12-Mar by Black Business News Group

THE WHITE HOUSE PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION -- WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, 2012 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A Proclamation As Americans, ours is a legacy of bold independence and passionate belief in fairness and justice for all. For generations, this intrepid spirit has driven women pioneers to challenge injustices and shatter ceilings in pursuit of full and enduring equality. During Women’s History Month, we commemorate their struggles, celebrate centuries of progress, and reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the rights, security, and dignity of women in America and around the world. We see the arc of the American story in the dynamic women who shaped our present and the groundbreaking girls who will steer our future. Forty-one years ago, when former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt confronted President John F. Kennedy about the lack of women in government, he appointed her the head of a commission to address the status of women in America and the discrimination they routinely faced. Though the former First Lady passed away before the commission finished its work, its report would spur action across our country and galvanize a movement toward true gender parity. Our Nation stands stronger for that righteous struggle, and last March my Administration was proud to release the first comprehensive Federal report on the status of American women since President Kennedy’s commission in 1963. Today, women serve as leaders throughout industry, civil society, and government, and their outstanding achievements affirm to our daughters and sons that no dream is beyond their reach. While we have made great strides toward equality, we cannot rest until our mothers, sisters, and daughters assume their rightful place as full participants in a secure, prosperous, and just society. With the leadership of the White House Council on Women and Girls, my Administration is advancing gender equality by promoting workplace flexibility, striving to bring more women into math and science professions, and fighting for equal pay for equal work. We are combating violence against women by revising an antiquated definition of rape and harnessing the latest technology to prevent dating violence, domestic violence, and sexual assault. From securing women’s health and safety to leveling the playing field and ensuring women have full and fair access to opportunity in the 21st century, we are making deep and lasting investments in the future of all Americans. Because the peace and security of nations around the globe depend upon the education and advancement of women and girls, my Administration has placed their perspectives and needs at the heart of our foreign policy. Last December, I released the first United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security to help ensure women play an equal role in peace-building worldwide. By fully integrating women’s voices into peace processes and our work to prevent conflict, protect civilians, and deliver humanitarian assistance, the United States is bringing effective support to women in areas of conflict and improving the chances for lasting peace. In the months ahead, my Administration will continue to collaborate with domestic and international partners on new initiatives to bring economic and political opportunity to women at home and abroad. During Women’s History Month, we recall that the pioneering legacy of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers is revealed not only in our museums and history books, but also in the fierce determination and limitless potential of our daughters and granddaughters. As we make headway on the crucial issues of our time, let the courageous vision championed by women of past generations inspire us to defend the dreams and opportunities of those to come. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2012 as Women’s History Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month and to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, 2012, with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor the history, accomplishments, and contributions of American women. I also invite all Americans to visit www.WomensHistoryMonth.gov to learn more about the generations of women who have shaped our history. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth. BARACK OBAMA

Publisher’s Message Earl “Skip” Cooper, II

In Spite of Challenges, Business is Looking Up

n this issue of Black Business News, we wish to acknowledge the continued successes and achievements of former Los Angeles Lakers star and Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Earvin Johnson has continued to demonstrate his “magic” in the business arena. His recent business endeavors include launching his own TV network “Aspire”, acquiring the branding rights to “Soul Train” dance series and bidding to acquire the Los Angeles Dodgers. Please refer to full story on page 57. A substantial amount of Magic Johnson’s recent success, particularly in our urban communities, is attributable to his leveraging his status as a minority-owned business enterprise (MBE). Numerous success stories can be made by the U.S. Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). Last year, MBDA reported one of its best annual performances in its 41-year history by assisting MBEs in gaining access to nearly $4 billion in contracts and capital, in addition to creating nearly 6,000 jobs. However, similar to many of the businesses that MBDA is designed to help, they also have faced budget constraints and financial challenges. Please refer to full story message from MBDA’s Director David Hinson on page 33. Recently, MDBA announced the closing of its five regional administrative offices and consolidation of their activities, while putting more resources into the 39 business centers and business development programs that help minority-owned firms land contracts and financing awards. On a national basis, minority-owned firms account for $1 trillion in gross receipts and employ almost 6 million. One sector of our economy in which

black-owned businesses have found some success has been in the $500 billion federal procurement arena. Preliminary statistics indicate that just over $6 billion of this $500 billion in federal procurement during fiscal year 2010-2011 has been awarded to blackowned companies. Another sector of our national economy in which African Americans are experiencing tremendous success is in the Information Technology (IT) sector. In the board rooms, we have Ursala Burns, chief executive officer at Xerox Corporation, and the first black woman to be CEO of a fortune 500 company. The Silicon Valley in California has been called the “Black Mecca” due to the number African Americans employed with such IT companies as Google, Facebook, and Oracle. While their numbers might be small, their economic imprint is being felt across this country. In California, Governor Jerry Brown and the legislatures have decided to bring an end to state funded 400+ community redevelopment agencies. Cities and counties now have to wind down their operations, start dissolving their assets, and start complying with the new law as mandated by AB 1X 26. Redevelopment agencies throughout California have used such tools as eminent domain, tax credit increments and tax credits to enhance economic growth and job creations not only in our urban centers, but also our distressed and underserved communities. What does the future hold without the State’s

funding? The Black Business News will explorethat in the April 2012 issue. In Los Angeles, the Black Business Association (BBA) held it 38th Annual Awards Dinner in recognition of African American Heritage Month at the JW Marriott Hotel at L.A. Live! Please mark your calendar for the 31st of March for the BBA’s Salute to Black Women Conference and Luncheon, to be held at the Los Angeles Omni Hotel. Further, as part of African American Music Month in June, the BBA will host a Salute to Black Music, acknowledging the achievements and accomplishments of music executives and decision-makers whom have made a profound impact on business aspect of the creation, promotion and delivery of this art form grounded in the African American experience. 

3  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

About the Black Business News… The mission of The Black Business News is to inspire and inform public and private sector industry representatives on the importance of smart small business growth. As a versatile source of socioeconomic development activity, the Black Business News imparts current local, national and international industry trends related to small businesses across the United States of America (USA), detailing greater access to financial capital, management efficiencies, business education, mentors and networks. The goals of the Black Business News include: •

increasing the use of business enterprises owned by USA-based blacks, by advocating for greater access to leading finance lenders and successful business managers.

Black Business News P.O. Box 43159, Los Angeles, CA 90043 323-291-9334 Fax: 323-298-5064

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Earl “Skip” Cooper, II

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Steven D. Turner

PRODUCTION MANAGER Narishima Osei

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS LaSandra Stratton • Dean Jones • Steven Turner

GRAPHIC DESIGN

•

working to merge resources, values, profits, technology throughout the public and private sectors.

Sarah Harris • Phallu Morgan

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balancing major public and private sector contracting methods with positive outcomes of black-owned and operated enterprises.

Kim Anthony

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providing an affirmative influence for emerg-ing entrepreneurs sharing innovative design n and creative cultural content that exposes them to the history of black enterprises and excite them to participate in the USA’s future.

•

advocating and promoting on behalf of black-owned businesses by promoting the need for expanding an economic foundation that supports an unfettered and self-sustained urban society with USA job creation and economic opportunity, where blacks work, live and operate viable business enterprises.

www.blackbusinessnews.net

ENTREPRENEUR EDITOR STORY EDITORS Wanda Flagg ▪ Jennifer Marie Hamilton

PHOTOGRAPHY Ian Foxx ▪ Sabir • Narishima Osei

CONTENT ADMINISTRATOR LaSandra Stratton

LAYOUT/TYPESETTING Lion Communications Copyright © 2012 by Black Business News All Rights Reserved. The posting of stories, commentaries, reports, documents and links (embedded or otherwise) on this site does not in any way, shape or form, implied or otherwise, necessarily express or suggest endorsement or support of any of such posted material or parts therein.

AWARDS U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

2007 Journalist of the Year Award LA/Minority Business Opportunity Center (LA/MBOC)

2010 Media Firm of the Year 4  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

FEATURES… March 2012

Publisher’s Message

GOVERNMENT… 15 21 25

American Manufacturing Increase Science/Engineering Graduates National Museum of African American Culture and History

29 31 33 34 39 45

Frontdoor to Government - BusinessUSA

50 57 61 65 67 71

Government Grants Listing

Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights MBDA - More Support for Minority Businesses NEW-Interagency Trade Enforcement Center Keping Women Healthy Iraq War Veterans Honored at White House

BUSINESS…

New ASPIRE Cable Coming this Summer Social Media - Try Pinterest Cloud-based Services Support Business Mobility 10 Tips for using Google+ for Business Citigroup Chaie Parsons Will Step Down

PUBLIC INTEREST/COMMUNITY… 81 85 87

California African American Museum Let’s Move - Celebrates 2nd Year Vital Documents we all Must Have/Keep

INTERNATIONAL… COLUMNS 73 - Take A Look! 107 - Calendar ACTION ALERTS 20 - AEG Supplier Portal SPONSORS 06 - Black Business Association

88 89 92 99

Panos Unvels Strategic Plan for Southern Africa Mali Promotes Low-Carbon Cooking Switching On: Africa’s Tech Community Innovators One Africa: Petition Campaign

Cover image - Phallu Morgan

5  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Over 40 years of service Founded 1970

About the BBA…

Since 1970, the Black Business Association (BBA), a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, headquartered in Los Angeles, has been instrumental in the incubation and development of more than 15,000 African-American businesses. Nationally, we have access and influence with more than 85,000 African-American-owned and women/minority-owned firms via strategic alliances with more than 100 women/minority trade associations in more than 42 states nationwide.

___ Our Mission ___ The Black Business Association’s mission is to advocate and promote the development of African-American owned businesses with the goal of creating a firm economic base that support the self-determination and survival of the African-American and urban community by: •

Identifying and creating financial opportunities for the growth and stability of African-American owned businesses;

•

Being a community voice that advocates for the success of small businesses;

•

Being a conduit for the merging of resources, values,

profits, technology and people; •

Promoting development and support of minority business enterprises within the domestic and international economies by encouraging and generating greater access to market opportunities and capital;

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Providing training for entrepreneurial professional development;

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Supporting and contributing to the economic base and progress of the African-American community; and

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Developing coalitions that support our political endeavors to effectively achieve public recognition and political influence for African-American business owners.

___ Advocacy ___ The Black Business Association maintains very effective working relationships with elected and appointed officials for the support of African-American business development. Locally, statewide and in Washington, DC, we are constantly aware of pending legislation that might affect our member’s businesses, their growth and even their ability to conduct business. When legislation is being considered that affects our mission, the BBA quickly mobilizes to work with key policy makers to support, defeat or modify the bill and pursue the BBA position. As an organization, we are constantly at the helm, securing innovative means and policies that protect our constituency and their business interests. 

Upcoming 2012 Events March

Salute to Black Women Business Conference & Awards Luncheon April

Administrative Professionals Day Awards Luncheon June

Black Music Awards Dinner Black Business Association P.O. Box 43159, Los Angeles, CA 90043 USA Tel: 323-291-9334 Fax: 323-857-4610

• Call 323-291-9334 for information on sponsorship and participation •

mail@bbala.org www.bbala.org www.facebook.com 7  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

2012 Salute to Black Women Black Business Association March 31, 2012  Los Angeles, California

Lifetime Achievement Award

Exemplary Educator Award

iiane E. E W Watson t iis a fformer representative t ti for f the United States Congress, and in her previous capacity, Ms. Watson honorably represented the 33rd Congressional District and its constituents, and implemented policies and procedures on health care, social services, education and housing. As an expert on the management of the health and education department, Ms. Watson utilized her proficiency in these areas, and knowledge gained from prior positions as a psychologist, professor and health occupation specialist, and was re-elected to Congress four times. She retired in January of 2011. Ms Watson is a living example of “Women’s Education and Empowerment”. She received an Associate of Arts from the Los Angeles Community College District, and went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Education from California State University, a Master of Science from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Claremont Graduate University. With a deep-rooted past in the public school system, Ms. Watson has maintained a lifelong loyalty to the field of education, having built a legacy within the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. She was the first African-American woman to serve on the board, and her endeavors to strengthen academic standards and to increase on school integration initiatives rendered her a renowned advocate for academic success among students across an array of populations. Ms. Watson continues to strive for excellence in her professional pursuits, which encompass her goals to serve her community as a teacher, mentor and leader. 

r. Julia Hare is widely regarded as a one of the most dynamic motivational speakers s today. She S educates and a energizes audiences a across the t world with her bold talks on love, marriage and the black community. She S is National Executive Director of o The Black Think Tank, T a consulting firm she co-founded with w her husband, Dr. Nathan Hare, in 1979. Both psychologists, they have been married for 50 years and have co-authored six books, among them y The Endangered Black Family, Bringing the Black Boy to Manhood: The Passage, The Miseducation of the Black Child, and Crisis in Black Sexual Politics. Her most recent book is How to Find and Keep a BMW (Black Man Working). Dr. Julia Hare, was founding publisher of “Black Male/ Female Relationships” from 1979 to 1982. This followed her experiences as a prizewinning public school teacher and radio talk show host and television personality. Dr. Julia Hare was recently selected to the Marquis Who’s Who in America, in 2010; also Who’s Who in the World. It’s little wonder that Dr. Julia Hare has created so many supporters in America. Her debates at universities and convention centers are nothing short of electrifying. Not since Malcolm X and Martin Luther King have we seen someone whose oratory skills and potent message have so stirred black America. The things she has to say about the black family, relationships and the role of black men, have struck a chord with not just African Americans but also many across the world. Thanks to internet sites like YouTube , Dr. Hare’s powerful and at times amusing comments on modern black life, have reached out to people everywhere. In Britain many ‘in the know’ are starting to talk about her. Recently the exciting UK publication called “The Voice” published a major feature on this amazing orator. Dubbed as ‘Lady Malcolm X’ with a determination reminiscent of Marcus Garvey and a touch of the eloquence of Dr Martin Luther King, Dr. Hare speaks frankly about common issues affecting the black race today. 

2012 Salute to Black Women Black Business Association Educational Heritage Award

Outstanding Educational Institution Award

ernona Clayton Cl t iis th the F Founder, d P President id t and d CEO of the Trumpet Awards Foundation, Inc. and Creator/Executive Producer of the Foundation’s “Trumpet Awards”. The Trumpet Awards is a prestigious event highlighting African American accomplishments and contributions. Initiated in 1993 by Turner Broadcasting, the Trumpet Awards has been televised annually and distributed internationally to over 185 countries around the world. Ms. Clayton began her television career in 1967 and became the south’s first Black person to have her own television show. Xernona Clayton was employed at Turner Broadcasting for nearly 30 years where she became one of their highest-ranking female corporate executives and served as liaison between Turner Broadcasting and civic groups in Atlanta and across the country. Ms. Clayton’s dedication to her community is reflected in the many years she has spent promoting human relations. In 1965 she accepted a position with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and worked closely with the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & also traveled extensively with Mrs. Coretta Scott King. Dedicated to promoting racial understanding, Xernona Clayton has been a leader in civic projects & civil rights activities. Her persistent fight against the dragons of prejudice and bigotry was never more apparent than in 1968, when the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan denounced the Klan and credited Xernona’s influence with his change. A recipient of numerous media awards, Xernona has been widely honored for her contributions to humanity. In

he mission of the California Alliance of African American Educators (CAAAE) is to provide programs and services to students, families, and teachers in order to create culturally conscious African American students who are life-long learners and critical thinkers. At California Alliance of African American Educators (CAAAE), work to create a forum for the exchange of ideas and strategies to improve the educational opportunities and achievement for African American students. California Alliance of African American Educators membership is open to public and private school educators, administrators, board trustees, college and university staff, program developers, support providers, undergraduate and graduate students, parents, community stakeholders, civic leaders and corporate representatives. CAAAE was founded by Ms. Debra Watkins in 2001 who is its full-time Executive Director and President. Ms. Watkins is an educator who had a passion to coach other educators on how to close the achievement gap for black and brown students. Approximately 30 years ago she served as president and one of the founders of the Santa Clara County Alliance of Black Educators. CAAAE ‘s is fast becoming known as an innovation educational institution. CAAAE’s, Dr. Frank S. Greene Scholars Program K-12 math, science and technology initiative receive a commendation from the San Jose City Council. CAAAE has also been recognized by San Jose’s Mayor and Council Members for their commitment to the youth in the community. 

recognition of her contribution to broadcasting, the American Intercultural Student Exchange (AISE) created a scholarship in her honor where she chooses an outstanding minority high school student to spend a year living abroad with a European family, all expenses paid. The Xernona Clayton Scholarship is dedicated to increasing open relationships, internationally, through a global high school student exchange program. Additionally, the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists named its scholarship in her honor and annually presents the Xernona Clayton Scholarship to a student pursuing a career in communications. 

2012 Salute to Black Women Black Business Association March 31, 2012  Los Angeles, California

Outstanding Community-Based Business Award

a r y Kimbrough and Jackie Ryan, R y co-owners of Za Zambezi Bazaar have pr provided education an and empowerment to their community fo over fifteen years for th through their retail st store that delights its co consumers with things Jackie Ryan th that are important to its culture culture. “We sell only black genre genre, bec because all of the other cultures have their advocate. We are advocates for our shared racial historical experience.” Zambezi Bazaar and their cultural merchandise are located in the Crenshaw districts Historical Leimert Park. It is known as the perfect little shop when you’re looking for those items to give you an Afro-centric feeling. They carry books, pillows, hand woven throws, handmade jewelry, magnets, figurines and other accessories. Selling items that remind the community of its history is what Zambezi Bazaar does best. “We sell things that are important to our culture,” said Jackie Ryan and Mary Kimbrough co-owners of Zambezi Bazaar. Keeping the products and prices in line with the customer’s needs is very important to Zambezi. “Our products are at a price that people can afford…and the most important part is for us to listen to our customers. Our customers made us - they told us what type of product that they wanted, how much they wanted it to cost, what they wanted it to look like.” As community tutors, at Zambezi Bazaar “Out of Print Literature” is very popular.” It is collectable on the world market... People are looking for “out of print” books and magazines that have our cultural heroes, not only in America but in Africa.”Zambezi Bazaar carries items like the issue of Ebony Magazine with Nat King Cole and his daughter Natalie on the cover, in mint condition. There are also issues of Time Magazine with black figures on them. Greeting cards are another big seller at Zambezi Bazaar and they only sell greeting cards that reflect the African American image and the African American spirit. Co–owners Jackie Ryan & Mary Kimbrough say “We stick to what’s important to us. What we look like, what we do, what our hair looks like, where we go to church.” 

Entrepreneur of the Year Award

e v e r l y Kuykendall, President/CEO FCCI Inc., is a seasoned professional holding a BS degree in Business Administration from Cal Poly University and an MBA from Pepperdine University. FCCI’s scope of services include the development of strategic alliances between large and small business; helping clients meet the small business and diversity needs for government rnment agencies, agencies corporations, corporations healthcare providers and education institutions that must comply with federal outsourcing mandates. In addition, FCCI has extensive experience as a federal procurement specialist, advocating for 8(a), SDVOSB, HUBZone and other small businesses. Ms. Kuykendall is co-founder of the National Minority Medical Suppliers Association; past president of the National Association of Market Developers; co-founder of the Healthcare Supplier Diversity Alliance; a member of the National Contract Management Association, Association of the United States Army; the National Speakers Association; a board member and strategic advisor to the National Association of Minority Contractors of Southern California; and has a relationship with the Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). Working closely with women-owned businesses to develop workable strategies and tactics to secure government contracts and understanding how to establish and leverage influential relationships for business growth has led to Ms. Kuykendall’s 6-city speaking tour for WBEC-West, entitled, “Leveraging your WOSB and WBE Certifications”. The Women’s Business Enterprise Council – West is one of 14 Regional Partnering Organizations (RPOs) affiliated with the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). The Southern California Minority Business Development Council will launch a pilot program series entitled, “Let’s Get Federal TV” featuring Beverly providing strategic advice on securing government contracts on Live U Stream TV. 

