August 31, 2009

DELTA AIR LINES – The Volusia County Council cordially invites you to join in the celebration of Delta Air Lines’ 30 years of dedicated service to Volusia County travelers in the ticketing lobby of Daytona Beach International Airport at noon Tuesday, Sept. 8. From its hubs, its Northwest subsidiary and Delta Connection carriers offer service to 376 destinations in 67 countries and serve more than 170 million passengers each year. For more information, please call (386) 248-8030 ext. 8318.

SILVER EDITION – The State of Florida has created a new web site called “Employ Florida Marketplace-Silver Edition” (http://silver.employflorida.com). Businesses can use this site as a recruiting tool to hire experienced older workers. In addition, individuals over 50 can use the resource as a way to find a paying job or a local volunteer opportunity.

INTEREST-FREE SMALL BUSINESS LOANS – Small businesses that have been in operation for at least two years, can demonstrate recent and projected positive cash flow, have an establish banking relationship, and are experiencing financial hardship may qualify for an America's Recovery Capital or ARC Loan of up to $35,000. ARC loans are short-term, no interest loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration to help viable business keep their doors open during hardship. Loan proceeds must be used to make payments on existing business debt, like high-interest business credit cards. For more information, please visit www.sba.gov/recovery.

EMPLOYEE TRAINING – Ongoing training, also known as continuing education, is a large component of successful companies. Most companies included in Florida Trend magazine’s “Best Companies to Work for” invest significant time and resources on employee training and development. In Volusia County, the Center for Business Excellence (CBE) and the Center for Business & Industry (CBI) at Daytona State College are available to work with local employers to fund and support training for existing or new employees. For more information, contact Ted Young at the CBE (386) 323-7074 or Frank Mercer at the CBI (386) 506-4461.

TAX DEDUCTION – The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides a deduction for state and local sales and excise taxes paid on the purchase of new cars, light trucks, motor homes and motorcycles through 2009. The deduction is available regardless of whether a taxpayer itemizes deductions on Schedule A. The deduction is available on vehicles purchased after Feb. 17, 2009, and before Jan. 1, 2010, and is limited to the tax on up to $49,500 of the purchase price of an eligible motor vehicle.

BOTTLED WATER BOOM ENDING? – In Florida, about 3.6 million gallons of water a day is pulled from the ground to become bottled water. That's not much of the total resource, but it stings that water gets tapped to be consumed elsewhere, considering the drought sensitivity of Florida. Not only do empty water bottles pose a massive waste problem, the plastic bottles themselves are made from oil – another precious and expensive resource – and reports are on the rise that contaminants in the plastic can leach into the water. Want to keep it simple and cheap? Drink tap water.

TOP MOMS IN BUSINESS – Superb multi-taskers, cool-headed, wise and all-knowing, moms are a special species. In addition, many of them are the masterminds behind thriving businesses. StartupNation.com launched “Leading Moms in Business Competition,” sponsored by VerticalResponse, and set out in search of the top 200 moms in business. According to the Center for Women's Business Research, there are 10.6 million women-owned businesses in the United States generating $2.5 trillion in annual revenue. For more information on the search and a list of the winners, go to http://tinyurl.com/topmoms.

NEWS ITEMS WANTED! – Please send your business news items to Dave Byron, Volusia County Community Information Director, 123 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand, 32720-4612, by fax at (386) 822-5072 or by e-mail at dbyron@co.volusia.fl.us.