Sharpen Your Business Skills at This Half-Day Conference—A good thing to do in any economy!

Add comment March 3rd, 2009

Don’t miss the Rockford Chamber’s Small Business Sustainability Conference featuring a keynote breakfast and breakout sessions lead by Chamber members at the top of their fields.

Marc Schulman, president of The Eli’s Cheescake Company, will keynote with a talk on how he’s developed his company, through economic ups and downs, into the country’s largest specialty cheesecake bakery that produces more than 20,000 cheesecakes per day.

Creative Ways to Sustain your Business
With multiple challenges presented by the current economic crisis, companies need to look beyond traditional business strategies for sustainability. This session will show you how to implement new, creative and unconventional ways to help strengthen your business and how to prepare for an economic upturn. Bob Jonas, Strategy International

Relationship Driven Sales Consumers are growing increasingly mindful of their budgets, so developing strong relationships is vital in winning new clients and keeping existing clients satisfied. This informative session will show you how to develop new sales leads and turn them into loyal customers. Mike Broski, Entré Computer Solutions; Norma Polcek, SAMCO
Managing Your Workforce in a Down Economy
No matter the economic condition, it is always important to pay attention to personnel costs. In this session, you’ll learn how to review cost-saving strategies such as benefits, furloughs, layoffs and reductions in workforce. Also find out how to maintain employee morale with or without downsizing, and what low-cost incentives can be used to attract and retain valuable talent within your company. Sue Buckwalter, HR Concepts, Inc.

Financial Essentials for the Small Business Owner
Before borrowing from the bank or having to reduce personnel expenses, businesses should first look for ways to boost liquidity. This session will present cost saving strategies from a certified accountant on how small businesses can maximize cash by better managing inventory, personnel costs and health care expenses, and by effectively monitoring accounts payable and receivable. John Morrissey, The Morrissey Family Businesses

Marketing, Messaging and Media Relations
In today’s business environment, companies have to compete with other businesses for visibility, public awareness and customers. A panel of professionals in the industries of interactive marketing, public relations and broadcast media will present an informative session on how to develop your message and marketing strategy and execute with confidence. Rebecca Kopf, PR Etc.; Dave Smith, 23 WIFR-TV; Jeff Stewart, Trekk Cross-Media

Maximize Your Tax Savings
Corporate tax season is upon us and with the constant changes in the tax code it can be difficult to stay current on the best tax strategies for your business. In this session, local tax experts will provide an update on recent policy changes and show you real-life applications on how to save money on your corporate taxes by identifying deductions and filing options that are appropriate for your business. James R. Millikin, Sikich LLP; Julie Cunningham, Sikich LLP

Small Business Sustainability Conference
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Clock Tower Resort
7801 E. State St.

Cut and Paste then click to register for this informative event.
http://rockfordilcoc.weblinkconnect.com/CWT/External/WCPages/WCEvents/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=490

Sponsorships are available. Call Becky Brown at 815-316-4317.

Barney Frank dismisses any Financial Problems

3 comments March 3rd, 2009

In case you missed this interview, the Chairman dismisses any financial problem last July.  I wonder what would have happened if he took heed and did something about it then?  Frank

The Obama Economy

2 comments March 3rd, 2009

As the DOW keeps dropping, the President is running out of people to blame.

As 2009 opened, three weeks before Barack Obama took office, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 9034 on January 2, its highest level since the autumn panic. Yesterday the Dow fell another 4.24% to 6763, for an overall decline of 25% in two months and to its lowest level since 1997. The dismaying message here is that President Obama’s policies have become part of the economy’s problem.Americans have welcomed the Obama era in the same spirit of hope the President campaigned on. But after five weeks in office, it’s become clear that Mr. Obama’s policies are slowing, if not stopping, what would otherwise be the normal process of economic recovery. From punishing business to squandering scarce national public resources, Team Obama is creating more uncertainty and less confidence — and thus a longer period of recession or subpar growth.

The Democrats who now run Washington don’t want to hear this, because they benefit from blaming all bad economic news on President Bush. And Mr. Obama has inherited an unusual recession deepened by credit problems, both of which will take time to climb out of. But it’s also true that the economy has fallen far enough, and long enough, that much of the excess that led to recession is being worked off. Already 15 months old, the current recession will soon match the average length — and average job loss — of the last three postwar downturns. What goes down will come up — unless destructive policies interfere with the sources of potential recovery.

Excerpted from the WSJ…see the rest here….Obama