2012 Salute to Black Women Black Business Association BBA President/CEO

BBA Board Chair

wen Moore, Chair of the Board of the Black Business Association, is Founder and CEO of GeM Communications Group. Ms. Moore distinguished herself as a member of the California Assembly for 16 productive years: 1978-1994. She served as Majority Whip and gained a national reputation as Chair of the prestigious Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee which had jurisdiction over the California cable television industry, emerging business enterprises, international trade and tourism, California ports, trucking issues, and all investorowned utilities including water, telecommunications, and energy. Ms. Moore was also an active member of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, serving on the National Executive Board and as Chair of the Western Region. Gwen Moore’s dedication, diligence, and commitment to finding solutions have brought honors and awards from diverse arenas. 

Black Business Association

lack Business Association (BBA), is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation, headquartered in Los Angeles. The BBA has contributed to and supported the development, progress and expansion of more than 15,000 African-American businesses. Nationally, the BBA has access to and influence with more than 80,000 AfricanAmerican owned and women/minority-owned businesses (WMBEs), through the formation of strategic alliances with trade associations and organizations nationwide. It is a leading local, state, and national socioeconomic change

arl “Skip” Cooper, II, President/CEO, Black Business Association (BBA), has been in a leadership position with the BBA since 1974. “Skip” has been instrumental in the advancement of affirmative action programs through his innovative approaches to bringing the government, corporate and minority business worlds together. “Skip” initiated the celebration of “Black Business Day” in Los Angeles in 1987 during the tenure of Mayor Tom Bradley. He organized the original “Procurement Trade Mission to Washington, DC” so that local African American and other minority business owners would have the opportunity to meet Federal Procurement Officers faceto-face. “Skip” also aids entrepreneurs and procurement officers by conducting seminars and workshops on contract procurement, management, and finance. “Skip” provides advisory services to any small business owner in need of guidance in the conduct of business. “Skip” is also Publisher/Editor-In-Chief of the multi-award winning Black Business News, the flagship publication of his Black Business News Group publications that include the Black Business News International and Black Business News Travel Africa. 

agent focused on providing broader access to contracting opportunities for goods and services, in addition to financial resources for African American entrepreneurs. The purpose of the Annual Awards Dinner is to honor corporations, government agencies and individuals that have been most supportive of the growth and development of the Black Business Association and the African American business community as a whole. www.bbala.org. 

Chairman's Award recipient, Michael R. Peevey, President, California Public Utilities Commission speaking at the BBA's 38th Annual Awards Dinner on Feb. 23rd at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live where the banquet room appeared to be filled to capacity. Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Earl G. Graves Sr., Founder, Black Enterprise Magazine and Chairman, Earl G. Graves, LTD, spoke to the crowd via video thanking the BBA. Photo by Gloria Zuurveen

Photo by Gloria Zuurveen (L-R) Earl "Skip" Cooper II, President/CEO, Black Business Association (BBA); Anne Shen Smith, COO, Southern California Gas Company; Chairman's Award recipient, Michael R. Peevey, President, California Public Utilities

Pictured with Cooper (shown to the right), Hon. Herb Wesson Jr., the first African American to serve as president of the Los Angeles City Council, received the BBA's President's Award during their 38th Annual Awards Dinner. Photo by Gloria Zuurveen

(L-R) Cooper with Curtis L. Fralin, President, Maverick's Flat Entertainment, received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award; Ezekiel Patten Jr., President, Patten Energy, Inc. and Carl Dickerson, CEO, Dickerson Employee Benefits. Photo by Gloria Zuurveen

(Above) Carl Dickerson & Ezekiel Patten, BBA Dinner Co-Chairs, presents AEG executives with the Sustainability Corporation of the Year Award. (Right top) A Sempra Energy utilities representative speaking. (Right bottom) Dr. John H. Griffith, President & CEO, Kedren Community Health Center, Inc. receives the BBA Community Service Award during the dinner on Feb. 23. Photo by Gloria Zuurveen

Government

President Obama Takes Actions to Promote American Manufacturing and Increase U.S. Exports at Boeing

President Barack Obama sits in the cockpit of a 767 during his tour of the Boeing Plant production facility in Everett, WA. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

he President visited the Boeing assembly facility in Everett, Washington, to announce new steps aimed at promoting American manufacturing and increasing U.S. exports. Manufacturing represents nearly 60% of total U.S. exports, and Boeing is one of the country’s leading exporters of manufactured goods with more than $34 billion in total exports in 2011, up over 45% since 2006. The announcement follows through on the President’s commitment to

provide sufficient export financing to put American manufacturers on an even footing with our foreign competitors, provide expanded support for small business exporters and take the next step in the President’s proposal to reorganize the trade and competitiveness agencies by expanding the responsibilities of the Export Promotion Cabinet.This is the most recent of a series of executive actions the President has announced to put Americans back to work and

strengthen the U.S. economy. “Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years.” said President Obama. “Today, we’re on track to meet that goal – ahead of schedule. But we need to do more, which is why I’m pleased to announce several steps that will help more American businesses sell their products around the world, create jobs right here at home, and help us build an economy that lasts.” see American Manufacturing on page 15

14  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

American Manufacturing from page 14

In this year’s State of the Union Address, the President laid out a Blueprint for an America Built to Last, a blueprint that starts with American manufacturing. During the past two years, we have begun to see positive signs in American manufacturing – with the manufacturing sector adding more than 400,000 jobs, the first period of

National Export Initiative with the goal of doubling our nation’s exports in five years. After two years, we are on pace to meet the President’s goal. Exports are up nearly 34% over the level of exports in 2009, exceeding $2.1 trillion in total value in 2011. Today’s announcements build on the Administration’s past efforts to open up markets for American goods and level the playing field for American companies. Over the past year, the President has signed into law a series of trade agreements that will provide a major boost to our exports by making

Export-Import Bank is continuing to expand its offerings to help support business exporting. The Administration has provided important support to Boeing’s export success. Currently, Boeing is building the world’s most advanced commercial airplane, the 787 Dreamliner, directly employing nearly 8,000 people across the country to do so. The company is also working with nearly 11,000 small, medium and large supplier businesses, spending $28 billion. Boeing has suppliers in all 50 states, providing goods and services

Government President Barack Obama tours Master Lock Company with Bob Rice, Senior Vice President for Global Supply Chain/ Product Development of Master Lock, in Milwaukee, WI. The President highlighted Master Lock in his State of the Union address as an example of a company moving jobs back to the U.S. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) sustained job growth in manufacturing since the 1990s. The President recognizes the vital role manufacturing plays in our economy, and that is why the President’s plan encourages investment in manufacturing, supports U.S. innovation and the growth of U.S. exports. In his 2010 State of the Union Address, the President launched the

it easier for American companies to sell their products in South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. In addition, record-setting efforts at the ExportImport Bank – through direct loans, credit guarantees, and credit insurance – have helped U.S. exports remain on target to meet the President’s goal. Building on these existing efforts, the

like the airplane’s ground-breaking carbon fiber composite aircraft structure from Kansas, advanced jet engines from Ohio, wing components from Oklahoma, and revolutionary electrochromic windows from Alabama. Boeing has already received orders for 870 Dreamliners with over 80% of the see American Manufacturing on page 17

15  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

American Manufacturing from page 15

current orders to be shipped around the world to at least 25 countries like Japan, Australia, China, France and Singapore. Over the past three years,

Nationally, the Export Import Bank has had a tremendous impact. In FY 2011, the Bank set export financing records for the third-straight year, including overall financing exceeding $32 billion, a nearly 34% increase since 2010, and the highest level of financing in the Bank’s 77-year history. This financing has supported $41 billion

Companies on an Even Footing: Right now, China and other global competitors often provide unfair advantages to help their companies win business overseas. In his State of the Union address, the President stated that the Administration would take action to level the playing field for U.S. companies and workers

financing from the Export-Import Bank has supported export sales of more than 460 U.S. manufactured Boeing commercial aircraft worth approximately $60 billion to qualified customers. Just this month, Boeing finalized the largest single order in aviation history with Lion Air, the largest airline in Indonesia, for 230 Boeing 737 aircraft, valued at over $21 billion. The Export-Import Bank played a critical role to support that deal coming together. Ethiopian Airlines, one of the strongest airlines in Africa, will take delivery of some of the first Boeing 787 aircraft later this year, made possible in part by support from the Administration.

in U.S. exports from over 3,600 U.S. companies and almost 290,000 exportrelated American jobs. In particular, the Bank is important for small and medium exporters, and its financing for smaller exporters has risen over 70% over the last three years, comprising more than 85% of the Bank’s transactions. And these programs come at no cost to U.S. taxpayers, as the Bank not only operates on a self-sustaining basis, but it has returned well over $3 billion to the U.S. Treasury since 2005.

The President has Announced: Financing

Put

American

when our competitors don’t play by global export financing rules. Today, the President will announce that the Administration will actively employ its existing authorities so that the ExportImport Bank can provide U.S. firms competing for domestic or third-country sales with matching financing support to counter foreign non-competitive official financing that fails to observe international disciplines. The President will not allow U.S. companies and workers to lose out on valuable business due to unfair export financing – and will use the Administration’s full powers to ensure that they are competing on an see American Manufacturing on page 18

17  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Government

www.whitehouse.gov/infographics/an-economy-built-to-last-increasing-exports

American Manufacturing from page 18

even footing. New Credit for Small Business Exporters: Today, the President will announce that the Export Import Bank will launch a pilot program, Global Credit Express, to help small business exporters access hard-to-find short term working capital lines of credit. Working with their existing lenders, small businesses will be able to apply directly to the Export-Import Bank for 6-12 month loans of up to $500,000. This year, the program could help small exporters access up to $100 million in

Government

Quote of Note... “...America always wins when the playing field is level. And because everyone came together and worked together, the most high-tech, fuel-efficient, good-looking cars in the world are once again designed and engineered and forged and built -- not in Europe, not in Asia -- right here in the United States of America.” President Barack H. Obama

much needed capital. At the same time, today Boeing committed to joining the Export-Import bank’s Supply Chain Financing Program, which helps firms, including Caterpillar and Case New Holland advance funds against exportrelated contracts, providing liquidity and working capital more quickly and on better terms. Through this partnership Boeing’s small business suppliers will be able to access over $700 million in short-term credit this year. A Call to Reauthorize the ExportImport Bank: In December 2011, Congress extended the Bank’s

authorization through the end of May 2012, at its current lending ceiling of $100 billion. However, due to unprecedented demands for export financing in recent years, the Bank estimates it will hit this lending ceiling at the end of March. Unless the Bank’s authorization is renewed, and its lending cap is raised to an appropriate level, the Bank will be forced into the unprecedented position of having to halt all new transactions. Re-authorization of the Bank is critical for U.S. exporters, particularly manufacturers, which account for almost 60% of all U.S. exports, so that they can compete with foreign companies that enjoy far more aggressive support from their countries’ export credit agencies. The U.S. trails countries like Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, and Italy in official export credit financing as a share of Gross Domestic Product – many times over. Failure to re-authorize the Bank will give competitors, like China, an unfair edge in global trade, with the costs of decreases in U.S. exports and good American jobs. A Simplified Process for Foreign Trade Zones: Today, the Department of Commerce will announce simplified processes and paperwork for Foreign Trade Zones, designated locations where companies can use special procedures to delay or reduce duty payments on foreign merchandise. There are over 250 zones and 500 subzones that help encourage manufacturing and investment in the US, in industries including automotive machinery and equipment and pharmaceuticals. The rule change will provide a streamlined, shorter and more effective process for manufacturers and exporters seeking FTZ authority that will help expedite decision making and reduce paperwork burdens. These simplifications will contribute to the National Export Initiative goal to double exports by the end of 2014 and the Administration’s goal of attracting and retaining manufacturing activity and manufacturing jobs in the United States. Legislation to Make it Easier for America’s Businesses to Export: On see American Manufacturing on page 19

18  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

American Manufacturing

A Presidential Memorandum to Strengthen the Export Promotion Cabinet: Today, the President will issue a Presidential Memorandum, Maximizing the Effectiveness of Federal Trade Investment and Functions, which directs the Export Promotion Cabinet to work across agencies to maximize combined effectiveness of their programs and initiatives in support

19  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Government

directs the Cabinet to work with the National Economic Council to coordinate administrative initiatives to enhance programs that support from page 18 American businesses, particularly small businesses, in order to help them Thursday, the Obama Administration innovate, grow, and increase exports. sent Congress the Consolidating and The Export Promotion Cabinet was Reforming Government Act of 2012, established via executive order on to reinstate the authority Presidents March 11, 2010. held for decades to reorganize and The Launch of BusinessUSA: Today, the Administration will officially launch BusinessUSA (http:// business.usa.gov), a virtual one stop shop that makes it easier for America’s businesses to access the services and information they need to help them grow, hire and export. To strengthen America’s competitiveness in the global economy, the President believes businesses need to be equipped with the best tools and information available to support innovation and job growth President Barack Obama delivers remarks to students on the FY 2013 Budget at the Northern Virginia in the 21st century. That’s Community College (NOVA), Annandale, Va., campus. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence why he directed his Administration to create Jackson) BusinessUSA as the front of the Administration’s strategic trade door to all the government has to offer. consolidate the Federal government, and investment goals and priorities. BusinessUSA implements a “no wrong adding, for the first time, a requirement The Memorandum gives the Export door” policy for small businesses and that any reorganization plan must Promotion Cabinet stronger authority exporters by using technology to quickly save money or reduce the size of to align interagency efforts and directs connect businesses to the services government. Earlier this year, the the Assistant to the President for and information relevant to them, President announced that, if Congress International Economic Affairs, Michael regardless of where the information is gives him consolidation authority, his Froman, to coordinate its activities. The located or which agency’s website, call first action would be to make it easier Memorandum also directs the Export center, or office they go to for help. To for America’s job creators to access Promotion Cabinet, in consultation ensure that it is oriented towards the the services they need to grow and with the Trade Promotion Coordinating needs of the customer, BusinessUSA export. The President laid out a plan Committee, to evaluate resource has been developed with the active to bring together six agencies and a allocations, make recommendations feedback of U.S. businesses.  handful of other related programs into for streamlining overlapping or www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressa single more efficient and effective duplicative programs, and create a offi ce/2012/02/17/president-obama-takesdepartment with a laser-like focus on unified Federal trade budget. The actions-promote-american-manufacturingpromoting American business, exports and-increas Presidential Memorandum also and competitiveness, while saving directs the Cabinet to take steps to www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/ taxpayers $3 billion dollars. Until ensure we are most efficiently using blueprint_for_an_america_built_to_last.pdf Congress acts, however, we need to do federal agencies’ domestic and foreign www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/02/13/ everything we can administratively to offices and distribution networks. president-obamas-2013-budget-blueprintenhance our trade and competitiveness Finally, the Presidential Memorandum america-built-last programs.



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Supplier Portal, an online communication tool designed to enhance the relationship between AEG and our partners. The portal is an online and paperless tool that will provide you with: Increased visibility for AEG business opportunities Extended Company Profile in online directory Direct email updates from AEG clients and buyers Easy accounts payable information sharing Increased exposure for MBEs, WBEs, and DBEs It is important that you register your business so that we have the ability to contact you for participation in future opportunities. Suppliers seeking to initiate business with AEG are encouraged to register as well. Registration is simple and we invite you to visit our Supplier Portal at your earliest convenience:

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How to Generate 1 Million More Science and Engineering Grads: Proposal By Joe McKendrick

Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), an advisory group of the nation’s leading scientists and engineers appointed by the White House. The PCAST report (www.whitehouse. gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ ostp/pcast-engage-to-excel-v11.pdf) comes on the heels of a report from the National Science Board (www. nsf.gov/nsb), which revealed that about 4% of the world’s engineering degrees in 2010 went to US students, versus 34% to students in China, 5% to Japanese graduates, and 17% to the remaining Asian nations. Numerically, China graduated about 1 million scientists and engineers in

see More STEM Grads on page 23 21  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Government

o remain competitive in a fastchanging global economy, the United States needs to produce more than a million more science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates than currently projected over the coming decade. Currently the United States graduates about 300,000 bachelor and associate degrees in STEM fields annually. One answer may be to increase the retention rates of STEM students — fewer than 40% of students who enter college intending to major in a STEM field complete a STEM degree. These are the points raise in a new report issued by the President’s

2008. For South Korea, Taiwan and Japan, the combined total was 330,000. In contrast, the US graduated 248,000 scientists and engineers during the same year. The PCAST report, titled Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, suggests that simply retaining about 10% more of the students who drop out or transfer out of STEM programs would generate three-quarters of the targeted 1 million additional STEM degrees needed over the next decade. The key is to make STEM courses more interesting, relevant and hands-on. The commission also made five recommendations for increasing retention rates in STEM programs, to help achieve the goal of an additional one million STEM grads: • Diversify STEM curricula: “Most introductory STEM courses taken in the first two years of college are dominated by lectures and multiple choice tests… Classroom approaches that engage students actively have been shown to increase retention of information, build critical thinking skills, induce more positive attitudes toward STEM disciplines, and increase retention of students in STEM majors…. Most surprisingly to many instructors is the increase in retention of information, deep understanding, and student attendance and enthusiasm in class that result from a diversification of teaching approaches beyond

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Waivers, Flexibility, and Reforming No Child Left Behind By Megan Slack President Barack Obama has announced that ten states (Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee) have agreed to implement bold education reforms will receive waivers from the burdensome mandates of the federal education law known as No Child Left Behind. These waivers will give states the flexibility needed to raise student achievement standards, improve school accountability, and increase teacher effectiveness.

