Unlimited Future, Inc.

The Wild Ramp Wins Entrepreneurs’ Cafe Event!

unlimitedfutureinc — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:14:08 +0000

Thomas McChesney, Stacy Garrett, Katharine Lea, Ursulette Wells and Gail Patton

Thank you to HADCO for graciously hosting the event, River and Rail Bakery for a great lunch and to all of our sponsors for making this event a huge success!

The next Entrepreneurs’ Cafe event will take place on June 20, 2012 at The Cabell County Health Department at noon. Lunch will be provided by Third and Ninth Deli.

Sponsors include MUG&PIA/Simply Whisk, Richwood, Huddleston-Bolen, ComAssist, First Choice Bookkeeping, Wallace Multimedia, and Firefly, LLC.

Winners receive a cash prize of up to $300 and four hours of business counseling at no charge.

Food Business Workshop

unlimitedfutureinc — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:39:36 +0000

The Wild Ramp local food market, in partnership with the WVU Extension Service and the WV Dept. of Ag, is hosting a “Food Business Workshop” for food producers to learn about different topics such as insurance, labeling, inspections, marketing, and more for successfully running a food business in West Virginia.

Download a flyer for the event.

Where: Unlimited Future

When: Monday June 4 from 8a-530pm.

It is free to producers and lunch will be provided.

RSVP by May 30 if you will be attending. localfoodhuntington@gmail.com

Detailed Agenda

8:00-9:15 AM: Industry Overview in WV – Dr. Cameron Hackney, WVU Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) – Dr. Cameron Hackney, WVU

9:15-10:15 AM From Garden to Store Shelf: Everything you Need to Know for Manufacturing the Food Product - Teresa Halloran, WVDA

10:15-11:00 AM Inspector’s Expectations – Linda Whaley, Bureau for Public Health, WV

11:00-12:30 PM Business Legal Structure & Avoiding Personal Liabilities – Ron Hatfield, WVU Insurance, Importance of Managing Risks and Tax Advantages in Food Business – Ron Hatfield, WVU Creative web marketing/advertisement – Ron Hatfield, WVU

1:00-2:00 PM “So You Want to Start a Small Business – What You Need to Know” (Includes Business Plan, Loan Application Process, Product Pricing, NESARE Grants) – Doolarie Singh-Knights, WVU

2:00-2:45 PM Labeling Requirements, Exemptions, and Nutritional Labeling – Teresa Halloran, WVDA and Litha Sivanandan & Maryam Ronaghi, WVU

2:45-3:30 PM Byproduct Utilization and Value Addition – Jacek Jaczynski, WVU

3:30-4:15 PM Trademark Registration (Intellectual Property) in Food Business and Business Incubator – William Aylor, Patent Attorney, WVU Research Corporation

4:15-5:00 PM Marketing: From Farmers Market to Commercial Retailers – Teresa Halloran WVDA WVDA Rural Rehabilitation Loan Program – Teresa Halloran, WVDA

5:00-5:30 PM Know Your Employee – Awareness on Intentional Contamination of Food and its Prevention – Litha Sivanandan and Cameron Hackney, WVU

Download a flyer for the event.

Lunch and Learn May 15

unlimitedfutureinc — Wed, 02 May 2012 19:54:20 +0000

On Tuesday May 15 at noon bring your lunch to Unlimited Future, Inc. for a brown bag lunch and learn. Ben Mohebbi of ALLCOM will be discussing computer network security. He will offer an introduction to network security and six tips to secure your small office or business information technology network.

ALLCOM, located in Hurricane, provides nationwide IT outsourcing solutions for small and medium businesses, business technology, telecommunication systems, and computer sales and repairs.

Click here to register.

This Month’s Entrepreneurs’ Cafe – May 16

unlimitedfutureinc — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:30:10 +0000

Sponsors : UNLIMITED FUTURE, INC., MUG & PIA and SIMPLY WHISK, RICHWOOD, COMASSIST, FIRST CHOICE BOOKKEEPING, WALLACE MULTIMEDIA, FIREFLY, LLC.

