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The 9th Annual “Bring the World to Northeastern Pennsylvania” hosted by
the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance was a successful business event.
This premier international business activity, the only one of its kind in
Northeastern Pennsylvania was
held on October 11, 2006 at
the Woodlands Inn and Resort in Plains Twp, PA.
36 Northeastern Pennsylvania businesses registered to meet with Pennsylvania’s 15 Trade Advisors from around the world.
The businesses had 150 one-on-one meetings with the Trade Advisors to introduce their company and products and to inform the
Trade Advisors about what they wanted to accomplish in the market. The Trade Advisors provided the businesses with an evaluation of their
opportunities, the next step the business needs to take in developing the market and how to access additional assistance from them.
The participating businesses ranged from a small business with two
owners to large multi-national businesses. The products and services covered the oil and gas, musical instruments, aerospace, packaged foods
industrial machinery, medical, electronics, transportation, building supplies, textiles, entertainment, lawn and garden, IT, industrial parts and
fabrication and the service industry sectors.
The businesses learned about their opportunities in the foreign
markets represented. They also learned what they needed to do to be successful in the market and find partners in the market that help will them
generate new or additional sales in the market.
All the businesses had productive meetings with the Trade Advisors. Two
companies left the meeting with information that will help them on their upcoming business trips. The Trade Advisors also offered assistance to help
arrange additional business meetings while they are in the country. The day ended with the particupating businesses accomplishing
good results.
Any business interested in receiving assistance from the Pennsylvania Trade
Advisors for Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Singspore, South Africa, Taiwan and the United Kingdon can access this no cost service through the International Trade
Program. Businesses can access the assistance at any time.
For
additional information, contact Michael Horvath at 570-655-5581, ext.
247 or mhorvath@nepa-alliance.org.
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NEPA and NCAC are pleased to partner with the Greater
Wilkes-Barre Chamber’s Nonprofit Committee for the inaugural “Nonprofit Summit: Issues and Ideas” on Thursday, November 9 at
Luzerne County Community College — presented by cds creative, inc.
NEPA’s Kurt Bauman will be presenting the
Finding the Funding tract that will highlight NCAC’s funding resource center. Attendees can attend workshops and panels with diverse topics. There will be something for everyone, including executive
directors, program officers, development staff, grant writers, board members and others.
Some programs include:
- Defining Your Organization’s Brand
- Legal Considerations For Nonprofit Organizations
- Measuring Outcomes
- Finding The Funding
- Working With The Media
- Can’t We Just Get Along?: Workshop For Board Members & Executives
- Development Best Practices
- National & State Public Policy
- Nonprofit Financial Management For Grantseekers
- Grassroots Fundraising
- Nonprofits & Accountability Standards
- Crisis & Disaster Planning
- Successful Events
Erica Greeley, Deputy Director, National Council of Nonprofit
Associations will offer the Keynote address. The cost is $35 for the first
participant from an organization, $30 for the second and $25 for each additional participant. For more information about the "Non-Profit Summit:
Issues and Ideas,” contact Kelsey Gilland, Director of Programs and Events at the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce at 570-823-2101, by
email kelsey@wilkes-barre.org or visit http://www.wbnonprofitsummit.org/ for more information.
Other Sponsors include: Motorworld, Pennsylvania Association
of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO), Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance (NEPA) and First Insurance Center.
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NEPA Alliance will present the 3rd Annual Regional Entrepreneur of the Year
Award at its Economic
Forum in January.
Jennings & Zale, LLC have graciously volunteered to donate this year's
grand prize, a free U.S. Patent Filing or equivalent Copyright, Trademark, Trade Secret or Business Consulting
Services.
First Liberty Bank & Trust has graciously agreed to sponsor the award
for the First Place Winner.
Last year's First Place award winner was Right Reason Technologies, a web based
training solutions company from the East Stroudsburg University Business Accelerator. Other finalists included Vince the Pizza Prince, Scranton and PaperlessPractice, Inc., Scranton.
If you are interested in more information about how to register for this
year's Regional Entrepreneur of the Year Award, please contact Karen Ostroskie, NEPA Business Development Program Manager at kostroskie@nepa-alliance.org or(570) 655-5581, ext. 244.
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WAKE-UP CALL ON DROWSY DRIVING
The latest statistics show driving while drowsy can have serious consequences. An event was held on
October 27th at the rest area on Interstate 81 Southbound at Nuangola, Luzerne
County to increase drowsy driver awareness. Sponsors include the Focus 81
Organization, the Sleep Lab of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).
The event was chosen to coincide with the time change this weekend when daylight saving time will return to
standard time.
Pictured, left to right: Trooper Rob Ruckle, Pennsylvania State
Police, Troop N; Stephen Shimko, District Executive, PennDOT District 4-0; Jeffrey Box, President & CEO, Northeastern
Pennsylvania Alliance and
Carlene Spitzer, PA-C, Sleep Lab of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
According to experts, any disruption to sleep patterns can lead to fatigue.
