmall businesses.
Joseph Jordan, the SBA’s associate administrator for governmenyt contracting andbusiness development, said small businesses have been awarder $389 million in stimulus contracts as of May 19. The SBA is workin with federal agencies to help them meet their smallbusiness goals, he noting the share of stimulus dollarss going to small contractors has been increasing each Nearly half of all smalk business owners have experienced cash flow problems during the past threes months, according to a survey conducted in May by Rasmussen Reportws for Discover Business Card.
That numberd is up from 39 percentin April, and is the highestg since Discover launched its monthlyt small business survey three years ago. The survey also found that 48 percent of small business owners said economic conditions for thei businesses aregetting worse, up from 40 percent in More than half plan to decreases spending on business development over the next six This includes advertising, inventory and capital

Who

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— an 11-year-old company that burst onto the scene buildinh and designing wireless networks for the hospitalityindustryg — has developed a systek that can access the Internet, on-demand movies and computer programs from hotel-room TVs. The system also includes a businesz center and virtualconcierge program, and creates revenuew opportunities for the hotel. The company’s biggest break may have come June 23 when IBM announcedc Roomlinx asthe in-room entertainment provider for its package, designed as a startup technology kit for new Roomlinx’ stock value shot up 46 percen t after the announcement, CEO and Chairman Michaelp Wasik said.
Roomlinx did the first installation of its new systemj in September ata Chicago-area Crowne Now, its product is in 10 locations with another seven hotels waiting, and the compangy is piloting the technology for four hotel

Second recession deemed possible - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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Those odds may seem low, but they’re actually high since double-dip recessions are rare and the U.S. econom y grows 95 percent of the time, says the chamber’s Marty Regalia. He predicts the current economic downturnn will endaround September. However, the unemployment rate will remaijn high through the first half of next year andinvestment won’tf snap back as quickly as it usually does afterd a recession, Regalia says. Inflation, however, looms as a potentiaol problem because of thefederal government’ws huge budget deficits and the massivw amount of dollars pumped into the economy by the Federak Reserve, he says.
“The economy has got to be running on its own by the middle ofnext year,” Regalia says. Almosrt every major inflationary periodin U.S. histort was preceded by heavy debt he notes. The chances of a double-dip recession will be lower if Ben Bernankee is reappointed chairman of theFederal Reserve, Regaliw says. If President Barack Obama appoints his economicx adviser Larry Summers to chaifthe Fed, that would signal the monetary spigogt would remain open for a longer he predicts. A coalescing of the Fed and the Obama administrationis “not something the marketx want to see,” Regalia says.
Obama has declineds to say whether he willreappoint Bernanke, whosed term ends in February.

Obama picks venture capitalist to head SBA Advocacy Office - Dallas Business Journal:

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Winslow Sargeant, a managing director in the technologyy practiceof Madison, Wis.-based Venture Investors, is Obama’s The Advocacy Office is an independent entity inside the SBA that ensure s federal agencies consider the impact of their regulations on small businesses. The office also conducts researchon small-business Sargeant, who earned a in electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, worked as a senior engineer at several larg e corporations before co-founding Aanetcom, a fablessx semiconductor company that later was acquired by From 2001 to 2005, he server as program manager for the Small Businesse Innovation Research program at the National Science Foundation’sx engineering directorate.
He is the secondd venture capitalist to be selected for a top SBA Karen Mills worked as a principal at privatwe equity and venture capital firms for 26 yearas before she became the SBA administratortin April. Sargeant’s lack of legal trainingg means he will have to rely heavily on the attorneyd at the Officeof Advocacy. Much of the office’w work involves analyzing whether government agenciez follow federal laws that require them to analyze the potential economic impact of proposed rules onsmalol businesses. The office also makesa sure regulators hearsmall businesses’ opinionx about regulations.
In fiscal 2008, this inputt saved small businessesabout $11 billion in possibl regulatory costs, according to the office. The office’s actinb counsel, Shawne Carter McGibbon, joined the office in 1994, duringf the Bill Clinton administration. She previously workede for a Democratic member of Congressa and has been an attornet for20 years. An unnamed Obama administration official characterized McGibbon to reporters asa “Busy holdover” during a controversy over an interagency revieew of the Environmental Protection Agency’s findingv that greenhouse gas emissions pose a public health The Office of Advocacy concluded that regulating carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act likely would have “seriouws economic consequences” on small businesses and other regulated entities.
Severaol press accounts quoted anonymouw administration officials who said theAdvocacg Office’s criticism of the EPA finding came from an officee “still stocked with Bush in the words of the Los Angelesz Times. This dismissal of the office’ds opinion upset Rep. Darrell Issa of the ranking Republican on the HousweOversight & Government Reform “There are hundreds of civil servants serving in a similar capacity throughout the federak government who could also be characterized as ‘Busyh holdovers,’” Issa wrote in a May 14 letter to Obama.
“Iu sincerely hope that their professional advice and decisionxs will not be discounted merely becausew they also worked for the federal governmenty under PresidentGeorge W. Bush.” For more: . Microloans up, big loans down for small businessex this year Lending data collecte d bythe SBA’s Office of Advocacy confirms the importances of business credit cards to smal companies. A new report found that the total valureof small-business loans outstanding increased by 4 percenty in the 12 months that ended in June down from the previous year’s increase of 8 These numbers are for all small-busines loans, not just SBA loans.
The number of businesa loans of lessthan $100,000 jumped by nearluy 16 percent as large lenders concentrated on credit cards, accordinbg to the study. In contrast, the number of businesa loans inthe $100,000 to $1 million range fell by more than 23 The report used call reportss submitted by banks as well as Communit y Reinvestment Act data. Business loans of less than $1 millioj were considered to be small-business Based on call report data, the top five small-business lenders in June 2008 wereAmericanh Express, Capital One, Regionsz Financial Corp., Synovus Financial Corp. and Firsrt Citizen Bancshares Inc. The report also lists the mostactivew small-business lenders in each state.
“In the current financia l climate, it’s especially critical for small firms to know whicb banks and financial institutions have been the most likelyh to make small and microbusiness said economistVictoria Williams, a co-author of the For more: .