How did these states qualify for waivers? President Obama offered every state

More STEM Grads from page 21

for remediation is coupled to reported low effectiveness… Reducing or eliminating the need for remedial mathematics classes or improving their cost and effectiveness is one of the most urgent challenges— and promising opportunities—in preparing the STEM workforce of the 21st century… Most U.S postsecondary students terminate their college mathematics education at a pre-calculus course that is typically a review of high school algebra, trigonometry, and sometimes functions… Such courses are frequently uninspiring, relying on memorization and rote learning while avoiding richer mathematical ideas. As this is the last mathematics course for many college students, they often are left with the impression that the field is dull and unimaginative, and they can extend this judgment to all STEM disciplines.” • Encourage partnerships and a ‘network’ approach to recruiting students: “New STEM pathways need to offer nationally portable, industry recognized credentials that are integrated into for-credit academic degree programs…. Adult students and those returning to college after time away, especially US military veterans, also often have high levels of motivation and a focus

President Barack Obama, with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. reach their potential, the best ideas aren’t going to come from Washington alone. Our job is to harness those ideas, and to hold states and schools accountable for making them work.”  www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/02/09/ everything-you-need-know-waivers-flexibilityand-reforming-no-child-left-behind

on careers that could be channeled in the direction of STEM-related jobs…. Rather than a single pipeline that is prone to leakage, or a ladder where any missed step makes the next step too hard to reach, educators and policymakers should think of a network of pathways along which students can take different routes to STEM readiness and competency. If students have exited this network of pathways, they need accessible and cost-effective ways to get back on.” • Bring together leadership from the academic and business communities to provide vision and action on STEM education and training challenges: “The leadership of higher education and STEM-dependent industries needs to be inspired to generate sweeping change in higher education to produce the workforce America needs. The leaders in these sectors need to be challenged by the country’s political leaders to think creatively, design and implement programs, to challenge existing reward structures, and to raise money from private donors to benefit STEM education.”  www.whitehouse.gov www.smartplanet.com/blog/businessbrains/how-to-generate-1-millionmore-science-and-engineering-gradsproposal/22081?tag=nl.e660

23  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Government

lectures.” • Emphasize discovery-based research courses: “If we taught young people baseball history, statistics, and rules for years before we let them watch or play a game of baseball, how many would become fans or players? Probably few. But in STEM fields, most students must wait until they are quite far along in their studies before then can experience the excitement of scientific research… Research experiences in the first two years increase retention of students in STEM majors and improve students’ attitudes toward STEM fields.” • Make mathematics more interesting and relevant: “Today, many students entering college do not meet the necessary mathematics standards… Because of inadequate preparation, many students need to take developmental classes in mathematics when they get to college. In addition, employers in the private sector, government, and military frequently need employees with a level of mathematics preparation that is hard to find, placing the burden on employers to provide or obtain remedial education…. This high cost

a deal: If you’re willing to set higher, more honest standards based on a clear goal that every student can graduate ready for college or a career, we’ll give you the flexibility to meet those standards. In addition to setting new performance targets for student achievement, states had to prove that they were serious by developing a plan addressing three critical areas: • Preparing students for college and careers • Hold schools accountable for making progress • Improving teacher and principal effectiveness As President Obama explained, “if we’re serious about helping our children

National Museum of African American History and Culture Moving Forward Remarks by President Obama at the Groundbreaking Ceremony of the National Museum of African American History and Culture

to embark on this extraordinary journey. And we could not be prouder of the work that he has done to help make this day possible. I promise to do my part by being brief. As others have mentioned, this day has been a long time coming. The idea for a museum dedicated to African Americans was first put forward by black veterans of the Civil War. And years later, the call was picked up by

Government

want to thank Dr. France Córdova for that introduction and for her leadership at the Smithsonian. I want to thank everybody who helped to

make this day happen. I want to thank Laura Bush; Secretary Salazar; Sam Brownback; my hero, Congressman John Lewis; Wayne Clough, and everybody who’s worked so hard to make this possible. I am so proud of Lonnie Bunch, who came here from Chicago, I want to point out. (Laughter and applause.) I remember having a conversation with him about this job when he was planning

President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture site in Washington, D. C. First Lady Michelle Obama attended the event with the President and other participants included: former First Lady Laura Bush; Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray; Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.; Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas; Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, pastor, Abyssian Baptist Church, New York; Lonnie Bunch, founding director of the museum; Richard Kurin, undersecretary for History, Art and Culture at the Smithsonian; Linda Johnson Rice and Richard Parsons, co-chairs of the museum’s advisory council; Dr. G. Wayne Clough, Secretary, The Smithsonian Institution; Lonnie Bunch, Founding Director, Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture; and Dr. France Córdova, Chair, Smithsonian Board of Regents. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

24  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

of our earliest days have been confined to dusty letters and faded pictures, the time will come when few people remember drinking from a colored water fountain, or boarding a segregated bus, or hearing in person Dr. King’s voice boom down from the Lincoln Memorial. That’s why what we build here won’t just be an achievement for our time, it will be a monument for all time. It will do more than simply keep those memories alive. Just like the Air and Space Museum challenges us to set our sights higher, or the Natural History Museum encourages us to look closer, or the Holocaust Museum calls us to fight

Government

Architectural Drawings, National Museum of African American History and Culture

Museum from page 25

members of the civil rights generation -– by men and women who knew how to fight for what was right and strive for what is just. This is their day. This is your day. It’s an honor to be here to see the fruit of your labor. It’s also fitting that this museum has found a home on the National Mall. As has been mentioned, it was on this ground long ago that lives were once traded, where hundreds

of thousands once marched for jobs and for freedom. It was here that the pillars of our democracy were built, often by black hands. And it is on this spot –- alongside the monuments to those who gave birth to this nation, and those who worked so hard to perfect it –- that generations will remember the sometimes difficult, often inspirational, but always central role that African Americans have played in the life of our country. This museum will celebrate that history. Because just as the memories

persecution wherever we find it, this museum should inspire us as well. It should stand as proof that the most important things in life rarely come quickly or easily. It should remind us that although we have yet to reach the mountaintop, we cannot stop climbing. And that’s why, in moments like this, I think about Malia and Sasha. I think about my daughters and I think about your children, the millions of visitors who will stand where we stand long after we’re gone. And I think about

25  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

see Museum on page 27

How Can Organizations Participate? > Employers > Financial institutions > Non-profits and governments > Educators and Youth Organizations > Military > Media

How Can Individuals Participate? > Assess your savings progress > Join America Saves > Test your savings knowledge > Take action to save more effectively > View savings messages > Read saver stories

What is America Saves Week? About America Saves Week Our Purpose Participating Organizations America Saves Week 2011 America Saves Week 2010 America Saves Week 2009

www.americasavesweek.org

26  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Museum from page 25

www.whitehouse.gov www.nmaahc.si.edu

Lonnie G. Bunch III

David Adjaye

he Smithsonian announced that Freelon Adjaye Bond/ SmithGroup is the architectural team chosen to design the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) to be located on the National Mall near the Washington Monument. The selection was made by a jury chaired by Museum Director Lonnie G. Bunch III. Freelon A d j a y e B o n d / SmithGroup was among six architectural firms that entered the design competition. Freelon Adjaye Bond said in its design concept materials, ‘The National Museum of African American History and Culture—the institution and the building—embodies the African American spirit. Majestic

yet exuberant, dignified yet triumphant, the building will be worthy of the museum’s vision, and its prominent place on the National Mall.’ The team selected by the Smithsonian consists of four firms that have joined together for this unique project—The Freelon Group, Adjaye Associates, Davis Brody Bond and SmithGroup. The Freelon Group will be the architect of record and Phil Freelon will serve as the design guarantor— making sure that the design reflects the values and priorities of the museum and the Smithsonian. The Freelon Group designed the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History and Culture in Baltimore. David Adjaye, Ghanaian by heritage but born in Tanzania, will be the lead designer. He designed the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, Norway, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver. Davis Brody Bond is involved in the planning, design and execution of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center in New York. The firm also led the restoration and expansion of the New York Public Library. The SmithGroup is an international architectural and engineering firm with offices in Washington, DC, that designed the Normandy American Cemetery Interpretive Center in France. 

27  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

www.archicentral.com

Government

what I want them to experience. I think about what I want them to take away. When our children look at Harriet Tubman Shaw or Nat Turner’s bible or the plane flown by Tuskegee Airmen, I don’t want them to be seen as figures somehow larger than life. I want them to see how ordinary Americans could do extraordinary things; how men and women just like them had the courage and determination to right a wrong, to make it right. I want my daughters to see the shackles that bound slaves on their voyage across the ocean and the shards of glass that flew from the 16th Street Baptist church, and understand that injustice and evil exist in the world. But I also want them to hear Louis Armstrong’s horn and learn about the Negro League and read the poems of Phyllis Wheatley. And I want them to appreciate this museum not just as a record of tragedy, but as a celebration of life. When future generations hear these songs of pain and progress and struggle and sacrifice, I hope they will not think of them as somehow separate from the larger American story. I want them to see it as central -- an important part of our shared story. A call to see ourselves in one another. A call to remember that each of us is made in God’s image. That’s the history we will preserve w i t h i n t h e s e walls. The history of a people who, in the words of Dr. King, “injected n e w meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization.” May we remember their stories. May we live up to their example. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. 

National Museum of African American History and Culture

BusinessUSA T

oo often, interactions with the government are burdensome and frustrating. From seeking out financing opportunities to learning about the latest regulations affecting them, hard-working businesses are spending too much time navigating the federal bureaucracy.

On October 28, 2011, the President issued a challenge to government agencies to think beyond their organizational boundaries in the best interest of serving America’s business community, and start thinking and acting more like the businesses they serve. He directed the creation of

Department of Agriculture

Government

Foreign Agricultural Service

Rural Development

see BusinessUSA on page 29

Department of Commerce

Bureau of the Census

Department of The Treasury International Trade Administration

Bureau of Industry and Security

Minority Business Development Agency

National Technical Information Service

Internal Revenue Service

BusinessUSA, a centralized, one-stop platform to make it easier than ever for businesses to access services to help them grow and hire. BusinessUSA implements a “no wrong door” approach for small businesses and exporters by using technology

Economic Development Administration

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Economics & Statistics Administration

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

US Patent & Trademark Office

Department of Veterans Affairs

General Services Administration

Overseas Private Investment Corporation

Export-Import Bank

Small Business Administration

US Trade Development Agency

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BusinessUSA from page 28

Business USA is: A product of collective thoughts and inputs from the following agencies who have pledged their commitment to making this site a one-stop shop for everything related to business in the USA.  http://business.usa.gov

n conjunction with the newlylaunched BusinessUSA initiative, the Department of Commerce announced the launch of their business app challenge. The $10,000 contest challenges app developers to find innovative ways to utilize Commerce and other publicly available data and information to support American businesses. The business app challenge calls on developers to utilize at least one Department of Commerce data set in creating an application that assists businesses and/or improves the service delivery of Business. USA.gov to the business community. Developers may choose the platform that best suits them. Applicants may design for the web, personal computer, mobile handheld device, or any platform broadly accessible to the open Internet. A list of developer-friendly data sets can be found on the Business Data and Tools page (www.data.gov/ communities/node/244/data_tools) of Data.gov. A panel of high-profile judges will evaluate and vote on the entries. The panel includes: • John Bryson, Secretary of Commerce • Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist, Google • Vivek Kundra, Executive Vice President of Emerging Market,

Salesforce.com • Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media • Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook • Steven Van Roekel, Federal CIO Specifically developers are being challenged to look for innovative ways to utilize available data to help businesses: • Learn about and evaluate opportunities, both here in the U.S. and internationally; • Access useful government services, data, and market information; • Fund business activities; • Support education and training, and • Facilitate or accelerate the pursuit of operating and growing their business. A $5,000 cash award will be given to the winner. Second place will receive $3,000 and third place will receive $2,000. Submissions will be accepted between February 22, 2012 and April 30, 2012. Complete contest rules and entry requirements can be found at http://docbusinessapps.challenge. gov.  www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/02/22/ calling-all-app-developers-10000app-challenge-looking-ways-connectbusinesses-gover

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Government

to quickly connect businesses to the services and information relevant to them, regardless of where the information is located or which agency’s website, call center, or office they go to for help. Looking forward, the more federal agencies continue to add resources to BusinessUSA to encompass the full range of business programs and services, the more we will be able to reduce the confusing array of websites that exist today. To ensure that it is oriented towards the needs of the customer, BusinessUSA will be designed, tested, and built with the active feedback of U.S. businesses. This is where you come in. The beta version of the Business. USA.gov web site is just the first step. In coming weeks and months, guided by your feedback, we will be adding new features and content, and opening new channels of communication to the BusinessUSA network such as call centers, e-mail and social media. We will also seek to integrate state and local governments, as well as related private sector partners. This will help us better deliver the information you need on your own terms. To strengthen America’s competitiveness in the global economy, businesses will need to be equipped with the best tools and information available to support innovation and job growth in the 21st century. BusinessUSA is your front door to all the government has to offer. Help us make sure it continues to evolve and grow to meet your needs. Sign up for e-mail alerts so you can be the first to find out about changes to BusinessUSA, and use feedback features on the website to let us know what you think. BusinessUSA is designed by businesses, for businesses. Take ownership today.

Calling all App Developers: $10,000 App Challenge Looking for Ways to Connect Businesses with Government

We Can’t Wait: Obama Administration Calls for A Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights for the Digital Age By Danny Weitzner

The Administration has also called on Congress to pass legislation based on the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights model to extend baseline privacy protections to commercial sectors that existing federal privacy laws do not cover. New legislation should help enumerate clearer rules for privacy protection on the Internet and give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and State Attorneys General additional tools to protect consumers online. Members of the Digital Advertising Alliance representing nearly ninety percent of online advertising marketplace -- including Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, and AOL-- have agreed to comply when consumers choose to opt out of tracking. This commitment will be legally-binding and can be enforced by the FTC. The advertising industry also committed not to release consumers’ browsing data to companies who might use it for purposes other than advertising, such as employers making hiring decisions or insurers determining coverage. The Administration is encouraged by these commitments and considers them to be an example of the value of industry leadership as a critical part of privacy protection going forward. The report, which was signed by President Obama, was developed under the leadership of the National Economic Council (www.whitehouse. gov/administration/eop/nec) and the Office of Science & Technology Policy (www.whitehouse.gov/ administration/eop/ostp). It builds on a preliminary report released in December 2010 by the Commerce Department’s Internet Policy Task Force (http://ntia.doc.gov/category/ internet-policy-task-force). 

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Government

he Obama Administration has unveiled a blueprint for a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights to protect consumers online. As the President wrote in his cover letter to the report: “Never has privacy been more important than today, in the age of the Internet, the World Wide Web and smart phones. In just the last decade, the Internet has enabled a renewal of direct political engagement by citizens around the globe and an explosion of commerce and innovation creating jobs of the future. Much of this innovation is enabled by novel uses of personal information. So, it is incumbent on us to do what we have done throughout history: apply our timeless privacy values to the new technologies and circumstances of our times.” In a related announcement, leading Internet companies and online advertising networks in the Digital Advertising Alliance (www.aboutads. info) came to the White House to commit to using Do Not Track (http:// donottrack.us) technology now available in most major web browsers to make it easier for users to control online tracking. The White House has proposed a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights as part of a strategy to improve consumers’ privacy protections and to ensure that the Internet remains an engine for

innovation and economic growth. These rights give consumers clear guidance on what they should expect from those who handle their personal information, and set expectations for companies that use personal data. With the Internet as a leading engine for economic growth, the Administration is committed to building consumer trust in a rapidly changing digital environment. In addition to proposing a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, the report calls for a stakeholder-driven process to specify how these rights apply in particular contexts; strong enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (http://ftc.gov); and greater interoperability between the United States’ privacy framework and those of our international partners. In the coming weeks, the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications & Information Administration (http:// ntia.doc.gov) will begin convening companies, privacy advocates and other stakeholders to establish specific practices or codes of conduct that implement the general principles in the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights. The Administration’s plan will also help provide American companies a global, open Internet environment for export of digital goods and services abroad by laying the groundwork for increasing interoperability between the our Nation’s data privacy framework and those of our trading partners. This approach will provide consistent protections for consumers, reduce compliance costs for companies, and ensure the flexibility that is critical to innovation in the commercial world.

Editorial:

Supporting the Work of the Congressional Black Caucus

This context alone demands that lawmakers sharpen their focus on strong economic growth, enhanced competitiveness, and increased job creation. Moreover, minority businesses are under attack—legally and economically. The attacks remain, despite the fact that minority-owned firms employ 4.7 million people with annual payroll totaling $115 billion. Legally, challenges continue to mount

Today, Americans are confronted with a tenuous economic recovery, enduring weakness in the housing market and persistently high, and chronic under-employment. The recovery is more depressing in African American communities than in any other. The overall unemployment rate has hovered between 9–10% since the onset of the recession, but for African Americans it hovers between 15-16%.

against many of our businesses with protected status under Small Business Administration rules. Economically, despite having “protected status” many businesses cannot survive because they cannot receive loans, or even worse, they are informed that they do not have the capacity to do business for or with a particular entity. In the 1970s, the CBC fought for the Community Reinvestment Act. This

Editorial • Editorial

he Black Business News (BBN) continues to staunchly support the vigorous efforts of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the Economic Development and Wealth Creation Task-force; cochaired by Congresswomen Maxine Waters and Yvette D. Clarke. The House Committees of jurisdiction for the task-force are: the Committees on Agriculture, Financial Services, Small Business, and Ways and Means.

law helped reduce redlining, ensured financial institutions were located in communities of color, and provided access to capital. The Congressional Black Caucus remains committed to working hard to ensure better economic opportunities for all. As a part of the Dodd-Frank Bill, the CBC, led by this task-force, established Offices of Minority and Women Inclusion in the financial services entities within the Executive Branch. The taskforce also assisted in drafting the Workforce Investment Act to address job training and development needs, especially for the chronically unemployed. The Economic Development and Wealth Creation Taskforce works to develop initiatives that accelerate economic recovery and ensure underserved communities get on a path towards economic growth. The task-force directly analyzes programs that have been beneficial including neighborhood stabilization funds, community development block grants, and empowerment zones. In addition, the task-force specifically addresses topics related to the Agriculture, Financial Services, Small Business, and Ways and Means Committees, overseeing issues related to: economy, banking, housing and insurance, job creation and economic development; protection of small and minority businesses; and stabilization of distressed communities. 

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Minority Business Development Agency

Strengthening Support To Minority-Owned Firms

David Hinson, National Director, MBDA

Today, the challenge for MBDA– like so many organizations across the federal government – is to figure out how we build on that record while becoming more efficient. A number of bureaus right here within the Commerce Department are facing a similar challenge, which has led, for example, to consolidating or

the Business Centers and business development programs that help minority-owned firms land contracts and financing awards. In each of the cities where we have an administrative office that’s slated for closing, there’s an MBDA Business Center that will continue to provide direct services to minority-owned businesses and entrepreneurs. MBDA, as an advocacy agency for the Nation’s 5.8 million minority-owned firms, is not in jeopardy; and I am confident that this new operational structure will unleash even greater benefits to our constituency. It’s a common sense solution and part of a larger strategy that began when I arrived at MBDA nearly three years ago. My goals have been to make the Agency more responsive to the changing marketplace and to enhance its ability to meet the demands of the rapidly growing minority business community. In my first year, the Agency finalized its work to consolidate the grants management and monitoring program in headquarters and adopted a paperless system for processing, approving and tracking grants. The plan in our 2013 budget to centralize our administrative functions is just an extension of that work, and we look forward to working with members of Congress on this proposal. Minority-owned firms account for $1 trillion in gross receipts and employ almost 6 million Americans. MBDA, the Department of Commerce, and the Obama Administration are dedicated to growing those numbers by strengthening our national presence and localized footprint. It’s my firm belief that we can do that at the same time we get a bigger bang for the taxpayer’s buck. 

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www.mbda.gov/node/1309

Government

upporting the growth and global competitiveness of minority-owned businesses is a priority for the Department of Commerce and the Obama Administration. And we’re making good on that priority. Last year, the Department’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) registered the best annual performance in its 41-year history. It assisted minority-owned businesses in gaining access to nearly $4 billion in contracts and capital, supporting the creation of nearly 6,000 much-needed jobs. Over the last three years, our network of 39 MBDA Business Centers, has been largely responsible for generating $10 billion in contracts and capital while helping to create and save nearly 20,000 jobs.

otherwise cutting several programs in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), restructuring some units within International Trade Administration (ITA) and shifting the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) emphasis to regional innovation strategies. So how do we meet the President’s mandate to improve services to minorityowned businesses and entrepreneurs in an increasingly difficult budget environment? The answer for our Bureau started with looking at the grassroots where MBDA interacts on a daily basis with minority business owners. Our front lines are our 39 MBDA Business Centers and related business development support services. Our plan is to strengthen connections at that level to enhance services and get more for your tax dollar. The centers, operated by local entities, are funded in part by grants from MBDA. The average grant is less than $300,000 and had not experienced an increase in funding in over 15 years … until recently. Last year, when we launched a new round of competitions, MBDA was able to increase the size of the grants and extend awards from three years to five years. As a result of earlier streamlining efforts, MBDA was also able to expand its presence to establish new centers in Denver, Cleveland, Boston, Minneapolis, and Anchorage in fiscal year 2011. But to put more resources into our business centers, we needed to find savings in other parts of our budget. Like many businesses in the private sector, we looked at our administrative costs and decided on a plan to consolidate our five regional administrative offices. It allows us to cut funding for overhead, while putting more resources into

Executive Order:

Establishment of the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center National Intelligence; and (viii) other agencies as the President, or the United States Trade Representative, may designate.

Government

USTR Ron Kirk

y the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to advance U.S. foreign policy and protect the national and economic security of the United States through strengthened and coordinated enforcement of U.S. trade rights under international trade agreements and enforcement of domestic trade laws, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Policy. Robust monitoring and enforcement of U.S. rights under international trade agreements, and enforcement of domestic trade laws, are crucial to expanding exports and ensuring U.S. workers, businesses, ranchers, and farmers are able to compete on a level playing field with foreign trade partners. To strengthen our capacity to monitor and enforce U.S. trade rights and domestic trade laws, and thereby enhance market access for U.S. exporters, executive departments and agencies (agencies) must coordinate and augment their

efforts to identify and reduce or eliminate foreign trade barriers and unfair foreign trade practices to ensure that U.S. workers, businesses, ranchers, and farmers receive the maximum benefit from our international trade agreements and under domestic trade laws. Section 2. Establishment. (a) There is established within the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) an Interagency Trade Enforcement Center (Center). (b) The Center shall coordinate matters relating to enforcement of U.S. trade rights under international trade agreements and enforcement of domestic trade laws among USTR and the following agencies: (i) the Department of State; (ii) the Department of the Treasury; (iii) the Department of Justice; (iv) the Department of Agriculture; (v) the Department of Commerce; (vi) the Department of Homeland Security; (vii) the Office of the Director of

In matters relating to the enforcement of U.S. trade rights involving intellectual property rights, the Center shall consult with the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator. (c) The Center shall have a Director, who shall be a full-time senior-level official of USTR, designated by and reporting to the United States Trade Representative. The Center shall have a Deputy Director, who shall be a full-time senior-level official of the Department of Commerce, designated by the Secretary of Commerce, detailed to the Center and reporting to the Director. The Center shall also have an Intelligence Community Liaison, who shall be a full-time seniorlevel official of the Federal Government recommended by the Director of National Intelligence and designated by his or her agency, as applicable, to be detailed or assigned to the Center. (d) To the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations, and in consultation with the Director of the Center, agencies enumerated in subsection (b) of this section, and others in the Intelligence Community recommended by the Director of National Intelligence, are encouraged to detail or assign their employees to the Center without reimbursement to support the mission and functions of the Center as described in section 3 of this order. Section 3. Mission and Functions.

