Connections

SBDCNet Connections Issue 55: Mobile Food Vendors

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:03:53 +0100

NAICS: 722330 SIC: 5812 By: Theresa Ehrlich Street vendors no longer just sell hot dogs, tacos and snow cones. Today you can get anything from freshly prepared sushi rolls to grass fed organic hamburgers. Street food is having a significant impact on food culture. Professional chefs are leaving their restaurants to open their own trailers. Among them are Jerome Chang, former pastry chef at Le Cirque and now co-owner of DessertTruck in New York C ...

SBDCNet Connections Issue 54: Stimulus Money & Small Business Report

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:40:13 +0100

Completed by Shuchi Nagpal and Tobin Scroggins Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 13, 2009, and four days later, the President signed the legislation into law. As of Sept. 2009 the $787 billion Recovery plan has awarded 20,287 contracts roughly worth $12 billion, 60,320 federal grants worth $141 billion and 17,438 loans for about 8 billion dollars. In seven months the federal government has already spent $161 billion which is around 20 percent ...

SBDCNet Connections Issue 53: Graphic Design Services

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:37:18 +0100

NAICS Code: 541430 SIC: 7336 Completed by Merari Ramos @font-face { font-family: Cambria Math; } @page Section1 {size: 8.5in 11.0in; margin: 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin: .5in; mso-footer-margin: .5in; mso-paper-source: 0; } P.MsoNormal { MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman","serif"; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-style-unhide: no; mso-style-qformat: yes; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: " ...

SBDC Connections Issue 52: Beef Jerky Manufacturing

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:12:55 +0100

Beef Jerky Manufacturing NAICS Code: 311612 SIC Code: 2013 Completed by Richard Schaefer Market Overview Aspiring meat processors beware: a handful of select brands dominate the pre-packaged jerky and meat snacks industry. In 2007, according to Information Resources, Inc., the four top-selling labels comprised approximately 87% of jerky and 97% of dried meat snack sales in supermarkets and drugstores. This pattern of consolidation is expected to continue, as r ...

SBDCNet Connections Issue 51: Assisted Living Facilities

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:10:23 +0100

By Jesse Ortiz July, 2009 The long term care industry is made up of a variety of senior care services, including assisted living facilities (ALFs). The Census divides the ALF industry into two major categories: continuing care retirement communities (NAICS 623311) and homes for the elderly (NAICS 623312). The primary distinction between the two is the presence of nursing care: continuing care retirement communities provide on-site nursing facilities, while homes for the e ...

SBDCNet Connections Issue 50: Book Publishing

Mon, 18 May 2009 11:11:30 +0100

Book Publishers NAICS Code: 511130 SIC Code: 2731 by Marissa N. García It's a Brave New World for the publishing industry as it attempts to keep pace with the arrival of the digital age. An industry that began in 15th-century Germany with Johannes Gutenberg's printing of the Bible is now grappling with electronic book imprints, digital article archives and online versions of publications. The $1 trillion industry includes publishers and printers of newspapers, books, magazine ...

SBDCNet Connections Bonus Issue: Pet Supply

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:48:34 +0100

It is time to make a business trip half way across the country; however, your boss informs you that you are not allowed to take your Airedale Terrier along due to liability concerns. What is to be done if you do not want to leave him alone at your home? You want someone trustworthy to take care of your pet, but none of your family members is available to assist you. What do you do? Many pet owners are finding it convenient to leave their pet at a pet day care. Many of these day cares are strateg ...

SBDCNet Connections Bonus Issue: Paint & Body Shop

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:39:32 +0100

For as long as there have been cars, "scratch and dent" shops have been around to fix them. Not long after cars became affordable for most of the public, car owners began looking for ways to make their vehicle unique. The need for the technology and expertise of the body and paint shop to convert these mass-produced cars, vans, and trucks into special-use and customized vehicles began to grow. As time passed, the cost of new cars increased and many Americans were extending a ...

SBDCNet Connections Bonus Issue: Personal Chef

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:32:36 +0100

Hey, who's cooking dinner? Not as many of you as you might think. More and more Americans are looking elsewhere. Two up and coming trends are hiring a personal chef and purchasing freshly prepared complete meals needing only to be re-heated. One thing needs to be clarified: a personal chef and a private chef are different professions. The private chef lives on the property and is responsible for all meals and snacks for everyone. A personal chef typically works in your home once ...

SBDCNet Connections Issue 49: Funeral Homes and Funeral Services

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:55:31 +0100

NAICS Code: 812210 SIC Code: 7261 Completed by Dawn Jimenez Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) More than two million people died in the United States last year. For consumers, funerals and burials are big businesses. A funeral is one of the most expensive events in one's ...

