DEP Small Business Advantage Grant Expected to Reopen in October
The PA Department of Environmental Protection expects to reopen their Small Business Advantage Grant, possibly as soon as October 4, 2010. Funds will be available for energy efficiency and pollution prevention projects.
When the program reopens, applications will be accepted and funds will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds are exhausted.
Under the program, businesses can apply for a 50 percent matching grant of up to $7,500 for taking actions that save at least 25 percent annually in energy or pollution-related costs. To be eligible, an applicant must be a for-profit company with 100 or few employees.
For help with the application process so you are prepared when the program opens (there are some new requirements), contact your local EMAP consultant or call our toll-free hotline, 1.877.ask.EMAP.
Link to Application Homepage
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USDA Funds for Energy Projects
USDA is currently accepting applications from agricultural producers and rural small businesses for the next round of REAP (Rural Energy for America) grant funding for small projects. These funds can be used for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
>>Go to the USDA/REAP website
For help with the application process contact your local EMAP consultant or call our toll-free hotline, 1.877.ask.EMAP.
Sep 21, 2010
Sep 13, 2010
If your business is green, get the recognition it deserves
The Sustainable Business Designation Program, or SB, is a new program supported by Allegheny County’s Department of Economic Development which aims to breathe new life into downtown business districts. The program “recognizes businesses for taking actions that are good for their bottom lines, the environment and their communities,” says Allegheny County executive Dan Onorato.
SB decals will soon be available to be prominently displayed in the windows of businesses in at least 22 southwestern PA municipalities, demonstrating evidence of sustainable business practice. In order to qualify for the SB designation, business owners must satisfy at least 15 requirements from 10 different categories which come from an online survey. This survey can be found at www.downtownfirst.net. First click “sustainable certification” in the left-hand column and then on the link directly under “Does your business qualify for the sustainable business designation?” Once qualified for the rating, information on businesses will be available in stores as well as online.
Additional information can be received by calling the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development (412-350-3300).
SB decals will soon be available to be prominently displayed in the windows of businesses in at least 22 southwestern PA municipalities, demonstrating evidence of sustainable business practice. In order to qualify for the SB designation, business owners must satisfy at least 15 requirements from 10 different categories which come from an online survey. This survey can be found at www.downtownfirst.net. First click “sustainable certification” in the left-hand column and then on the link directly under “Does your business qualify for the sustainable business designation?” Once qualified for the rating, information on businesses will be available in stores as well as online.
Additional information can be received by calling the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development (412-350-3300).
Jun 8, 2010
Pittsburgh Business Titans Turn Teachers for Special One-Day Entrepreneurship Extravaganza
Pittsburgh, PA, June 7— On June 10th, more than 40 of the region’s most successful entrepreneurs and business experts will gather to share advice and stories with more than 450 attendees at the 12th annual Entrepreneur’s Growth Conference at Duquesne University. The event is one of the largest entrepreneurship events in Pennsylvania and features the region’s top entrepreneurs, workshops on the hottest topics in business and a vast array of business-building resources.
Ed Stack, CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc., and Roger Byford, CEO of Vocollect, will headline the event as keynote speakers.
One of the event’s 15 workshop features a trip of headline-making entrepreneurs who will share how they’re grown their businesses and some of their biggest mistakes. J.C. Carter, President of Wrecking Crew Media, Scott Kerschbaumer, Vice President of ESSpa and Galadriel Strauser, Owner of Simply Clean are teaming up to lead Inspirational Success Stories from Entrepreneurs on the Rise.
The 14 other featured workshops are designed to help attendees (from start-up through growth stages) lower business taxes and increase sales, turn their new product ideas into a business, raise capital, turn their website into their #1 seller, leverage search engines and social networks to find customers, protect business investments, building wealth, use advertising, networking and digital PR for growth and much more.
“Our attendees have come to expect keynote speakers of the highest caliber and this year will be no exception. They are true pioneers in their respective industries,” says Dr. Mary T. McKinney, director of Duquesne’s Small Business Development Center and lead organizer of the event.
One of the event’s most popular features is the Business Building Tradeshow & Networking Mixer that provides the opportunity for attendees to meet representatives from more than 40 of the region’s entrepreneurial support organizations, see hands-on demonstrations and helpful products and services, and visit the Capital Corner, a section dedicated to helping entrepreneurs find funding.
For a complete list of speakers, workshops and registration information, visit www.egc.duq.edu or call 412.396.6233
Ed Stack, CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc., and Roger Byford, CEO of Vocollect, will headline the event as keynote speakers.
