By Calvin W. Goings, SBA Assistant Associate Administrator 

All across the country, there are young men and women dreaming of opening their own business. Some are looking to start the next social media phenomenon, while others are focused on a business idea that fills an important niche on their campuses and in their communities.

At the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), we know that young entrepreneurs are a valuable source of American innovation which is why we launched our Young Entrepreneur Series (YES). The SBA has the tools and resources to help these entrepreneurs succeed.  

SBA appreciates that young entrepreneurs have different sorts of needs – they’re not just online and mobile; they’re starting all kinds of businesses while working out of cafes or even dorm rooms. We’ve launched a new set of online tools, with links to resources and online courses, geared specifically toward young entrepreneurs at http://www.sba.gov/content/young-entrepreneurs.

And the SBA online community puts articles and advice from tens of thousands of small business owners and entrepreneurs online and available for perusing on our website. Join the community at www.sba.gov/community.

SBA has many other tools available for young entrepreneurs and small businesses alike. We like to call these our “three C’s” and include capital, contracting, and counseling.

We provide a government guarantee on SBA loans that are given by lenders to increase access to capital.  One great example is SBA’s microloan program. It provides low-cost, low-dollar loans to entrepreneurs and small business owners who require a small infusion of capital to start or expand their business.

Opportunities available for small businesses in federal contracting include special efforts for women, veterans and disadvantaged businesses.

And we offer counseling and training to over a million aspiring entrepreneurs each year through our resource partner network including: SCORE, Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), Women Business Centers, and Veterans Business Centers.

As young entrepreneurs build their small businesses, SBA resource partners are there for them to provide mentoring, coaching and advice for every stage of their business, from starting up and writing a business plan, to accessing capital and expanding.

SBA is dedicated to educating young entrepreneurs, connecting them to each other and other successful business owners and providing better access to tools, resources and information for starting, growing and managing a business.

But no matter where you are, how old you are, or what your business is, SBA has resources to help you grow your business. You can get in touch with your local SBA district office in Seattle, branch office in Spokane or resource partner at www.sba.gov/direct.

Max Steele

MulvannyG2 Architecture has announced the addition of Senior Associate Max Steele to the firm’s headquarter office in Bellevue, Wash. With 46 years in the field of architecture, Steele brings a wealth of credits and experience to MulvannyG2’s retail design team. He will serve as a lead designer on a variety of retail interior environments including mixed use projects, stores, and large master planning.

Prior to joining MulvannyG2, Steele was a Principal and Studio Leader providing holistic design services for retail, and brand identity to developers, retailers, and architects. His previous experience as a Design Manager on the client side allows him to see the big picture and truly understand business needs and goals. His work in mixed-use, entertainment, and retail venues has created and enhanced business value for clients such as Disney, China Resources, The Renaissance Corporation D.R., IKEA Properties Russia, The Koll Company, Crosspoint Properties, CLC Communication Brazil, The Rouse Company, The Mills Corporation, Federal Realty Investment, Pacific Malls K.K., Gulf Development Real Estate, Reliance Group, and Ivanhoe Cambridge.

An exceptional, market-driven designer, Steele successfully integrates architecture, interiors, and graphic design viewpoints to affirm a clear and strong identity for each project. His current projects include Nanjing Xuzhuang Suning Shopping Mall interiors in Nanjing, China; Wuxi Chong’an Retail Center interiors in Wuxi, China; Suning Nanjing Mixed Use Master Planning in Nanjing, China; and Suning Nanjing Xuzhuang Shopping Center Interiors.

A registered architect in Colorado, Steele holds a Masters of Architecture from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Illinois.

About MulvannyG2 Architecture

MulvannyG2 Architecture designs retail, mixed-use, and corporate offices and interiors for clients and brands of global significance. MulvannyG2 is among the world’s 40 largest architecture firms and consistently ranks among the world’s top three retail designers.