Where: HADCO

Food provided by: third & NINTH Deli-Market

When: May 16 at noon

Presenters:

Stacy Garrett and Simone Kompanek Huntington Local Food Market – A year-round community-supported market that sells locally grown agricultural products. We will reach out to local food producers, defined as within a 250 radius from Huntington, to supply the market. The market will provide a viable economic outlet for local food producers while providing consumers access to locally grown agricultural products. Funding will be used for start-up costs of: business license, security deposits, marketing materials A specific tool we would consider purchasing is Constant Contact, an e-mail marketing system that will help us manage communications with our producers and our consumers.
Norman Branch Stars R Us Theatre Troupe - We are a theater company that performs classical and traditional theater art. We will use the award to help further our services of providing the performance arts, venue rental, production equipment, Office supplies, website maintenance, and daily operations.
You?

Lunch is $15. $5 goes to the restaurant and $10 goes to the winner. You may prepay with a credit card, a $1 processing fee will be added. You can pay at the door with either cash or a check.

Click Here to Attend a Lunch and/or Pay with a Credit Card.

Become a Presenter

Become a Sponsor

The goal of the Entrepreneurs’ Cafe is to encourage the development of an entrepreneurial class by creating a forum where they can build a sense of community; hone their sales skills; access resources; obtain ideas and guidance from others; and receive reinforcement for their ideas.

Follow the Entrepreneurs’ Cafe on Facebook

The key performance indicators that matter

unlimitedfutureinc — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:04:11 +0000

It’s good for business incubators – and their clients – to be able to quantify themselves, to have numerical measures of their successes, failures and areas that are OK but could be better. Thus, we have key performance indicators. But some organizations become so obsessed with numbers that tracking them takes time away from core functions, writes Alexis Dormandy in The Daily Telegraph. In most cases, he says, there are five KPIs that demonstrate the difference between successful organizations and unsuccessful ones:

Does the customer like your product?
How good are you at getting new customers and keeping them?
Can you sell it for more than you can make it?
Can you deliver on time?
Cash on hand

If businesses concentrate on those performance indicators, Dormandy says, much of the rest will take care of itself.

Click here to read his entire column.

Business Continuity Planning: Preparing Your Business to Survive the Worst

unlimitedfutureinc — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:59:58 +0000

Huddleston-Bolen Training Events

unlimitedfutureinc — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:45:09 +0000

Date	Time	Location
Business Continuity Planning: Preparing Your Business to Survive the Worst
Tuesday, April 10, 2012	9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.	Citizen’s National Bank 855 Central Ave., Ashland, KY
Speaker: Various speakers from industry and government
Parking: Free parking is available in the Citizen’s National Bank parking lot.
Click here to register

Date	Time	Location
Labor and Employment Law 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012	8:30am – 4:30pm	Ramada Inn Charleston Downtown, 600 Kanawha Blvd East, Charleston, WV
Speaker: Various Speakers
Click here to register

Date	Time	Location
Business4Breakfast: What is Reasonable Accommodation?
Friday, April 27, 2012	7:45 – 8:45 a.m.	Huddleston Bolen’s Charleston, WV Office, 13th Floor, Chase Tower, 606 Virginia Street East, Charleston
Speaker: Kevin Nelson, Partner, Huddleston Bolen LLP
Parking: Parking is available in the Chase Tower underground parking garage, accessible via Summers Street. We will be happy to validate Chase garage parking.
Click here to register

Date	Time	Location
Learn How to Read and Understand a Business Contract
Wednesday, May 16, 2012	7:45 – 8:45 a.m.	Huddleston Bolen LLP, 611 Third Avenue, Huntington, WV
Speaker: Luke Lafferre, Partner, Huddleston Bolen LLP
Parking: Metered parking is available in the municipal lot on 3rd Avenue.
Click here to register

Date	Time	Location
Developing a Social Media Strategy for Your Business
Friday, May 25, 2012	7:45 – 8:45 a.m.	Huddleston Bolen LLP, 13th Floor, Chase Tower, 707 Virginia Street, East, Charleston, WV
Speaker: Thomas McChesney, Marketing Director, Huddleston Bolen LLP
Parking: Parking is available in the Chase Tower parking garage.
Click here to register

Date	Time	Location
Drug Testing in the Workplace
Wednesday, June 13, 2012	8:00 – 9:00 a.m.	Community Trust Bank, 1544 Winchester Road, Ashland, KY
Speaker: Randy Pauley, Certified Instructor and Collector, Health Research Systems
Parking: Parking is available in the municipal lot on 16th Street.
Click here to register

Entrepreneurs’ Cafe

unlimitedfutureinc — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:04:33 +0000

The Entrepreneurs’ Cafe lunches will provide micro grants and business services to entrepreneurs in the Huntington Area. On the third Wednesday of each month Unlimited Future, Inc. will hold a lunch at an area restaurant or other location.

The price for the event will be $15 per person. $10 of that will go into a common fund and will be awarded to the winning entrepreneur at each event. $5 of the price will go to the sponsoring restaurant/caterer. During the meal the entrepreneurs seeking the grants present their business or business idea. Everyone who bought lunch gets to vote on their favorite business/business idea. The entrepreneur with the most votes wins. The winner receives a cash prize plus business services donated by local businesses.

Each month three businesses will have 10 minutes to sell there idea to the group.

If more than three businesses apply you will be put on the list for the following month.

Become a Presenter

Use this Executive Summary to give your audience a snapshot of who you are and what your business does. The audience will have this during your presentation, so make sure it is accurate and complete. Tips for writing your executive summary. If you need help with your idea or presentation, schedule an appointment with the staff at Unlimited Future, Inc. and we can help you, 304-697-3007. Don’t forget to invite your friends to the lunch, hopefully they will vote for you!

During your presentation you can use handouts, a display board or examples of product(s). There will not be equipment for a PowerPoint slideshow so be prepared to talk about your project. Remember, you are selling your idea to the crowd so make your 10 minutes count.

Once you have completed your application email it to rachel@unlimitedfuture.org, fax it to 304-399-3007, mail it to UFI 1650 8th Ave., Huntington, WV 25703 or bring it by the office.

If you have questions email rachel@unlimitedfuture.org or call 304-697-3007.

Download the presenter’s application

Entrepreneurs’ Cafe main page

West Virginia Capital Access Program

unlimitedfutureinc — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:32:23 +0000

We are very excited to announce the state of West Virginia has received State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) funding to give the state’s small businesses access to capital. This funding has given West Virginia access to $13.1 million dollars, which will be administered through the West Virginia Capital Access Program (WVCAP). The program rolled out in January 2012 and has already funded over $500,000 in West Virginia businesses.

The WVCAP offers small businesses four credit programs:

The SSBCI funds were a component of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010. The program has also been given a very short 24 month time line to invest the funds. If the $13.1 million is not invested or loaned within the 24 month time line, the U.S. Treasury can request the uninvested funds to be returned back to the Treasury.

WVCAP has approved seven program participants located throughout the state. These program participants are:

West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust (www.wvjit.org)
Natural Capital Investment Fund (www.ncifund.org)
INNOVA Commercialization Group (www.innovawv.org)
WV Rural Health Infrastructure Loan Fund (www.wvruralhealth.org)
New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (www.nrgrda.org)
Mid-Ohio Valley Development Corporation (www.movrc.org)
Ohio Valley Industrial & Business Development Partnership (www.redp.org)

Any business needing funds to purchase equipment, expand their facilities or increase their working capital should feel free to contact any of the program participants to see if they qualify for assistance through the West Virginia Capital Access Program.

In addition to access to capital, the WVCAP has received a grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to provide businesses operational assistance for financial modeling, market analysis and business plans.

For more information about the WVCAP you may call West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust (WVJIT) at 304-345-6200.

