The Air Force has gone online in its efforts to attract small and minority-owned businesses interested in doing work for the military.
The effort to expand suppliers serving the Air Force is being driven by efforts by President Bush and Congress to provide more opportunities because of the growth in the number of small businesses in the past 20 years.
The online program was created to assist commanders in complying with the order requiring them to “structure an aggressive” program.
More information about the program can be found at www.selltoairforce.org.
In addition to the small- and minority-owned business initiative, the Air Force is pushing to expand contracting with businesses owned by women and Native Americans.
More offer holiday
A survey conducted by the Small Business Television Network, broadcast over the Internet, revealed that 76 percent of the nearly 2,000 respondents said they offered the day after Thanksgiving as a paid holiday. The network is located at www.sbtv.com.
That is in contrast to many businesses that have eliminated the holiday. Since 2000, the number of businesses offering the paid holiday has decreased by nearly 70 percent, according to BusinessWeek magazine.
“It is clear that small-business owners continue to provide this important benefit to their employees,” said Susan Wilson Solovic, chief executive of SBTV.
Founded in 2000, SBTV is the first television network on the Web devoted entirely to the small-business market–from start-ups to established enterprises.
Regional initiative
Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who has made the creation of economic development regions around the state a centerpiece of his administration, has unveiled the fourth of 10 regions.
When the governor announced plans for the economic development initiatives, he indicated the state would rely heavily on education and innovation centers to propel development. So far, he has stuck with that plan.
Of the grants announced to date, three are for the development of entrepreneurship centers in Peoria, the Quad Cities, and Rockford. The Peoria center is to be at Bradley University, while the Rockford center is to be located at Rock Valley College.
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The Quad Cities center, which Blagojevich said would be open within 12 months, is to coordinate its activities with a similar center located in Davenport, Iowa.
In addition, he has announced grants for a workforce development center at Heartland Community College in Normal; a regional education center at Shawnee Community College in Ullin; and a technology center at Rend Lake College in Ina.