The purpose of the meeting is to educate employers about how to diversify the job applicant pool and  increase diversity in the workforce. Employers will provide information on current and future job openings and job seekers will have a chance to network with employers and receive tips on how to find employment.

Guest speaker for the program is Fancy Frenchwood, a talent acquisition manager in the tech industry. Frenchwood is a former member of the Boeing Co. diversity council and will talk about social networking and social media as a means of recruiting diversity to the workforce.

The types of job openings presented by employers range from unskilled, entry-level positions to upper level management jobs, and include part-time, full-time, temporary, temp-to-perm, and permanent positions. Those attending the meetings represent small, medium and large size companies and include both public and private sector employers. Staffing services are also well represented at these monthly meetings.

This event is free but reservations are required by March 22. RSVP to khenry@bellevuewa.gov

Sound Transit tunneling contractors Traylor Kemper Frontier pushed through the wall into the Capitol Hill station site early Wednesday morning to complete a two-mile light rail tunnel from the University of Washington. The 21-foot diameter tunnel boring machine emerged within 3 millimeters of its target as part of the University Link light rail expansion.

When complete, the University Link project will connect UW and Capitol Hill to downtown Seattle with 3.1 miles of new underground light rail service.

“Every turn of the cutterhead that emerged on Capitol Hill tonight has put us closer to fast train service between downtown Seattle and the University of Washington,” said Sound Transit Board Chair and Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy. “The Board thanks and congratulates the talented companies and workers that are well on the way to delivering this long-awaited project.”

The overall $1.9 billion project is about halfway complete and scheduled open in 2016. The expansion with stations in the heart of Capitol Hill and the University of Washington will provide unparalleled speed and reliability through Seattle’s most dese neighborhoods. A trip from Husky Stadium to Westlake will take six minutes and is expected to add 70,000 riders to the system which today runs from downtown to south Seattle and Sea-Tac International Airport by 2030.

The corridor includes three major universities /colleges – the University of Washington (UW), Seattle University, and Seattle Central Community College (SCCC) – with a combined enrollment of more than 50,000 students. A trip from the UW to downtown is projected to take six minutes.

The contractor launched the TBM on its two-mile underground journey from the University of Washington Station site near Husky Stadium in May, 2011. The machine, nicknamed “Togo” passed beneath the Montlake Cut and Montlake, Interlake, Volunteer Park and north Capitol Hill neighborhoods. A second TBM, named “Balto,” is still mining the second tunnel between UW and Capitol Hill and is expected to arrive in April. Meanwhile, a third TBM is mining the second tunnel between Capitol Hill and downtown. That machine is expected to arrive in June.

Each of the TBMs:

• Weighs over 1 million pounds
• Stretches more than 500 feet long including the conveyor system that removes spoils from the cutterhead to the surface
• Places 21’ diameter pre-cast concrete tunnel liners as it mines through the earth
• Was built specifically for this job

The U-Link project has become a major construction jobs driver with almost 1.5 million direct construction work hours into the project. Sound Transit estimates the project will create about 20,000 direct and indirect jobs over the life of the project.

Upcoming work

With major tunneling work wrapping up, contractors have begun mining 20 cross passages between the north and southbound tunnels. With that work complete, contractors will build a new track bed in the tunnels and begin laying the rail and communications systems for light rail operations. At the same time, contractors will finish the stations at Capitol Hill and the University of Washington.

The project has led to the completion of cleanup actions at 30 sites over the past three years.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has strongly supported the project.  EPA has provided initial start-up funding grants to Ecology over the project’s first three years.

The extension – through June 2013 – adds 20 sites to the original agreement, signed in November 2008. This brings the total number to 107.

Shell has agreed to accelerate study and cleanup as needed at locations in King, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties. Ecology’s Northwest Regional Office in Bellevue coordinates the cleanup process with Shell.

“This approach exceeded our expectations and plans,” said Jim Pendowski, who manages Ecology’s toxics cleanup program. “The company completed work on nearly twice as many sites as expected.  Pooling efforts common to multiple sites brings results that benefit people and communities around each of them.”