“Drowsy driving means you’re not alert and this affects your reaction time,” said
Stephen Shimko, PennDOT District Executive. “You’re not only putting yourself at risk but you’re endangering others.”
According to PennDOT, over a five-year period ending in 2005, there were 111
fatalities and 8,191 injuries resulting from crashes involving fatigued drivers statewide.
At least 40 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders, according to the
National Sleep Foundation. The foundation reports that fatigue contributes to more than 100,000 police-reported highway crashes, causing 71,000
injuries and 1,500 deaths each year in the United States
alone.
A.C. Patel, MD, Medical Director at the Sleep Lab, said there are many underlying
causes of sleepiness or fatigue that could be responsible for drowsy driving. “Drowsy driving is a problem but it’s preventable,”
he stated. Dr. Patel said there were numerous causes, including sleep restrictions, undiagnosed or
untreated sleep disorders, sleep fragmentations, medications and other medical and psychological factors. Dr. Patel is board certified by the
American Academy of Sleep
Medicine.
Jeffrey Box, Focus 81 Co-Chairman, President & CEO of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance (NEPA) added, “Focus 81 is committed to working with our partners to highlight issues important to
improving safety on I-81. We are confident that the following tips
identified by PennDOT and the Northeast PA Sleep Lab will help individuals combat drowsy driving.”
Some signs of drowsy driving include:
- Weaving on the road while starting to nod off and jerking back to alertness.
- Excessive blinking and repeated yawning.
- Difficulty focusing.
- Failure to remember the last few miles driven.
- Wandering or disconnected thoughts.
PennDOT offers drivers the following measures to combat drowsy driving:
- If you feel yourself getting drowsy or beginning to nod off, pull off the road
into a safe area away from traffic and take a brief nap.
- If planning a long trip, take along a companion to help keep alert and to drive if
you become tired.
- Schedule rest stops every two hours. While stopped, get out of the vehicle, walk
around and stretch.
- When taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, be sure to read all
warning labels. Avoid driving if the medication label indicates it may cause drowsiness.
- Always get a good night's sleep before taking a long trip.
- Coffee is stimulant, but should not be relied on to keep a driver awake. The
caffeine jolt from coffee does not kick in until at least one-half hour after it is ingested. Coffee might wake you up briefly, but the effects are
only temporary and wear off quickly.
For more information on Focus 81 or for
a brochure on Drowsy Driving, contact Brian Langan, Local Government Specialist at 570-655-5581, ext. 255 or email Brian at blangan@nepa-alliance.org
Jerry's For All Seasons
Floral, Inc., Lackawanna County Receives $200,00 in Loan Funds
Gerard J. and Allison Longo on behalf of Jerry's For All Seasons
Floral, Inc. has received a Small Business First - First Industries Agriculture Program loan in the amount of $200,000 from NEPA Alliance for
the acquisition of land and building as part of a total project. The purpose of the loan is to acquire a new state of the art 30,000 square foot
growing range with greenhouses and wholesale/retail sales area.
Jerry's For All Seasons Floral, Inc. is a floral, plant and garden center
located in Dunmore, PA, Lackawanna County. The business is engaged as a wholesale/retail service provider of plants, shrubs and flowers. They
provide a large selection of perennials, annuals and seasonal foliage. They specialize in ponds and water-scapes. They also sell other outdoor type
products such as ornamental castings, patio & outdoor furniture and outdoor supplies, etc.
Small Business First Program
Through the Small Business First Program, NEPA makes financing
available to businesses that are starting or expanding their operations. While eligibility varies from program to program,
manufacturing businesses are generally eligible for every loan program available from NEPA. Additional business sectors that are
eligible for the Small Business First Program include warehouse and terminal facilities, research and development enterprises,
recyclers, computer related services (software development), business to business computer related consulting solutions, network development or
e-business applications, construction enterprises (80% or more of income comes from construction of new business related or residential buildings)
and child day care enterprises (for profit or not-for-profit).
Through the First Industries Program, low-cost funding is also
available to various tourism and agriculture related enterprises including hotels, motels, lodging facilities, supermarkets in under-served areas,
farmer’s markets, food processing, production agriculture, sale of farm commodities at wholesale, energy related activities affecting
production agriculture or agribusiness, destination sites (amusement,
sporting, recreational, cultural, heritage) and travel-related businesses. Financing is limited to businesses employing 100
or fewer employees. The maximum loan is $200,000 or 40% of the project cost, whichever is less. The interest rate is fixed at 5% for the loan term.
The loan terms are working capital (3 years), machinery and equipment (5 years) and land and building (15 years).
For detailed information on the NEPA Business Financing Programs, contact
John Wozniak at jwozniak@nepa-alliance.org or Dave Nat at dnat@nepa-alliance.org, by phone 570-655-5581 or fax 570-654-5137.
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The observance of Halloween, which dates back to Celtic rituals thousands of years ago, has long been associated with images of
witches, ghosts, devils and hobgoblins. In the United States, the first official citywide Halloween celebration occurred in Anoka, Minn., in 1921. Over the years, Halloween customs and rituals have changed dramatically. Today, many of the
young and “young-at-heart” take a more light-spirited approach. They don scary disguises or ones that may bring on smiles when they go
door-to-door for treats or attend or host a Halloween party.
