Small Business

Dear Editor: Imagine living in a town that discourages small business success. A town that stifles and hinders a small business owner's attempts to succeed. If you live in Danville, Ky., that is exactly what you will face. When we acquired our business last year we seriously considered moving the business away from downtown. We weighed all the pros and cons of remaining downtown and decided to give it three years. The business had been downtown for 19 years, and we preferred to remain at the present location.

There is no storefront or a plant facade. There is no sign that says ACME Parts or Westside Widgets Inc. There is no steady payroll or longtime workforce. But when you drive by a new subdivision and see people building a foundation, laying bricks or landscaping a yard, what you're looking at is, in effect, a small business - short-term, different employees, no big signs, but a small business just the same. And, according to local builders, a home construction project is a small business that pays big dividends to the local economy and to local governments.

If you are planning on starting a new business, or have just started one, you may find the Small Business Development Conference to be an opportunity to improve your business. The Small Business Development Conference will be held Tuesday, June 24 at the Bluegrass Community and Technical College in Danville, and is sponsored by chambers of commerce in Boyle, Lincoln, and Mercer counties. The event will provide direction and networking for budding entrepreneurs, company leaders, indeed any employee of a business.

If you own a small business, you probably laugh at the notion of a "9 to 5" workday. Unfortunately, many small-business owners work so hard, and are so focused on the here and now - increasing sales, controlling costs, attracting new customers, etc. - that they forget to plan for their own retirement and for the fate of their business. Don't make those mistakes. No matter how hectic your schedule, take the time to set up a retirement plan for yourself and a succession plan for your business.

By Tom Underwood Get ready to pay a whole lot more to keep the lights on. Congress currently is working to pass a huge energy bill. The centerpiece is a system to force energy utilities to purchase government credits to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. This would in effect be an energy tax on the American people as the utilities pass the increased costs along to consumers and small business owners.  The plan is called "cap and trade" and it refers to a new trading market that Congress wants to create.

The National Federation of Independent Business/Kentucky, the state's largest small-business advocacy group, today presented its Guardian of Small Business award, to State Representative Bob Damron in recognition of his outstanding efforts to support small-business issues in the Kentucky Legislature. "Representative Damron has gone to bat for Kentucky's small businesses time after time," said Tom Underwood, state director of NFIB/Kentucky. "Particularly as we've worked to pass critical small-business legislation including relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax and the ICARE health care program, we have always been able to count on him for his unwavering support.

Dear Editor, I am writing with regard to the letter to the editor written on Oct. 2, by Mr. Cecil Arnold. I am also a longtime citizen of Garrard County and very concerned with what happens in Garrard County. I am a small business owner in the timber and wood industry. Mr. Napier has never neglected to respond to the needs and interests of the small business owners of Garrard County. His involvement with local businesses distinctly displays his concern for this county.

Whether Americans voted for Republicans or Democrats in the mid-term election, one thing is clear: Voters were demanding that Congress focus intensively on job creation on Main Street — not lobbyists and campaign donors from big business and Wall Street. Apparently, many in Congress and President Obama, if recent reports are true, either didn’t get the message or simply don’t care now that the voting is over. The top legislative priority of the newly “tea party-empowered” during the lame duck session is hardly what tea party insurgents had in mind.

Gov. Steve Beshear was on hand Thursday to meet students enrolled in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, sponsored locally by the Danville/Boyle County Chamber of Commerce. The local program was the first in the state, which prompted the press conference attended by Beshear and YEA! Executive Director Heather Forbes, who was thrilled to be in Kentucky, despite the bad weather. “It's been wonderful,” she said. The program is now being implemented in other schools around the state, which Forbes said had been “exciting” to see. Beshear echoed those sentiments, adding that he knows entrepreneurship is the future of Kentucky.

Dear Editor, When President Obama recently mentioned that one big insurer controlled 96 percent of the market in just one state, a collective (and very loud) gulp went down the throats of insurance industry executives. You see, this domination of the small group market, where small businesses are forced to buy insurance, drives costs up at an unsustainable rate. So, the secret is out, but the question is: Will the insurers fess up? As the state director of the National Federation of Independent Business/Kentucky, I hear first-hand from small business owners about their ever-increasing costs and lack of choices.