One of the event’s 15 workshop features a trip of headline-making entrepreneurs who will share how they’re grown their businesses and some of their biggest mistakes. J.C. Carter, President of Wrecking Crew Media, Scott Kerschbaumer, Vice President of ESSpa and Galadriel Strauser, Owner of Simply Clean are teaming up to lead Inspirational Success Stories from Entrepreneurs on the Rise.
The 14 other featured workshops are designed to help attendees (from start-up through growth stages) lower business taxes and increase sales, turn their new product ideas into a business, raise capital, turn their website into their #1 seller, leverage search engines and social networks to find customers, protect business investments, building wealth, use advertising, networking and digital PR for growth and much more.
“Our attendees have come to expect keynote speakers of the highest caliber and this year will be no exception. They are true pioneers in their respective industries,” says Dr. Mary T. McKinney, director of Duquesne’s Small Business Development Center and lead organizer of the event.
One of the event’s most popular features is the Business Building Tradeshow & Networking Mixer that provides the opportunity for attendees to meet representatives from more than 40 of the region’s entrepreneurial support organizations, see hands-on demonstrations and helpful products and services, and visit the Capital Corner, a section dedicated to helping entrepreneurs find funding.
For a complete list of speakers, workshops and registration information, visit www.egc.duq.edu or call 412.396.6233
May 14, 2010
Tax Benefits to Small Businesses through the HIRE Act
New tax benefits are available to employers who hire workers who were previously unemployed or only working part time. They are part of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act.
Employers who hire unemployed workers this year may qualify for a 6.2 percent payroll tax incentive, essentially exempting them from their share of Social Security taxes on wages paid to these workers after March 18, 2010. This reduced withholding will have no effect on the employee’s future Social Security benefits, and employers will still need to withhold the employee’s 6.2 percent share of Social Security taxes, as well as any income taxes. The employer and employee’s shares of Medicare taxes will also still apply to these wages.
Also, for each worker that is retained for at least a year, businesses may claim an additional general business tax credit, up to $1,000 per worker, when they file their 2011 income tax returns.
The benefits are especially helpful to employers who are adding employees to their payrolls. New hires that fill existing positions will also qualify but only if the workers they replace left voluntarily or for cause. Family members and other relatives do not qualify.
The new law requires that the employer get a statement from each new hire that certifies that he or she was unemployed during the 60 days before beginning work, or that they worked less than a total of 40 hours per week for someone else during the 60-day period.
All forms of businesses, tax exempt organizations, and higher education institutions qualify to claim the payroll tax benefit for eligible newly-hired workers. However, homebased employers cannot claim this benefit.
Employers can claim the payroll benefit on their quarterly filed federal employment tax return. Eligible employers will be able to claim the new incentive on their revised employment tax form for the second quarter of 2010. Further details will be posted on the IRS website.
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=220745,00.html
Small Business Health Care Tax Credit
Many small businesses and tax-exempt organizations that provide health insurance for their employees now qualify for a special tax credit. The credit is included in the health care reform legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, it is designed to encourage small businesses to offer health insurance for the first time or maintain coverage that exists.
The credit is available to employers that pay at least half the cost of single coverage for their employees. The maximum credit is 35 percent of premiums paid in 2010 by eligible small business employers and 25 percent of premiums paid by eligible employers that are tax-exempt organizations. Then in 2014 the maximum credit increases to 50 percent of premiums paid by eligible employers and 35 percent of premiums paid by eligible employers that are tax exempt.
The credit is specifically targeted to help small businesses and tax-exempt organizations that primarily employ low and moderate income workers. It is mostly available to employers that have fewer than 25 full time employees paying wages averaging less than $50,000 per employee per year. The maximum credit will go to smaller employers with 10 or fewer full time employees paying annual wages of $25,000 or less.
Eligible businesses can claim the tax credit as part of the general business credit starting with the 2010 income tax return they file in 2011. The IRS plans to provide future information related to tax-exempt employers on how to claim the credit.
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=220809,00.html?portlet=6
The credit is available to employers that pay at least half the cost of single coverage for their employees. The maximum credit is 35 percent of premiums paid in 2010 by eligible small business employers and 25 percent of premiums paid by eligible employers that are tax-exempt organizations. Then in 2014 the maximum credit increases to 50 percent of premiums paid by eligible employers and 35 percent of premiums paid by eligible employers that are tax exempt.
The credit is specifically targeted to help small businesses and tax-exempt organizations that primarily employ low and moderate income workers. It is mostly available to employers that have fewer than 25 full time employees paying wages averaging less than $50,000 per employee per year. The maximum credit will go to smaller employers with 10 or fewer full time employees paying annual wages of $25,000 or less.
Eligible businesses can claim the tax credit as part of the general business credit starting with the 2010 income tax return they file in 2011. The IRS plans to provide future information related to tax-exempt employers on how to claim the credit.
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=220809,00.html?portlet=6
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