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January 11, 2010
HAPPY NEW YEAR! – There’s no
question 2010 will bring new challenges and problems as the economy
slowly recovers. Many compare the present economic situation to the
Great Depression of the 1930s, but the latter crisis brought new
achievements in technology, infrastructure and societal standards many
of us take for granted. So, through the struggles we face in today’s
economy, try to welcome challenges, focus on positives, and provide for
those less fortunate. As they say, success lies upstream; you can't
drift there.
WHO ARE THE BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR? – Florida Trend magazine
is searching for Florida's best workplaces to recognize in its 2nd
Annual “Best Companies to Work For” program. Companies with at least 15
fulltime, regular employees are eligible to participate. The list of
winners will be published in August 2010. Participation in the program
is free and the registration deadline is Jan. 29. For more information
and to register, visit
www.bestcompaniesfl.com.
HAPPINESS IS… – New research has proven people's feelings of
satisfaction with their lives strongly match the characteristics of
where they live. Research conducted from 2005 to 2008 involved
collecting self-reported information from 1.3 million U.S. citizens and
data from all 50 states that included hours of sunshine, congestion, air
quality and housing prices. The happiest states were Louisiana
(pre-Hurricane Katrina) and Florida. The unhappiest were New York and
Connecticut.
GRANT WRITING WORKSHOP – Are your grant writing skills up to par?
The Volusia Council of Governments (VCOG) is hosting a Grant Writing
Workshop Jan. 28 - 29. The class is open to beginning and experienced
grant writers from cities, counties, and state agencies, as well as
nonprofits, K-12 schools, and colleges and universities. To register or
for more information, contact Cathy Rittenhouse at (800) 814-8191 or
cathy@grantwritingusa.com;
or Mary Swiderski at (386) 226-0422 ext. 26 or
mswiderski@volusiacog.org.
ONLINE TRAINING – Can't make it to campus for business courses?
The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers online training for small
businesses. The Small Business Training Network (SBNT) is a virtual
campus offering online courses, publications and other forms of
technical assistance. Subjects include starting a business, finance and
accounting, business planning, marketing and advertising and government
contracting. Go to
www.sba.gov/training/ for details.
FLORIDA AMONG THE FASTEST GROWING STATES – Florida was again
among the 10 fastest-growing states in the nation last year, according
to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Florida added 114,000 new
residents between July 2008 and July 2009, ranking fifth despite an
exodus of some 32,000 residents who fled to other states. Texas added
the most residents, followed by California, North Carolina and Georgia.
As of July, Florida's population was 18.5 million. The fastest-growing
states were Wyoming, Utah and Texas. The U.S. added 2.6 million people
and as of July, the population was 307 million. The South added more
people than any other region, tallying nearly 1.3 million new residents.
SBA SHORT-TERM LOANS AVAILABLE – The America’s Recovery Capital
Loan Program of the Small Business Administration can provide up to
$35,000 in short-term relief for viable small businesses facing
immediate financial hardship to help ride out the current uncertain
economic times and return to profitability. Go to
http://tinyurl.com/ohs58m to
learn more.
COLLEGE TAX CREDIT – Don’t miss out on an opportunity for an
annual tax credit, as much as $2,500 per student, to pay for college
expenses. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, more parents
and students will qualify over the next two years for the American
Opportunity Credit. For more details, go to
http://tinyurl.com/collegetaxcredit.
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.
Division of Economic Development
700 Catalina Drive, Suite 200,
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Telephone:
386-248-8048
FAX: 386 238-4761 Toll Free: 800-554-3801
Rob Ehrhardt
Manager
doed@volusia.org |
