This seminar is (1) a must attend event for Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia and Pennsylvania area businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, interested in entering, growing, and succeeding in global markets; (2) a major networking occasions for financial professionals seeking to expand their client base; (3) a great learning opportunity for students interested in international trade and global businesses; and (4) offered in support of the advancement of U.S. Hispanic and other minority-owned businesses in global markets.

For more information and to register click here.

Registration is now open for Virginia Small Business Week Awards luncheon scheduled for Friday, June 13 from 11am to 2pm at the Richmond Omni. Businesses may register for a table at either the Gold or Silver level. Individuals may register for $45 (plus processing fee). We are proud to have Ms. Lillian Lincoln Lambert, the first African American woman to earn a Harvard MBA and Maryland's 1981 SBPOY, as the mistress of ceremonies.

Click here for more information about the event and registration.

The Richmond District Office has extended the deadline for submitting district awards to February 28, 2014.

Submission for the following categories are still wanted:
Family-Owned Business of the Year
Financial Services Champion of the Year
Minority Small Business Champion of the Year
Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year
Women in Business Champion of the Year

Nominations can be sent to:
SBA Richmond District Office
400 N. 8th Street, Suite 1150
Richmond, VA 23226
(804) 771-2400 x128

or

by email to:
matthew.nowak@sba.gov

Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson and Ambassador of Mexico to the United States Eduardo Medina Mora will deliver remarks and witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding between George Mason University and the Autonomous University of Nuevo León (UANL), February 6, 2014 at 3:30 p.m. in the Delegates Lounge at the U.S. Department of State. As leading members of Small Business Development Center (SBDC) networks, George Mason’s Mason Enterprise Center and UANL are establishing the first International Sister Center partnership under the Small Business Network of the Americas (SBNA).

As Sister Centers, George Mason and UANL will cooperate on soft landing programs for small businesses looking to establish a presence in the vicinity of Monterrey, Mexico or the Commonwealth of Virginia. George Mason will be represented by the Vice President for Global and International Strategies, Dr. Anne Schiller; UANL will be represented by Vice President for Sustainable Development, Dr. Sergio Fernandez Delgadillo. The Sister Centers will also generally support activities that promote bilateral trade, share best practices in entrepreneurial assistance, carry out faculty and student exchanges, and explore other possibilities for collaboration between SBDCs hosted by each university.

Launched in 2012 at the Sixth Summit of the Americas, SBNA is President Obama’s signature initiative to promote entrepreneurship, innovation, and small business growth in the Western Hemisphere. For more information on SBNA, see www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSFDJMbx9FE. For inquiries on SBNA, please contact SBNA@state.gov.

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Richmond District office is accepting nominations for its 2014 Small Business Week awards luncheon scheduled for May 2014. The RDO will accept nominations up to February 7, 2014.

Anyone advocating small business including self-nominators may submit nomination packets. Nominations can be mailed, hand-delivered directly to the Richmond District Office or submitted online through a registration process at http://www.sba.gov/about-offices-content/2/3155/news/772001/.

The Richmond District Office will award the following categories:
• Small Business Person of the Year
• Small Business Exporter of the Year
• Family-Owned Business of the Year
• Minority Small Business of the Year
• Financial Services Champion
• Veteran’s Small Business Champion
• Women in Business Champion

Winners will receive their awards at the annual Virginia Small Business Week awards luncheon scheduled for the Richmond area in May 2014. Additional tickets will be available for purchase by supporters of small business, the business community and the general public.

Nomination materials and forms can be found at http://www.sba.gov/about-offices-content/2/3155/news/772001/ or requested through a Richmond District Office SBA representative.

Winners of each category will be submitted for national awards of the same category and will be invited to attend events during the 2014 National Small Business Week in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Richmond District office is accepting nominations for its 2014 Small Business Week awards luncheon scheduled for May 2014. The RDO will accept nominations up to 4 p.m. January 10, 2014.

Anyone advocating small business including self-nominators may submit nomination packets. Nominations can be mailed, hand-delivered directly to the Richmond District Office or submitted online through a registration process at http://nationalsmallbusinessweek.sba.gov/.

