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Small Business Stories

#1 Reason Why You Should Go to Connecticut Business Day

As a small business owner or manager, you know that time is money. That your business needs you on site.  (And working your smart phone helps get even more things done these days.)

But sometimes you just have to get something done face-to-face. When showing up makes all the difference.

That’s why Connecticut Business Day on Wednesday, Feb. 29 is so important.

State leaders talk a lot about small businesses, but many don’t really know that much about what makes your business tick, or what’s holding it back.

From taxes to costs to new rules and regulations, decisions are being made at the Capitol that impact your success.

Connecticut Business Day is the one day (actually, just a morning) when hundreds of business leaders come to Hartford to be seen, be heard, and help make things clear to state lawmakers.

Instead of just hearing about what’s going on at the Capitol, you can help make things happen.

For example …

Last fall’s Jobs Session got the ball rolling to get more help to small businesses like yours. It was a good start.

Now, we need to know “what’s next.”

How are legislators going to keep the momentum going?  And what should lawmakers stay away from doing (like adding costs or burdensome regulations).

Find out. Come to the Capitol for Business Day.  Register today.

Questions? Contact CBIA’s Adam Ney at 860.244.1933 or adam.ney@cbia.com.

Editor’s note: If you do decide to join us on February 29th, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee and a bagel or muffin.

Small Business News Update

Oxford Performance Materials First To Get Small Business Express Funds

Governor Dannel P. Malloy has announced that the first company to be funded by the state’s new Small Business Express Program (EXP) is South Windsor-based and CBIA member Oxford Performance Materials, LLC.  The funding will allow the company to double its workforce by adding 12 positions.

Oxford Performance Materials (OPM), a biomedical company that produces plastic medical implant devices, recently moved into a newly leased facility with space for polymer processing and additional fabrication technologies in South Windsor.  State funding will be used to make facility improvements and purchase machinery and equipment.

“Small businesses are critical to reinventing Connecticut,” said Governor Malloy.  “Little by little, we must harness the can-do attitude of our state’s small companies, so that their success will spur our state’s recovery.  It was with this in mind that we created the Small Business Express Program.  When our small businesses succeed, Connecticut wins.” [Read More...]

WIC Program Seeks Food Stores and Pharmacies

The Connecticut Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is offering an opportunity for all food stores and pharmacies to apply for WIC authorization from January 3, 2012 – January 31, 2012.  Authorization is required for stores to be able to accept WIC checks and serve Connecticut participants in the WIC Program. 

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant’s and Children (commonly known as the WIC Program) is the nation’s largest supplemental nutritional provider for children in America.  WIC serves children to age five, including roughly 50% of all infants born in the United States, and 61% of WIC participants reside in families with incomes below the poverty level. WIC helps to ensure infants’ and children’s normal growth, reduces levels of anemia, increases immunization rates, improves access to regular health care and social services and improves diets.  In Connecticut, WIC serves approximately 58, 000 people.  From a vendor prospective, the State WIC Program currently authorizes approximately 500 grocery stores (large and small) and 112 pharmacies (both chain and independent), and 47 farms that redeem WIC checks exclusively for fresh fruits and vegetables. [Read More...]

TechStart Fund Launched For Start-ups

Today, we got this heads-up from our friends at Connecticut Innovations and I thought I would share it with you.

Connecticut Innovations today launched the TechStart Fund, which was created to spur technology innovation at its very earliest stage. TechStart provides entrepreneurial or student teams with initial capital so they can determine whether a technology concept and business is viable and whether future funding can be obtained to launch a new business. Teams will participate in an initial 10-week pilot program during which they will be provided with mentors and professional resources offering strategic guidance in launching a new business.

At the conclusion of this initial program, each team should have a prototype or market-ready product, be ready to launch a company and be prepared to make a pitch to investors for funding.

The 10-week pilot program will be held at CTech@Science Park at Yale in New Haven and will begin in March 2012. The application deadline for that session is February 22, 2012. Online Application are Available. For additional information about the TechStart Fund, click here.

Read More Small Business Stories

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