34 ď&#x201A;ą March 2012 ď&#x201A;ą Black Business News ď&#x201A;ą www.blackbbusinessnews.net

see Trade Enforcement on page 35

Trade Enforcement from page 34

USTR Ron Kirk Section 5. Definitions. For the purposes of this order: (a) the term “U.S. trade rights” means any right, benefit or advantage to which the United States is entitled under an international trade agreement and that could be effectuated through the use of a dispute settlement proceeding. (b) the term “domestic trade laws” means any trade remedies available under U.S. law, including, but not limited to, sections 201, 301, 406, and 421 of the Trade Act of 1974, as

www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2012/02/28/executive-orderestablishment-interagency-tradeenforcement-center

www.usps.com/ship/express-mail.htm

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Government

The Center shall: (a) serve as the primary forum within the Federal Government for USTR and other agencies to coordinate enforcement of U.S. trade rights under international trade agreements and enforcement of domestic trade laws; (b) coordinate among USTR, other agencies with trade related responsibilities, and the U.S. Intelligence Community the exchange of information related to potential violations of international trade agreements by our foreign trade partners; and (c) conduct outreach to U.S. workers, businesses, and other interested persons to foster greater participation in the identification and reduction or elimination of foreign trade barriers and unfair foreign trade practices. Section 4. Administration. (a) Funding and administrative support for the Center shall be provided by USTR to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (b) The United States Trade Representative, through the Director of the Center, shall direct the work of the Center in performing all of its functions under this order.

amended (19 U.S.C. 2251, 2411, 2436, and 2451); sections 332 and 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1332 and 1337); section 281 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (19 U.S.C. 3571); and self-initiation of investigations under Title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1671). Section 6. General Provisions. (a) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (b) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) authority granted by law, regulation, Executive Order, or Presidential Directive to an executive department, agency, or head thereof; or (ii) functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. 

Comerica Expands the needs of high net-worth clients and institutions.

Comerica Tower

omerica Incorporated (www. comerica.com) is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The corporation has expanded its foothold throughout the State of Texas with the acquisition of Sterling Bacshares. In doing so, it has strategically aligned its business and retail bank operations, as well as wealth management services. The Business Bank provides companies of all sizes with an array of credit and non-credit financial products and services. The Retail Bank delivers personalized financial products and services to consumers, whereas the Wealth Management Division serves

As evident by this transaction, valuable things are not cheap. That’s our view of Comerica, Inc.’s purchase of Sterling Bancshares Inc. in Houston, which investors initially hated. Yes, Comerica Chairman and CEO Ralph Babb agreed to pay more than twice the value of Sterling’s tangible book at a time when most banks are changing hands at little or no premium to book. Yet Comerica now has twice as many branches in Houston and a new toe-hold in San Antonio, and it can sell treasury and wealth management services to Sterling customers. Even before the acquisition of Sterling Banc, Comerica Bank was the largest U.S. banking company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Comerica Bank operates 217 banking centers in Michigan. In California, Comerica Bank operates 104 banking centers. In Arizona, Comerica Bank operates 17 banking centers in Phoenix/Scottsdale. In Florida, Comerica Bank operates 11 banking centers. Select businesses of Comerica Bank also can be found in several other states, as well as in Canada and Mexico.

37  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Prevention at the Heart of Keeping Women Healthy By Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, HHS determine what preventive services are appropriate and set up a plan to help women get the care they need to be healthy. Women will have access to life-saving screenings. For example, women will have access to screening and counseling for interpersonal and domestic violence. An estimated 25% of women in the U.S. report being targets of intimate partner violence during their lifetimes. Screening is effective in the early detection and effectiveness of interventions to increase the safety of abused women. Sexually-active women will have access to annual counseling on sexually transmitted infections and HIV. Only 28% of women aged 18 to 44 years reported that they had discussed STIs with a doctor or nurse yet screening services have been shown to reduce risky behavior. Women who are 30 years old or older will have access to highrisk human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing every three years, regardless of pap smear results. Early screening, detection and treatment have been shown to help reduce the prevalence of cervical cancer. Women will also have access to all Food and Drug Administrationapproved contraceptive methods, sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling. Though most workers in employer-sponsored plans are currently covered for contraceptives, these new guidelines offer more women the opportunity to access these important services. When half of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned, we know family planning services are an essential preventive

service for women. These services are critical to appropriately spacing and ensuring intended pregnancies which results in improved maternal health and better birth outcomes. For mothers-to-be, gestational diabetes screening will now be covered at no out of pocket expense. It will help improve the health of mothers and babies because women who have gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. Pregnant and postpartum women will have access to comprehensive lactation support and counseling from trained providers, as well as breastfeeding equipment. One of the barriers for breastfeeding is the cost of purchasing or renting breast pumps and nursing related supplies, and now, women will have coverage for this important benefit. As breastfeeding is one of the most effective preventive measures mothers can take to protect their health and the health of their children, access to this equipment

39  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

see Prevention on page 41

Government

veryone wants their family to be healthy. And a key component of this is ensuring that mothers, daughters, and sisters have access to the preventive services they need. When it comes to health, women are often the sole decision maker for their families and the trusted source in circles of friends – and they are also key consumers of health care. Women have unique healthcare needs across their life span and have high rates of chronic disease, including diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Yet while women are more likely to need preventive health care services, they often have less ability to pay. Too often, the combination of women’s lower incomes and out-of-pocket health costs mean that women forgo necessary preventive services. But removing cost sharing requirements improves women’s access to important preventive services. In fact, one study found that the rate of women getting a mammogram went up as much as 9% when cost sharing was removed. The Affordable Care Act (www. whitehouse.gov/healthreform/ healthcare-overview) helps make prevention affordable and accessible for all Americans by requiring new health plans to cover recommended preventive services and by eliminating cost sharing, such as deductibles, copayments or co-insurance, for many preventive services. The law also requires insurance companies to cover additional preventive health benefits for women. For the first time ever, HHS is adopting a new comprehensive set of guidelines for women’s preventive services (www.hrsa.gov/ womensguidelines) that builds on and fills the gaps in existing preventive services recommendations for women’s health. Together, these guidelines will help ensure that women stay healthy at every stage of life. The new guidelines include a number of key services for women. For adult women of all ages, well-woman visits will now be covered without costsharing. Similar to well-baby visits and the annual Medicare wellness visit, this annual well-woman preventive care visit will help women and their doctors

FACT SHEET: Women’s Preventive Services and Religious Institutions Office of the Press Secretary, The White House

Covering contraception is cost neutral since it saves money by keeping women healthy and preventing spending on other health services.  www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2012/02/10/fact-sheet-womens-preventive-services-and-religiousinstitutions

Prevention from page 39

without cost can help improve maternal and child health. By eliminating barriers like co-pays, these guidelines will help improve access to affordable, quality health care for all women. New private health plans must cover the guidelines on women’s preventive services with no cost sharing in plan years starting on or after July 29, 2012. Today, we are moving one step closer to knocking down the barriers to the services that keep American women healthy. Learn more about the new women’s prevention guidelines (www.healthcare. g o v / n e w s / f a c t s h e e t s / 2 0 11 / 0 8 / w o m e n s p r e v e n t i o n 0 8 0 1 2 0 11 a . html). For more information, view Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President on Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls Valerie Jarrett’s blog post (www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2011/08/01/affordable-care-acthelps-women-stay-healthy).  www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/08/01/ prevention-heart-keeping-womenhealthy

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Government

hanks to the Affordable Care Act, most health insurance plans will cover women’s preventive services, including contraception, without charging a co-pay or deductible beginning in August, 2012. This new law will save money for millions of Americans and ensure Americans nationwide get the high-quality care they need to stay healthy. President Obama has announced that his Administration will implement a policy that accommodates religious liberty while protecting the health of women. Today, nearly 99% of all women have used contraception at some point in their lives, but more than half of all women between the ages of 18-34 struggle to afford it. Under the new policy to be announced, women will have free preventive care that includes contraceptive services no matter where she works. The policy also ensures that if a woman works for a religious employer with objections to providing contraceptive services as part of its health plan, the religious employer will not be required to provide, pay for or refer for contraception coverage, but her insurance company will be required to directly offer her contraceptive care free of charge. The new policy ensures women can get contraception without paying a copay and fully accomodates important concerns raised by religious groups by ensuring that objecting non-profit religious employers will not have to provide contraceptive coverage or refer women to organizations that provide contraception. Background on this

policy is included below: • Under Section 2713 of the Affordable Care Act, the Administration adopted new guidelines that will require most private health plans to cover preventive services for women without charging a co-pay starting on August 1, 2012. These preventive services include well women visits, domestic violence screening, and contraception, and all were recommended to the Secretary of Health and Human Services by the independent Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science. • The Obama Administration will publish final rules in the Federal Register that: o Exempts churches, other houses of worship, and similar organizations from covering contraception on the basis of their religious objections. o Establishes a one-year transition period for religious organizations while this policy is being implemented. • The President will also announce that his Administration will propose and finalize a new regulation during this transition year to address the religious objections of the nonexempted non-profit religious organizations. The new regulation will require insurance companies to cover contraception if the religious organization chooses not to. Under the policy: o Religious organizations will not have to provide contraceptive coverage or refer their employees to organizations that provide contraception. o Religious organizations will not be required to subsidize the cost of

contraception. o Contraception coverage will be offered to women by their employers’ insurance companies directly, with no role for religious employers who oppose contraception. o Insurance companies will be required to provide contraception coverage to these women free of charge. o The new policy does not affect existing state requirements concerning contraception coverage.

SAVE THE DATE – JUNE 11, 2011

The Leadership of the California Legislature and

California Small Business Associations Invite you to attend

“CALIFORNIA SMALL BUSINESS DAY”

By the Authority of Assembly Resolution in 2000 small business owners and government officials will meet June 11th to celebrate the contribution small business provides through creation of jobs and growth for the California economy. Don’t miss these highlights of the day: x Dialogue with legislative leaders x Luncheon keynote address x Presentations to honored small business owners by legislators x Visit the Exhibits of State Agencies and Small Biz Friendly Sponsors

Sacramento Convention Center 1400 J Street, Sacramento, CA 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

June 11, 2012

Phone 800-350-2722 for Information or contact Steering Committee Aubry Stone, CA Black Chamber; Betty Jo Toccoli, CA Sm Bus Assn; Gwen Moore, CA Sm Bus Roundtable Ruben Guerra, Latin Business Assn.; Julian Canete, CA Hispanic Chamber; Joel Fox, Sm Bus Action Comm. Rebecca Llewellyn, Women Construction Owners; ,

SAVE THE DATE - JUNE 11, 2012

SBA to Honor Small Businesses at National Small Business Week May 20-22 in Washington, DC Event Features Awards, Forums and the Naming of National Small Business Person of the Year – Events Open to the Public The nation’s top entrepreneurs will be honored at the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week events May 20-22 in Washington, DC. A series of award ceremonies, small business events and educational forums will mark the 59th anniversary of the agency and the 49th annual proclamation of National Small Business Week. National as well

Small Business as numerous

Week is corporate

co-sponsored by the and trade sponsors

SCORE to be

Association announced.

More than 100 outstanding small business owners from across the country will receive awards while gathering for three days at the city’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel. They will meet with top administration officials, congressional representatives and national business leaders. The highlight of the celebration will be the announcement of the National Small Business Person of the Year. “Small business owners and employees across America are proving their resiliency as they continue to help drive economic recovery, economic growth and job creation,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “National Small Business Week gives us an opportunity to honor their achievements and the spirit of entrepreneurship, innovation and determination that makes them the engine of our economy and our nation’s economic recovery.” Men and women also will be recognized for their involvement in disaster recovery, government contracting and their support for small businesses and entrepreneurship, and awards will be presented to SBA partners in financial and entrepreneurial development, including the year’s top SCORE Chapter, Small Business Development Center and Women’s Business Center. Interested parties can register online at www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com where additional information (updated weekly) is available regarding registration, awards ceremonies, small business forums and educational and matchmaking sessions. The event also will be webcast live at the web site.

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s participation in this cosponsored activity does not constitute an express or implied endorsement of any cosponsor’s, donor’s, grantee’s, contractor’s or participant’s opinions, products, or services. All SBA programs and cosponsored programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable arrangements for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least 2 weeks in advance, by contacting sbw@sba.gov. Cosponsorship Authorization #SBW2012. Release Number: 12-05 Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Blogs

President Barack Obama at a dinner honoring Iraq war veterans, White House Photo, Pete Souza.

by Colleen Curtis

resident Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden recently welcomed a group of true American heroes to the White House. “A Nation’s Gratitude: Honoring those who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn” was a formal dinner that paid tribute to our Iraq veterans and marked the end of the war. More than 100 service members and their guests were in attendance, and the invitees included men and women in uniform from all ranks, each U.S. state and territory, and every branch of the Armed Forces. Together, they represented the million American

troops who served in Iraq, and they also represented what Vice President Joe Biden called the finest generation of warriors in all of history. In his remarks, the President welcomed the veterans home, praised their bravery and dedication to their mission, and thanked them on behalf of more than 300 million Americans: “Tonight, what we can do is convey what you’ve meant to the rest of us. Because through the dust and the din and the fog of war, the glory of your service always shone through. In your noble example, we see the virtues and the values that sustain America, that keep this country great. You taught us about duty. Blessed to

www.whitehouse.gov/ blog/2012/02/29/president-obamahonors-iraq-veterans-white-house

45  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Government

President Obama Honors Iraq Veterans at the White House

live in the land of the free, you could have opted for an easier path. But you know that freedom is not free. And so you volunteered and you stepped forward, and you raised your hand and you took an oath -- to protect and defend; to serve a cause greater than yourself, knowing, in a time of war, you could be sent into harm’s way. You taught us about resolve. Invasion turned to insurgency and then sectarian strife. But you persevered, tour after tour, year after year. Indeed, we’re mindful that even as we gather here, Iraq veterans continue to risk their lives in Afghanistan, and our prayers are with them all tonight. In one of our nation’s longest wars, you wrote one of the most extraordinary chapters in American military history. Now the Iraqi people have a chance to forge their own destiny, and every one of you who served there can take pride in knowing you gave the Iraqis this opportunity; that you succeeded in your mission.” 

USDA Offers More than Employment Opportunities for Veterans by David Dissinger

oday about 6.1 million of America’s veterans live in rural communities. About 38 percent of military recruits call rural America home, but these communities face real economic challenges. So over the past two years – at President Obama’s direction – USDA and the rest of the federal government have taken historic action to support rural economies. At the same time, USDA has worked to increase our rate of hiring veterans and disabled veterans each year. At the end of Fiscal Year 2011, nearly a quarter of USDA’s permanent hires were veterans. Veterans are leaders in their

communities and we want to help them pursue their goals. So today, Secretary Vilsack signed a Memorandum of Understanding between USDA and The American Legion at The American Legion’s Washington Conference. The Legion is the Nation’s largest veterans service organization and has long been committed to helping transitioning military and America’s veterans find jobs. We will work with the Legion to increase outreach, recruitment, hiring, and retention of veterans and to ensure that veterans across America – and especially in rural America – are well informed about USDA programs like

www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/02/29/ usda-offers-more-employmentopportunities-veterans

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Government

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack speaks to the American Legion prior to signing a memorandum of understanding with the American Legion which will help our Nation’s veterans and transitioning military service members find positions that promote agriculture, animal and plant health, food safety, nutrition, conservation and rural communities at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC.

our through Farm Service Agency loans that can be used to purchase land, livestock, equipment, feed, seed and supplies. The agency provides direct and guaranteed loans to beginning farmers and ranchers. USDA also provides homeownership opportunities to low-and moderateincome rural Americans and business loans, grant and loan guarantees for rural communities under our Rural Development mission area. At USDA, we recognized that there was a knowledge gap between service members who were looking to start a business, farm or ranch and our programs, grants, loans or small business contracts that are available. As a result of this MOU, we will provide information to all 14,000 American Legion posts and at all Transition Assistance Program offices, so that our men and women returning from service will learn about our programs when transitioning back into their communities. Legion posts are often the hub of a rural community. One-third of its membership and over 5,300 posts are located in counties with populations under 40,000. We have about 450 USDA Rural Development offices and more than 2,100 Farm Service Agency offices in counties throughout the country. USDA operates through a field structure, much like the Legion. For us, this MOU was a natural fit. Through creative partnerships like the one we announced today, USDA program managers will have an opportunity to leverage the Legion’s efforts and visibility in rural communities to market our programs to transitioning service members and veterans. We will encourage veterans to take a look at the opportunities and support we offer and encourage them to get into the field of agriculture through programs like www.START2FARM.gov. The American farmer is aging, 30% of farmers are 65 years or older. New farmers are essential to our nation’s national, food and economic security. 

CALIFORNIA BLACK CHAMBER FOUNDATION & THE CALIFORNIA BLACK HEALTH NETWORK ADDRESS PRESIDENT OBAMA’S AFFORDABLE CARE ACT What Effect Will the New Healthcare Plan Have On Small Business Enterprise? The California Black Chamber of Commerce Foundation (CBCCF) and the California Black Health Network (CBHN) host the 2012 African American Leadership Weekend (AALW), March 29-31, in conjunction with Health and Wellness Day on Thursday, March 29 at the Sacramento Doubletree Hotel. Congresswoman and former Speaker of the California Assembly, the Honorable Karen Bass, is the invited keynote speaker. She has been asked to address African American business leaders for a full weekend of discussion and clarity about the critical role they play in ensuring access to affordable healthcare for their employees and their families. Boosting the value of providing health insurance to its citizens, California is the first state to pass enabling legislation to implement President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Since March 2010, when the landmark federal healthcare law was enacted, 2.2 million children in California can no longer be denied healthcare coverage due to preexisting conditions. And, as a result of the federal reform, most young people in California can remain on their parent’s insurance until their 26th birthday. Most of the additional reforms are set to activate in 2014, including the Health Benefits Exchange, a new marketplace where individuals and small businesses can buy affordable health benefit plans. But, activities are underway now to ensure Californians will be eligible and ready for enrollment on January 1 of 2014. The African American Leadership Weekend provides workshops and professional networking opportunities to share critical information around health and wellness policy and transparency. Members of the California Legislative Black Caucus and prominent doctors, healthcare professionals and small business owners will converge to determine the direct effects of this historic legislation. Other invited guests include U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin, Dr. David Carlisle, President of Charles Drew University of Medicine, Dr. Eric Walsh, Director of Public Health for the City of Pasadena, Kamala Devi Harris, California State Attorney General, and Dr. Robert Ross, President of The California Endowment and Board Member of the California Health Benefits Exchange. For more information about the African American Leadership Weekend/Health and Wellness Day, visit http://calbcc.org/blog or call 916-463-0177. Our email address is cbcc@calbcc.org. Also, please see the CBHN conference webpage (www.cbhn.org) for more information or contact CBHN at 916-333-0613 or info@cablackhealthnetwork.org. PR CONTACT: CB COMMUNICATIONS, 916-806-3384 48  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s History Month - Celebrate with Flowers!