Danville has been named one of the “Ten Wonderful Small Town Central Business Districts in the South” by Southern Business & Development magazine.  Danville was featured in SB&D's annual Top Tens Edition for the Winter 2013 issue.  “At SB&D, we have had the good fortune of visiting some outstanding Small Town South central business districts that we have found both vibrant and exciting. Nothing tops off a suitable small town location more than a great downtown,” the magazine states.  Other towns on the list include: Sumter, S.C.; Bardstown, Ky.; Bradenton, Fla.; Columbus, Miss.; Harrisonburg, Va.; Stuart, Fla.; El Dorado, Ark.; Bastrop, Texas; and Georgetown, Texas.  “There are many attributes that make Danville attractive to business and industry, but our downtown is the crown jewel,” said Jody Lassiter, president and CEO of the Danville-Boyle County Economic Development Partnership.

U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie will speak at the Danville-Boyle County Chamber of Commerce AT&T Public Policy luncheon Wednesday at the Danville Country Club.  Guthrie represents Kentucky's Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes Boyle, Mercer and Garrard counties. He serves on both the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce for the 113th Congress. He also serves on the following subcommittees for E&C: Subcommittee on Health; Subcommittee on Communications and Technology; and Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade.

There is still time to nominate someone for an award during the 94th Annual Chamber Celebration. The Danville-Boyle County Chamber of Commerce is asking the public to nominate businesses and individuals for the following categories:  * Outstanding Citizen Award: Outstanding citizens have been recognized by the Chamber for more than 10 years. This award has been presented to those who have volunteered hundreds of hours to benefit their community and their fellow man. These hours have generally involved interest and dedication in many areas rather than being focused in one area in particular.

Gov. Steve Beshear was on hand Thursday to meet students enrolled in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, sponsored locally by the Danville/Boyle County Chamber of Commerce. The local program was the first in the state, which prompted the press conference attended by Beshear and YEA! Executive Director Heather Forbes, who was thrilled to be in Kentucky, despite the bad weather. “It's been wonderful,” she said. The program is now being implemented in other schools around the state, which Forbes said had been “exciting” to see. Beshear echoed those sentiments, adding that he knows entrepreneurship is the future of Kentucky.

Kentucky sets record on SBA 504 loans The U.S. Small Business Administration just set a new loan dollar record in Kentucky on the SBA 504 Loan Program, with more than $46.3 million for the 2012 fiscal year. This amount was driven by the Temporary 504 Debt Refinancing Program, which ended a few weeks ago. The SBA 504 Loan Program offered through nonprofit Certified Development Companies provides stable, long-term, fixed rate financing for the purchase of owner-occupied commercial real estate and other major fixed assets at the lowest interest rates in program history.

In the midst of the hectic commercialism that has engulfed the weekend following Thanksgiving, specifically the Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions, a day has been designated to promote the small businesses in communities nationwide.  This includes many in Danville, where owners say they are feeling the love on Saturday. “We have had a fair amount of shoppers expressing that they're happy we're here,” said Julie Nelson, owner of Maple Tree Gallery on Main Street, which has extended its hours through the holiday season.

Winchester First is asking community members to support local businesses when holiday shopping this year. The annual Holiday Open House, organized by the downtown revitalization group, begins Thursday, Nov. 8, and businesses throughout downtown will participate. Twelve merchants and restaurants will have extended hours and special deals for customers ready to do Christmas shopping, or browsing local businesses. “Everybody kind of does their own thing,” Susie Shearer, co-owner of Court Street Gifts, said.

STANFORD - Small business owner Masato Sugimura - winner of the 2012 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards (EIEA) - was recognized as one of the region's top entrepreneurs at an EIEA Hometown Event in Lincoln County. Sugimura, president and owner of Lincoln Manufacturing USA, LLC, celebrated his win in the For-Profit Business category with employees, local community leaders, and EIEA sponsoring partners on Oct. 23 at a catered reception at Lincoln Manufacturing plant on Industrial Park Drive.

I encourage your support and vote for Janet Hamner for city commissioner. She has had years of experience in owning and managing a small business in downtown Danville.  This has provided her with exceptional knowledge in business management, finance and employee understanding. Janet has served on numerous boards and committees in Danville over the past 37 years and has provided great leadership. She has been totally dedicated to every project she has undertaken by first understanding the goals and then doing her “homework.” Janet has the skills necessary to assure that our city is run in a businesslike manner with openness and fairness for all residents.

STANFORD - Dr. Jennifer L. Brown, O.D., didn't need a prescription to see the benefits of Southeast Kentucky Economic Development's Entrepreneurial SMARTS training (Simple Methods And Reality-based Training for Success). All she needed was $25 and a desire to better manage her burgeoning optometry business in Somerset. The Pulaski County native was among 12 current and aspiring small business owners from all walks of life who attended SMARTS training in Stanford this month and received certificates of completion recently at The L&N Depot.