| A doughnut shop's mission: Help military families in need
EVERETT -- John and Dee McCall could be traveling in a motor home, watching Nascar races around the country.
That and other retirement plans will wait for now, as the McCalls instead decided to open a small business with a cause.
Riverside Donuts & Deli opened in October in the College Plaza strip mall in north Everett. The shop features locally baked and daily- delivered fresh doughnuts, packaged muffins and sandwiches, along with fountain drinks and other snack fare. There's also free Wi-Fi access.
But most doughnut shops don't offer the added benefit that a portion of what you pay could help a military family someday.
The McCalls' modest shop is registered as a nonprofit business, with proceeds -- when there are some -- destined for the Chaplain's Fund, which assists military families in crisis.
East Africa: SME's to Get Free Kit to Boost Business
Africa has long suffered from collapsing or stagnant businesses. Recently however, IBM Business Partners, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Department of Trade and Industry provided a solution to the problem with a free small business toolkit to help them start, finance and grow their businesses. The South Africa Business Toolkit contains the latest information and communication technologies (ICTs) to help small and medium enterprises in emerging markets learn and implement sustainable business management practices. .
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Small NY businesses now have China link
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 task is not so easy for a small to medium-sized business - the very market targeted in a new initiative by a statewide organization and a local consultant. The nonprofit Asian American Business Development Center in New York City has teamed up with Teeter Marketing Services LLC of Niagara Falls to open the first New York Center in Beijing. 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.
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