Shell places the sites into Ecology’s Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP).  The VCP enables owners of contaminated sites to meet state cleanup standards independently and to receive technical guidance from Ecology during the process.

Participants in the VCP pay fees to Ecology to cover the department’s costs for guidance and review.  VCP sites must meet the same cleanup standards as properties formally managed by Ecology under the state’s cleanup law, the Model Toxics Control Act, created by a 1988 voter initiative.

A map and list of site addresses and target cleanup dates are available on line at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/sites_brochure/vcp_sites/vcpOverview.htm.

“Shell is pleased to extend this precedent-setting agreement and continue working with Ecology’s Voluntary Cleanup Program,” said James Robinson, Western Region Environmental Manager for Shell.  “We value the communities where we live and work and are committed to carrying out our business responsibly, sustainably, and in compliance with environmental standards.”

Across the industry, older gas stations used steel underground tanks and piping, which corroded over time.  Gas stations today – and since 1989 – must meet standards that safeguard against corrosion and leaks, maintain leak-detection systems, and undergo regular inspections by Ecology.

The project with Shell and EPA is part of Ecology’s ongoing effort to reduce and prevent toxic threats to human health and the environment.

Jiffy Lube International, Inc. (JLI) also is a signatory to the agreement and has a small number of sites within the project.  Shell manages those sites for JLI.

LWIT Culinary Arts Team Gold Medal Winners (L-R) Meg Venema, Sarah Ridges, Rich Hill, Randall Poole and Crystal Medwar.

Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWIT) culinary arts students won the American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) Western Region Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl in Reno, Nevada last week. The team competed against five other schools in three states to claim the gold in the Jeopardy-style competition that tested fundamental cooking skills and culinary knowledge. The LWIT team will represent the entire western region of the ACF in the national competition in Florida this July.

“Our exceptional team of devoted students spent countless hours studying and preparing for this competition. They are absolutely thrilled to have won gold medals, and Chef Shaffer and I are very proud to have guided them in the process,” said LWIT Culinary Program Coordinator and Team Coach Matthew DiMeo. “Watching them compete in this tough competition was a very special moment. We’re grateful to the Lake Washington Foundation for their support and are eagerly anticipating the national competition in Orlando.”

The five-student team included Rich Hill, Randall Poole, Meg Venema, Sarah Ridges and Crystal Medwar. LWIT culinary arts faculty chefs Janet Shaffer and Matt DiMeo were the team coaches. LWIT has competed in the knowledge bowl before, but this is the first year the team has received a medal.

The Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl competition is open to student teams from ACF chapters, apprenticeship programs and accredited schools. Each team has four players and one alternate.

LWIT offers an Associate of Applied Science and a Certificate of Proficiency in Culinary Arts. Students in the Culinary Arts program receive valuable knowledge and a wide range of hands-on experience to prepare them for employment as commercial cooks and chefs as well as prepare them to meet certification from the ACF as Certified Culinarians.

Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWIT) is a broad-based polytechnic college offering instruction in 36 areas of instruction toward a spectrum of more than 100 bachelor and associate level degrees and certificates designed to give students the latest cutting edge skills relevant to today’s workplace. Founded in 1949, LWIT offers hands-on, real-world training in manufacturing, transportation, energy, business, allied health, computer and information systems, food and hospitality, and health and fitness. For information and news about LWIT programs, please visit lwtech.edu/press_room.

Make More Money Expo is a home based business and franchise expo featuring a variety of  ownership and self-employment opportunities on-site. Whether you have $100 in your pocket or $150,000 in the bank, attendees can browse exhibits from product and service companies, gather business resource information from professional experts and listen to leading industry speakers on related topics.

Featured exhibiting companies who are looking for entrepreneur-minded individuals to grow their brands in the Northwest market include Minuteman Press, Nu Skin Enterprises, Stella & Dot, ACN, The Pampered Chef, Talk Fusion and Enopi Learning Centers.

Be Free Project LLC, producer of Make More Money Expo, is bringing their second event to the Issaquah area in response to interest from local entrepreneurs.  Issaquah resident and President/Founder Kim Gonzalez has a passion for empowering people to gain control of their own future and livelihoods.

“Many people either jump at the first opportunity they come across because a family member or friend recommends it, or they become confused and paralyzed by the overwhelming amount of information online. This event displays an array of interests and provides a face-to-face, hand-held experience for those looking to start a part-time or full-time business with an existing company.”

For event information go to www.makemoremoneyexpo.com.

Throughout the 22^nd of March, viewers will be able to log onto www.kirotv.com at 10:00 p.m. to capture raw moments and extensive interviews with guests as they prepare to go on live TV at 10:30 p.m. on KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.

“We decided to bring this opportunity to our viewers because we are excited about being on the forefront of new ways to interact with the community and provide them with accurate and impactful information and resources delivered to them in the best way possible,” said Todd Mokhtari, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Web Manager.  “Viewers now have the opportunity to engage with newscasts in real time, and can truly impact the direction the show goes by sharing what they’re most interested in, asking questions, or making comments.”

KIRO 7’s Traffic Anchor, Jenni Hogan, was recently recognized as the ‘most followed local female TV anchor in the nation’ on Twitter, and currently has more than 120,000 Twitter and Facebook followers.  Hogan is passionate about sharing with viewers the opportunities and resources that social media can provide.  She will focus on topics aimed to inspire viewers to improve their lives and those around them through the power of connecting online.

The show will begin online with a livestream conversation, and then move to primetime TV.  The audience will be encouraged to interact online throughout the primetime segment by following hash tag #KIROConnect on Twitter, helping to create what the next generation of combined television and social media will provide.  The show will also highlight:

• Top Apps that can help save time and money;
• Ways to use technology to improve your life;
• Local celebrities and how they interact with their online communities; and
• The faces behind the online voices of your favorite brands.

Featured guests:

Josie Bissett, starred on Melrose Place

Ben Huh, CEO of Cheezburger

Blake Cahill, President of Banyan Branch

Porter Gale, Chief Evangelist of Kred

James Sun CEO of Pirq and former contestant on The Apprentice

Jean-Sun Hannah Ahn, Miss Seattle 2012.

“This is a show that can’t be done without the viewers and I’m excited to have them join us,” said Jenni Hogan. “They will be as much of a host as I am, adding their comments and helping to shape the direction as we explore the best ways to connect with each other during live broadcasts, using tools such as our mobile devices and laptops.”

Publisher’s Note:  I’m so happy for Jenni Hogan and hope that this turns out to be a very successful and weekly show.  You can join our Future of Network TV in Social Media Spreecast on Thursday morning at 10am PDT to hear more about the show and to contribute your opinion about the future interaction of television and social media – and potentially be invited to be part of the Live Spreecast.

Shoppers have many outlets to choose from when looking to purchase products, one of which is to purchase online.  Most websites can undersell your local retail stores because they do not have to charge you sales tax if your residence is not co-located with their store or warehouse.  A state can only charge taxes to a customer that resides in that state.  Could this be a global form of tax evasion, could states not benefit from its taxation rights due to a technicality?  There are many organizations out there right now looking into solving this dilemma and producing an “internet sales tax.”  It is very likely that if a universal internet tax is accepted into law, it will result in more of a burden to online retailers and reduce growth of internet use and e-commerce.  Moreover, if this tax is implemented, how will this change the future of online shopping?  Below I will review some of the facts on shopping online and the impacts of internet taxation.

The first question most consumers may ask is what is the law on internet taxation?  The Supreme Court conducted a test to determine if a state tax excessively burdens interstate commerce.  The first rule is that a consumer must have nexus (a tie or link to) that state before it can collect taxes from that consumer.  “In Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, the Supreme Court explained that a business had to be physically present in a state before that state could require the business to collect use tax on its behalf” (Atkins, 2005, p. 1).  In the Quill Corp case, North Dakota sent a notice that the corporation owed taxes for purchases that North Dakota residents had made even though Quill Corp did not have any physical locations or employees in North Dakota.  The Supreme Court sided with Quill Corp stating that the taxpayer must have physical presence in the state in order for them to collect a tax on purchases.

