Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery in Traverse City is known for its hearth baked, artisan breads and other baked goods made with organic flour and natural leavens. But bakery owners Gerard Grabowski and his wife Jan Shireman recently decided to start making a new product-brick oven pizzas.

"Seven or eight hundred degrees we bake the pizzas and it just takes three, four, maybe five minutes," said Kevin McGrath, a baker at Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery.

The idea for the pizzas came from the developer of The Village at Grand Traverse Commons where Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery is located. But Grabowski was hesitant to put that idea in the oven because of the cost it involved. That's when he talked with Northwest Michigan WORKS! Business Liaison Nate Capellupo, who had previously worked with Grabowski on an employee training program.

	Nate Capellupo, Michigan Works! Business Liaison

"We did what was called an Incumbent Worker Training, which is a form of On the Job Training," said Capellupo. "It's for an existing staff to get new skills and abilities to work within the confines of that company."

"Nate said we have an Incumbent Worker program, you want to train the worker, we want to pick up half the wages for three months," said Grabowski. "That was enough incentive to say OK, I'm going to take the risk."

The wage incentive offered through the incumbent worker training program allowed Grabowski to give one of his employees, Kevin McGrath, the time he needed to perfect the technique for making brick oven pizzas.

"Just finding out how to get the oven to the right temperature," said McGrath. "It has a personality of its own."

"We're still trying to make the pizzas affordable," said Grabowski. "So that's kind of the balancing act. If you can have help with your wages then you're not trying to balance so many balls in the air at one time."

With that help from Michigan WORKS!, Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery was able to keep making all their breads and other baked goods, while expanding the business to include brick oven pizzas every Saturday.

"I think the intent of the program, the On the Job Training incumbent side of things, this is exactly a fit for that type of program," said Capellupo.

"We definitely would not have done this program had we not engaged with Michigan WORKS!, "said Grabowski.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Traverse City Michigan Works! Service Center
1209 S. Garfield

The National Science Foundation and Department of Defense will be releasing their latest solicitations this coming spring. During this introductory seminar, we will outline the basics of
the SBIR/STTR program, eligibility issues, and detail some of the differences between the programs offered by the eleven participating federal agencies. We will also discuss how to look
for specific funding opportunities.

Who should attend?

• Anyone planning on submitting an SBIR/STTR proposal in the next 12 months
• Individuals interested in learning enough about the program to determine if they are interested in pursuing future submissions
• Those that have not participated in the program in recent years and need to learn about changes and developments
• Individuals supporting SBIR/STTR applicants and companies including financial managers, business managers and other administrative personnel at SBIR/STTR applicant companies
• Individuals from academic institutions interested in working with SBIR/STTR applicants as subcontractors and supporting personnel

Click here for more information.

by Chris Wendel, Regional Director, SBTDC

Nothing raises a financial red flag more than the idea of lending a loved one or family member money. But what about using your monetary resources to finance a relative's small business startup?

58% of America's fastest growing businesses started with $20,000 or less in startup money, and there are plenty of examples of successful businesses and corporations that began with family funding. But before you make the leap, here are some common sense guidelines you should follow:

Click here for the rest of the story.

	Chris Wendel (l.) and Vic McCarty (r.) on the Vic McCarty Show, WMKT 1270 AM

"The radio show's been real important to us because it's free marketing exposure for us," said Wendel. "We have a topic we usually discuss ... that a business would be interested in that could help improve what they do."

Chris Wendel, Regional Director, Small Business & Technology Development Center

While most businesses don't have a weekly radio show, Wendel says they can promote themselves by implementing some of the other marketing techniques the SBTDC is already using.

"You can put together an on-line presence with a Web site and a Blog site that's attached to it, and work into some of the social marketing and networking methods," said Wendel. "You're able to really reach people in a different way."

Besides reaching out to businesses in different ways like a radio show and social networking, the SBTDC also offers a variety of resources to both established and new businesses. Those services include free one-on-one counseling.

"They might be at that first growth stage and they're looking at additional markets to go into, [or] they're struggling with how to manage a larger business," said Wendel.

Another service the SBTDC provides is market research.

"If you're trying to establish how big your market is in a specific geographic area, we can tell you how many people there would be in a specific age group, in a demographic, or spending group," said Wendel.

Businesses can also turn to the SBTDC for entrepreneurial education offered through Northwestern Michigan College and West Shore Community College. Whether it's counseling, research, education, or information on a radio show, a lot of businesses are being helped by the Small Business and Technology Development Center.

"We were able to help over 600 businesses last year," said Wendel. "This year we'll have over 24-hundred hours of counseling work and economic impact approaching three million dollars."

Tuesday, March 16, 2010
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Traverse City Michigan Works! Service Center
1209 S. Garfield

The National Science Foundation and Department of Defense will be releasing their latest solicitations this coming spring. During this introductory seminar, we will outline the basics of
the SBIR/STTR program, eligibility issues, and detail some of the differences between the programs offered by the eleven participating federal agencies. We will also discuss how to look
for specific funding opportunities.

Click here for more information.

The Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC) of Northwest Michigan and Northwestern Michigan College are co-sponsoring a business conference Thriving, Not Just Surviving at the Hagerty Center on April 16th.

The event will focus on the needs of emerging and potential small businesses (especially internet based micro-businesses, home-based businesses, and ag food and related operations) in the Grand Traverse Region.

The conference will feature break out discussion sessions and resource booths in the areas of legal, accounting, and online technology.

Click here for more information on the Northwestern Michigan College website.

The 13th annual Sustainable Business Conference of Michigan will be held at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa near Traverse City on April 28-30, 2010.

Early bird registration is available now until March 31st with a savings of $50.

Click here for more information about the conference and the Northwest Michigan Sustainable Business Forum, the host of this year's event.

Mock interviews were just one part of a business camp designed to give people an opportunity to learn how to prepare for new career opportunities. About 40 people attended the free camp that was held at the Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) University Center in Traverse City. The camp was presented by the Traverse Area Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with NMC, Northwest Michigan WORKS!, and the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments.

"It's our chance to be able to help a part of our community that is so important to business and that's our workforce," said Laura Oblinger, Senior Vice President at the Traverse Area Chamber of Commerce.

During the mock interview portion of the camp, participants got feedback from members of the Traverse Area Human Resources Association. Association members also demonstrated the right and wrong ways to interview.

"To hear from [employers] what they want to know, what they're looking for, why they ask that question, and what they're looking for in your answer, that's really powerful," said Oblinger.

Besides interview skills, business camp attendees also learned about building interview toolkits, marketing themselves, and how to put together effective résumés, cover letters and references.

"It's important to us that we help [this] talented workforce find the jobs," said Oblinger. "This is our chance to work with other partners in the community to help the workforce."