The current economic crisis has taken a toll on small businesses everywhere. Many companies that survived previous economic downturns have not survived the current one. Others remain in business, but sometimes in forms barely resembling their former healthier selves.
A seminar, sponsored by Brunswick Main Street, Inc. and led by Chris Olson of the Small Business Development Center, will stress that there is no single technique that will ensure survival. Success lies in combining many seemingly minor (and some major) adjustments, chipping away at the problem from all angles. The seminar will be presented in four parts: Review of Available Resources, Marketing, Financing & Cash Flow and Operational Profitability.
The event is free and takes place January 19th (7 p.m. - 9 p.m.) at the Brunswick American Legion. Registration is required by 1/15 ... e-mail brunswickms@gmail.com to register.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
A Local Company is Out of This World: Galaxy Controls
Galaxy Control Systems is a global leader in the access control industry. The company, established in 1974, is located in Walkersville, Maryland.
Galaxy represents the evolution of Digital Systems Corporation, an award winning defense contractor that developed a state-of-the-art, computer controlled, microprocessor-driven system for the covert surveillance and tracking of enemy submarines for the U.S. Military. The intensive research and development from this program produced many technological discoveries and breakthroughs, including the technology that led to the development of one of the security industry's first intelligent access control panels... and the creation of Galaxy Control Systems.
For more information about Galaxy, visit their website: galaxysys.com or call their headquarters office in Walkersville at (301) 845-6600.
Galaxy represents the evolution of Digital Systems Corporation, an award winning defense contractor that developed a state-of-the-art, computer controlled, microprocessor-driven system for the covert surveillance and tracking of enemy submarines for the U.S. Military. The intensive research and development from this program produced many technological discoveries and breakthroughs, including the technology that led to the development of one of the security industry's first intelligent access control panels... and the creation of Galaxy Control Systems.
For more information about Galaxy, visit their website: galaxysys.com or call their headquarters office in Walkersville at (301) 845-6600.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
DOL Launches Veterans Hiring Toolkit for Employers
The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced the availability of a new online toolkit to guide employers through the process of hiring veterans. The free toolkit is designed to assist and educate employers who have made the proactive decision to include veterans and wounded warriors in their recruitment and hiring initiatives.
The toolkit features a comprehensive overview of a 6-step process for hiring and retaining veterans that includes: Designing a strategy for a veterans hiring program; Creating a welcoming and educated workplace for veterans; Actively recruiting veterans, wounded warriors and military spouses; Hiring qualified veterans and learning how to accommodate wounded warriors; Promoting an inclusive workplace to retain veteran employees; and Keeping helpful tools and resources at your fingertips.
The toolkit can be accessed through the America's Heroes at Work website: http://www.americasheroesatwork.gov/forEmployers/HiringToolkit.
Additional resources about hiring veterans can be found on the Frederick County Workforce Services website: www.frederickworks.com/veteransservices.html.
The toolkit features a comprehensive overview of a 6-step process for hiring and retaining veterans that includes: Designing a strategy for a veterans hiring program; Creating a welcoming and educated workplace for veterans; Actively recruiting veterans, wounded warriors and military spouses; Hiring qualified veterans and learning how to accommodate wounded warriors; Promoting an inclusive workplace to retain veteran employees; and Keeping helpful tools and resources at your fingertips.
The toolkit can be accessed through the America's Heroes at Work website: http://www.americasheroesatwork.gov/forEmployers/HiringToolkit.
Additional resources about hiring veterans can be found on the Frederick County Workforce Services website: www.frederickworks.com/veteransservices.html.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Frederick County Manufacturers Roundtable Presents: Lunch, Learn and Tour Series
When
December 9, 2010
11:30am – 1:30pm
Plant Tour
Washington Laboratories
Stanford Business Park
4840 Winchester Blvd., Suite 4
Frederick, MD 21703
Topics
11:30am – 1:30pm
Plant Tour
Washington Laboratories
Stanford Business Park
4840 Winchester Blvd., Suite 4
Frederick, MD 21703
Topics
Kaizen Tips and Strategies
Maryland Business Works Program
Who Should Attend?
Maryland Business Works Program
Who Should Attend?
All Frederick County Manufacturers
Agenda
11:30am-11:45am Welcome
11:45 – 12:45am Presentation & Lunch
12:45 – 1:15pm Facility Tour
1:15 – 1:30pm Wrap-Up
Does your organization hold Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) events at your facility? Shawn Wolf, President of Wright Manufacturing will provide strategies and tips to hold productive Kaizen events. Get the extra edge in the market when it comes to competition!
