| SBA loans available to help businesses impacted by the drought
ATLANTA - Some help, in the form of low-interest loans, is on the way for businesses in Georgia adversely impacted by the drought. The Small Business Association l(SBA) loans are available because the SBA issued disaster declarations in several states affected by the drought. �We felt it was important to inform businesses such as landscapers, marinas, motels and others that are experiencing a loss of income due to the drought that they can apply for an economic injury disaster loan to help with their working capital needs,� said Frank Skaggs, Director of SBA Field Operations Center East. �Typically farm related businesses such as produce packagers, implement dealers and suppliers are aware of these disaster loans, but other types of small businesses may not realize they are eligible to apply.
Summit targets small-business owners
A free informational session on business financing for small-businesses owners will be held in Honolulu Dec. 5. Hawaii-based mortgage banking company Meridian Financial Network is sponsoring its first Small Business Summit, which it plans to hold annually. The company, a U.S. Small Business Administration-approved lending institution, said the half-day session will help familiarize small-business owners with both in-house and government loan programs, including SBA loan programs. The SBA offers loan programs to help small businesses obtain financing when they might not be eligible for conventional bank loans because of a lack of financial history. Speakers at the session will include Andrew Poepoe, director of the SBA's Hawaii District office; Jim Tollefson, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii; and Keith Ogata, director of S.C.O.R.E.
Fed grants $675,000 in post-fire loans
The U.S. Small Business Administration has informed the Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau that 16 local businesses have been approved for $675,000 worth of Economic Injury Disaster Loans. The loans were made possible following the Castle Rock Fire, which began Aug. 16 along Warm Springs Creek and then inundated the Wood River Valley with smoke, firefighters and trepidation for about three weeks during one of the area's biggest tourism seasons. The low-interest loan program is intended to address the financial hardship businesses face due to the loss of tourism. The Small Business Administration closed the doors of its post-Castle Rock Fire office in Hailey Sept. 20, but will accept loan applications from businesses impacted by the fire through June 11, 2008.
Patriot Express Loan program is off to a hot start, SBA says
Just five months after launching a loan program to benefit the military community and veterans, officials with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) say the numbers look good. More than 500 small business loans have been awarded to date through the SBA's Patriot Express Loan Initiative nationwide. According to the San Antonio office of the SBA, 14 loans were awarded locally since the program's inception -- totaling $1.428 million. The average loan amount, according to Linda Olinick, spokeswoman with the local SBA office, was $102,050. Correction:An earlier version of this story contained incorrect information regarding the percentage rates on Patriot Express loans. .
Beef Recalled in Several States
American Foods Group has recalled some 96,000 pounds of ground beef products after two people fell ill after eating the beef. Health officials say it may be contaminated with E. coli. The beef was sold in Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Virginia. cc/cdo American Foods Group
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ABC to replace cancer cluster broadcast studio
NEW Brisbane premises have been secured for the ABC to establish broadcast operations following the closure last year of its facilities at Toowong amid concerns over a cancer cluster among staff at the site. The Toowong studios were closed after a panel of experts commissioned by the ABC found that women working there had a six times higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer than women in the general community. Since then, another journalist, Angela Eckersley, has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is under treatment and recovering, bringing to 15 the number of staff stricken by cancer since 1994. Years of action by the journalists' union pressured ABC management into closing the Toowong riverside premises because exhaustive tests could not pinpoint the reason for so many female staff developing cancer.
Female Entrepreneurs Find Niche In County
Many women-owned businesses have emerged in recent years in Loudoun County.Some of these talented entrepreneurs attend The Loudoun Women's Business Forum, a networking group, each month. From interior design to health care and telecommunications, the forum represents a spectrum of companies. These women also utilize the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce Loudoun Women In Business Alliance along with the help of the Small Business Development Center to help their careers. With that, women's businesses have truly made their mark throughout the county in the past decade.Look at the numbers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau most recent data, 30 percent of Loudoun County businesses were women-owned in 2002, 3 percent more than the commonwealth overall. For all sectors, that included 5,608 firms with 5,000 employees and an annual payroll of about $145,000,000.Coaching OthersCheryl Harris, owner of Conscious Creations, found her business because she wanted to help others.
Owners Can Be Deal Killers In M&A
Business owners often make the mistake of undertaking the task of selling their own companies. Having successfully led an enterprise, many have a take-charge attitude, as well as an entrepreneurial penchant for risk taking. These leadership qualities are highly admirable and are the main reason for their business success. However, business owners also can be deal killers in the complex and lengthy process of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Here, we'll cover the role the M&A advisors play in the M&A process.
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