Archive for March 2nd, 2010

Business Accelerator and New Entrepreneurs Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

A public-private partnership has been formed in Orange County to help new ventures reach their full potential. Under the program, entrepreneurs will have access to experienced business people, financiers, lawyers, marketing experts, tax advisers and other mentors.

The mentors will help new entrepreneurs with guidance and even funding. Without such mentoring, new entrepreneurs often take years to learn many of the essentials needed for running a business successfully.

The program aims at providing new entrepreneurs with state-of-the-art Internet access, videoconferencing and access to advice and funding during their first years of operation. These essentials will help businesspersons with new ideas and products, but with little practical business know-how.

These entrepreneurs will be accommodated at the Accelerator’s 10,000-square-foot facility at New York International Plaza at Stewart International Airport. After the initial difficult years, the entrepreneurs will have to move out of the facility, and succeed on their own.

Entrepreneurs wishing to join the Accelerator must have initial financing and a viable business plan that is reviewed and approved by the Accelerator’s Management Council. ompanies from all industry sectors can consider joining the Accelerator, but the program is looking particularly for companies in three clusters: renewable and alternative energy, life sciences and biopharmaceuticals and information technology, especially companies developing applications for the Internet and other software.

Read more at recordonline

Healthcare and Infotech will Replace Construction Industry Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

“Is it okay to pray for a hurricane,” asks a real estate person at a steakhouse’s bar. Hurricanes destroy people’s lives but brings business to the construction sector. Down in the dumps with the steep decline in real estate sales, people in the construction industry are wondering in such strange ways.

The discussion at the bar reveals the career moves people in the industry are exploring. One person with years as a property appraiser is now studying to become a nurse. Three colleagues of a mortgage broker were also looking at nursing.

According to reports, there are about 40 percent less construction jobs in Florida now. Real estate agents and brokers have suffered much less with about 8 percent less jobs. Pays for those still hanging on are a fraction of what they used to be.

Read about the impact of economic recession in Florida and the experiences of construction workers at Tampa Bay Online.