GRANTS.GOV LISTINGS The following grant opportunity postings may be found on the Grants.gov Find Opportunities service: HHS Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Limited Competition: Specific pathogen free macaque colonies (U42), Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=70853

Business

HHS Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Limited Competition: Specific pathogen free macaque colonies (U42), Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=70854 HHS Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Limited Competition: Specific pathogen free macaque colonies (U24), Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=70855 DOD Department of Defense Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA - Defense Sciences Office Defense Sciences Research and Technology, Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=112994 HHS Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Development of Novel and Emerging Technologies for the Accurate Detection and Diagnosis of Polymicrobial Infections in Biomedical Laboratory Animal Models (STTR

[R41/R42]), Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=123134 HHS Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Midcareer Investigator Award in Mouse Pathobiology and Comprehensive Phenotyping Research (K26), Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=131273 USAID Agency for International Development Thailand USAID-Bangkok USAID Improving Higher Education Quality Program in Vietnam, Modification 5 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=137633 USAID Agency for International Development Uganda USAID-Kampala NU-HITES, Modification 2 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=141993 DOE Department of Energy Golden Field Office Advanced Manufacturing Program and Building Technologies Program Superior Energy Performance Program Administrator, Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=142075 DOE Department of Energy Idaho Field Office Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET) Advanced Methods for Manufacturing, Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=144333 DOE Department of Energy Idaho Field Office

Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET) Reactor Materials, Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=144359 DOD Department of Defense Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA - Defense Sciences Office Butyrylcholinesterase Expression in Plants, Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=144634 DOE Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory Advanced Oxy-combustion Technology Development and Scaleup for New and Existing Coal-fired Power Plants, Modification 2 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=145074 DOD Department of Defense Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA - Information Innovation Office High-Assurance Cyber Military Systems (HACMS), Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=146074 DOT Department of Transportation Pipeline &Hazardous Material Safety Administration PHMSA Hazmat Grants 2013 PHMSA HMEP States & Territories, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=146813 DOT Department of Transportation Pipeline &Hazardous Material Safety Administration PHMSA Hazmat Grants 2013 PHMSA HMEP SPSTG, Grant

50  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

see Grants.gov on page 51

GRANTS.GOV LISTINGS from page 50

www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147134 DOT Department of Transportation Pipeline &Hazardous Material Safety Administration PHMSA Hazmat Grants 2013 PHMSA HMEP States & Territories, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147574 DOT Department of Transportation Pipeline &Hazardous Material Safety Administration PHMSA Hazmat Grants 2013 PHMSA HMEP Native American Tribes, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147593

VA Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program VA Grant and Per Diem Program Notice of Fund Availability, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147833 DOI Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) BOEM FY 2012 Louisiana Coastal Marine Institute, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147853 HHS Department of Health and Human Services

HHS Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Research Networks for Macromolecular Interactions in Cells (U54), Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147913 HHS Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Collaborations for Macromolecular Interactions in Cells (R01), Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147914 DOS Department of State Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Establishment of a University Partnership with Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147933 USDOJ Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance National Justice Information Sharing (JIS) Initiative, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147935 SSA Social Security Administration Social Security Disability Research Consortium, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147953

DOC Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers for South Dakota and Kentucky, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147954 EPA Environmental Protection Agency FY 2012 Tribal Pesticide Special Projects, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147955 USDOJ Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance BJA FY 12 National Adult and Juvenile Offender Reentry Resource Center, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147973 EPA Environmental Protection Agency Citizen Science - Community Involvement Today and in the Future, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147993 DOI Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative and Pacific Islands Climate Science Center, Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=148013 HHS Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program, Grant see Grants.gov on page 53

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Business

USDOJ Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Office of Violence Against Women OVW FY 2012 Technical Assistance Program, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147817

Agency for Health Care Research and Quality AHRQ Mentored Career Enhancement Award in Patient Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) for Mid-Career and Senior Investigators (K18), Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=147875

GRANTS.GOV LISTINGS from page 51

www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=148113

www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=148033 USDA Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture 1890 Facilities Grant Program, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=148037 DOI Department of the Interior OIA Brown Treesnake Control Program, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=148038 DOD Department of Defense Natural Resources Solutions to Address Stream Restoration and Habitat Improvement at Indian Head Maryland, Grant

NSF National Science Foundation CISE-MPS Interdisciplinary Faculty Program in Quantum Information Science, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=148153 NSF National Science Foundation Campus Cyberinfrastructure - Network Infrastructure and Engineering Program, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=148154 NSF National Science Foundation Research in Disabilities Education Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=148155

DOI Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service South Fork Cottonwood Ck Fish Passage Improvement, Phase One Modification 1 www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=148233 DOE Department of Energy Golden Field Office U.S. Offshore Wind: Advanced Technology Demonstration Projects Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=148294 DOI Department of the Interior National Park Service Groundwork New Orleans, Grant www07.grants.gov/search/search. do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=148333 

Business

53  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

SERVING THE INDUSTRY and the TRADE PIPE - VALVES - FITTINGS - METALS - TOOLS PROCESS CONTROLS - INSTRUMENTATION - WATER WORKS

Brandon Supply Corporation is a world class distributor of industrial supplies. Brandon has been proven to be a dependable source of supply to the petrochemical, power generation and waterworks industries providing fast and reliable service. Brandon, in maintaining the policy of selling only superior products, represents only the nation's top manufacturers.

SBA CERTIFIED We offer a full range of valves for all piping applications, pressure tubing in all sizes and schedules, a complete line of fittings, flanges and couplings in all metallurgies. We also offer a full range in PVC, HDPE and other materials.

Clarence D. Scott, CEO CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS 14120 Gannet Street Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670

MAILING ADDRESS P.O. Box 5354 Buena Park, CA 90623

Phone: 562-921-0407 | FAX: 562-921-5945 800.238.5906 (Outside California) www.brandonsupply.com | cdavis@brandonsupplycorp.com

ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

54  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Tech Tools: Consumers

Flex Their Mobile Muscle by Samuel Greengard

Shoppers are turning to mobile apps for product information when making purchasing decisions, so retailers need to engage with app developers to make sure they’ve got the right information.

that there’s a critical need to ensure the accuracy of product data that’s shared over the air. In a recent report, Beyond the Label (www.capgemini.com/ insights-and-resources/by-publication/ beyond-the-label/?d=8FF8CEFFF5E6-5E85-C65F-5D4408480F60), CapGemini and GS1 found that between 30% and 40% of smartphone users rely on barcode scanning apps. The use of these apps has increased about 1,600% since 2010. However, 91% of mobile barcode scans returned incorrect product descriptions; 75% returned no data at all, and 38% of consumers said they would not purchase a product if they didn’t trust the production information displayed about it on their smartphone. Carpenter says that retailers must begin working with app producers

to improve accuracy and create consistent and streamlined tools. Solutions that share digital product information with consumers must work in a global environment, be highly scalable, provide real-time data, and be multi-sourced to include all the data that consumers require to make a buying decision.  www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Mobile-andWireless/Consumers-Flex-Their-MobileMuscle-709322/?kc=BLBLBEMNL022020 12STR1

www.marketingprofs.com/events/register.asp?evid=49 55  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Business

t’s hardly a secret that retailing is undergoing one of the biggest transformations in its history. Mobile point-of-sale systems, analytics and the cloud are fundamentally altering both online and in-store experiences. What’s not apparent to many retailers, says GS1 U.S. President and CEO Bob Carpenter, is how much power and sway today’s consumers have. In the past, the power of comparison shopping was mostly limited to the web, where companies such as Nextag, Bizrate, Shopzilla and PriceGrabber compared everything from computers and cameras to shoes and perfume. Now, thanks to barcode scanning and price comparison apps, this capability is being pushed out to stores, where it has the power to thoroughly disrupt traditional business models. Carpenter notes that, in the past, retailers have relied on their own loyalty card programs to communicate directly with consumers. However, today’s consumer is increasingly looking for price comparisons and go-to apps not related to specific retailers. As a result, retailers must work with third-party mobile apps to share private-label information with consumers. Those that stand on the sidelines risk losing mind share -- and market share. However, success requires more than simply connecting with various pricing apps. CapGemini, which consults with many of the world’s top retailers, says

WHY ARE MORE BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES USING SLATON INSURANCE GROUP? BECAUSE THEY DELIVER! Insurance Management Services As a client of Slaton Insurance Group you’ve already made the decision to work with proven resources to help your business manage its risk exposure and to stay within compliance. The independent insurance agents of the Slaton Group will help you manage risk and reduce loss while maintaining adherence to your insurance budget. We are an integrated, single source provider for your insurance needs.

STEVEN D. TURNER Slaton Group License #0G12789 Financial Advisory / Insurance Services 16161 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 382 Encino, California 91436 Telephone: 818-585-1374 E-mail: sturner@slatongroup.com Website: www.slatongroup.com

Insurance Coverage for Clients •

Business Owner’s Policy (BOP) - Property & General Liability Coverage in one Policy form, generally for small and midsized practices. The package includes coverage for business interruption, valuable papers, accounts receivables, employee dishonesty and numerous other pertinent coverages.

•

Commercial Package Policy (CPP) - Generally for larger practices/facilities; incorporates several policy forms including but not limited to general liability, property, automobile and crime policies.

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Professional Liability - Provides protection for rendering professional services; may apply to both individual professionals and/or businesses.

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Commercial Umbrella - An additional layer of liability protection that applies across policies to give you increased coverage limits.

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Inland Marine - Coverage for specialized, valuable equipment or equipment that is mobile.

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Commercial Auto Insurance - Protection for your owned, borrowed, or rental autos.

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Worker’s Compensation - Social insurance program designed to resolve disputes between injured employees and their employers.

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Directors & Officers

•

Employment Practices Liability

Health Care Industry: Steven Turner and his team provide solutions across the continuum of care in medical facilities coverage, ranging from small clinics to specialized facilities and hospitals. As the environment evolves in the medical services industry, Slaton Insurance Group is ready to assist you in managing risk. Private Client Services: You’ve worked hard to provide a comfortable living for yourself and your family - we work hard to protect it. We work with you to help find personal insurance solutions that provide you the protection you need. Some of the coverage, we offer through our Private Client Services are Home insurance, Auto coverage, Board insurance, Umbrella policies, and many more converges to meet your needs.

Slaton Group is an independent insurance agency dedicated to providing quality commercial and personal insurance programs. Since we are not limited to any one company, we can shop the marketplace to give you the best protection at the most competitive price.

Magic Johnson’s ‘Aspire’ Network Launching on Comcast this Summer

n June 30, 2012 former Los Angeles Lakers all-star Earvin “Magic” Johnson will launch a 24-hr basic cable television network called “Aspire.” Johnson’s channel will be the first of ten new independently owned entities

images and to have stories written, produced and directed by African Americans for our community. Aspire — that’s how I’ve been leading my life.” Johnson will act as Aspire’s Chief Executive, with the president of Magic Johnson Enterprises, Eric Holoman,

Johnson learned that Comcast was accepting proposals, he immediately threw his hat into the ring. “We wanted to be the first one.” Launching a cable channel takes considerable investment — in some cases, as much as $100 million. Johnson declined to discuss the financial details, although the venture will be paid for through a combination of personal and private equity funds.

Federal Mandate Sparks Comcast Action

to hit the air as part of Comcast’s diversity agreement with the FCC and Department of Justice. Aspire, headquartered in Atlanta, will partner with GMC, a regional cable channel, “will focus on what Magic Johnson calls positive, uplifting images of African Americans and will offer opportunities for black people in the entertainment industry,” Aspire’s mix will include film, TV, music and comedy, with a combination of acquired projects and original programming. “There will some performing arts and shows about faith,” Johnson said. This is so exciting for me, I’m pinching myself,” Johnson said in a phone interview. “This is big for myself, for the African American community and the African American creative community. I wanted a vehicle to show positive

in the Chief Operating Officer role. An executive to run the channel is being sought. The channel will initially be available to 11 million Comcast Cable customers with hopes of expansion into 50 million homes within a few years. Johnson recently made a multimilliondollar investment in Vibe Holdings, the New York parent company of Vibe magazine and the “Soul Train” dance series. Magic Johnson Enterprises also has an interest in Inner City Broadcasting, a group of 17 radio stations that includes WBLS, the largest urban station in New York. Johnson, who majored in communications studies during his time at Michigan State University said: “Once we got into this whole new media space, we were thinking, ‘Now how do we get a television station?’” When

www.scpr.org/blogs/ newmedia/2012/02/21/4756/magicjohnson-aspire-network-launchingcomcast-sum www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-magicjohnson-20120221,0,5232547.story

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Business

Earvin “Magic” Johnson

Johnson’s entry into the television arena comes through communications giant Comcast Corp. as part of its agreement with the FCC and Department of Justice to diversify the cable landscape. Comcast agreed in 2011 to launch 10 new independently owned cable channels, with most backed by African Americans and Latinos, by 2018. Johnson’s channel is scheduled to be the first. Comcast’s obligation to support minority-owned channels came after a bruising yearlong federal review of the Philadelphia cable company’s acquisition of NBCUniversal, which includes the NBC broadcast network, NBC television stations, Universal Studios, Universal Pictures, cable channels USA, Bravo, Syfy, MSNBC and CNBC and Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo. During the extensive review process, which spanned all of 2010, executives were called before Congress to defend the merger. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) was particularly tenacious in her grilling of NBCUniversal and Comcast officers, questioning their commitment to hiring and advancing minorities. 

AT&T Small Business

Six highly brief, yet amazingly informative studies of businesses who are keeping up with the changing needs of their customers. At att.com/smallbiz, learn how the passions of their ideas meet up with the ingenuity of AT&T solutions. And see how you can put their experience and perspectives to work for your business.

A restaurant uses a new mobility app to gain instant feedback on food quality. A solely owned law firm isn’t alone when it comes to tech support. A vineyard helps visitors both stay connected and get away from it all.

Save More, Grow Faster Introducing Inc. Deals. I’m pleased to introduce Inc. Deals, an exclusive new service designed to offer unbeatable savings on the equipment and services you need to grow your business.

At Inc.com, we’ve long wanted to offer a deals service, recognizing that our traffic volume could save you money. Before we could, though, we needed a partner worthy of Inc. In RapidBuyr, the engine behind Inc. Deals, we found that partner. Here’s why I like RapidBuyr and why I think you’ll like Inc. Deals. • The savings are real: Each deal is guaranteed to be the lowest price anywhere. (On average, Inc. Deals’ prices are 19% lower than Amazon’s.) • RapidBuyr’s leaders are repeat entrepreneurs who learned online retail as senior executives at Amazon, Gilt Group, Facebook, Zynga and others. • The offerings are brand-name office products and thoroughly vetted business services. • Shipping is always free. • There are no membership fees, hidden costs, or tipping points. To get started, sign up for free at http://inc.rapidbuyr.com/signup/inc. Once you’re signed up, we’ll email you every week with new deals. I think you’ll be pleased with the offers, but you can, of course, unsubscribe whenever you want. Full disclosure: As you probably guessed, Inc. gets a percentage of whatever you buy through Inc. Deals. That doesn’t change the price you pay, and it doesn’t alter the fact that Inc. Deals works for us only if it works for you. I want to know how Inc. Deals meets your needs. Email me with suggested improvements and concerns at eric.schurenberg@inc.com. But for now, I encourage you to sign up here, and start saving. Eric Schurenberg, Editor, Inc.com

Maker Faire: Kansas City www.makerfairekc.com

What is Maker Faire? Maker Faire events across the United States are celebrating a DIY/ homegrown invention movement. Whether it’s a home-built robot, video game, handbag, miniature race car, musical instrument, or sustainable micro garden, Maker Faire showcases all that is creative and innovative in our community.

When and Where is Maker Faire: Kansas City?

What Kinds of Exhibitions will be There? Interactive projects that showcase the value and process of “making,” including: • Vintage Tech and Gaming • Design/Architecture/Engineering • Robotics • Hacker and Maker Space • Biotech/Biochem • 3D Printers • Tesla Coils • Miniature Racing and Boating • Student Projects/Experiments

Those applicants who also wish to offer their inventions/crafts/artwork for sale at Maker faire: Kansas City may be asked to pay a fee for their booth space (see application for details).

Who Should Apply for a Maker Faire: Kansas City Booth?

With excitement of last year’s event spreading throughout the community and the region, Union Station expects more than 10,000 visitors to experience Maker Faire: Kansas City this summer.

Local, regional, and national groups, clubs, individuals, schools, universities, and hobbyists who can demonstrate or actually show the making of their invention/craft/project in a contained booth setting. NOTE: Young Makers ages 16 and under must have parental/guardian permission and complete permission form in Step 2 of application to exhibit at Maker Faire: Kansas City 2012.

How many Makers will exhibit? Union Station is equipped to handle upward of 400 booths inside and on the surrounding grounds. Each booth will be allowed up to 5 exhibitor badges.

How many People will Attend Maker Faire: Kansas City?

How do I Learn More or Apply to be a Maker? Visit the Maker Faire: Kansas City Maker information page (www. makerfairekc.com/information), or go directly to the application at www. makerfairekc.com/makers. The Call for Makers is open until March 30, 2012.

What Does it Cost to Exhibit?

More questions?

Applicants who are chosen by a review panel to participate will receive a 10’x10’ display booth at no charge.

59  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Business

Saturday, June 23, 2012, 10 am – 7 pm Sunday, June 24, 2012, 10 am – 5 pm Union Station 30 W. Pershing Rd. Kansas City, MO 64108

• Clothing/Textile Design and Innovation • Food and Beverage Makers • Crafts, including Wood, Glass, • Found objects • Visual Arts • Performing Arts • Fire/Water Displays • Unusual Tools • Kites • Bicycles • HAM Radio • Art Cars

Business

Starbucks Invites You to Help Create American Jobs

hen you donate $5 or more to the Create Jobs for USA Fund you’ll receive an American-made “Indivisible” wristband so you can show your ongoing support. Make your donation online at www.createjobsforusa.org or visit your nearby Starbucks company-operated store.  60  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Pinterest: Not Just for Stay-atHome Moms and Aspiring Wedding Planners by Christina Dowers

What Does Pinterest Have to Do With Business? Here are four ways you can use Pinterest to get more business. 1. Create an account to engage potential customers Some companies have already set up accounts on Pinterest and have gotten users to repin (similar to a Twitter retweet) and like (similar to a Facebook "Like") their images. By setting up an

account, you can have more control over what others say about you and your products and services. You can easily monitor the comments just like on Facebook or Twitter. If they like what you put out there, the people who directly visit your boards will repin your stuff. In turn, their friends will see your images and have the option to repin them if they like what you offer. Real Simple, a popular women's magazine that covers everything from beauty to recipes, has a Pinterest account with various boards to showcase the magazine's unique content. The magazine's boards consist of Super Bowl party ideas, holiday recipes, and gift inspirations. Pinterest offers a gift link in the main navigation that separates its gift ideas by price range. You can do the same for your business, and seize the opportunity to showcase your product offerings. 2. Use unique images to drive business to your website Again, Pinterest is all about visuals and images, so the better the image... the more likely a user will want to click on it for further information. You can include a small description of an image you post, for example, along with a link that leads users to the specific page on your website that hosts that image. That is your opportunity to tell users about your product or service. Etsy, a popular commerce website for small businesses and individual users to display handcrafted and vintage products, uses Pinterest to display various items that its vendors offer. Because Pinterest users seek craft-related ideas and links to specific products, Pinterest has become one of the largest drivers of traffic to the Etsy website, according to USA Today. 3. Add a Pinterest icon to your

shopping cart page In addition to driving traffic from Pinterest to its website, Etsy also offers a "pin it" button next to the products on its site. Doing so gives users the option to share what they bought or shopped for on Etsy with their friends. 4. Drive users to your company's blog Many bloggers have started using Pinterest to get the word out about their blog or blog posts. The key is to use a compelling image to accompany your post to intrigue users. The better the image, the more likely a user will want to click on it to learn more thus giving you the opportunity to get more traffic to your blog. Traffic to Nesting Place, a blog about home-decorating ideas, increased as Pinterest users pinned its blog posts to their pinboards. The blog received 100,000 pageviews in September 2011 from Pinterest. Mobile-Friendly Images and Content Because many more people are accessing the Internet from their smartphones nowadays, use images on your mobile site and blog that are Pinterest-friendly. One way to do that is to pin the photo on Pinterest yourself to see what it looks like there. Also, mobile users want quick access to information, so accompany your images with clear and concise content that will tell users exactly what the image is about. To avoid confusion and eliminate the guesswork for users, write your own compelling copy for the images you post.  http://www.marketingprofs.com/ articles/2012/7151/pinterest-not-justfor-stay-at-home-moms-and-aspiringwedding-planners#ixzz1nIrgbGcv

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Business

f you have been online lately you may have heard of Pinterest (http:// pinterest.com) by now. Pinterest is a hot new social media website that provides a way for users to save and display ideas on virtual pinboards. So, "What's the big deal? Isn't this just like Facebook?" Yes, Pinterest is an online communications tool just like Facebook... but this social network is strictly a way for users to save and organize their favorite things from the Internet on virtual boards. Common topics are: Weddings, Baby showers, Outfits, Recipes, Makeup, Hairstyles, Decorating, Crafts, Music, Travel, Books, Healthy living, Movies. Users have the option to follow all of their friends' boards or only specific ones. The follow system works just like Twitter, so you can also "unfollow" certain friends or boards whenever you want. And people can share their finds with friends. Users are allowed to edit comments on others' images before saving them to a pinboard, and their friends can comment on those pinned images, too. Pinterest is similar to social bookmarking sites such as Digg, Delicious, Reddit, and StumbleUpon. However, the site is extremely visual, chock-full of unique images and photos that others can see and say, "Wow! I love that! I want to pin that, too!"

