A look at how Optimum Springs got its start By Jim Molis Optimum Spring Solutions has honed a niche in producing and exporting customized springs for other manufacturers by researching its market, refining its business plan, and resolutely pursuing opportunities to grow. “They’re a great small company started by two industrious people,” said Nick Sacia, executive director of [...]
How an advisory board can improve your business By Dawn Josephson Whether you’re a “solopreneur” or employer of hundreds of people, at some point every entrepreneur reaches a startling conclusion: “I don’t know everything, and I need help making decisions.” Yes, it’s a tough pill to swallow. But the sooner a business owner reaches out and accepts key [...]
By Jim Molis Buying a company is like finding a spouse. You must know what you’re looking for, recognize when you’ve found it, and commit to making it work. Mergers and acquisitions can be good ways to grow your business, but you must be proactive in your approach and deliberate in your execution. “Nothing is a good [...]
Patience is a virtue and knowledge is essential. By Erica Courtney We have seen the statistics. The federal government spends more than $550 billion on goods and services annually. That is $10,000 per second, every minute of every day. This is normal spending and does not even include the $787 billion recovery package passed by Congress last [...]
By Michael R. Clark The need for managers and supervisors to be able to coach employees effectively is greater today than ever before—for several reasons. Consider, for example: • Employees in today’s workplaces are being asked “to do more with less.” This means companies are demanding the successful completion of more and different tasks than required in the [...]
If you were to pass by the business office of Tony Caribaltes, you shouldn’t be surprised to hear a sharp bark or a tiny meow escape from behind the closed door. Caribaltes is an animal lover who sometimes harbors a dog or (more infrequently, because of allergies) a cat in his office. As a member of [...]
31 August 2010
Gear for Women will present a car care clinic for women at its monthly meeting on Sept. 13. The meeting and networking event will be at Car-Tech USA, 11672 Philips Highway, Jacksonville. For information or to RSVP, contact donna@car-techusa.com. Refreshments and light appetizers will be served.
31 August 2010
The Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce is launching a new organization, the Health Council. The Health Council is open to everyone within the healthcare industry and to those who want to understand more about health issues. The council’s first meeting will be at Brighton Bay Retirement Resort, 10061 Sweetwater Parkway, Jacksonville, on Sept. 2, from 11:30 [...]
31 August 2010
Which search engines get the most hits? According to comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital use, in June 2010, Americans conducted 16.4 billion core searches, up 3% from May, with Goggle sites taking the lead with 62.6% of searches conducted. Yahoo! sites (up 0.6 percentage points to 18.9%) came in second, and Microsoft sites [...]
31 August 2010
Aspiring business owners who want to learn more about franchising opportunities will be able to do so at a “Meet the Franchisors” event, Oct. 5, at UNF University Center. Organizer Marshall Reddy, FranNet Principal/Florida, is teaming up with UNF’s Small Business Development Center to bring in seven to 10 franchisors, who will talk about franchising opportunities. [...]
30 August 2010
Small businesses won a record $96.8 billion in federal prime contracts in Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 (Oct. 1, 2008-Sept. 30, 2009), an increase of more than $3 billion from FY 2008, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s fourth annual small business procurement scorecard. This dollar amount represents 21.89% of all federal spending— an improvement [...]
30 August 2010
The Small Business Resource Network (SBRN) at UNF will hold a bowling tournament open to all interested parties, to benefit the “Friends of SBRN/SBDC” Program. The tournament will be an opportunity for local small business men and women to network. The first annual tournament will be held August 31 at Bowl America on Beach Boulevard. Registration [...]
30 August 2010
Stellers Gallery of Ponte Vedra will exhibit the work of nationally-recognized painters Laura Lacambra Shubert and Jennifer J.L. Jones, during the upcoming exhibit, Two Women, to be held October 1 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. The opening will be at Stellers Gallery at Ponte Vedra, 240 A1A North, Ste. 13 in Ponte Vedra Beach, [...]
27 August 2010
Growing second-stage businesses statewide have the opportunity to join an elite group of nationally recognized companies as part of Florida Companies to Watch, an awards program that celebrates second-stage companies throughout the state of Florida. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 17. Florida Companies to Watch is presented by GrowFL and the Florida Economic Gardening Institute at [...]
27 August 2010
Patrick L. Hughes, owner and managing member of Hughes Group, LLC, of Lakewood, Wash., was named national Minority Small Business Person of the Year today during the 28th annual National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week conference in Washington, D.C. “We are honoring the Hughes Group today for its extraordinary commitment to excellence in providing innovative products [...]
27 August 2010
The Florida Department of Transportation is receiving $600,000 as part of $11.6 million in grants aimed at helping disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE) compete for federal highway contracts. The grants are being awarded to 30 state agencies and Puerto Rico. The grants from the Federal Highway Administration’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise/Supportive Services (DBE/SS) program provide federal aid to [...]