NCET

The online application for the NIREC-sponsored Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy that takes place in Incline Village, Nevada, from June 28 to July 2, 2010, is now available. 

This five-day intensive program provides features focused lectures, practical exercises, and hands-on experiences designed to give participates the knowledge, skills, and networks to explore how their research can make broader impact in the industry and the marketplace.

The program is open to 50 science and engineering graduate students, post-doctoral researchers or faculty from any national or international university. PhD students, post-docs and faculty working in sustainable technologies are encouraged to apply. The academy is taught by venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, university faculty, intellectual property officers, industry sponsors and angel investors from across the country.

"The VCs and angel investors I met were excellent in giving feedback on our idea, business model and plan, team, etc.," said 2009 participant Pulak Chowdhury. "We made some much-needed contacts at the academy. Now, we’re ready to put these resources to use in developing our ventures."

Applications are due May 14, 2010. Applicants submitting applications by March 31 will be notified of acceptance by April 30; those submitting applications after March 31 will be notified of acceptance by May 31. Fees range from $150 to $3,000 and include room and board during the program.

More information: http://entrepreneurship.ucdavis.edu/green_home.php

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Did you know you can save time by filing for your annual State Business License online with the Secretary of State’s office? Yes, you can file your annual list of officers and apply for or renew your State Business License online, at the same time, in less than half an hour, with NO extra costs. So why do it any other way?

It’s not only quick to file online, it’s easy. Secretary of State Ross Miller’s online processing system is easy to navigate and guides you through every step. In fact, you really can’t make a mistake. The system will tell you if required information has been left out and direct you back to the page to be completed. If your business is a Title 7 entity, the system lets you know if it’s time for you to both file your annual list of officers and apply for or renew your business license. If you are a sole proprietor or partnership, you can apply for or renew a State Business License using the Non-Title 7 form. Once the transaction is complete, you can immediately print out your new or renewed state business license, from either the website or a link automatically emailed to non-title 7 businesses.

There are just a few easy steps to follow to get your business done quickly and easily: Log on to www.nvsos.gov and click on “Online Services.”

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It’s 10 o’clock at night and Mindy Miller is carefully measuring sugar, Karo syrup and water into a large pot in the kitchen of an Arby’s restaurant in Minden.Miller’s negotiated a deal to use the kitchen during off hours to make her toffee, cookies and other goodies. She lost her job at a local glass shop this past summer and a few months later her husband lost his job selling cars. They turned to her locally famous toffee as a way to pay the bills. Tahoe Toffee is already in more than two-dozen retail outlets in the state and it’s proving itself a sweet success.

Miller is one of scores of Nevadans who are seeing unexpected unemployment as the perfect impetus to take the leap into entrepreneurship. The non-profit marketing group Made in Nevada has had a banner year. They boast 133 members, 20 new since July 2009.
“Unemployment is a funny thing,” says one of the group’s founding directors, Lynette Castillo. “Everyone wants to be their own boss. Nevada offers the right business climate for it, and those who believe in their ideas are making it happen.” Read full story:

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With 400,000 of their patented Oxygenics showerheads shipped annually to customers around the world, owners of ETL (originally named Energy Technology Laboratories) say their business is thriving despite the economic recession. For 20 years the small technology company has identified niche markets and produced products to enhance personal lifestyles. However, when faced with having to negotiate a new lease along with needing to acquire increased space for their Modesto-based company, business founder and CEO, Ray Engel and his grandson, Travis Hawkins, who is president of ETL, considered relocation outside of California.

 Through Facebook, Hawkins connected with a high school friend who convinced him to look at Reno. Although he hated the idea of leaving Modesto, it didn’t take him long to realize that Nevada had a lot more to offer his business, his employees and his family. “In Reno I couldn’t find anybody with a negative thing to say. They wanted to convince us to move there because they liked it so much,” he says. After hammering out the details with the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN), ETL was poised to move in a matter of weeks. Comfortably situated in 79,000 square feet of production and warehouse space in Sparks, Hawkins and Engel are happily saving $100,000 a year in rent as well as enjoying other reduced costs and benefits that come from doing business and living in Nevada. Read full story:

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As we prepare to close the book on 2009, we Nevadans find ourselves in a long, dark tunnel. Our unemployment rate is over 13 percent; only Michigan’s is worse. We have the highest deficits, and have experienced the greatest fall in personal income. Nevada’s foreclosure rates are the highest, and its homeowners the most under water. Moody’s Ratings calls Nevada’s recession the worst of any state.

Meanwhile, our government is the smallest, and our tax burden the lowest. While historically these have been competitive strengths in drawing and sustaining businesses, they also mean that our main sources of revenue are gaming and sales tax, which are running dry, with no immediate replacements on the horizon.

However, for all the problems Nevada has faced this year, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Most experts agree that 2010 will show improvement over 2009.  In today’s world, improvement is the best we can hope for. Read full story:

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