SBDCNet Connections Issue 48: Solar Panels

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:27:28 +0100

Solar energy is rapidly increasing in popularity. Businesses in industries from homes to vehicles – even purses – are looking to harness the power of the sun to decrease dependency on fossil fuels and decrease pollution. With climate change and pollution becoming a greater concern and oil prices becoming increasingly volatile, solar energy acts as a promising alternative that is both clean and renewable. Although the use of solar energy, or photovolataics, is not as widesprea ...

SBDCNet Connections Issue 47: Child Day Care

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:10:21 +0100

For many parents, crayola-covered walls and orchestras limited to pots and pans bring to mind the thought, "maybe daycare isn't such a bad idea after all." Besides providing parents with a little time off, day care centers offer children under five years of age, an educational and fun environment while parents are at work. These benefits have helped drive the demand for child care in recent years though the supply of quality centers has yet to catch up. ...

SBDCNet Connections Issue 46: Wineries

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:20:37 +0100

16 January 2008 The wine industry has experienced major growth since 2006 and industry executives expect this growth to continue indefinitely. This demand for wine is increasing among younger college students incorporating wine into their lifestyles as well as Baby Boomers who spend an increasing amount of money satisfying their palates. According to the American Wine Society, the nation’s top wine producing states are California, New York, Washington and Ore ...

SBDCNet Connections Issue 45: Green Construction

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:44:56 +0100

Green Construction By Monique De Vries New Single-Family Housing Construction NAICS Code: 236115 - SIC Code: 1521 New Multifamily Housing Construction NAICS Code: 236116 - SIC Code: 1522 New Housing Operative Builders NAICS Code: 236117 - SIC Code: 1531 Residential Remodelers NAICS Code: 236118 - SIC Code: 1521, 1522, 1531 Why is everyone going green? There is a growing interest in going green or buying products and construction that are environme ...

SBDCNet Connections Issue 44: Chocolate

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:32:06 +0100

July 15, 2008 Chocolate To view as a PDF, click here. Specialty foods, whether gourmet, organic or all natural are the rage these days. Formerly available only through farmers’ markets or specialty foods stores, premium fares have gained far-reaching acceptance. Consumers only have to go to the local chain grocery and drug store to find their daily fix. The market for gourmet foods and beverages is currently valued at over $42 billion and is expected to exceed $6 ...

SBDCNet Connections Issue 41: Biodiesel

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:37:10 +0100

January 5, 2008 Biodiesel While the term biodiesel is a name for an alternative clean fuel, it is also used as a term for a blend of petroleum diesel and the alternative clean fuel.1 Biodiesel blends are denoted as, "BXX", for example B20 is 20% biodiesel, 80% petroleum diesel.1 Many people think of biodiesel as using French fry oil but fuel-grade biodiesel has an industry standard, ASTM D6751 to insure proper performance. ...

SBDCNet Connections Issue 42: Pet Grooming

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:53:54 +0100

April 22, 2008 Pet Grooming IndustryAccording to the American Pet Product Manufacturing Association, the booming pet grooming industry has experienced steadily increasing profits from $2.7 billion in 2006 to an astonishing $2.9 billion in 2007. With dogs in almost 45 million homes in America, grooming services have become even more important. It is also important that an accurate customer base is identified so that the best service can be provided. There are two types of g ...

SBDCNet Connections Issue 43: Coffee House

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:11:02 +0100

June 16, 2008

Coffee House

Are you one of the 108 million people who had coffee this morning as a part of your daily routine? You might be reading this article from your wireless laptop computer at your favorite coffee house and not know that going wireless is a popular trend in the coffee industry. The coffee market is highly competitive with business owners trying to create the best flavored drinks and the best atmosphere to go above and beyond the competition.

SBDCNet Connections Issue 40: Bookstores

Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0100

Bookstores May 15, 2007 Do you recall the movie "You've Got Mail"? You might think that independent bookstores are going out of style since the quaint children’s bookstore, owned by Kathleen (Meg Ryan) lost business to the big chain store down the street run by Joe (Tom Hanks). In reality, the retail bookstore industry has maintained lots of little independent bookstores despite the domineering bookstore chains. One advantage for independent bookstores is that t ...

SBDCNet Connections Bonus Issue: Hunting and Outdoor Recreation

Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0100

Hunting and Outdoor Recreation & ...

SBDCNet Connections Bonus Issue: Organic Food

Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0100

Today's lifestyles define organic as more than just your neighborhood farmer's market. Neither is it limited to only produce anymore. No longer does the organic consumer just want fresh fruits and vegetables; the array of products includes everything from baby food, dairy, frozen food, dog food, and even clothing and furniture. In 2006, organic food sales totaled $16.7 billion, representing 2.8% of all U.S. retail sales of food and beverages. Also, the penetration of organic foods in ...