Northeast Minnesota's Small Business Development Center
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In This Edition
Customer Service Workshop
Business Ownership for Veterans
Inventor Assistance Seminar & Workshop
State Exports at $5.2 Billion in Second Quarter
  
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Upcoming Workshops 

 

workshop with curt

  

9/19 (9:00am-12:00pm) 
 
9/19 (1:00 pm-4:00 pm) 
 

Word Press I
9/25 (9:00am-12:00pm)

 

Word Press II
9/25 (1:00pm-4:00pm)

 

PowerPoint I
9/26 (9:00am-12:00pm)

 

PowerPoint II
09/26 (1:00pm-4:00pm)

 

 View All Upcoming Workshops 

  


We have MANY great training opportunities coming this fall and so do our resource partners like SBA, MN PTAC, US Commercial Services, SCORE, and others. Sign up to be updated on these opportunities and more...

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CUSTOMER SERVICE WORKSHOP

What is it and Why Do People Want it?

 

October 8, 2013

9:00 am - 11:00 am

 

Join us to hear leadership and motivational expert, Ted Schick, speak about the framework for effective customer service.

 

Business Ownership  
for Veterans

Monday, September 30

10:00 am - 2:30 pm

Holiday Inn

Register Now 

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UMD Center for Economic Development

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The Small Business Development Center for Northeast Minnesota

(218) 726-7298 - main
(888) 387-4594 - toll free

Regional Center: Duluth

 

Satellite Offices: Hibbing/Chisholm
Quad Cities
International Falls
Grand Rapids
Ely
Grand Marais/Cook County
Two Harbors/Lake County
Carlton County
Hermantown

 

HELPING ENTREPRENEURS AND BUSINESSES GROW AND SUCCEED

INVENTOR ASSISTANCE SEMINAR & WORKSHOP SERIES IN MINNEAPOLIS

 LegalCORPS and the Hennepin County Library are joining forces to help independent inventors overcome one of their hurdles to turning their ideas into commercial enterprises - protecting 

their ideas with a patent. They have assembled a team of business and patent law experts to provide essential information on navigating the patent process and answer common questions about protecting inventions. 

  • I want to protect my invention-where do I start? 
  • Is my invention really new? How do I know if someone else has already patented my idea?
  • What is a provisional patent application and how to I prepare one?
This series features three seminars that will provide the essential information needed for successful participation in the Writing and Filing a Provisional Patent Application Workshop. Attendees who are serious about patenting their invention could finish the series with a provisional patent application that is ready to file!
 

Patent Workshop for Inventors, Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners
Date: September 23, 2013 Time: 7:00 - 8:00 pm OR
          October 2, 2013 Time: 4:30 - 5:30 pm

Description: How to do an on-line patent search
Location: Ridgedale Library
Speaker: Walt Johnson, HCL Patent and Trademark Librarian
Cost: none
  
Writing Filing a Provisional Patent Application Workshop --with individual coaching sessions
Date: October 15, 2013 Time: 5:30 - 8 pm
Description: How to make a provisional patent application on your own
Location: Minneapolis Central Library
Speakers: LegalCORPS Volunteer Patent Attorneys
Cost: none

Registration: Register online at hclib.org/pub/events/Register.cfm?SessionNo=24881, or call 612-543-8000.

About the hosts: 
The Hennepin County Library is the only U.S. Patent & Trademark Resource Center in Minnesota  
and provides patent search services to inventors. Learn more about the Hennepin county Library at hclib.org.

LegalCORPS provides free legal services to small business and nonprofits in Minnesota. Learn more about LegalCORPS and its Inventor Assistance Program at: legalcorps.org/inventors 

STATE EXPORTS AT $5.2 BILLION IN SECOND QUARTER

 ~Machinery sales lead all sectors~

 

Minnesota companies exported $5.2 billion worth of agricultural, mining and manufactured products in the second quarter of 2013, according to figures released August 29, 2013 by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

 

State exports were down 5.7 percent from the same period a year ago, when they reached a second-quarter record of $5.5 billion. Among states, Minnesota ranked 20th for total exports in the latest quarter.

 

North America accounted for 34 percent of Minnesota exports, followed by Asia at 30 percent and the European Union at 22 percent.

 

"To continue strengthening our economy, we need to identify market demand for Minnesota's high quality products and increase exports," said DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben. "The Minnesota Trade Office provides technical assistance and international market research for companies looking for opportunities to sell their products in the global marketplace."

 

Canada was the state's largest export market in the second quarter, with sales reaching $1.4 billion (down 15 percent). The state's other top 10 markets were China ($592 million, down 21 percent), Mexico ($336 million, up 3 percent), Japan ($262 million, down 7 percent), Germany ($205 million, up 6 percent), the Netherlands ($185 million, up 65 percent), Belgium ($180 million, no change), South Korea ($137 million, down 29 percent), the Philippines ($136 million, up 15 percent) and the United Kingdom ($131 million, up 14 percent).

 

Some of the state's smaller regional markets saw steady growth, with exports to Africa climbing 24 percent in the quarter to $60 million and exports to Central America and South America increasing a combined 3 percent to $260 million.

 

Machinery remains the state's top export product, with sales at $1.1 billion in the quarter (down 4 percent). Other top exports were optic, medical instruments ($852 million, up 5 percent), electrical machinery ($621 million, up 2 percent), vehicles ($440 million, down 9 percent), plastic ($252 million, down 12 percent), aircraft, spacecraft ($213 million, up 66 percent), food waste ($149 million, up 18 percent), beverages ($87 million, up 87 percent), iron and steel ($86 million, up 20 percent), and meat ($75 million, down 3 percent).

 

The aircraft/spacecraft segment had a strong quarter (up 66 percent), primarily related to the sale of civilian aircraft parts. The Netherlands contributed a major part of the growth in that category, with sales to that country climbing from $2 million a year ago to $91 million.

 

Optics/medical instruments showed steady growth, climbing 5 percent to $852 million. Belgium (up 16 percent to $96 million), Australia (up 56 percent to $27 million) and Taiwan (up 33 percent to $38 million) accounted for the largest share of gains. The strongest growth in that category was medical/surgical instruments (up 36 percent to $305 million).

 

Machinery sales fell by $40 million (down 4 percent) because of declining business in South Korea, Australia, Italy and Japan. Computers and computer parts, machinery for producing semiconductors, and harvesting/cleaning machinery saw the biggest drop in sales in that segment.

 

The full export report is available at 

www.tinyurl.com/MinnesotaExports.

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Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and regional support partners. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the program sponsors. Programs are open to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact the UMD Center for Economic Development at 218-726-7975 or toll free 1-888-387-4594 to make arrangements.