Does a 50% training reimbursement grant sound good to your organization? Learn from Latrice Lewis, Frederick County Workforce Services about the MD Business Works Training Program to assist manufacturers to become more productive and more competitive in our global marketplace.
Registration
11:45 – 12:45am Presentation & Lunch
12:45 – 1:15pm Facility Tour
1:15 – 1:30pm Wrap-Up
Does your organization hold Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) events at your facility? Shawn Wolf, President of Wright Manufacturing will provide strategies and tips to hold productive Kaizen events. Get the extra edge in the market when it comes to competition!
Does a 50% training reimbursement grant sound good to your organization? Learn from Latrice Lewis, Frederick County Workforce Services about the MD Business Works Training Program to assist manufacturers to become more productive and more competitive in our global marketplace.
Registration
Lunch provided by Washington Laboratories. Space is limited. To register, contact Jodie Bollinger at 301-600-1668 or by email jbollinger@frederickcountymd.gov by 12/3/10.
Swift Systems Unveils New Broadband Service
In today’s fast-paced business world, Internet access speed is vitally important! Especially so when companies are dependent upon e-mail and web access on a 24x7, 365 day cycle… and now more than ever time equals money.
Swift Systems, an award winning, technology-driven firm located in Frederick, Maryland, has just unveiled a new and exciting “Jetsons-like” broadband offering. Swift Systems’ brand new Business-Class High Speed Wireless Internet Service is like no other. The program is packaged in bandwidth rates of 3 and 6 Mbps (megabits per second), with speeds of up to 100 Mbps also available. These packaged rates, which are not affected by weather or construction, are two-to-four times faster than T-1 lines at 30 - 50 percent lower costs!
Swift Systems is transmitting this new Business-Class High Speed Wireless Internet Service from several locations throughout Frederick, providing maximum broadband access. The source of the service, Swift Systems’ fiber-based network backbone, has experienced zero downtime in the last three years plus! The network is delivered via a star topology, which means that a subscriber’s service is undisturbed regardless of the number of other users online at the same time.
“Swift saved the day. When other providers couldn’t make it work, they offered us a solution that not only increased our speed but saved us money too,” said Richard A. O’Hara, Assistant General Manager of the Farmers Co-op Association. “Their technicians were very thorough, making sure everything was just as it should be. We appreciate the service, the price and the opportunity to deal with a local company that we can trust.”
Swift Systems is offering a special introductory offer: subscribers will receive free installation, the first month’s service free and free web and e-mail hosting. For a free quote, which is almost as fast as their wireless service, call David Sprankle at (301) 682-5100. Visit Swift online at www.SwiftSystems.com and/or call toll free (877) Swift-si.
Swift Systems, an award winning, technology-driven firm located in Frederick, Maryland, has just unveiled a new and exciting “Jetsons-like” broadband offering. Swift Systems’ brand new Business-Class High Speed Wireless Internet Service is like no other. The program is packaged in bandwidth rates of 3 and 6 Mbps (megabits per second), with speeds of up to 100 Mbps also available. These packaged rates, which are not affected by weather or construction, are two-to-four times faster than T-1 lines at 30 - 50 percent lower costs!
Swift Systems is transmitting this new Business-Class High Speed Wireless Internet Service from several locations throughout Frederick, providing maximum broadband access. The source of the service, Swift Systems’ fiber-based network backbone, has experienced zero downtime in the last three years plus! The network is delivered via a star topology, which means that a subscriber’s service is undisturbed regardless of the number of other users online at the same time.
“Swift saved the day. When other providers couldn’t make it work, they offered us a solution that not only increased our speed but saved us money too,” said Richard A. O’Hara, Assistant General Manager of the Farmers Co-op Association. “Their technicians were very thorough, making sure everything was just as it should be. We appreciate the service, the price and the opportunity to deal with a local company that we can trust.”
Swift Systems is offering a special introductory offer: subscribers will receive free installation, the first month’s service free and free web and e-mail hosting. For a free quote, which is almost as fast as their wireless service, call David Sprankle at (301) 682-5100. Visit Swift online at www.SwiftSystems.com and/or call toll free (877) Swift-si.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Business Appreciation Month Profile: The South Mountain Group
As a courtesy for being a part of the Frederick County Office of Economic Development (OED) 2010 Business Appreciation Month (BAM), we have offered all Frederick County BAM businesses the opportunity to use OED’s social media outlets to help market their business. Information is provided by each company and edited for content as needed by OED.
In 2005, The South Mountain Group opened its doors for business in Middletown. They serve Maryland, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida, but you would think that their only service area is here in Central Maryland because of the responsive, personalized service they deliver.
