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Heritage Nebraska Unveils New Website for Main Street and Preservation
Heritage Nebraska unveiled its new website combining information about the Nebraska Main Street Program and the Nebraska statewide preservation organization. The website, created by Idea Bank Marketing of Hastings, is accessible through two addresses: www.nebraskamainstreet.org or www.heritagenebraska.org
USDA Rural Development Awards Funding For Business Development
Lincoln, NE., January 22, 2010 – The United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced the awarding of in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) dollars of $125,000 to the Greater Wahoo Development Foundation and $200,000 to the Nebraska Venture Capital Forum dba Invest Nebraska Corporation that will promote business development.
“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars will impact the rural economy of Nebraska through the creation and expansion of businesses. More jobs created and saved is great news for Nebraska,” said Nebraska State Director Maxine Moul, USDA Rural Development.
Greater Wahoo Development Foundation of Wahoo, Neb. will use the ARRA grant joined by $127,400 from other sources to establish a revolving loan fund that potentially will create or save 14 jobs. Businesses wishing to locate or expand in a five mile area of Wahoo would be eligible for funding. The purpose of the revolving loan fund is to give financial assistance to new and expanding businesses within the community and area. Assistance would be in the form of low-interest loans to those businesses deemed important to the economic growth of the city. In all cases, the criteria for any loans would be job creation or saved jobs as a result of the project. Benefits of the grant funds include increased employment, improved community services and economic growth.
Nebraska Venture Capital Forum dba Invest Nebraska Corporation of Lincoln, Neb. will utilize the ARRA grant leveraged with their own funds of $50,001 to establish a revolving loan fund to assist businesses in 35 counties of Nebraska that are established through the business plan competitions held by Invest Nebraska. This project has the potential to create 20 jobs. Through the creation of a revolving loan fund, Invest Nebraska is seeking to improve the quality of life in rural areas by helping new start-up projects that create job opportunities for rural residents; that import new dollars into the local community; that further the use of advanced telecommunications services and computer networks to export products outside the local community; and that improve the economic development potential of rural areas.
For further information, contact Deborah Drbal at (402) 437-5558 or Deborah.drbal@ne.usda.gov. Visit http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/ne/.
SBA Nebraska Loan Dollars Up For First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2010
News Release: U.S. Small Business Administration Contact: Michael Foutch (402) 221-7211
(OMAHA) – In the wake of a slowly recovering national economy and tight business credit, small businesses in Nebraska can still find funding when it comes to government-backed loans through lending institutions.
The Nebraska District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) experienced a significant increase in its guaranteed loan dollar activity through the first quarter of its 2010 fiscal year. As of December 31, 2009, loan dollar amounts in Nebraska shot up 97 percent over the same time last year to slightly more than $47 million for SBA-backed loans. The overall number of loans in the state saw a 41 percent increase; in Congressional District I alone, the number of loans increased 177 percent during SBA’s first quarter. Read more
Enabling a Virtual Office
By Randy BargerPublished: October 1, 2009
Posted in: 2009 Fall, Technology, Expand Omaha Magazine
In today’s economy, companies want to cut costs while maintaining current productivity levels with possibly fewer employees. That’s a tall task, but new technologies are allowing companies to create virtual, online working environments that are secure and easy to use while providing better performance and functionality than a traditional computing environment.
In a traditional computing environment, all employees physically come to an office to work on computers purchased, configured and managed by the company“s IT staff.
What in the World is a Wiki?
By Denise McGill Published: October 1, 2009, Expand Omaha Magazine
Posted in: 2009 Fall
It’s no secret that internal collaboration and knowledge management are the keys to business growth and success. Accomplishing both is no small feat given the dynamic and ever-increasing demands companies face today. Plus, there’s the difficulty of implementing and enforcing processes to effectively support your interactions among employees as well as with prospects, customers and partners.
Fortunately, wikis can help. Wiki software is used to create websites that allow multiple users to create, modify and organize web page content in a collaborative manner. Wikis are perfect tools for companies that need to manage these critical relationships. Your collaboration processes and technologies must keep pace with – or, ideally, stay ahead of – changes in your market and customer base.
Wikis are easy-to-use, flexible tools that enhance existing work flow processes, rather than requiring re-engineering. As such, wikis present an opportunity to revolutionize workplace collaboration, much like e-mail has revolutionized communication.
For more of this article please visit http://www.expandomaha.com/2009/10/what-in-the-world-is-a-wiki/
New wind turbine blade plant could be coming to Grand Island
By ALGIS J. LAUKAITIS / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, January 8, 2010 6:45 pm
Grand Island could gain more than 200 jobs if TPI Composites Inc. goes ahead with plans to build a plant that would produce wind turbine blades.
On Friday, TPI received $5.1 million in federal tax credits to build the Grand Island plant and $3.9 million in similar tax credits to expand its existing plant in Newton, Iowa, according to a news release from the White House. Read more