Call for Applications: Kauffman Life Science Ventures Summit

June 22-23, 2012 San Francisco, CA

feedback,” said Dominique Pahud, director, advancing innovation at the Kauffman Foundation. “We will answer the critical questions that founders must address to start and grow viable life science companies. Every minute of this event will focus on helping founders create a path to successfully bring their innovations to market.” Industry experts and successful entrepreneurs will provide practical guidance on commercializing innovations in each of four sectors: medical device, therapeutics, diagnostics, and digital health. Speakers and panelists representing each industry sector will share lessons, advice and insights. Speakers include

Locations: Downtown Culver City: 9537 Culver Blvd. 310-202-5453 City of Compton: 2600 E. Alondra Blvd. 310-638-7871 www.honeyskettle.com Open Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm

Steve Blank, serial entrepreneur and author; Stephen Spielberg, deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco at the Food & Drug Administration; Paul Yock, founder, Stanford Biodesign; Karl Handelsman, managing director, CMEA Capital; Kim Popovits, CEO, Genomic Health; and more. Visit www.kauffman.org/ lifescienceapp to learn more. 

Business

ife science startups face more complex and daunting hurdles than new enterprises in non-regulated industries do. To help aspiring and early-stage life science entrepreneurs address these challenges, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation will hold a Kauffman Life Science Ventures Summit June 22-23, 2012. The Foundation announced a call for applications today for the inaugural Summit, scheduled at the Mission Bay Conference Center at the University of California-San Francisco. “We surveyed early-stage and seasoned life science entrepreneurs to find out what they considered critical needs for starting their companies, and we built an agenda around their

Order Via the Internet Wines of the Black-Owned wineries of South Africa. Register at TheArtfulGrape.com. The Artful Grape will do the rest. The wines will be delivered to your door.

63  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Tech Tools: Security

the Mobile Era

By Peter Chen

Business

obile devices such as smartphones, tablets or even laptops are no longer just communication devices; they are an essential part of our everyday lives. This also applies to businesses, as the ability to embrace mobile communications can make or break a company. However, mobile devices can be and are quickly becoming a double-edged sword. The same smartphones and tablets that greatly improve business efficiency can also act as a backdoor into your office network or devices for dangerous malware. Stepping aside from the digital aspects of security for a moment, more and more business critical data such as confidential emails, presentations, and customer information now reside on our mobile devices one way or another. With our whole lives and businesses now in these devices, a stolen phone can potentially be catastrophic. So with all the potential risks and dangers this new mobile era brings, what can you do to mitigate these threats and maximize the benefits of mobile devices?

Authentication and Encryption Since a vast majority of mobile devices use wireless to connect to

the Internet, a big step towards securing your wireless network is to use Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) for authentication and encryption (WEP and WPA are no longer safe to use). This will help ensure that communications from mobile devices are encrypted and cannot be eavesdropped. It will also prevent rogue or unwanted mobile devices from accessing your network.

Guest Wireless Network This brings us to step two; which is to setup a guest wireless network. This is done through proper network segmentation with the use of virtual LANs (VLANs). A properly segmented network will not only help enforce access control, but also improve network efficiency. An example network segmented with VLANs might contain a VLAN for employee Internet access, a VLAN for servers containing sensitive customer data, and a VLAN that is mapped to a guest wireless SSID for guest access. Doing this will allow visitors, contractors, and other guests to access the Internet with their mobile devices, but keep them away from your production servers. Even if you run a solo home business, setting up a guest wireless network is a good idea in the case that you ever need to grant wireless access to any customers, vendors, visitors, or even relatives. The bottom line is that you want your business running on its own unique wireless network, and you should never grant access to others – keep them all on a separate guest network and your business will be more secure.

Mobile Devices Once the network is secure, the next step is to secure the mobile devices themselves. Part of this step is to install security software onto the mobile devices. The threat of viruses and other malware targeting phones and tablets is very real and will be even bigger moving forward. There have already been numerous reports of iPhone or Android devices being infected and data being stolen off of them. To combat these latest threats, security software vendors have already introduced security apps for iOS and Android that perform malware scanning. These can typically be found on the app stores for their respective platforms.

Lock Codes Finally, lost or stolen devices pose a huge risk for businesses as sensitive data is often left on the device in the form of emails or saved documents. Many apps do not require the user to login each time the app is executed, which can provide unwanted access to sensitive data stored in the cloud. To mitigate this risk, a company policy that requires all smartphones and tablets have a lock code in place will go a long way in preventing data leaks from lost or stolen devices. By following the steps above, a business should have at least a baseline level of protection against threats and risks that come inherent with mobile devices. For a startup, this is critical, as lost or stolen data can cost the business thousands if not millions of dollars in damages. By securing the wireless network and the individual devices, the business can reap the efficiency that mobility brings and focus its efforts on the business itself.  www.startupnation.com/businessarticles/9767/1/mobile-security-mobileera.htm

64  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Tech Tools: Sitting

Mine

By Michelle Fredette

In a mobile world, cloudbased personal-storage services make it easier to manage documents across devices, and to collaborate with peers subversioning (version control), which would have taken too long. We shared files with code over Dropbox and updated them in real time.” SugarSync, Syncplicity, and Wuala are among other storage and sync services that operate in much the same way as Dropbox, including the ability to share files with collaborators. Many of these companies differentiate themselves from Dropbox by emphasizing their security cred, an area where Dropbox is perceived-rightly or wrongly--to be vulnerable.

Security Approaches Dropbox stores user files in encrypted form, but the encryption takes place only after the user sends the files to Dropbox. Theoretically, people at Dropbox have the ability to unlock your file and view the contents. With some of Dropbox’s competitors, on the other hand, files are encrypted on the user’s side before being sent. This makes syncing files a little slower and you’re out of luck if you forget your password. For its part, Dropbox defends its security setup. In addition to Dropbox’s own security--which includes the use of Secure Sockets Layer and Advanced Encryption Standard 256bit encryption--files are protected by Amazon’s security policies. For users who have concerns about Dropbox employees accessing their data, the company recommends using TrueCrypt, free software that enables users to encrypt their files before they upload them.

Gorillas in Their Midst These backup and sync services take essentially the same approach,

Some BackUp/Sync Service Providers Amazon’s Cloud Drive Apple’s iCloud Dropbox Google’s User Managed Storage Microsoft’s SkyDrive SpiderOak SugarSync Syncplicity TrueCrypt Wuala with variations in pricing and storage allowances. Their biggest competitive threat may come from some of the 800-pound gorillas that are elbowing into the space. Apple’s iCloud, Amazon’s Cloud Drive, Microsoft’s SkyDrive and Google’s User Managed Storage all have the potential to supersede or eclipse the established sync services. In deciding what type of product to use, perhaps the biggest advantage of the specialized backup and sync services is a trinity of features: they are platform agnostic, they don’t require sign-in, and they allow collaborators to share documents quickly and easily.  http://campustechnology.com/ Articles/2012/02/01/Sitting-on-CloudMine.aspx?Page=1

65  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Business

ersonal cloud storage or-more specifically--backup and sync services give users the ability to access the latest version of their files from any device with an internet connection, and, in some cases, the ability to share specific files or folders with collaborators, so they too are always working with the most current version. No more thumb drives. No more e-mailing large files as attachments. A multitude of cloud-based, personalstorage companies have popped up in recent years. No two are alike, but most offer some storage for free, with additional storage available for a fee. SpiderOak, for example, gives users 2 GB free. Choosing among the various cloud-storage options can be tricky, especially since it’s a rapidly changing industry sector. Founded in 2007, Dropbox is probably the granddaddy of backup and sync services, and holds a significant market share. Users download the application for free to each of their devices. Any file stored in a user’s Dropbox folder is then accessible, online or offline, on any of those devices, as well as being stored by Dropbox on Amazon’s Simple Storage Service (S3). Each time a user hits “save,” Dropbox updates the versions on the Amazon servers and on all the other devices. In addition, users can share files with other contributors or team members. AJ Ostrow, a student in the computer-engineering program at McGill University in Montreal, relies on Dropbox for team- and partnerbased projects. “My partner and I were considering ways to sync our files and share them while we were programming. In the end, we decided Dropbox would be the easiest, especially to get the files onto our virtual machine,” explains Ostrow. “It replaced a USB drive or

on Cloud

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El Camino College offers the training and advising you need to enhance your ability to bid for and WIN state highway construction contracts. Now is the time to get bid ready with assistance in the areas of procurement, personnel, cash flow, marketing and more!

Appointments with a business advisor are available at the SBDC at no charge to you. For more information, call the SBDC at 310.973.3177. Be sure to attend the free Economic Stimulus event on Thursday, November 19, 2009, in the City of Compton to learn more about stimulus opportunities available from Caltrans and other state and federal agencies. Visit californiasbdc.org for details.

Small Business Development Center Hosted by El Camino College 13430 Hawthorne Blvd. Hawthorne, CA 90250 310.973.3177 southbaysbdc.org

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66  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

it will show up when someone does a Google search. Public posts are a great way to expand your audience by exposing your business to people who may never have heard of you. 5. Be engaging. Before posting anything to Google+, consider how it will benefit your audience. Content that gets attention usually includes questions, calls to action, photos or videos, or thought-provoking comments. Try to limit directly promotional posts about your business to about 10 or 20 percent of what you post. 6. Interact. The more you interact on Google+, the faster you build connections and increase your audience. In addition to posting your own content, share and comment on others’ posts (you’ll see them in your Stream). When you share something, credit the originator and add your own thoughts to spark further conversation. 7. Add video. Since Google+ is integrated with YouTube (which is owned by Google), putting video on Google+ can attract more followers. Post how-to videos explaining how to use your product or service, or interview someone on your team about a current industry trend. 8. Promote it. Use the Google+ logo and/or the +1 icon on your website, signage and marketing materials to help

people find you on Google+. Download Google+ logos and icons and learn how to use them at www.google.com/+/ business/brand-guidelines.html. 9. Measure results. The free Google Analytics tool can help you measure engagement on your Google+ page. See who is following your business, what information they like best and what they’re sharing. 10. Use third-party tools. Looking for tools to help integrate your Google+ account into the rest of your social media plan? Currently, only a few tools exist, but more are being developed all the time. Visit www.google.com/+/ business/3rdpartytools.html to find third-party tools and get updates.  Rieva Lesonsky is founder CEO and President of GrowBiz Media, a content and consulting company that helps entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.

67  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Business

ave you tried Google+ yet? There is still a lot of mystery surrounding this social media platform and how it affects your business’s search rank in Google. Still, creating a Google+ profile can’t hurt your business—and it just might help. Here are 10 tips to get you started. 1. Create a personal Google+ profile. Google+ offers business profiles too, but you need a personal profile first. Signing up is free. Fill in your personal page with as much information as you can about yourself, your business and what you do. 2. Create a Google+ business page. Provide as much information as you can about your business. Consider what potential customers might want to know, including your business address, directions, hours and phone number, photos of your location or product photos. 3. Create circles. Google+ allows you to categorize different people into “circles” and specify which information you share with a particular circle. You can create circles for clients, potential clients, employees, business associates and more; you can also include people in more than one circle. 4. Go public. In addition to posting content to specific circles, you can also post it to the public. This means

Business Development

Building Your Business for Success: The Importance of Ownership

ne of the keys to economic independence for African American business owners is the acquisition and ownership of commercial real estate. By controlling the buildings and land that house the means of generating revenue, an entrepreneur can better attain the goal that underpins what being in business is all about: maximum self-determination. With interest rates now at historically low levels and the economy growing at a slow pace, now is a prime time for many business owners to consider the purchase of commercial real estate. The benefits and drawbacks to commercial real estate ownership vary from business owner to business owner, but potential buyers should educate themselves about the obvious and sometimes hidden benefits to the ownership of a commercial property. Below are some of the major benefits to real estate ownership, versus leasing a commercial space.

Tax Deductions

Added Value To Business

For many Black business owners, a primary benefit of commercial real estate ownership is the tax deductibility of property that can be taken on the interest portion of the monthly commercial loan payment. These deductions can be substantial and each business owner should consult a qualified tax specialist about his or her unique situation.

Unlike some residential loans, many commercial loans are assumable. This makes the business and its real estate much easier for a buyer to acquire, and enhances the value of the business tremendously.

Equity Appreciation On average, commercial real estate properties will appreciate about two to three percent above inflation over the long term. Paying rent provides no appreciation or equity. Quite candidly, the BBA has members who have been paying rent for a decade or more, with no equity accrued and never having positioned themselves to benefit from any hope of equity appreciation. Using some of the most conservative estimates, potential equity appreciation can result in significant financial gains over a period of decades.

A Retirement Fund Through various circumstances, many minority and small business owners will not receive a pension when they decide to retire. In such cases, the equity appreciation on commercial property can be significant. An owner can decide either to sell the property upon retirement to cash in on equity appreciation, or lease the property to another business for a continuous retirement income stream. In fact, in some situations, a business owner may be able to lease out an unused portion of the property, such as a spare office, before retirement for additional income.

No Taxes To Pay On Your Rent When a business leases its real estate, sales tax is paid on the rent paid to the landlord. When you own the real estate there is no tax to pay on the rent. The savings can be significant.

Easy Access To Financing Historically-low, thirty-year fixed interest mortgage rates are now available for owner-occupied commercial properties. Furthermore, there are flexible interest-only options from which entrepreneurs can benefit. In fact, in some instances, with strong financials a business owner may qualify for loan financing up to 100% of the purchase price for commercial real estate. A business owner should consult an experienced commercial mortgage adviser before making an offer on a commercial property, so that in addition to the tangible benefits outlined above, the business owner will have the satisfaction that only comes with property ownership. Truer words have never been spoken: â&#x20AC;&#x153;God bless the child thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got his ownâ&#x20AC;?. The Black Business Association will soon launch a program to assist African American business owners in acquiring commercial and industrial real estate.

Solar-powered Car Making a Round-the-World Journey by Channtal Fleischfresser

The SolarWorld GT began its journey in Australia and New Zealand in October 2011, shipping to the U.S. after covering 3,100 miles. The car is making several stops along the U.S. portion of the journey, from California to Florida. You can spot it at the last date and location: • 4 p.m. on March 9, Florida A&M University, High Performance Materials Institute, Tallahassee, FL. The car will then proceed to Europe, Africa, and Asia, before finishing back in Australia later in 2012.

About SolarWorld SolarWorld (ISIN: DE0005108401) is a worldwide leader in offering brandname, high quality, crystalline solar-power technology. Its strength is its fully integrated solar production. From silicon as the raw material through wafers, cells and modules all the way to turn-key solar systems of all sizes, the group combines all stages

of the solar value chain. The central business a c t i v i t y is selling quality modules into the installation and distribution trades and crystalline wafers to the international solar cell industry. Group headquarters are located in Bonn, Germany. The group’s largest production facilities operate in Freiberg, Germany, and Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Sustainability is the basis of the group strategy. Under the name Solar2World, the group supports care projects using off-grid solar-power solutions in developing countries, exemplifying sustainable economic development. Worldwide. SolarWorld employs more than 3,300 people.  www.smartplanet.com/blog/transportation/ solar-powered-car-making-a-round-theworld-journey/1383?tag=nl.e662

69  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Photo: SolarWorld

Business

he SolarWorld Gran Turismo (GT), from the U.S.’ largest maker of solar panels, last week began the U.S. portion of its 21,000mile trek around the globe using only solar energy. The two-seater, powered by roof-integrated solar cells, was built by SolarWorld (www.solarworld-usa. com) in collaboration with Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany. The GT is set to break the “Guinness Book of World Records” record for the longest distance covered by a solar car. “The SolarWorld GT is an ambassador for sustainable personal transportation, reminding us that the power to shift our driving habits away from dirty fossil fuels is within our grasp,” said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas, the company’s commercial unit based in Camarillo, CA.

Richard Parsons will Step Down from Chairmanship of Citigroup from RTTNews, Notable Biographies

From Notable Biographies Business executive Richard Parsons has been called a teddy bear, a master diplomat, and a charmer, but perhaps the best description that has been applied to him is “friendly giant.” Standing at 6 feet 4 inches, with broad shoulders, he is a physically impressive man who could fill any boardroom. But, in this case, Parsons sits at the helm of one of the largest media companies in the world, Time

Warner. When Parsons was named chief executive officer (CEO) in 2002 and chairman in 2003, he became one of the most powerful executives in the United States, but he also inherited a mountain of problems. A 2001 merger between Internet icon America Online (AOL) and Time Warner, a leader in the entertainment industry, had proven to be a failed experiment. As a result, the company struggled to maintain its credibility, its stock prices tumbled, and it faced $27 billion in debt. By the mid-2000s, however, analysts reported that Time Warner was on a definite upswing: employee morale was high, investors were newly confident, and the monstrous debt had been significantly slashed. And most agreed that friendly giant Richard Parsons had been just what the fractured titan needed.

The Rockefeller Republican Although Richard Dean Parsons regularly makes Fortune magazine’s annual list of the most powerful people in business, and he is considered to be one of the most respected African American executives in the country, he came from an average working-class background. He was born on April 4, 1948, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in the New York borough of Queens. Parsons, however, was an extremely bright young man, who went on to graduate from high school when he was

just sixteen years old. After graduation, he attended college at the University of Hawaii, where he excelled both academically and socially; Parsons was a varsity basketball player and the social chairman of his fraternity. Parsons decided to go to law school. Parsons worked part-time as a janitor to pay his way through the University of Albany Law School in New York, and when he graduated in 1971, it was at the top of his class. That same year, he scored the highest marks out of the nearly four thousand lawyers who took the New York State bar examination. Just twenty-three years old, and fresh out of law school, Parsons landed a job as an aide on the legal staff of Nelson Rockefeller (1908–1979), the governor of New York. He became such a trusted adviser that in 1974, when Rockefeller headed to Washington to serve as vice president, Parsons was invited along. In Washington, the young lawyer also worked directly with President Gerald Ford, first as general counsel and then as an associate director of the domestic council. Thanks in part to such associations Parsons became what he frequently describes as a Rockefeller Republican.  www.rttnews.com/1833060/citi-plansto-select-michael-o-neill-to-succeedrichard-parsons-as-chairman.aspx www.notablebiographies.com/news/ Ow-Sh/Parsons-Richard.html

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Business

itigroup announced that Richard Parsons will not seek re-election to the Board of Directors at the upcoming Annual Meeting of Stockholders in April. The company said that Parsons will remain Chairman through the annual meeting. Parsons has been Chairman of the Board since 2009 and a Board member since 1996. Previously, Parsons served as Chairman and CEO of Dime Bancorp, Inc. He also previously served in the positions of President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman at Time Warner. Prior to that, Mr. Parsons was managing partner of the New York law firm Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, and held various positions in state and federal government, including as counsel for New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and senior White House aide under President Gerald Ford.

Technology:

Take a Look! by LaSandra Stratton Check out what these firms and organizations have to offer for your personal interests, personal wealth building, and business expansion opportunities.

www.sliderocket.com Build presentations and share them online or in person with cloud-based

www.huddle.com Huddle is the most comprehensive tool for managing projects and files in

www.flickr.com Flickr is a website for photo storage, sharing, and organization, designed to make photo management an easy, natural, and collaborative process. Flickr stores over five billion photos taken by members all over the world. Communication tools let users get comments, notes, and tags on their photos, post them to any blog, share them, and more. Members can also share videos up to 90 seconds long. Flickr is a new way for organizations to tell their story. With a Flickr account, individuals can showcase and chronicle their organization’s work through their own photography. For example, by creating a group photo pool and encouraging discussions, Flickr members can build awareness of an organization’s work. Members can also provide a link to their organization’s website in their Flickr profiles. Conversely, the organization’s website can stream Flickr photos, as long as the host accepts JavaScript.