“Trick or Treat!”
36.1 million is the estimated number of potential
“trick-or-treaters” in 2005 — 5 to 13 year olds — across the United States, which declined by 284,000 from 2004. Of
course, many other children, older than 13 and younger than age 5 also go trick-or-treating. <http://www.census.gov/popest/national/asrh/NC-EST2005-sa.html>
Jack O’ Lanterns and Pumpkin Pies
1.1 billion pounds is the
total production of major pumpkin-producing states in 2005. Illinois led the country
by producing 497 million pounds of the vined orange gourd. Pumpkin patches in California, Ohio and Pennsylvania also provided lots of pumpkins, each state produced at least 100
million pounds. The value of all pumpkins produced by major pumpkin-producing states was $106 million. <http://www.usda.gov/nass/>
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
COMMERCIAL MISSION TO PUERTO RICO - NOVEMBER 28-29,
2006
Puerto Rico has an open economy and is an unincorporated, organized
territory of the U.S. with commonwealth status. Industry has surpassed agriculture as the primary sector of economic activity and income, accounting
for 42.1% of GDP and 11.4% of total employment. Important industries include pharmaceuticals, electronics, textiles, petrochemicals, processed foods,
clothing and textiles, construction, machinery and metal products and dairy production and livestock.
The mission itinerary will be personalized for your company so that you
meet potential business partners who are best suited to your company. By traveling with a mission, you have the added benefit of meeting with
Pennsylvania companies interested in this market.
You will receive free of charge: Business appointments with interested
distributors, agents, etc.; Information about each company in advance; Identification of hotel and Assistance with the follow-up process after the
mission.
Deadline for registration and receipt of brochures in Puerto Rico
is November 10, 2006. Companies are responsible for all travel and business related expenses.
For additional information, contact Joe Burke, Center for Trade Development
at 717-720-7366 or by email at jburke@state.pa.us
2007 NORTHEAST BUYERS MISSION - Philadelphia, New York City &
Boston - JANUARY 8, 10 & 12, 2007
Meetings will be held in Philadelphia on Monday, January 8th; New York City
on Wednesday, January 10th and Boston on Friday, January 12th. Meet one-on-one with over 20 buyers from 22 countries, including Brazil, Canada, The
Caribbean, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, France, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Russia,
Taiwan, Thailand, The Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Gain Access to the thriving international food marketplace. The
Northeast Buyers Mission is the largest Buyers Mission of the year! Last year over 85 U.S. suppliers from 19 states met with the international
buyers. Early registration fee is $75.00, a savings of 40%. Deadline is November 29, 2006. Supported by Food Export USA - Northeast and Food Export Association of the Midwest USA.
For additional information, contact Michael Horvath at (570) 655-5581, ext.
247 or e-mail mhorvath@nepa-alliance.org.
 GOVERNMENT CONTRACT BID LEADS
Renovation VA Medical
Center, Wilkes-Barre
Contracting Officer - Karen A. Whalen, Contract Specialist, Phone:(570)
821-7222,
Fax:(570) 821-7277. Contractor provides labor, equipment, materials,
permits, testing and reports required for the renovation of Room C7-37 into a functional office area and other related upgrade, renovation and repair
items at the VA Medical Center. Work includes demolition, construct walls, install doors, ceiling replacement, carpeting, wall base, painting, medical
gases, HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, electrical power, electrical lighting and other items as required. All work must be accomplished between
7am-4pm, Monday-Friday unless specific authorization is granted. The anticipated completion time is 90
calendar days after notice to proceed and government estimate cost range is between $25,000-$100,000. The NAICS code is 238990.
Bid documents will be available o/a 10/27/06. Interested bidders must submit WRITTEN REQUESTS ONLY to Contracting Officer, VA Medical Center, 1111 East End Blvd.,
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711. Telephone calls will not be accepted. A
walk-thru will be conducted on November 15 @10am from Room C6-1. All respondents must be registered in Central Contractor Registration database at
http://www.ccr.gov/. Bid
documents will be issued on a first come first serve basis until supply is exhausted. Bid opening: November 27, 2006 at 2:30pm. Award is subject to availability of funds. E-mail: karen.whalen@med.va.gov, URL: http://www.fbo.gov/spg/VA/WBVAMC693/WBVAMC693/693-003-07/listing.html
For additional information, contact David
Kern at 570-655-5581, ext. 260 or e-mail dkern@nepa-alliance.org.
UPCOMING
EVENTS
NEPA, NCAC, Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber's Nonprofit Committee "Nonprofit Summit: Issues and Ideas" - presented by cds creative,
inc.
Thursday, November 9, 2006
Location: Luzerne County Community College, Nanticoke, PA
Contact: Kurt Bauman at 570-655-5581, ext. 237 or e-mail kbauman@nepa-alliance.org
Check out our Events
Calendar for future events!
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