Month: March 2016

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"I’m with the government and I’m here to help your business! NO really!”

The Government division of the Census Bureau, is open to the public and they want to HELP YOU target a market, find competition in your industry or even complementary businesses.  The Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality censusmobiledata about the nation’s people and economy and it is available to the public online. Who knew that all of that data the government collects is actually available to you to help you make decisions about your business. Check out these tools on the US Census Bureau’s websites:

American Fact Finder: http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml

Census Business Builder: https://www.census.gov/data/data-tools/cbb.html

The Census Bureau also will provide free workshops and training on their data, answer your census data questions, they will exhibit, and even provide materials about their data.

US Census Bureau

peopleThe United States Census Bureau is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System responsible for producing data about the American people and economy.

The U.S. Census Bureau is the leading source of statistical information about the nation’s people. Our population statistics come from decennial censuses, which count the entire U.S. population every ten years, along with several other surveys.

The primary mission of the Census Bureau is conducting the U.S. Census every ten years, which allocates the seats of the U.S. House of Representatives to the states based on their population. In addition to the decennial census, the Census Bureau continually conducts dozens of other censuses and surveys, including the American Community Survey, the U.S. Economic Census, and the Current Population Survey.  Furthermore, economic and foreign trade indicators released by the federal government typically contain data produced by the Census Bureau. The various censuses and surveys conducted by the Census Bureau help allocate over $400 billion in federal funds every year and help states, local communities, and businesses make informed decisions.

The Census Bureau is situated within the U.S. Department of Commerce and its director is appointed by the President of the United States. (taken from Wikipedia.org)

Uses of census data

Many federal, state, local and tribal governments use census data to:

  • Decide the location of new housing and public facilities,
  • Examine the demographic characteristics of communities, states, and the USA,
  • Plan transportation systems and roadways,
  • Determine quotas and creation of police and fire precincts, and
  • Create localized areas for elections, schools, utilities, etc.
  • Gathers population information every 10 years 

If you are looking for a good location to open to up your business or even looking for good areas to target the Census Bureau may be able to help you. Contact Noemi Mendez at 215-737-1834 or [email protected]. Go to Census.gov for data.

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Three New Additions to the EEC!

The EEC has added three new clients. Please look for further information on the companies in upcoming Business Matters. Please join us in welcoming them to the EEC.
CircleBack Lending, is a slightly different approach for the EEC, marrying a couple of our successful programs. We are calling them our “Domestic” Soft Landing Program. CircleBack Lending was founded a couple of years ago in Boca Raton, Florida to provide Consumer Loans to customers with Prime & Super Prime FICO scores, using Institutional Investors to provide the funding. With the talent in the banking industry here in Delaware, Scott Lascelles, Chief Marketing Officer, is looking to establish a base of operations here in New Castle County, for his Marketing Team, Programmers  & Developers and perhaps even a Call Center. CircleBack was referred to the EEC by Joe Zilcosky with DEDO.
Karin Roseman, founder of Deer Valley Danes, LLC has joined the EEC Virtual Incubator Program. Deer Valley Danes was the 2015 Winner of the Swim With the Sharks Video Pitch Competition. Deer Valley Danes is a distributor for Oma’s Pride Raw Dog Food, O’Paws Freeze Dried Dog food and manufacturer of DVD homemade hand cut treats for dogs and cats. Their home base is Greenville, Delaware and offer free delivery to New Castle County. They travel to dog related events to show & sell their product, and it is available online on their own website and Amazon.
 
Direct Mobile Transit, led by brothers Michael and Charles Bantum, addresses the growing need for specialized transportation in Delaware. They provide wheelchair accessible transportation to destinations that include healthcare and non-healthcare related appointments.
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Website for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs – “Business First Steps”: There to help potential businesses find information on licensing and permitting in Delaware

Around this time last year, the State of Delaware launched a new website to help small businesses find information on business licenses, permits, and other State requirements. The site, called Business First Steps (FirstSteps.Delaware.Gov), is an index of almost 200 different industries, professions, and products that require State registrations, licenses, certifications, or permits. The goal of the site is to allow businesses to more easily find information on various requirements across State government.

“In Delaware, our state agencies work together to help small and medium sized businesses on a regular basis. Our State is well known as being business-friendly. Now the aspiring entrepreneur can find a checklist of steps to open a business in Delaware,” said Governor Markell.

This website is the latest effort designed to assist small businesses. New Castle County (NCC) Open for Business, is a monthly event that is open to the public, FREE of charge, to meet 12 to 15 resource organizations and agencies that provide business counseling, workshops, technical assistance, as well as information on how to do business with the State of Delaware. NCC Open for Business is always on the 4th Thursday of the every month from 9am-11am (open house style) at the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, 12 Penns Way, New Castle, DE 19720.

In addition to state requirements, the Business First Steps site provides links to and information about, local Delaware governments that have their own licensing requirements. Businesses such as contractors (who perform site work in multiple towns and cities) must have appropriate licenses and permits in each locality where they perform work. Often, businesses are not aware of such requirements. The Business First Steps site can help them avoid that problem.

Companies, such as Delaware Green Mattress Disassembling and Recycling, LLC (DGMDR), were glad to see a clearinghouse for licensing and local permits, and encouraged new businesses to take advantage of the resource. Tanya Whye, owner of DGMDR, and a member of the New Castle Chamber of Commerce, remarked, “The New Castle County Open for Business program connected me with some wonderful mentors, and I am currently navigating the licensing and permitting process. The Business First Steps website is the perfect tool for a one-stop place for a wealth of information,” according to Tanya N. Whye.

Business First Steps is the result of many state agencies working together to share information; and it is the first state website to centralize information on business licensing and requirements for operating a business in Delaware across state government. It was designed and built by the Government Information Center (GIC), an office within the Delaware Department of State. 

“The Governor has made knocking down barriers for Delawareans to start businesses a top priority. This is why a clearinghouse for new businesses to find information about permits and licenses is so important, and why the Business First Steps website will be a great tool that Delaware can offer new businesses,” said Secretary Bullock.

“The Business First Step web site will be a valuable resource for all businesses seeking information concerning licenses and permits. It will save a great deal of time for small business owners and allow them to concentrate on their business.  The site also provides a wealth of information about a wide range of business assistance programs and start up information.  I think Chamber members will find the Business First Steps web site to be an invaluable tool,” said Mark Kleinschmidt, President of the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce.

Organizations such as the Small Business Administration Delaware office, Delaware Small Business Development Center, Delaware SCORE, Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Procurement Technical Assistance Center of Delaware, Women’s Business Center at First State Community Loan Fund, and other state offices such as the Delaware Economic Development Office and the Office of Supplier Diversity were on hand to show their support for the new site as well.