NCET

NV Energy has agreed to buy energy from Massachusetts-based American Capital Energy’s 20-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant to be built near Searchlight.

The plant is expected to be completed by mid-2010 and, if built to its proposed 20-megawatt size, would exceed the country’s largest solar facility at Nellis Air Force Base that produces 14 megawatts of energy.

Construction of the plant would create 120 jobs.

Terms of the agreement, subject to Public Utilities Commission’s approval, were not disclosed.

All of the energy produced will go to NV Energy’s customers in Southern Nevada, the companies said. By 2025 NV Energy’s energy portfolio is required to include 25 percent in renewable resources and energy efficiency and conservation programs.

Technorati Tags: NV Energy, Nicole Lucht, In Business Las Vegas, American Capital Energy, Searchlight, Nellis Air Force Base, NCET, Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology

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Small businesses seeking to expand will be able to refinance existing loans used to purchase real estate and other fixed assets as a result of permanent changes to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 504 Certified Development Company loan program.  The changes were authorized in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The permanent changes will allow small businesses to restructure eligible debt to help improve their cash flow which, in turn, will enhance their viability and support growth and job creation. The 504 loan program can be used to purchase business real estate or fixed assets, such as heavy equipment or machinery, and expand current development projects. 

“This is one more piece of the Recovery Act that is going to have a direct impact and put more money in the hands of small business owners just when they need it most,” SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills said. “Lower interest rates mean lower payments and less money going out the door each month in debt repayments. That means more cash on hand to keep their doors open, their employees working and to even expand and create more jobs.”

The 504 loan program is administered through 271 Certified Development Companies across the nation. SBA today began implementation of the changes by publishing them as a permanent rule in the Federal Register.

For more information on the 504 loan program and eligibility requirements, go to www.recovery.gov  or www.sba.gov/recovery.

Technorati Tags: U.S. Small Business Administration,SBA504 Certified Development Company,American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,Karen G. Mills,NCET,Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology

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Starting a small business with a focus and plan of action are the purpose of a business plan. SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Business” and The Company Corporation® have released a new version of How to Really Start Your Own Business. This popular free workbook is available at SCORE’s 370 offices nationwide. More than 500,000 entrepreneurs have used this workbook as the first step in setting up their businesses. Download a PDF copy at www.incorporate.com/score.

The business planning workbook describes how to move from a business idea to a business plan. This interactive workbook provides simple exercises to think through planning, choosing a business structure, financing, and start-up operations. Entrepreneurs can get the latest information on how to launch a Web site, attract visitors, and avoid e-commerce mistakes.

Technorati Tags: SCORE, The Company Corporation, “How to Really Start Your Own Business,” Ken Yancey, entrepreneurs, Brett Davis, NCET, Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology

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The Licensing Executives Society (United States and Canada) Inc. has launched a Nevada chapter spearheaded by Reno-area entrepreneurs.

The organization’s worldwide membership includes attorneys who specialize in intellectual property, inventors, academics, consultants and others involved in the transfer and development of intellectual property.

Lee “Ky” Good, founder and chairman of the group, said the Nevada chapter expects to extend its reach into southern Nevada by the end of this year. Organizers hope to grow membership, which currently stands at about 10, to approximately 50 during 2009.

Spearheading the Nevada chapter’s development along with Good are Lexi Fox of the commercial real estate firm Metzker Johnson Group, Tim Casey of the intellectual property firm SilverSky Group LLC and Lawrence Udell, who is the managing director and co-founder of the Silicon Valley chapter of the Licensing Executives Society.

Also among the early supporters of the new chapter is the law firm of Holland & Hart LLP.

Technorati Tags: The Licensing Executives Society Inc.,Reno,entrepreneurs,Northern Nevada Business Weekly,Lee “Ky” Good,Lexi Fox,Metzker Johnson Group,Tim Casey,SilverSky Group LLC,Lawrence Udell,Holland & Hart LLP. NCET,Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology

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According to a recent study by the Kauffman Foundation, “The Economic Future Just Happened,” challenging economic times can serve as the rebirth of entrepreneurial capitalism, leading to the creation of much-needed new jobs.

The study found that more than half of the companies on the 2009 Fortune 500 list were launched during a recession or bear market, along with nearly half of the firms on the 2008 Inc. list of America’s fastest-growing companies. The report also suggests a broader economic trend, with job creation from startup companies proving to be less volatile and sensitive to downturns when compared to the overall economy.

Technorati Tags: U.S. Census, Fortune 500, Inc., Kauffman Foundation, NCET, Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology

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