The Richmond District Office will award the following categories:
• Small Business Person of the Year
• Small Business Exporter of the Year
• Family-Owned Business of the Year
• Minority Small Business of the Year
• Financial Services Champion
• Veteran’s Small Business Champion
• Women in Business Champion

Winners will receive their awards at the annual Virginia Small Business Week awards luncheon scheduled for the Richmond area in May 2014. Additional tickets will be available for purchase by supporters of small business, the business community and the general public.

Nomination materials and forms can be found at http://nationalsmallbusinessweek.sba.gov/ or requested through a Richmond District Office SBA representative.

Winners of each category will be submitted for national awards of the same category and will be invited to attend events during the 2014 National Small Business Week in Washington, D.C.

MountainRose Vineyards, a Mountain Empire SBDC client was one of two finalists for a national commercial in the American Express "Shop Small" campaign that you may have seen on TV.   There business was chosen as one of only two commercials filmed!  In case you missed it check out their video here:

Again, congrats to Mountain Rose Vineyards.  We are honored to have them as one of our many outstanding SBDC small business clients!  Make sure you support our small businesses and check out Mountain Rose at  http://www.mountainrosevineyard.com/.

The Virginia SBDC Network is pleased to announce that it has been awarded 2 of the 7 U.S. Small Business Administration Portable Assistance Grants awarded nationally. These grants support programs that assist small businesses in communities suffering from a major disaster or economic hardship. In the case of Virginia, the assistance will be directed to small businesses impacted by defense contract cutbacks in Northern Virginia and in Hampton Roads.

The first grant will assist federal contractors in Northern Virginia in exporting their services to global markets, including identifying target markets, understanding security regulations and policies, securing financing, etc.

The second grant will establish the Southeastern Virginia Contracting Institute, designed to educate small contractors in new ways to approach, bid, and execute government contractors in the future, and it includes training, one-on-one confidential counseling, and peer mentoring.

These two programs will support job increases, capital formation, and sales growth, all of which will boost these local Virginia economies.

August 28, 2013 10 am - noon.

The Internal Revenue Service and Small Business Administration are joining together to present ACA information relevant to Business owners. Information on the SHOP program, Premium Tax Credit, Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, Applicable Large Employer, Employer Shared Responsibility Provision, Information Reporting Provisions and Transitional Relief.

Login:http://www.infiniteconferencing.com/Events/IRS
Participant code is 30544713

Call in for audio portion: 1-888-331-8226 participant code 5542910#

Susan Ball, Business Analyst, U of Mary Washington SBDC;Micah Aschinger; Mitch Aschinger, Information/Security Officer, Corps Solutions; Tom Keogh, Owner and President, Corps Solutions; Jill Keogh; Susan Lee-Merrow, Associate State Director, Virginia SBDC; Brian Baker, Director, U of Mary Washington SBDC.

Lt. Col. Thomas E. Keogh (USMC retired), owner of Corps Solutions in Stafford, VA, was honored as the 2012 Virginia Small Business Veteran of the Year. A highly decorated Marine officer, he retired in 2009 to start Corps Solutions to provides training and educational services to the Department of Defense.

Within three years, there were 35 employees, a 252% growth rate, almost no turnover in staff, and incredibly high customer satisfaction rates. Corps Solutions hires mostly Marine veterans and keeps them employed by keeping teams together even when contracts end.

He would rather carry people from month to month and reduce profit margins, Keogh explained, than lose talent and cause undue burdens on employee and their families. In addition he is a supporter of Toys for Tots, the Fredericksburg Area Food Bank, the Wounded Warrior Project, in addition to coaching youth soccer and baseball.

Each year, Virginia's 29 SBDCs each select a veteran small-business owner or entrepreneur from their local service areas, and the winners then compete for Virginia's Small Business Veteran of the Year Award. The State winner receives a plaque from Virginia SBDC, and their name is inscribed on the award urn, which is permanently displayed at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia.