News in Brief

Midland Tomorrow Hosts Alternative Biofuels Conference

Awards Breakfast Sponsorship Opportunities

GANTEC Receives Development Loan through Midland Tomorrow Program

Automation Alley: Transforming Your Global Vision into Reality

Team SBA Presents The Truth About Loans: A Financing Roundtable

The Four Disciplines of Execution Seminar at SVSU

Commercialization Training for Startups from Biotechnology Business Consultants

Entrepreneurs can be the key to an area’s economic development, especially in small towns. Today’s startup can be tomorrow’s corporation with hundreds, or even thousands, of employees. Are these innovative businesses attracted to your community, or are they locating elsewhere for lack of support? Energizing Entrepreneurs.org provides a detailed process that helps you assess if your community is equipped to use entrepreneurship as a rich source for job creation. Provided by Consumers Energy.

The University of Michigan - IAC (sponsored by the U.S. DOE) offers a no-cost consulting assessment service to help local manufacturing companies reduce their energy use and increase productivity. In order to qualify, a manufacturing plant must be in SIC codes 20-39, be located within 150 miles of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor campus, and the plant must meet three of the four following criteria: 1) gross sales below $100M; 2) fewer than 500 employees at the plant; 3) annual utility bills more than $100K and less than $2M; 4) no in-house professional staff to perform an assessment. More information about the program can be found here. Provided by Shepherd Advisors.

The IRS has posted a notice on their website describing how commercial building owners or leaseholders can qualify for a commercial building tax deduction for making their building energy efficient. The amount deductible ranges from 60 cents to $1.80 per square foot of building floor area, based on energy saving percentage. Provided by Shepherd Advisors.

There are many opportunities for Michigan businesses to sell their commodities and services to the State - everything from janitorial services to snowmobiles, from ammunition to information technology. Check out the options here. Provided by the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center.

Application deadlines and other information about medical and behavioral research grants from the National Institutes of Health are available on the Office of Extramural Research page on the NIH Web site.

Earlier this year the Kauffman Foundation released a report on female angel investors entitled "Women and Angel Investing: An Untapped Pool of Equity for Entrepreneurs." Click here to read the report. Provided by the Association of Small Business Development Centers.

Upcoming technology-related seminars and events at TheGlance.com

Midland Tomorrow is proud to continue our efforts to cultivate a local entrepreneurial environment and encourage technology transfer from research institutions to the business market. On July 19th, we hosted Mid-Tech: Alternative Biofuels Commercialization Opportunities, a panel discussion centering on the future of biofuels development and ways to take alternative fuels from the drawing board to our daily lives. This follow-up event to May's Mid-Tech II attracted over 70 business and research leaders from around the region.

One of Midland's many successful entrepreneurial companies recently celebrated a large achievement: GANTEC, Inc. has received a $50,000 loan through the RSPPA program. See below for details on the program and the loan that is allowing them to move toward commercialization of their organic pesticidal material.

This month's newsletter brings you notice of myriad services to help energize your business and increase your efficiency; view the News in Brief section for information on consulting assessments, State government contracting, and grant opportunities. And don't miss the business plan and execution training seminars offered through the MI-SBTDC, Biotechnology Business Consultants and SVSU!

Believe it or not, fewer than three months remain until the annual Awards Breakfast on October 16th. Sponsors are still needed to ensure this event gives the best possible recognition to the businesses, organizations and individuals that add so much to our local community. See below for more on how you or your organization can become a sponsor.