F l i c k r members can store all their photographs of their organization’s work in one place if they have the legal right to do so. Account holders can upload photos to Flickr from anywhere in the world. The photos can be organized into sets and collections, and they can be tagged for easy searching. Another tool that organizations can use internally is a Flickr group. In a private group, only group members and those who have been invited can view the group page. Groups can also be completely public or public by invitation only.

http://my.skydesktop.com SkyDesktop is a Cloud-based desktop. When you log into your SkyDesktop, you will be automatically connected to all the Cloud-based applications you have selected from the SkyAppMarket. You can log into your SkyDesktop from any computer device with a Web browser, and every time you log in your apps are right where you left them. When you sign up for a SkyDesktop account, a unique site will automatically be created for you. You choose what URL you would like to give to your personal or company site, which can be done for a company or an individual. You will receive a confirma-

tion email with your SkyDesktop URL. From here on, simply open a Web browser, type in your URL, and then log in using your unique user name and password. Once you log in, you will be able to access all your apps at one time. You can launch any of your SkyDesktop Cloud apps simply by clicking on them and you never have to worry about multiple user names and passwords again. 

Submitted by LaSandra Stratton, Chief Content Administrator of the Black Business News.

73  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Business

tools from SlideRocket. SlideRocket lets you go beyond traditional text and image slides by including video, audio, and narration. You can even embed flash animation, Flickr streams, YouTube clips, plus your Twitter feed and Facebook wall. Up to 25 people can watch your presentation live on SlideRocket’s website. Or, embed your presentation into your own site so anyone can watch and interact with it at any time. Presentations may also be displayed on tablets and smartphones.

the cloud. With Huddle you can create multiple client extranets, brand assets storage, secure collaboration platforms or research knowledgebases. You will find all communication and collaboration tools in one place: file sharing, document management, project management, whiteboards and discussions, phone conferencing and support for web conferencing integration. Huddle can be fully integrated into your enterprise stack. Whether it’s LDAP, Office applications or records management with SharePoint, Huddle deployment can be tailored to fit into your existing infrastructure. Create a unique Huddle URL and login page for your company. You can also restrict access to your entire custom domain or individual workspaces to a range of IP addresses.

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75  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Rep. Donald Payne

New Jersey’s First Black Congressman

1935-2012

.S. Rep. Donald Payne, a Democrat known for his work on human rights and on behalf of the poor, died Tuesday. He was 77. Payne, the first black congressional member from New Jersey, died at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, said his brother, William. The 12-term member of the House had announced in February that he was undergoing treatment for colon cancer and would continue to represent his district. He was flown back home to New Jersey on Friday from Georgetown University Hospital as his health took a sudden turn for the worse. He was first elected in 1988 after twice losing to former Rep. Peter Rodino, who retired after 40 years in Congress. Payne, often considered the most progressive Democrat in the state’s delegation, was elected to a 12th term in 2010. He represented the 10th District, which includes the city of Newark and parts of Essex, Hudson and Union counties. In Washington, he was remembered for his work as a defender of human rights, both at home and abroad. President Barack Obama, who ordered flags lowered in Payne’s honor, called him a “leader in U.S.-Africa policy, making enormous contributions towards helping restore democracy and human rights across the continent.” Payne was a member of House committees on education and foreign affairs. He also had served as chairman of the House subcommittee on Africa, and had traveled many times to the continent on foreign affairs matters. During an April 2009, mortar shells were fired toward Mogadishu airport as a plane carrying Payne took off safely from the Somali capital. Officials at the time said 19 civilians were injured

in residential areas. Payne had met with Somalia’s president and prime minister during his one-day visit to Mogadishu to discuss piracy, security and cooperation between Somalia and the United States. He also had been the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and a congressional delegate to the United Nations. At home he was remembered as a trailblazer for African-Americans, as an advocate for the underprivileged, and as a gentleman. Newark Mayor Cory Booker called him a “a humble hero who lived an extraordinary life of contribution and distinction” and “a defender of and advocate for the rights, liberties, equal opportunities, and dignity of all people.” Born and raised in Newark, Payne came up through the ranks of Essex County politics. He earned a bachelor’s

degree from Seton Hall University in 1957 and taught in Newark schools for 15 years. He went on to become an insurance executive and member of the Newark City Council from 1982 until 1988. He also served as president of the national YMCA. A public plaza between two government buildings in Newark now bears his name in tribute to his long career in public service. Payne was a widower with three children and four grandchildren. His son, Donald Payne Jr., is a Newark city councilman. Services haven’t been announced.  By Beth DeFalco & Andrew Miga, Associated PressAssociated Press www.mercurynews.com/nationworld/ci_20113447/rep-donaldpayne-new-jerseys-first-blackcongressman?source=rss

77  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

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International Edition

Black Business News View the International Edition at www.bbala.org and www.blackbusinessnews.net Coming Soon!!

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California African American Museum Opens Women’s History Exhibit by Olu Alemoru

room, library, administrative offices and collection storage space. Future plans for the museum include an upgrade that will bring back the museum store, Charmaine Jefferson add a café as well as theater/lecture and educational space. called Target Sundays that feature In addition to serving as a community displays of local talent ranging from center, where organizations can hold spoken-word artists to dancers and events and fundraisers, CAAM’s musical performers. primary mission is to preserve And all of this is under the control of and propagate Black history and current museum director, Charmaine culture through exhibits and related Jefferson, who majored in dance programming. at UCLA, earned a law degree from In recognition of Women’s History Georgetown University Law Center, Month in March, one of the current and as a professional dancer toured exhibits viewing through March 29, with the Margalit Oved Dance “Women: Game Changers, Less Theater. Known, Here Celebrated,” introduces According to Jefferson, CAAM puts viewers to 70 pioneering Black women. on up to 12 banner exhibitions and over Huge wall banners are imprinted with 80 programs a year — all of which are the likeness of each woman and her free to the public — on an operating accomplishments. budget of just under $3 million. The featured individuals include A passionate advocate for the arts as Vivian Gordon Harsh, (b. 1890), who civic engagement, Jefferson is currently became the first African American a volunteer gubernatorial appointee librarian in the Chicago Public Library on the California Arts Council and a system; Brigadier General Stacyce mayoral appointee to the Los Angeles D. Harris, (b. 1959), the Air Force’s Cultural Affairs Commission. She is highest ranking Black female aviator; also on the Arts LA board of directors and Jane Matilda Bolin (b. 1908), and a trustee for the California the first Black woman judge in Institute of the Arts. United States. Ms. Jefferson and CAAM recently The women range from received the Special Recognition modern-day “game changers” to Award from the Black Business those who set the bar years ago. Association.  In addition to the exhibitions, Photo: Gary McCarthy/Los Angeles Wave there are monthly programs

81  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Community/Public Interest

ith the official groundbreaking of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, now is perhaps an appropriate time to take a look at the California African American Museum (CAAM), located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles. In fact, there is a very tangible connection between these two institutions—Lonnie G. Bunch III, who is the founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, prior to his arrival in D.C., served as the curator of history for the California African American Museum in Los Angeles from 1983 to 1989. There he organized several award-winning exhibitions including “The Black Olympians, 1904-1950” and “Black Angelenos: The Afro-American in Los Angeles, 1850-1950.” Bunch arrived at CAAM just two years after it began formal operations in what is now the California Science Center. Three years later, the museum opened the doors to its own facility, which was constructed at a cost of $5 million using private and public funding. African American architects Jack Haywood (a Black Business Associaton member) and Vince Proby worked together on the design. The 44,000 square foot facility has three full exhibition galleries, a smaller theater gallery, sculpture court, conference center and special events

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Mayor’s Office of Economic & Business Policy

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“Interlude Dance” with students at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa

T With Halls family saying grace before dinner at their home in Ocoee, FL

“Schools and Chefs Working Together” event at Kleberg Rylie Recreation Center in Dallas, Texas

“Getting Active is Fun” ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Walt Disney World Resort Orlando, FL

Community/Public Interest

he Let’s Move! (www.letsmove.gov) program is celebrating its second year of service. First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative to help curb childhood obesity encompases a broad program that addresses nutrition and physical activity as key elements of change. “The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic health and security of our nation is at stake.” Let’s Move! is dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. Everyone has a role to play, including parents, elected officials, schools, health care professionals, faith-based and community-based organizations, and private sector companies. Your involvement is key to ensuring a healthy future for our children. 

Gather the 25 Documents You’ll Need Before You Die by Melanie Pinola, Lifehacker

any of us have a great handle on our finances, but our record keeping systems might not be obvious to family members or friends who might need immediate access to them in times of emergency. Here’s a step-by-step guide to organizing your vital information so it can be conveniently and safely accessed when needed.

The Goal: A Master Document or Folder with All Your Important Information

Community/Public Interest

Perhaps the easiest method for creating a centralized document or set of files would be creating a Google Spreadsheet that you could share with your family and friends and keep updated regularly. We’ve created a

needs. To use the template for yourself, in Google Docs go to File > Make a copy... to save it to your Google account (make sure your version of the document’s sharing settings go back to the default “Private”). There are really only a few steps to setting this organizer up: gathering your records, securely sharing them, and keeping them updated. Follow along and you’ll have your kit set up in no time—and a little extra peace of mind.

Step 1: Gather Your Vital Records to Keep in the Master Information Kit The most important personal records: First, there are a few documents that you obviously should keep in a secured

TrueCrypt, and you can even upload them to Google Docs and share the files with your loved ones (make a note of them in the spreadsheet). You’ll also want to add to your emergency records kit: • Contact information: Both your contact information and your emergency contacts’ info. This includes your nearest relatives, your will executor(s), and employers. • Will and medical directives: Add a copy of your will/living trust and medical letter of instructions (keep the originals with your legal representative). You can upload a PDF file to Google Docs for this purpose. • Insurance: Homeowners, auto, medical, life, disability, and other insurance agents/brokers contact info and policy numbers • Financial accounts: Bank, investment, and credit card/loan accounts information, including institution names, phone numbers, and account numbers • Health records: Immunization records, allergies, dietary restrictions, medications, medical/surgical treatments • Pet information: Description of each pet, vet contact information, and any important medical notes • Property: Car information, home purchase papers/deeds, and other home inventory items. Again, adjust for your relevant information. Our Master Information Kit spreadsheet includes individual sheets for most of these pieces of information, so just make a copy of the sheet (File > Make a Copy) and start filling it out, one section at a time.

Step 2: Export Your Accounts Information

basic Master Information Kit Template (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ ccc?authkey=CIW485gI&key=0AurQ1 E c a N V W d E R Y N F o y a z J LY X p qSGRvN1lxeE1Gb2c&hl=en_ US&authkey=CIW485gI#gid=0) just for this purpose. The spreadsheet includes prompts for the information below, but you can customize it for your particular

location (a fire safe or safe deposit box): Social Security card; Birth certificate; Passport; Any other official, hard-toreplace documents Scan these items so you can have a digital record of them as well. If you encrypt the digital files, e.g., with one of our favorite encryption tools

Account Passwords: For login information to important accounts, it’s best not to store your logins in an online document like this. Instead you can export your logins from password managers like Keepass, LastPass, or 1Password to a CSV file and then encrypt it so it can be shared securely. Our spreadsheet template includes a sheet specifically for describing your method of storing these files—the see Documents You Need on page 87

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Documents You Need from page 86

location of your vital documents, and any passwords needed to locate them.

Step 3: Share Your Master Information Kit and Vital Documents The Google Docs spreadsheet is easy to share. Once you’ve filled out your version of the spreadsheet, click on the Share button and you can email people who you want to be able to view or edit the document. (Think people who you’d also consider emergency contacts.) For your encrypted files, like the

An encrypted zip file seems an ideal solution.

Step 4. Regularly Update Your Everything Document

so you won’t forget. When you get your reminder, don’t wait—just quickly look over the items in your document and if anything has changed, update it. If not, you’ve only lost a couple of minutes of your day toward a very good end.

More Resources for Creating a Master Information Kit

You’ll need to update your files/ master records book when you update your accounts. Like setting up an emergency plan or a 72-hour emergency kit, this master information kit will need to be reevaluated regularly—consider doing so at least yearly (e.g., at tax time, when you’re already looking at all your accounts) or, better yet, quarterly. Set up a reminder on your calendar

www.businessinsider.com/create-anin-case-of-emergency-everythingdocument-to-keep-your-loved-onesinformed-if-the-worst-happens-2012-2

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Community/Public Interest

logins mentioned above, you could upload them in Google Docs, store on an encrypted USB thumb drive, or use something like Dropbox. Give the recipients your encryption password but for security reasons, only let them write down a hint to the password. E.g., vacation spot 2010 + pet bday + myfavoritesinger’smiddlename. Also, if you use Dropbox, make sure you encrypt sensitive information first.

If you’re a Quicken user, for example, you may have access to Emergency Records Organizer built into the program, which can compile your emergency documents for you, based on the info you put in Quicken. It should be in the “Property & Debt” menu or you might find the program under your Quicken folder under Program Files. Erik Dewey’s free Big Book of Everything is a very thorough organizer for all your affairs, with placeholders for you to record your bank accounts, insurance policies, tax records, and more. The 44-page Big Book of Everything is available in PDF or Excel format. For the Record is a pre-printed version of a document organizer. Our emergency documents template (zip file) is a simplified version for the most essential information and with an eye towards sharing on Google Docs (or downloading and saving). Whichever method you choose, having all your vital information in one easily accessible place can be comforting, for both you and your loved ones. 

Regional Challenges Require Radical Approach By Moses Kuwema

resources management with key cross cutting issues above mainstreamed,” said Dr Kaunda.

Panos Institute Southern Africa

Dr. Kenneth Kaunda blesses 10-year-old Eledy Chipako while her sister Shekina Sakala awaits her turn during the launch of the Panos strategic plan at Pamodzi Hotel, Lusaka, Zambia - Picture by Salim Dawood

International

R. Kenneth Kaunda said southern Africa’s challenges call for a radical approach in shaping and driving an effective and all-inclusive development agenda. During the launch of the Panos Institute Southern Africa strategic plan in Lusaka in February, Dr. Kaunda said the region was still struggling to effectively deal with issues ranging from media freedom and free expression, HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal health, nutrition and food security, among others. “We must therefore acknowledge the fundamental role that information, communication and constructive dialogue plays in resolving and giving hope to our poor and marginalised communities as well as duty bearers in driving the much needed change,” Dr. Kaunda said. “Providing information on issues that affect humanity is a human right.” He said through its partnership with community media and public broadcasters, Panos had provided information and communication channels to more than 20 million

people in nine countries to articulate their development needs. Dr. Kaunda said Panos’ work with the media had also empowered more than 400 journalists in reporting on development issues. “The strategic plan we are launching today is for the period 2012 to 2016 which is premised on the same vision: building a southern Africa community that drives its own development,”

said Dr. Kaunda who is also patron of Panos. He said the 2012-2016 strategic plan provided a well-researched framework deriving from past experiences of 2007 to 2011. “For the next five years, Panos Institute Southern Africa has identified its focal themes as media development and ICTs, governance and development, health and development, environment and natural

Panos Southern Africa (PSAf) is a regional non-profit, non-governmental communication for development organization. Panos uses innovative methodologies to engage the media and other key stakeholders to ensure that the development agenda is shaped and driven by the most affected members of Southern Africa’s communities. PSAf was founded in 1996 as a branch of Panos London, and became an autonomous institution in May 2005. The regional office is located in Lusaka, Zambia, and satellite offices are in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Maputo, Mozambique. PSAf works in 12 Southern African nations, namely, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. PSAf is part of a Global Network of independent and autonomous Panos Institutes based in London, Paris, Canada, South Asia, Eastern Africa, West Africa, and the Caribbean. The new PSAf Strategic Plan (2012

to 2016) launched in February 2012 by PSAf Patron and First Republican President of Zambia, His Excellency Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, positions the organisation for an exciting and busy five years.  http://postzambia.com/post-read_ article.php?articleId=25188www. panos.org.zm www.panos.org.zm/content/strategicplan

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Mali: Women Engineers Promote Low-Carbon Cooking Woman in a refugee camp in Chad with solar cooker. (Photo Courtesy Celeste Hicks/IRIN)

scheme to earn carbon credits for sale on international markets. “Definitely, the carbon market could finance the promotion of this integrated cooking method,” Niang notes. It might also help fund improved equipment. Mali may be a sunny country, but the kit’s small solar cooker doesn’t work so well if clouds block out the sun’s rays, and it can’t always meet the needs of big families. The association is trying to work out how to offer parabolic solar cookers, which are larger and can capture more solar energy. They are produced by the government-backed Regional Centre for Solar Energy (CRES), but are expensive at around $270 each. “What we need to do is to find subsidised parabolic cookers for rural women,” Niang says.

CUSTOM v. THRIFT

The group has launched an extension of its project to promote greener cooking throughout the country.

CARBON FINANCE EYED Mali’s women engineers have been making solar cookers in the capital Bamako since 2001. In partnership with the Netherlands-based KoZon Foundation, they began introducing the integrated kits in the city’s Yirimadio neighbourhood in 2009. Back then, 30 families paid a small fee (the equivalent of $3) for two cookers, a cooking pot and a large insulated basket for heat-retention cooking. The women engineers collected data on fuel use before and during the project, following up for a year to assess charcoal and firewood consumption and savings. Niang estimates that, on an annual basis, the project cut charcoal use by 30 percent (360 kg per family), saved each family about $80 dollars, and lowered greenhouse gas emissions by 3.2 tonnes per household. The plan now is to expand it to all the country’s eight regions. “Our dream is to covince all Malian families to use the alternative cookers,” says Niang. “We’re sure it will work because each time we tested them... people told us how they would like to own one.” The two partner organisations have been discussing how to register their

In Dembele’s compound-cumworkshop, Kadi Samake, an unemployed woman who is now a trainee with the association, explains the simple process of making a cooking basket. “We buy baskets from farmers, and line them with cotton fibre and black fabric to create the thermos effect,” she says. Women appreciate the baskets most of all because they reduce time spent cooking on stoves. Rice, for example, only needs 15 minutes in the basket after the water boils. But using the new cooking methods also represents a change from cultural ly traditional three-stone oven of the Bambara culture, a reason some people are resisting, the engineers said. But Dembele doesn’t believe this view is widespread in big cities where economic problems and high inflation are increasing financial pressure on households. As the cost of fuel rises, more and more people are open to alternative ways of cooking, she says. “I used to spend about 500 CFA francs (around $1) buying charcoal or firewood daily, but since I have been cooking with the solar cooker and thermos basket, I spend about half of that,” she explains.  by Soumaila T. Diarra http://allafrica. comstories/201202101168.html

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International

ngineer Anna Dembele’s smile broadens as she shows off the low-carbon cooking kits she makes. The association she belongs to now plans to promote use of the equipment across Mali, helping people cope with inflation and tackling deforestation in the bargain. A 2010 report from Mali’s agriculture ministry said that more than 500,000 hectares of forest are cleared for firewood and charcoal each year in the West African country. But new ways of cooking, using solar power and heat retention, could cut those losses. Dembele demonstrates the kit on the paved floor of her compound. There’s a basic solar cooker, which consists of a box lined with reflective foil, a metal pot and a heat-resistant plastic bag. There is also an insulated “thermos” basket in which food is put to continue simmering after being heated to boiling point, and a “rocket” stove, which supplements the solar cooker and enables more efficient use of firewood. She explains how the basket frees her up to do other jobs while food cooks, as she doesn’t need to sit and watch her rice cooking for fear it will burn, as with a conventional stove. Dembele trains other women to make the alternative cooking kits, so her house on some days has become a workshop for the Association of Women Engineers of Mali (AFIMA).

RESOURCES FOR GOING GLOBAL Dear International Executive, Below are upcoming U.S. Commercial Service initiatives designed to connect you to business opportunities around the world.

