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Redbank
Renaissance >
Business
Assistance
Business Assistance
Façade
Improvement Grant Program
Renaissance is now offering a façade improvement grant
program for businesses in the historic business district
of New Bethlehem with a total of $5,000 available to
award in 2009. Click here for the Façade Improvements
Grant Program Manual. It is hoped that with increased
donations and success we may be able to apply for state
funding to expand the program in future years.
**Wanted**
Are you a business looking for a great location on a
busy highway? New Bethlehem lies at the intersection of
Routes 66 and 28, only 16-18 miles from Interstate 80.
We have many low-cost available properties of varied
sizes that might suit your business. We need a bike shop
and sporting goods store to support recreational
opportunities that abound, the Peanut Butter Festival
Mountain Bike Race participants, the new Redbank Valley
Rails to Trails that will be coming soon, as well as the
many soccer and school sports teams in the area. We’re
looking for more accounting services, shops and
unique retail stores. The beautiful Redbank Valley along
Red Bank Creek provides great inspiration for artists
and crafts persons and is a great place to live, work
and play. Come for a visit, you’ll want to stay.
Available Business Properties:
Redbank
Renaissance is keeping track of available business
properties in the Redbank Valley area. You can
view our compilation here.
Upcoming Programs:
The First Step: Starting a Small Business, a 3 ½ hour one-day workshop by SBDC Clarion University is offered in several local counties. This program is useful for existing businesses and may qualify you for additional hours of one-on-one consultation. The cost is only $20 per person.
Topics –
- What to consider before starting a business
- How and why to prepare a business plan
- Guidelines on how to finance your business
- License and tax information
- Regulations governing a business
- Other resources you can use to help you plan and succeed
Registration is required and starts ½ hour before the workshop. To register, call the SBDC at 814-393-2060 or toll-free at 877-292-1843. Please call at least two days before the scheduled workshop.
Workshops are offered as follows:
Clarion County (For Clarion, Venango & Forest Counties) – On Saturdays, March 6, April 10, May 1 and June 5, 2010 at 9 AM – 12:30 PM
Clarion University of PA, SBDC, 330 North Point Drive, Clarion, PA 16214. There will also be a program in Oil City on March 20, 2010 from 9 AM – 12:30 PM at the Oil City Business Innovation Center, 679 Colbert Ave., Oil City, PA 16301.
Armstrong County - On Tuesdays, Feb. 9, March 9 , April 13, May 11, June 8, 2010 at 4:30 – 7:30 PM
Armstrong Educational Trust, West Hills Industrial Park, 81 Glade Avenue, Kittanning, PA 16201
Clearfield, Jefferson, Elk and Cameron County – DuBois. On Saturdays, Feb. 20, March 20, April 17, May 15, and June 19 at 9 AM - Noon
at Hampton Inn, 1582 Bee Line Highway, DuBois PA 15801
Please check with the SBDC to confirm meeting times and dates and to register.
You can visit the SBDC on the web at: http://www.clarion.edu/SBDC/.
Information and assistance is available from Redbank Renaissance, Inc. on Business Transitions and Succession Planning for those business owners who are approaching retirement or considering sale of their businesses. For information or requests for other workshops, please contact the Economic Restructuring Committee or a Board member.
Small Business Administration
Introduces 2 New Online Finance Courses for Small
Business Owners
The U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA) has introduced 2 new free online
finance courses to help small business owners with the
basic principles of finance and borrowing.
The self-paced courses
are:
These
courses walk business owners through steps that answer
questions about debt financing, available loan programs,
what small businesses should know about borrowing money,
how to prepare a loan package and how loan requests are
reviewed by lenders. The finance primer gives an
overview of the SBA’s loan guaranty programs to help
small businesses understand the variety of financial
resources, including those from the SBA. The finance
courses can help entrepreneurs avoid such common
mistakes as securing the wrong type of financing,
miscalculating the amount of financing required, and
underestimating the cost of borrowing money. The loan
package course includes small business links to related
information, and refers course participants for direct
support in preparing a loan request to appropriate
resources that include SBA’s district offices, SBA
resource partners and lenders. Course participants who
complete the 30-minute online training programs can earn
a certificate of completion from the SBA.
These courses have been added to a menu of more than 26
online tutorials offered by the SBA through its virtual
training campus at the Small Business Training Network (SBTN)
(http://www.sba.gov/training)
DEP’s Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant Program
Please check the Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant Program for ways to limit your energy costs.
About the program: Administered by the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP),
the Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant Program,
provides a 25 percent reimbursement grant (up to a
maximum of $25,000) to enable Pennsylvania small
businesses (businesses with 100 employees or fewer) to
acquire certain pieces of equipment or adopt certain processes that promote energy efficiency.
Well-designed energy efficiency projects can help small
businesses cut operating costs and increase
competitiveness, while simultaneously reducing
Pennsylvania's energy demand. The reimbursement grants
can be applied toward the cost of purchasing and
installing numerous
energy efficient items and systems, including geothermal
heat pumps; energy efficient HVAC, lighting, and
refrigeration systems; insulation and air sealing
projects; etc.
Click on the following link into your browser to
download the application and guidelines:
http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/energindependent/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=543714
ELECTRIC RATE CAPS WILL BE COMING OFF EARLY IN 2011
All businesses may incur a large percentage increase in electric utility rate costs when the caps come off. Don’t wait until 2011. Start investigating the possibility of joining an energy consortium now which allows bulk purchase of electricity and possibly lower costs. Watch for upcoming meetings sponsored by the Chamber and Renaissance.
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Also,
there are some useful links to
assist you.
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Thursday, September 9th, 2010
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Projects
for 2010
Redbank Valley Trails Information
Click here for info
Groups looking
for local mission projects or those needing
assistance are welcome to call 814-275-1718
or
scmateer1@comcast.net for possible
coordination of future projects.
Artists'
and Crafters' Cooperative now forming.
Click here
to take the survey! Look for more information under "Our Current
Efforts" and on the calendar.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Click Here for
Event Details
Façade
Improvement Grant Program
Now Accepting Applications
See "Current Efforts" on the Home Page.
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- Thursday, September 9, 2010
- Redbank Valley Chamber Business Meeting (12:00pm)
Redbank Renaissance Board Meeting (5:00pm)
Mahoning Township Supervisors Meeting (6:30pm)
- Friday, September 10, 2010
- New Bethlehem Farmers' Market (2:30pm)
- Saturday, September 11, 2010
- 11th Annual ATV Poker Run (8:00am)
- Monday, September 13, 2010
- Martial Arts Classes
Porter Township Supervisors Meeting (7:00pm)
- Tuesday, September 14, 2010
- Chamber Board Meeting (8:00am)
Madison Township Supervisors Meeting (7:00pm)
- Wednesday, September 15, 2010
- Martial Arts Classes
Full Community Calendar
Need Something Added
to Calendar?
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