Another fact on internet taxation is The 1998 Internet Tax Freedom Act of 2007, signed by President Bill Clinton.  What this law did was to make an effort to preserve commercial, educational, and informational potential of the internet.   This law prohibits federal, state and local governments from collecting internet only taxes such as the Quill Corp case.  The law does not exempt sales taxes from being collected on purchases made online, but rather that online purchases are still taxed as the same as local purchases and mail order purchases.  Congress has extended the law three times, was signed by President George Bush in 2007 and is currently good until November 2014.  “The online tax moratorium doesn’t apply to regular sales tax, however. A 1992 U.S. Supreme Court decision held that companies with no actual physical presences in a particular state — a store at the local mall, or a regional distribution center for example – were not required to charge sales tax for items they ship to that state” (Fuller, 2011, p. 1).  What this meant was that if you buy something online and the retailer doesn’t charge sales tax, you the consumer are supposed to send the tax to the appropriate authorities.

The last fact is the movement to simplify tax collection of online companies that do not have nexus presence in a state.  The movement, also called the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SST), is trying to reduce the administrative costs of collecting taxes.  “Even though the SST movement began with the worthy goal of simplification, over the years it has been overtaken by revenue-hungry tax administrators, politicians and interest groups — all too excited to continue their never-ending quest for more state tax revenue” (Williams & Stephenson, 2011, p. 2).  The SST has been struggled to overturn the Quill Corp decision and has been generally unsuccessful in swaying state and Congress to approve new legislation.

In conclusion, more and more consumers are turning to online shopping not just for the ease of finding hard to find products and locating a great deal, but in order to avoid being charged taxes because of the nexus rule.  This has been legally acceptable from looking at the Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, the 1998 Internet Tax Freedom Act of 2007.  Until the greedy politicians have a chance to change the laws governing internet use and business, buying online to avoid paying state taxes is not a form of tax evasion.  The opposition to this is the movement of the SST to enable states to charge taxes to consumers that are not nexus located to the retailer.  Many opposed to internet taxation are convinced that an increase in tax and fees will result in more expenses for the consumer and will ultimately restrict the growth of internet use and e-commerce (Griffin, Smith, and Watson, 2009).  Most Americans would agree that every state has a right to collect a form of sales tax that will help benefit their state, but in the end if an internet tax rate such as the SST is trying to pursue would primarily hurt the small business that are trying to conduct sales online.

Meet the Artists Series –

(Exhibit Preview)

Wednesday May 11, 2011, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Roenoff’s first memories as a young child are memories of drawing. His parents had grown up as farmers and ranchers in Colorado and Wyoming and he spent younger days exploring family farms and the outdoors, capturing places and objects of affection in drawings and paintings that were part of his daily life.

“Everywhere I look, I see a painting. I have a great appreciation for the light, texture, and geometry that occur in nature and in life. All places, people, and things have inherent beauty. A rustic old truck, desolate place, or busy main street can emit peace, beauty, and a sense of place. Capturing the light, texture, and geometry of everyday life is my artistic ambition”.

Rosenoff paints with a palette knife because it gives him the opportunity to interact with paint in a very tactile, expressionistic way, thick and luscious with a buttery texture. Each viewer of his art is able to gain a strong sense of my physical interaction with the paint, with every stroke and manipulation visible forever. The surfaces of his paintings are very telling, sometimes resembling a mosaic of palette knife strokes. Never muddy, but clean and color conscious.

As an artist, he am inspired by prominent contemporary Italian masters Marco Sassone and Nicola Simbari, and more recently master oil painters Gregory Packard and Louisa McElwain.

For more information, please contact the gallery. 425-283-0461.