Dayton Businesses Gear Up For NCAA First Four

The NCAA First Four, the opening round of the men's college basketball championship will be held at UD Arena on March 13 and 14.  The event is expected to have a local economic impact of $4 million.

To kick things off, the NCAA First Four Festival will be held in Dayton's Oregon Arts District on Sunday March 11 from noon to 10 pm. Visitors will enjoy food, music, games, a fun run, a hot shot competition, a U.S. Air Force fly-over and big screen announcements of the NCAA tournament selections. Admission is free and heated tents will keep visitors dry and warm in the event of wet weather.

Corporations, non-profits, health care organizations and other groups have contributed or pledged more than $800,000 in donations and services to support the festival. The Dayton City Commission has approved a $25,000 contribution from the city.

To find out how your business can participate, contact J.P. Nauseef at (937) 361-8373. To volunteer as an individual, contact firstfourvolunteer@gmail.com.

 

Grants Available For Small Business Exports

The Ohio Department of Development is offering a new grant. The International Market Access Grant for Exporters (IMAGE) program aims to increase exports and create jobs by helping small businesses promote products and services in new international markets.

Ohio will award IMAGE grants of up to $6,000 for activities including international trade shows, translation services, exporter education, trade missions, subscription to services provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, and other export-related needs approved by the Ohio Department of Development.

For more information, guidelines, and application forms visit http://development.ohio.gov/globalmarkets/image.htm

Free Tax Help Available for Seniors, Low/Middle Income and Military Households

From the IRS, Jan. 27, 2012:

Over 12,000 free tax preparation sites will be open nationwide this year as the Internal Revenue Service partners with nonprofit and community organizations to provide vital tax preparation services for low- to moderate-income and elderly taxpayers, as well as military families.

The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program offers free tax help generally to people who earn $50,000 and less. The Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program offers free tax help to taxpayers who are 60 and older. Many sites have multilingual volunteers who can assist people with limited English skills. To locate the nearest VITA/TCE site, taxpayers should call 800-906-9887 or search on the IRS site.

AARP offers a Tax-Aide counseling program at more than 7,000 sites nationwide during the filing season. Trained and certified AARP Tax-Aide volunteers help people of low-to-middle income with special attention to people age 60 and older. To locate the nearest AARP Tax-Aide site, call 888-227-7669 or visit AARP’s Internet site.

The military also partners with the IRS to provide free tax assistance to military personnel and their families. The Armed Forces Tax Council (AFTC) consists of the tax program coordinators for the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Volunteers are trained and equipped to address military specific tax issues, such as combat zone tax benefits and the effect of the EITC guidelines. To find an AFTC center, contact VITA on 1-800-906-9887.

All taxpayers also can seek free assistance at the 400 IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers nationwide. Locations nationwide are listed on http://www.irs.gov/localcontacts/index.html.

Dayton's Best Places to Work 2012

From The Dayton Business Journal 1/25/12:

The Dayton Business Journal has named 15 Dayton-area companies as the 2012 Best Places to Work in Dayton award winners. This is the 8th year in a row the DBJ has conducted this very popular awards program.

This year's winners are:

1. Sebaly Shillito + Dyer
2. Better Business Bureau
3. Morgan Borszcz Consulting
4. The Design Knowledge Company
5. Swindon Springer & Co., Inc.
6. DeVry University Dayton Center
7. LifePlan Financial Group
8. McAfee Heating and Air Conditioning
9. Sinclair Community College
10. CH Dean
11. The Uhl Agency
12. TriComB2B
13. VRI
14. American Way Van and Storage
15. Total Quality Logistics

The companies this year include several repeat winners, as well as new companies to the list. Each company had to register for their employees to take an online survey about their workplace. The results of the surveys were used to give each company a score, which was used to determine the winners. There are two companies on the list classified as large, four classified as medium and nine in the small category.

The winners will be honored at an awards banquet on Thursday, April 12. For information on registration to attend the event, call (937) 528-4400.

Each company also will be featured in a special publication inserted in the April 13 edition of the Dayton Business Journal.

2011 Guff Award Winners Announced

The Financial Times recently announced the winners of the 2011 Guff Awards. These annuals awards honor the worst uses of meaningless business-speak. 
Highlights of the 2011 awards include:
 
The Sound and Fury Cup, awarded each year to the chief executive who makes a public pronouncement signifying nothing: This year's winner was Cisco’s John Chambers, who announced: “We will accelerate our leadership across our five priorities and compete to win in the core.”
 
Worst Euphemism for Firing People: This award goes to Nokia, which last year announced that 17,000 people were being laid off by saying that its operations were being “managed for value”.

Golden Flannel Award, given for utter gibberish: The winner is Manpower Group, for the following description of itself. “Our $22 billion company creates unique time to value through a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions that help clients win in the Human Age.”

Learn how to avoid becoming a future Guff Award winner by checking out some of these titles at the library.

Talk normal : stop the business speak, jargon and waffle

Why business people speak like idiots : a bullfighter's guide

Management fads and buzzwords : critical-practical perspectives

Google Named 'Best Place To Work' by Fortune Magazine

For the third time, Google has earned the number one spot on Fortune Magazine's annual list of 100 Best Companies To Work For.  The Internet giant also topped the list in 2007 and 2008.  It ranked in the top 5 all years in between.

Google was praised for its mission, culture, and perks that include bocce courts, a bowling alley, eyebrow shaping, and lots of free food. The company provides 25 free cafes. According to one employee "[We] are never more than 150 feet away from a well-stocked pantry."

Ohio companies making the list include Build-A-Bear, General Mills, Ohio Health, Plante Moran and Southern Ohio Medical Center.

The top 20 companies are listed below. View the full list at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/best-companies/2012/full_list/.

Business Planning Workshop to be Held Wed 1/18 at Centerville Library

Space is still available for the free SCORE workshop, Basic Business Planning for the Small Company. The event will be held on Wednesday, January 18 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM at the Centerville Library.

A SCORE business counselor will discuss ways to develop, monitor, and execute a business plan. Participants will learn to gather data and formalize business presentations.  If you need outside funding for your business, a first-rate business plan is a must. Even if you don't need funding, a good business plan will substantially increase your chance of business success.

Register online or phone 433-8091 for more information. 

If you can't make the workshop, links to a variety of business plan templates can be found on the library website and we have many books that discuss business planning.