River Cities Local Food Council

unlimitedfutureinc — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:25:10 +0000

Huntington Tri-State Local Food System

	Long before Jamie Oliver came to Huntington the community and the school system were doing things to highlight the need for healthier food and lifestyles. Healthy Huntington was founded in 2003 with a mission to bring the Healthier US Initiative to the Tri-State area. The school system had taken steps to limit soda consumption and offer more nutritious meals. There were other efforts, but Jamie’s show put healthier food in the spotlight. The news is full of what has been done and is happening in the schools. Huntington’s Health Revolution has been formed with representation from individuals, community organizations, businesses, the health care industry, churches, media outlets, universities and more. As a result of this activity a collaborative of civic and nonprofit groups has begun to form in the Huntington – Tri-State area whose vision is to develop a local food system. A local food system refers to the entire food value chain from the farmer’s field to the dinner plate. This includes producers, marketing agencies, input industries, processors, retailers, farmers markets, and consumers. Building a local food system means improving markets for local foods, increasing awareness of local food issues, and ensuring equitable access to ‘good food’ for all residents. Some of the participating groups are interested in promoting the health aspects of eating locally produced foods. The vision includes teaching children and families to grow their own vegetables in community gardens throughout the city; teaching them how to cook that food in a healthy way at Huntington’s Kitchen (formerly Jamie’s Kitchen) and teaching them how to preserve that food for consumption during the winter months. The vision also includes providing access to healthy foods through Fresh Markets located around the city – especially in the economically depressed areas. Others of the participating groups are interested in the economic development that will surely occur if more people begin to demand locally grown foods. The need for more producers and more market outlets will grow with that demand. An entire market segment will be developed that will include processing and aggregation of local food. Huntington is fortunate to have a commercial kitchen facility that is home to the Mountwest Community and Technical College Culinary Arts Institute and available to entrepreneurs who wish to develop specialty food products. The collaborative will focus their work in the Tri-State area surrounding Huntington (roughly a 50 mile radius). The area includes Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln, Putnam, Mason, Jackson, Kanawha, Mingo, Logan and Boone counties in West Virginia. It would also include Lawrence, Scioto and Gallia in Ohio and Boyd and Greenup in Kentucky. The group will work with non-profits, County Extension Agents, USDA, civic groups and other organizations to develop a cohesive local food system. LINK TO FACEBOOK PAGE

Long before Jamie Oliver came to Huntington the community and the school system were doing things to highlight the need for healthier food and lifestyles. Healthy Huntington was founded in 2003 with a mission to bring the Healthier US Initiative to the Tri-State area. The school system had taken steps to limit soda consumption and offer more nutritious meals. There were other efforts, but Jamie’s show put healthier food in the spotlight. The news is full of what has been done and is happening in the schools. Huntington’s Health Revolution has been formed with representation from individuals, community organizations, businesses, the health care industry, churches, media outlets, universities and more.

As a result of this activity a collaborative of civic and nonprofit groups has begun to form in the Huntington – Tri-State area whose vision is to develop a local food system. A local food system refers to the entire food value chain from the farmer’s field to the dinner plate. This includes producers, marketing agencies, input industries, processors, retailers, farmers markets, and consumers. Building a local food system means improving markets for local foods, increasing awareness of local food issues, and ensuring equitable access to ‘good food’ for all residents.

Some of the participating groups are interested in promoting the health aspects of eating locally produced foods. The vision includes teaching children and families to grow their own vegetables in community gardens throughout the city; teaching them how to cook that food in a healthy way at Huntington’s Kitchen (formerly Jamie’s Kitchen) and teaching them how to preserve that food for consumption during the winter months. The vision also includes providing access to healthy foods through Fresh Markets located around the city – especially in the economically depressed areas.

Others of the participating groups are interested in the economic development that will surely occur if more people begin to demand locally grown foods. The need for more producers and more market outlets will grow with that demand. An entire market segment will be developed that will include processing and aggregation of local food. Huntington is fortunate to have a commercial kitchen facility that is home to the Mountwest Community and Technical College Culinary Arts Institute and available to entrepreneurs who wish to develop specialty food products.

The collaborative will focus their work in the Tri-State area surrounding Huntington (roughly a 50 mile radius). The area includes Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln, Putnam, Mason, Jackson, Kanawha, Mingo, Logan and Boone counties in West Virginia. It would also include Lawrence, Scioto and Gallia in Ohio and Boyd and Greenup in Kentucky. The group will work with non-profits, County Extension Agents, USDA, civic groups and other organizations to develop a cohesive local food system.

LINK TO FACEBOOK PAGE