They begin by providing staff and contractors who are experienced and highly knowledgeable in both forward and reverse mortgages. They are proud to have created their own Reverse Experts Seniors Trust (REST) Division, specializing in reverse mortgages. And, when was the last time you heard of a title company that does free in-home closings on weekends and evenings? They don’t hide their fees, either, or ask you to request a quote for fees. Fees are prominently listed on their website and they are highly competitive! Title-work services include:
Assignments
Lines of Credit
Loan Closings
Escrow Services
Notary Services
Reverse Mortgages
Construction to Perm for Land & Lots
Commercial and Residential
1031 Exchanges
Title Insurance
Sales
Refinances
Lines of Credit
Stand Alone Seconds
At The South Mountain Group, they are proud not only of the work they do for clients, but are also proud of what they do for their community. Being a good corporate citizen is the cornerstone of how they conduct business and why they have been successful. They believe strongly in supporting the communities they serve and conserving the environment everyone lives in. Call : 301.305.6502. Email: pat@southmountaintitle.com. Fax: 301.685.1398. Visit their website at www.SouthMountainTitle.com. And most important, don’t forget that they will COME TO YOU. That is what stellar service is all about.
In 2005, The South Mountain Group opened its doors for business in Middletown. They serve Maryland, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida, but you would think that their only service area is here in Central Maryland because of the responsive, personalized service they deliver.
They begin by providing staff and contractors who are experienced and highly knowledgeable in both forward and reverse mortgages. They are proud to have created their own Reverse Experts Seniors Trust (REST) Division, specializing in reverse mortgages. And, when was the last time you heard of a title company that does free in-home closings on weekends and evenings? They don’t hide their fees, either, or ask you to request a quote for fees. Fees are prominently listed on their website and they are highly competitive! Title-work services include:
Assignments
Lines of Credit
Loan Closings
Escrow Services
Notary Services
Reverse Mortgages
Construction to Perm for Land & Lots
Commercial and Residential
1031 Exchanges
Title Insurance
Sales
Refinances
Lines of Credit
Stand Alone Seconds
At The South Mountain Group, they are proud not only of the work they do for clients, but are also proud of what they do for their community. Being a good corporate citizen is the cornerstone of how they conduct business and why they have been successful. They believe strongly in supporting the communities they serve and conserving the environment everyone lives in. Call : 301.305.6502. Email: pat@southmountaintitle.com. Fax: 301.685.1398. Visit their website at www.SouthMountainTitle.com. And most important, don’t forget that they will COME TO YOU. That is what stellar service is all about.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Tourism Council of Frederick County Wins Award
The official guide that promotes Frederick County as a visitor destination has been named the best in the state. At the 2010 Maryland Tourism and Travel Summit Conference, the Tourism Council of Frederick County (TCFC) won the Best Visitors Guide Award.
The awards recognize the most creative, innovative, and thoughtful marketing projects and programs that bring visitors to Maryland. TCFC has the unique distinction of winning this award in the last four out of five years.
Destination Frederick, the Tourism Council's Visitors Guide, is designed and produced in partnership with Frederick-based Jean Peterson Design. The guide was judged on content, presentation, organization, and ease of use by tourists. “Destination Frederick is the primary promotional publication for visitors to the area and proves to be the most efficient method for local businesses and attractions to reach people who are planning a visit to Frederick County,” says Tourism’s Executive Director John Fieseler. 170,000 copies of the 2010 guide were produced.
The winners were announced during the Annual Awards Banquet at the conference on November 4, 2010 at the Loews Annapolis Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland.
The next edition of Destination Frederick County will be available in the spring of 2011. To advertise in the 2011 edition, contact Jean Peterson at 301-631-2401. For information about more things to see and do in Frederick County, visit www.FrederickTourism.org.
The awards recognize the most creative, innovative, and thoughtful marketing projects and programs that bring visitors to Maryland. TCFC has the unique distinction of winning this award in the last four out of five years.
Destination Frederick, the Tourism Council's Visitors Guide, is designed and produced in partnership with Frederick-based Jean Peterson Design. The guide was judged on content, presentation, organization, and ease of use by tourists. “Destination Frederick is the primary promotional publication for visitors to the area and proves to be the most efficient method for local businesses and attractions to reach people who are planning a visit to Frederick County,” says Tourism’s Executive Director John Fieseler. 170,000 copies of the 2010 guide were produced.
The winners were announced during the Annual Awards Banquet at the conference on November 4, 2010 at the Loews Annapolis Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland.
The next edition of Destination Frederick County will be available in the spring of 2011. To advertise in the 2011 edition, contact Jean Peterson at 301-631-2401. For information about more things to see and do in Frederick County, visit www.FrederickTourism.org.