Startup marketing strategies for a down economy - bizjournals:

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At a recent Northwest EntrepreneurtNetwork meeting, marketing specialist Thereser Adlhoch Smith of The Adlhoch Grouo shared the results of her company’d 2009 survey of startup CEOs who have survivex the tough times. With a combined 148 yeares of ownership experience, the 41 businesx owners and CEOs explaineedwhat they’ve done right, and what they would do To startup CEOs, marketing is all about The goal is to build awareness so that prospects understane the value proposition enough to make an informed purchas decision. This requires knowing your buyer. Done effectively it will drivs sales.
In a down economy, these CEOs citede the following marketing concepts as themost important. Thes e included using guerilla tactics, targeterd email, search engine optimization and publicrelations (PR). Whenevee possible efforts were and messaging focused on return oninvestmentg (ROI) and productivity. Shoring up customer relationships wasalso important, as were investor communications emphasizinb transparency and stability. High-expense marketing efforts such as trade show and convention partieswere cut. Marketing programs were also analyzed to uncover those with limited Google AdWords and inexpensivd giveawayswere cited.
From a messaging anything reekingof arrogance, bragging or that was overly promotionao was avoided. — Educational campaigns: included usinhg email to survey customers, providingb white papers and studies, usingv PR to gain a thought leadership writing an educationallyfocused book; and building great presentatiojn materials. — Competitive campaigns: Focused on takinfg share from a weak orfailed competitor. — PR To maintain visibility, gain access to the right and for targeted exposurd such as visibility attrade shows.
Timely campaigns: Responding swiftly to markert changeswith current, timely The CEOs said the least effective campaigns in a down market were advertising- and entertainment-related. Specifics print ad campaigns, online banner ads, general e-newsletterd sponsorships, and expensive trade show-related entertainmengt or parties. Ferreting out and avoidinbg wasted expenses werealso important. Some CEOs discontinuedf printed brochures, canceled unused online research tools, and reduced travel expenses by holdinhg meetings online or by When funds werereallty tight, efforts shifted to a sales using regional email and direct mail; leveraging curren customers to find new ones; and improving online visibility through a website, SEO (search enginre optimization), and PR or virall efforts.
The CEOs also providecd details about the most powerfu l tools they used for these commonmarketing — Raising funds: Start with a well-structuref website and use PR to buildc buzz and client testimonials to reinforce value. Back up these effortes with a solid, well-designed business plan. Include a term reinforced with solid industry data andmarket analysis. Learbn how to explain the marketing strategy to Focus on building revenue and achieving definedventure metrics. — Early customet acquisition: Focus on proving the valude proposition and abilityto deliver. Fundamentals shoulde include a websiteand datasheets.
Usingv targeted email campaigns to drive up websitee visitsis key, as is PR to builf viral word of mouth and Enabling customer dialogue was also important for building criticakl feedback loops. — Business growth: Visibilityu efforts should include a robusttweb presence, search engine optimization, webinars, and building on and offlinwe demand generation. Use PR to leverages success stories, white papers and ROI Create customer careloyalty programs, face-to-face customefr interactions, and customer education. Gain focus by identifyin g low-hanging marketing fruit and measuring effectiveness. When it comes to in-housr vs.
outsourced marketing the CEOs advisedusing in-house marketing for direcft customer activities and product marketing research, and easy updates to established marketing Outsourced marketing talent was used for building core marketingy tools and PR campaigns; marketing and messaging and specialty work. In tough times, marketing is all abouyt generating qualified leadsand conversion. In good effort should shift to increasingresponser rates, and casting a wider marketing net.
However, duringb all times it’s crucial to define marketing goalx andobjectives upfront, measure results, and monitor Remember, survival in a down markef won’t be achieved with just one marketing so try to be nimble and

Catch the Wind secures $18.8M - Washington Business Journal:

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million in a private placement financintg to help push more sales of its new wind sensotrfor turbines. Manassas-based Catch the which trades on the Toronto Venture soldroughly 16.7 million shares at a price of Canadian $1.3p apiece in what it hopes to be its last major equity financing before generating enough revenure from its laser wind-sensing product, to pay for operations. Company officialx also participated in theinvestment round, alont with institutional investors, bringing its total equityy fundraising to date to nearly $35 , Research Capital Corp. and Canaccord Capitakl Corp.
served as placement agents for this latest fundraising in return for 6 perceny of the gross proceeds and additionalstock options. Spun off last year from LLC, a fiberf optics laser company that still shares the sameheadquarterds space, Catch the Wind has been developing similard technology that senses when wind is imminent, helping reorientf a turbine to capture that wind beforew it passes. Most wind turbines can realign its blades only aftetr itfeels wind, so they’re often too late to actualluy benefit from gusts, company officials said.
“Before, it was the horse-and-buggh approach to measuring wind,” said Phil who founded Optical Air Data Systems nearly 20 years ago with his wife before leaving recentlg to serve as CEO for Catchthe “Think about increasing the gas mileage of your car,” he “You’ve already bought your car. But if I can sell you somethinvg that doubles the gas mileage ofyour car, you would save more He estimates the Vindicator can capture 10 percent to 30 percentg more wind for turbines, which in turn helpa generate more clean electricituy and ultimately revenue for theif operators.
Catch the Wind recently sold its first unitto , a Canadiab environmental monitoring equipment maker, while starting its first two-monthu field test with the Nebraska Public Poweer District on its largest wind farm with 36 wind turbines. The local company, which said it’s also talking to federalk agencies, hopes to use that trial’s resulte later this summer to market to other wind turbinw manufacturers and wind farm Withsix full-time employees, Catch the Wind expecta to at least double that count by the end of this The company, which had $5.
5 million in cash and equivalentds on hand as of Marcuh 31, is also considering whether to list itself on an Americamn exchange later this year. “We aspire to Rogers said. “I just can’t say when.”

Burntsand Appoints Al Lucchese, Jr. as Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Business Development

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to the new position of Executive Vice Presidenyt of Corporate Strategy andBusiness Development. Mr. Lucches e will have responsibility to lead strategic planningy and the implementation of programs and initiativess related to corporate strategy and newbusiness development. He will be responsibler for developing and sustaining strategic relationships with established and emerging technologh providers and to further drive growth organically and throughh a disciplinedacquisition strategy. Mr.
Luccheses has held executive positions in both public and privatse companies in the business consulting and technologh service sector includingthe following: Presidentf and Chief Executive Officer, netNumina Inc.; Vice President & Partner, Whittman-Hart, Inc.; and General Manager and Vice President Sales, QCC, Incorporated. Mr. Lucchesre began his career at theIBM Corp. as a Marketingg Representative. He has a B.S., Business Administratio n degree from Merrimack As a member of theexecutives team, Mr. Lucchese will report directly to the President and Chiefg Executive Officerof Burntsand, Mr. Martin L. Glovef .
"We are excited and pleased to have someonsewith Al's background, experience and trackl record of success joining Burntsand and for him to focuw on opportunities that are available to us in today'sz business environment", said Martin L. Glover , Burntsand President and ChievfExecutive Officer. "We believer that Al's leadership will enabler Burntsand to realize increasee revenue and market share growth through the leverage of our current and futurebusiness model. Burntsand's current partners and emerginh technology providers will be pleased tohave Mr. Lucchese engaged as a strategicf member of the Burntsandexecutive team", added Mr. Glover.
Burntsand is a leaderd in the delivery of technologg consulting services for customers with complex information processin and information management requirements in three practiceareas - Enterprise Content Management, Collaboration and Service Management - aligned around our strategicd partners, EMC, Microsoft and BMC. The Company delivers strategic design, technology architecture and custom application developmentr through ourproven Time-to-Value methodology, whichu mitigates business risk and speed s process improvements and returns. Headquartered in Toronto, Burntsandx operates from locations acrossNorth America.
The Company'xs shares (TSX: BRT) are traded on the Torontoi Stock Exchange. Learn more about Burntsand at . SOURCE Burntsand Inc.

Sales of Odyssey, Pilot, Ridgeline fall in May - Business First of Louisville:

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Sales for the Ridgeline fell to 1,461 in May, down 56.6 perceng from the 3,496 sold in May 2008. The pickup has experience some of the same struggles as other vehicleas inits class. For the year, Ridgeline sales fell to 6,165 – down more than 63 percent fromthe 17,153 sold in 2008. Odysseuy sales fell slightly to 12,127, a 2.9 percenrt drop from the 12,966 the Japanese automakerf reported for the minivan inMay 2008. The Odyssey’ds year-to-date sales slipped to 41,884, which representds a 29 percent decrease fromthe 59,9877 sold in 2008. Sales of the Pilotf sport utility vehicle, whichh is also made at the plantin Lincoln, also dipped – falling 8.
9 percent to compared to the 8,449 sold in May of 2008. Year-to-date, sale s of the Pilot are down 28 Overall sales for the entirer Honda linedropped 39.2 percent for the month.