International

1. Event: Addressing Business and Personal Security Issues Threatening U.S. Companies Working in Mexico 2. Event: Hot Market Watch: Selling to Brazil, China, South Korea and Vietnam/ASEAN 3. Promote Your Products Worldwide for $295 with a STEP Match 4. Display Your Products in the USA Export Expo Online Trade Show 5. Commercial News USA Offers Buy 2, Get 1 Free Promotion 6. Read the New Online Edition of Commercial News USA If you have any questions about these initiatives, please contact your local U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist. To find the trade specialist nearest you please visit http://www.buyusa. gov/home/us.html ********************************** Event: Addressing Business and Personal Security Issues Threatening U.S. Companies Working in Mexico Venue: Spellman Center, Lindenwood University, St. Louis, Missouri Date: March 1, 2012 Learn more/register: http://export.gov/ missouri/build/groups/public/@eg_us_ mo/documents/webcontent/eg_us_ mo_041484.pdf For U.S. companies doing business in Mexico, physical and personal security should be a major priority. General street crime and criminal groups specifically targeting foreign companies have drastically increased over recent years and these threats should be addressed in every company’s business plan. Companies who are currently op-

erating in Mexico should assess their operations including facilities, logistics and the security of their employees. Those companies considering startup operations in Mexico should have a security risk assessment as part of their consideration when identifying a venue. Companies can significantly decrease security threats against their operations and employees by taking the time to identify risks and proactively addressing them. This program will feature leading security experts who will discuss current and future security threats of which businesses and travelers should be aware of. Attendees will learn more about how the U.S. Embassy, FBI, State Department, U.S. Department of Commerce and State of Missouri can assist you with both proactive and reactive approaches to your company and employee needs. In addition, a major global U.S. company will provide a case study on addressing risks in Mexico. Allied Intelligence, along with other private sector service companies, will offering advice based on years of experience supporting companies. ********************************** Event: Hot Market Watch: Selling to Brazil, China, South Korea and Vietnam/ASEAN Venue: Cincinnati, OH Date: March 21-22, 2012 Learn & register: http://export.gov/ohio/ southernohio/tradeevents/index.asp This conference is an annual event organized by the U.S. Commercial Service in Cincinnati. This year’s conference will focus on the “hot markets” of Brazil, China, South Korea and ASEAN region and will provide market updates, tools, and resources for U.S. companies interested in selling to or expanding further into these countries and regions. There will also be an evening networking reception the night before (March 21). Presenters will include U.S. Department of Commerce

Commercial Officers from the U.S Commercial Service, who will also be available for one-on-one meetings to discuss your company’s market potential in Brazil, China, South Korea and/ or ASEAN region. In addition to plenary sessions, there will be several breakout sessions to choose from. Selected topics for each country/region include: market overviews; corporate perspectives; economic outlooks; customs, tariffs and logistics; financial considerations; legal considerations; taxation/ accounting; and more. For more information, please contact Marcia.Brandstadt@trade.gov or call: 513-684-2944. ********************************** Promote Your Products Worldwide for $295 with a STEP Match Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce, will provide a $300 additional discount to exporters who receive a $500 STEP grant award from their state. These discounts can be used for a 1/9 color listing ad, or larger, in Commercial News USA. The State Trade and Export Promotion Grant (STEP) Pilot grant initiative offers grants to help small businesses. The aim of the STEP Initiative is to increase the number of small businesses that are exporting and increase the value of exports for those small businesses that are currently exporting. Commercial News USA reaches more than a quarter-million buyers worldwide in print and 23,000 per month online. Reserve your space in the next issue today. For information, contact a U.S. Export Assistance Center near you, call 1-800-581-8533, x822, go online to http://www.thinkglobal.us, or send email to advertise@thinkglobal.us. ********************************** Display Your Products in the USA Export Expo Online Trade Show Commercial News USA, the official ex-

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see Ethiopian Airlines on page 91

Going Global from page 90

port promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce, offers exporters an inexpensive way to promote their products and services in 178 countries worldwide. Now, advertisers in the March-April 2012 issue will receive free booth set-up ($495 value) in the USA Export Expo Online Marketplace (http://www.usaexportexpo. com), sponsored by Commercial News USA. Reserve your space in the next issue today. For more information, call 1-800-581-8533 x 822, visit http://www. thinkglobal.us or email advertise@ thinkglobal.us. **********************************

Returning to Africa? African Repatriation is an invaluable online resource for any African national who is thinking about returning to Africa. Our industry articles and specialist editorials provide the latest sector information. Why not find out for yourself and become a part of our growing community today?

www.africanrepatriation.com

Career Opportunities in Africa

Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce, offers exporters an affordable way to promote their products and services in 178 countries worldwide. Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce, offers exporters an inexpensive way to promote their products and services in 178 countries worldwide. In addition to free Portuguese translation, you can take advantage of a special offer: Buy two ads and get the third ad for free (Based on one-time rates. This does not include the Showcase section). Commercial News USA reaches more than a quarter million buyers worldwide. Reserve your space in the next issue today. For more information, contact your U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist, or call 1-800581-8533 x 822, or visit http://www. thinkglobal.us/499, or send e-mail to advertise@thinkglobal.us

Search and apply online for the latest vacancies in Africa with African Talent. We provide candidates and employers with the tools and resources needed in today’s competitive job market. For employers, we offer numerous options to feature your jobs in Africa and for candidates, reviewing the most recent job vacancies in Africa is a fast, easy process. Uploading your CV is simple and takes just a few moments.

********************************** Read the New Online Edition of Commercial News USA Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has launched a new interactive PDF edition. The new edition is available for free at http:// cnusa.thinkglobal.us Commercial News USA offers exporters an affordable way

www.africantalent.com to promote their products and services in 178 countries worldwide. Commercial News USA reaches more than a quartermillion buyers worldwide. Reserve your space in the next issue today. For more information, call 1-800-581-8533 x 822, visit http://www.thinkglobal.us, or e-mail advertise@thinkglobal.us

********************************** The U.S. Commercial Service - Your Global Business Partner. With offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commer-

cial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration uses its global Network and international resources to connect U.S companies with international buyers worldwide. If you have any questions about these initiatives, please contact your local U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist. To find the trade specialist nearest you please visit http://export.gov/ california/ca/socal/index.asp. 

Lagos Black Heritage Festival 2012 April 2-9, 2012 Lagos-Badagry www.lagosblackheritagefestival.com/2012

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International

Commercial News USA Offers Buy 2, Get 1 Free Promotion

Switching On: Africa’s Vast New Tech Opportunity by Pete Guest Africa Infographic: Undersea cable systems that support the growth in communications technology on the continent.

Nigeria’s Encipher Inye Tablet https://enciphergroup.com

n 2011, visitors to Africa looking for war, famine and pestilence have to dig a lot deeper than in the past. At Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, hardened missionaries have been replaced by gap-year students clustered around iPads, and on the streets the bad old days have given way to another holy trinity: Premier League football, Toyota Hiace minibuses and cellphones. Africa’s national economies have grown consistently over the last decade. Even in the depths of the financial crisis, GDP growth exceeded 3%: more than in any other region of the world. Improvements in security, Chinese investments, undersea cable systems and soaring commodity prices have all played a part in transforming the continent’s prospects. Beyond macroeconomic factors, though, technology is driving profound changes to economies and societies across the continent. The hundreds of millions of mobile handsets and billions of airtime minutes only go some way to describe the scope of entrepreneurship that underpins Africa’s technological revolution. From mobile payments to telemedicine and advertising, there is a common pulse of innovation, driven by an irrepressible combination of aspiration and necessity. This is the new Africa. Read the full story at: www.wired. co.uk/magazine/archive/2011/08/ features/switching-on. 

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Cardiopad

In Cameroon, Need Spurs Heart Care Innovation by Dave Mayers

group of young, African innovators. These people have taken things that have always acted as impediments to development on the continent and tried

www.smartplanet.com/blog/ global-observer/in-cameroonneed-spurs-heart-careinnovation/4510?tag=content;siucontainer

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International

rthur Zang saw a need in the Cameroonian healthcare system, and the young engineer has worked for the last three years to fill it. Zang, 24, is the inventor of the Cardiopad, a portable, touchscreen tablet that performs all of the functions of a traditional electrocardiograph. The device differs from a standard EKG in the way it saves and shares patients’ data, wirelessly transmitting it to trained professionals who could be miles away from the rural towns and villages where it might be used. People from around the world have hailed the Cameroonian inventor since the Cardiopad was officially unveiled earlier in February 2012. And while it was built to address certain problems with local healthcare — there are only some 30 cardiologists in the country of 20 million and most of them are located in the nation’s two largest cities — the Cardiopad could be useful in similar areas across the globe, in developed as well as developing countries. Zang is part of a growing

to turn them to their advantage. The Cardiopad doesn’t garner the attention it has without a lack of trained heart surgeons in the country. This “bottom-up” innovation is starting to grab people’s attention outside of Africa as its applications in the wider world become clearer. At 54 years, Cameroon has one of the shortest life expectancies in the world. Limited access to and the prohibitive cost of quality healthcare are two obstacles that Zang is trying to address with his invention. “The Cardiopad will cut down the cost of examination. We intend to sell the device for 1,500 euros, while the current price for an electrocardiograph device is 3,800 euros. If hospitals purchase the device at a low price, they will be able to lower the prices of medical examinations,” Zang said in an interview with Radio Netherlands. 

or fiscal year 2011, Ex-Im Bank approved over $32 billion in financing, an all-time record for the Bank and up 110% from 2008. These financings supported approximately 300,000 U.S. jobs and included more than 3,000 small business transactions - up nearly 20%. Fiscal year 2011 marks the third consecutive record-breaking year, with significant growth seen in industries such as aircraft, renewable energy, and infrastructure as well as key markets including Colombia, India, Turkey, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Ex-Im Bank is steadfast in achieving the goals of the President’s National Export Initiative (NEI) in doubling exports by 2015. In addition, significant progress was made in accomplishing Ex-Im Bank’s goals to add 5,000 new small businesses to the Ex-Im Bank portfolio, double the small business volume to $9 billion, and approve $30 billion in total small business transactions. • Add a total of 5,000 new small businesses to the Ex-Im Bank portfolio (1,500 as of 9/30/11 - GOAL 5000) • Double its annual small business volume to $9 billion ($6 billion as of 9/30/11 - GOAL $9 billion) • Approve $30 billion in total small business transactions ($15.3 billion as of 9/30/11 - GOAL $30 billion) Preliminary FY’11 Highlights Include: • 3,750 transactions • 1,019 companies new businesses to Ex-Im portfolio • $6.0 billion in small business export financing, an all-time record • $719 million in minority- and woman- owned export financing • $720 million in renewable financing, up from $30 million in 2008 • Over $1.3 billion in Sub Saharan Africa - first time we have passed the billion dollar mark in Africa

www.exim.gov • $2.9 billion increase to India, a direct result of the President’s efforts to build a strategic alliance Ex-Im Bank Issues Over 100 Express Insurance Policies Since its launch at Ex-Im Bank’s 2011 Annual Conference, express insurance has proved to be a much-needed shortterm export insurance product, which is available only to small businesses. One hundred and twelve exporters purchased an express insurance policy in fiscal year 2011 leading to over $50 million in authorizations. Thirty-two of our insurance broker partners distributed more than 90% of the express insurance policies, with Trade Acceptance Group of Minnesota and Global Business Solutions of North Carolina tied for the most express policies sold.

Ex-Im Bank Profile Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that helps create and maintain U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. The Bank provides a variety of financing mechanisms, including working capital loan guarantees, export-credit insurance, and financing

Looking Ahead FY2012 2012 Goals include: • Support Goals of National Export Initiative - continue the financing of U.S. products and services to double U.S. exports by 2015. • Increase Small Business Authorizations & Transactions create new products and engage new partners to focus on reaching out to more small businesses. • Government at the Speed of Business - target 80% of all Ex-Im Bank’s transactions to be completed within 30 days. • Increase Infrastructure & Renewable Financing - meet global need for infrastructure demand and capitalize on new opportunities.

to help foreign buyers purchase U.S. goods and services. Ex-Im Bank is self-sustaining and is able to cover all operating costs and potential losses while also producing revenue. The Bank has generated $1.9 billion for U.S. taxpayers over the past five years. Follow Ex-Im Bank on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eximbankus. Join the Ex-Im Bank network at http://www. linkedin.com/company/export-importbank-of-the-united-states.  The complete quarterly report, including video presentations, may be viewed at www.exim.gov/newsletter/volume6/ newsletter_October18.cfm#four

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Tablette Africaine

he marketing of the first d e s i g n e d touch tablet, design technology, in Africa began in CongoBrazzaville, said its inventor Verona Mankou. “We have put in place a device and logistics to commercialize the Tablet. Today, everyone can buy it. The Tablet is called Way - C: “light of the stars”, in a dialect of the Northern Congo.” It measures 17 cm wide, 19 cm long, is 1.2 cm thick and weighs 380 grams. It has a memory of 512 MB,

Verona Mankou 4 GB disk space, map memory of 32 GB and a wifi system integrated. “Technologically, this tablet is equivalent to those found in the market,” said Mr. Mankou. See the product at: www.vmktech.com and www. tablette-store.com. 

African Tech Hubs International

o matter what you call them – tech hub, innovation hub, business incubator – technology centers are connecting young entrepreneurs, programmers, designers, and investors. Few concepts in Africa drives more excitement, collaboration, and promise than the tech hub. For years, tech experimentation was limited to universities and a select few ambitious souls. In a matter of 2-3 years, however, the innovation scene has greatly expanded thanks to careful planning. Official labs not only encourage the dispersion of local content, but also attract business investment. Plus, lab members can spread their knowledge to the rest of society once they become local e-skills or programming experts. The main draw of the labs is their offer of working spaces: broadband-equipped facilities that allow techies to conduct their business as if they were in an office setting. A benefit of the hub is that members do not need a university degree; passion, ideas, and some skill are all that is required in terms of human capital. Membership terms are along the lines of a typical office lease. Financing for the labs is generally a combination of membership dues, donations, and revenue from commercial projects that have been contracted out. In many cases, tax breaks on imports and operating costs help attract hubs to less-developed areas. Although AfriLabs naturally maintains a useful list of

African tech hubs, there exist a handful of innovation centers/ platforms/incubators that are not part of the consortium. Kenya may currently boast the most tech hubs, but other areas are quickly following suit as benefits become clearer. Please support these endeavors as they work to improve the quality of African life.  www.oafrica.com/business/african-tech-hubs

95  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbusinessnews.net

The African Network (TAN)

6th Annual Entrepreneurship Conference

May 18-19, 2012  Hilton Hotel, San Jose, CA

he 6th Annual Entrepreneurship Conference hosted by The African Network (TAN) will promote technology and entrepreneurship among African and American entrepreneurs doing business in Africa and the USA. The conference will be held Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19, 2012 at the Hilton Hotel, San Jose, California. TANCon 2012 (www.tanconf.org) early bird registration will last untill April 1, 2012. TANCon 2012 will showcase leading African and US investment experts, entrepreneurs, global innovators and policymakers such as biotech entrepreneur Daniel Laser, CEO of

Wave 80 Biosciences; Teresa Clarke, former MD of Goldman Sachs and now Chairman and Founder of Africa. com; Niall O’Cathasaigh, Partner, Manocap Private Equity Company based in Sierra Leone; Bridgette Sexton, Manager of the Google Global Entrepreneurship group; social entrepreneur Chid Liberty of Liberty and Justice, Liberia and Teresa Cox of the USA Department of Trade and Commerce. There will be several panel

discussions, including an “Investment Policy in Africa” panel, where information, expertise, experiences and international opportunities will be shared with attendees. According to TAN President and CEO, Dr. Paschal Iwuh, “the main difference between the 2012 conference and previous years will be the addition of Entrepreneurship Workshops. These workshops, which are described on the conference website (www.tanconf.org), will aim to provide tangible benefits to conference attendees, particularly start-up and existing entrepreneurs”. The TAN Entrepreneurship Conference workshops will include a session on evaluation of 1-page business plans towards attracting funding, as well as a session on professional mentorship for start-up and existing entrepreneurs. TANCon 2012 has confirmed notable venture capitalists, angel investors and social

entrepreneurs (incubators) who will be judges as well as mentors at these workshops. Michael Wray of the Santa Clara University GSBI Program, Ken Brown, Managing Director of Lionchase Venture Capital firm, Naeem Zafar of University of California Lester Center for Entrepreneurship, Berkeley HAAS School of Business, and Tara Lynn-Gray of Yadari Enterprises will be some of the participants at these workshops. The workshops and discussion panels are aimed at providing more value to attendees of TANCon 2012. For more detailed inforamation contact the TANCon 2012 Organizing Committee by email at events@ theafricannetwork.org or visit the website at www.tanconf.org. 

An African American Cultural, Retail, Foods & Entertainment Center. Degnan Boulevard

Experience Africa in America

Shop, Eat, Relax Leimert Park in Village Little Ethiopia between Crenshaw & Leimert Blvds. 43rd Street-43rd Place, Los Angeles

Culture, Retail, Entertainment Fairfax Boulevard

between Pico & Olympic, Los Angeles

96  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

Continental Africa Chamber of Commerce USA in Collaboration with U.S. Department of Commerce Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (Office of Trade and Investment) Cook County Planning and Development Department City of Chicago and Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce

ACCESS 2012

International Trade Forum April 24-25, 2012

Glendale, Arizona Thunderbird School of Global Management

Cordially invite you to the 7th US-Africa Trade & Investment Forum, Conference and Exposition

Business Opportunities in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia

Africa - The Next World Market May 16-18, 2012, Chicago, IL This historic event will take place during the G-8 Summit to be hosted in Chicago May 2012, where four African Presidents will be in attendance. Africa offers great potential for American businesses and investors. The Forum will provide a dynamic platform that:

This Forum provides an important opportunity for US companies to understand and engage business interests across the vast and diverse markets of a new Africa.

Join us! For more information, please contact us at: www.continentalacc.org Email: info@continentalacc.org 1-312-987-1892 tel 1-312-987-1893 fax 28 E. Jackson Boulevard Suite #600, Chicago, IL 60604

one appointments are first come, firstserved and are expected to become fully booked. Registration information: http:// export.gov/arizona/access2012/index. asp.

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION BEFORE MARCH 1ST 

the U.S. embassies and consulates in the ANESA (Africa, Near East and South Asia) markets. The one-on-

California State Trade and Export Promotion-STEP - a network to facilitate successful exports: http://www.californiastep.com/ trade-events/industry Bobby Hines DownTown Los Angeles Export Office 444 S. Flower St, 37th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90071 bobby.hines@trade.gov Ph: 213-894-4231 Cell: 213-276-3675

A Positive Economic Turn Around in the USA is in Our Hands 

•Buy Products Made or Assembled in the USA •Hire One New Employee •Eat an Extra Meal Out Each Week •Start/Grow a Business to Generate Wealth & Jobs

97  March 2012  Black Business News  www.blackbbusinessnews.net

International

•Presents to American corporate and public-policy makers the wide array of investment opportunities in Africa; •Discusses the ways in which these opportunities can be realized; •Meets participants’ strategic interests by creating networking opportunities and an avenue for the development of bilateral investment possibilities; •Provides one-on-one negotiation opportunities; •Encourages American companies to exhibit their products and services; and •Invites African businesses to exhibit their products under AGOA

t ACCESS you can hold private one-on-one meetings with trade experts to get the answers you need for your business. Sign up for the conference to meet with Senior Commercial Officers from

Thursday Blues at

Uncle Darrow‛s High Noon-2pm Every Thursday

Come by for lunch and relax to blues and jazz from our house band! 2560 S. Lincoln Blvd. Marina del Rey North East corner of Washington & Lincoln

“LA Times Magazine favorite cajun food”

310-306-4862

www.uncledarrows.com

FAME ASSISTANCE CORPORATION FREE CREDIT MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS HELD EACH MONTH AT

Order Via the Internet Wines of the Black-Owned wineries of South Africa. Register at TheArtfulGrape.com. The Artful Grape will do the rest. The wines will be delivered to your door.

1968 W. ADAMS BLVD., LOS ANGELES CALL FOR INFORMATION OR RSVP 323-730-7720