Northeast Minnesota's Small Business Development Center
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In This Edition
REIF
Affordable Care Act Weekly Webinar
Government Procurement Week
Small Business - Big Potential
Building an Upturn
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Upcoming Workshops 

 

    

QuickBooks

3/11 (9:00am-4:00pm)

 

PowerPoint I

3/13 (9:00am-12:00pm)  

 

PowerPoint II

3/13 (1:00pm-4:00pm)


Excel II

03/18 (9:00am-12:00 pm)

 

Excel II

03/18 (1:00pm-4:00 pm)

 

Profit Mastery (Virginia)

03/18-03/19 (8:30am-5:00pm)

 

Computers 102

03/19 (1:00pm-4:00pm)

 

Social Media 101

03/19 (9:00am-12:00pm)

              

Writing the "Ultimate
Business Plan"

03/19 (2:00pm-4:00pm)

 

MicroSoft Project

03/20 (1:00pm-4:00pm)

 

Prezi - Create Dynamic Presentations

03/20 (9:00 am - 12:00 pm) 

 

  

View All Upcoming Workshops 

 

 

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PROFIT MASTERY (HELD IN VIRGINIA)
The Profit Mastery tools will provide clear, proven techniques that your business can use right now to increase financial performance.
 
Dates: March 18-19, 2014 (8:30 am - 5:00 pm)

Where:
Mesabi Range College 1001 Chestnut St. W.
Virginia, MN 55792 

Cost:
Special Rate - $99.00* 
*Sponsored by USBank (Discounted from $299) 

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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
REIF:

REGIONAL ECONOMIC INDICATORS FORUM BREAKFAST

 

March 25, 2014

7:30am - 9:30am
DECC Harborside Ballroom

$20 Registration   

 

Join us for the Regional Economic Indicators Forum Breakfast. This is the inaugural presentation on research being done to gauge the economic climate in the northeast region.

Mr. Toby Madden, Regional Economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis will be the keynote speaker, followed by presentations by Economic Researchers from UMD, UWS and the College of St Scholastica on their research findings to date.

Presented by: National Bank of Commerce in partnership with the University of Minnesota Duluth, College of St. Scholastica, University of Wisconsin Superior, APEX, and Business North.

This event will be held at the DECC in the Harborside Ballroom. Pre-registration is encouraged and same-day registration will be $25.  

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT 101 WEEKLY WEBINARS
SBA

 

The SBA and the Small Business Majority are hosting free Affordable Care Act 101 weekly webinars that will focus on what the new healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act, means for small businesses. Both federal and state provisions will be discussed to help local small business owners understand how the law will affect them. Topics being discussed include:

  • Small business tax credits (available to businesses and tax-exempt non-profits)- who is eligible for them and how to claim them
  • Marketplace updates
  • Shared responsibility
  • Cost containment
  • Tools and resources available for small businesses interested in learning more about the law

A question and answer period will follow.

Webinars will be held on Thursday at 1:00 pm Central time:

 

SAVE THE DATE: GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT WEEK
MN PTAC

(April 1-April 3, 2014)

  

 

04/01 System for Awards Management (SAM) (1:00pm-4:00pm)


04/02 Understanding Government Small Business Contracting Programs (9:00am-12:00pm)


04/02 Research, Research, Research (1:00pm-4:00pm)


04/03 Developing Winning Government Marketing Materials (9:00am-12:00pm)


04/03 VA Veterans Verification (1:00pm-4:00pm)

SMALL BUSINESS - BIG POTENTIAL
For one afternoon only, successful Franchisors who are interested in expanding in Minnesota are coming together to meet with you! This free, "must-attend" event is for anyone who wants to:

 

* Leave Corporate Life Behind                                                 

* Enjoy Career Independence                                                   

* Launch a Recession-Resistant Business                

* Be Your Own Boss

* Build Long-Term Equity

* Hear About Financing Options

 

Following the presentation, you will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with franchisors, funding specialists, and other resources to help determine if franchising is right for you.

 

For more information contact:

FranNet Minnesota: 763-445-2610 

or [email protected]

BUILDING AN UPTURN

Could Lake Superior College presage a new manufacturing boom?

Lake Superior College is expanding its manufacturing program. The expansion is evidence of the potential for greater manufacturing employment in northeastern Minnesota -- and strong interest by residents to fill those jobs. The Manufacturing Business Conditions Surveyshows Minnesota manufacturers are feeling momentum building.
 

Business slowed down for Nexen Group Inc., a Vadnais Heights-based manufacturer of motion controls, at the beginning of the recession. It was a speed bump, but it didn't last. After a rough couple of years, "we've been in a growth mode ever since," says Dan Conroy, Nexen's vice president of human resources. "We're as busy as can be, and working all kinds of overtime."
 

Nexen's plant is located in Webster, a small Wisconsin city about 65 miles south of Duluth. The plant employs 90, and nearly all of them are highly skilled. Machinists who work with CNC (computer numeric controlled) tools are key employees here.

 

"So the tech colleges matter a ton to us," Conroy says. And the school that Nexen has long depended on for training workers is Lake Superior College in Duluth. It recently announced it was expanding its manufacturing program due to student and industry demand.

 

Lake Superior College's expansion is evidence of the potential for greater manufacturing employment in northeastern Minnesota, as well as a strong interest by residents to fill those jobs.

 

The college's program, which currently has 167 students, began about three decades ago with an emphasis on machining. It later added mechanical drafting, which has evolved into CAD (computer-aided design). A few years ago, the program added welding. "That segment has grown very fast," says Gary Kruchowski, the college's director of public affairs and advancement. "We're running multiple sections and we have a waiting list."

 

The college draws students from around the state as well as northwestern Wisconsin, though many come from Duluth, the North Shore, the Iron Range, and the I-35 corridor south of Duluth. The demand for welders runs across a variety of industries. Local companies seeking welders are finding it difficult to recruit them, Kruchowski says. At the same time, he adds, "we're seeing some growth in manufacturing," particularly in the aviation sector in the Duluth-Superior area.       Read the full article here 

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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.