Small Business Consultant

When a big company decides to begin marketing its products in China, it likely has a team of people it can dedicate to identifying buyers and making connections.

The center, which opened Nov. 1, is dedicated to serving the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises in New York state, providing assistance in exporting, job creation and manufacturing-sector growth. Many other states and even some major cities have funded the creation of bureaus or centers in China to help boost business in their region.

Web workers on upswing

Throughout the Triangle, small businesses are beefing up their online presence, and they're having to expand their information technology staffs and hire outside consultants to do so.Even companies well outside the tech field are hiring software developers, multimedia experts and the like to help them store and sort data, maintain secure networks, develop business software and create Web marketing strategies.As a result, demand for information technology workers is at a five-year high, according to Robert Half Technology, a global IT consulting and staffing service. The need is exacerbated by a shrinking supply of workers in some fields as baby boomers retire and U.S. universities produce fewer computer science majors as a percentage of total graduates.The resulting crunch is sending employers further afield to find the right people."I have to go thousands of miles," said Steven Keith, head of Web development for PR firm Capstrat.

Brookfield management consultant wins national contract

Organization Development Consultants Inc. (ODC), a Brookfield-based management consultant company, announced today that it has been selected by the Catholic University of America to be the program evaluation provider for the $2.9 million Technology Engineering Scholars project through the U.S. Department of Labor. The project is aimed at promoting higher education and reducing tuition costs so U.S. citizens might meet the educational requirements for Washington, D.C.-area jobs often held by foreign nationals working in the United States under H-1B Visas. Daniel Schroeder, Ph.D, a principal with ODC, will be the project manager for the program. Schroeder, who writes a monthly column about human resources in Small Business Times, said he believes ODC was chosen because of its recognized expertise in program and outcome evaluation, with higher education as an emerging focus of the firm's programs and services of this kind.

Announcements

EMPLOYERS, a provider of workers' compensation insurance to small, U.S. businesses, has been selected by In Business Las Vegas magazine to receive a Nevada Entrepreneur Award. EMPLOYERS is headquartered in Reno.

Veterinary Ventures Inc., a Reno-based pet products manufacturer, announced the opening of its new office and warehouse at 1135 S.

Woodside women have one answer to bag issue

WOODSIDE — The facts about plastic bags are alarming — how they're choking landfills, polluting the ocean and killing marine life.

So in the wake of a San Francisco ban on nonbiodegradable plastic bags in supermarkets, two Woodside women have started a business to help eliminate the need for such bags.

They've created a small pouch of reusable and washable nylon bags sold online — and in some local supermarkets — that they hope will help people change their habits.

"If each of us makes minor adjustments to our lifestyle, like bringing reusable bags to the store, collectively we can have a major impact," said Stephanie Ashworth, co-founder of Olive Smart, which has introduced the Olive Smart Sack.

Ashworth, a former financial consultant who has three children under the age of 9, started the business with a friend and former attorney, Kerri Stenson, who has two young children and grew up in San Mateo.

Software piracy fight makes enemies

An analysis by The Associated Press reveals that targeting small businesses is a lucrative strategy for the Business Software Alliance, the main global copyright-enforcement watchdog for such companies as Microsoft, Adobe Systems and Symantec.

But technology managers and software consultants say the picture has more shades of grey than the BSA acknowledges.

Tough part of opening business is to sustain it

Brunei needs specific agencies to look after the quality standard of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

"We are good at establishing a business but to sustain it is very hard. However, we are not sure as to how many SMEs have failed to sustain their businesses.

"Another challenge we face is that Brunei's expertise in managing SMEs is at its infancy, as we still employ overseas consultants," said Asut bin Kadai, Special Duties Officer Grade 1 of Entrepreneurial Development Centre, when asked on the challenges faced by SMEs.

He is heading the Brunei delegation at the 21st Asean SMEWG Meeting or Small and Medium Enterprises Agencies Working group that concludes at The Rizqun International Hotel today.

Brunei has learned a lot from this meeting through consultations and learning from the experiences of how other countries manage their SMEs and their success stories.

Salvation Army Pushes Out Deadline

The Salvation Army has extended the deadline for its annual Christmas gift registration.

Needy families and individuals now have until Friday, Dec. 7 to sign up for holiday baskets and toys.

Registration will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Salvation Army headquarters, 100 West Avenue in Rochester.

To sign up for an appointment or to find out if you're eligible to register, contact the Salvation Army at 987-9500, ext. 2336.

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