Business News

Annual First Responders Recognition and Awards Breakfast -
Annually, the Independence Chamber of Commerce, the Examiner and the local business community recognize and thank the local first responders for the significant and valued contributions they provide to the businesses and citizens of the City of Independence, Missouri. Job creators and employees of businesses in this community rely heavily on the members of the Police Department, the Fire Department, and the American Medical Response Service to keep the community safe. As part of this annual recognition, four awards are bestowed on behalf of the Independence business community to members of the local First Responder family that have performed admirably above and beyond their specific prescribed duties during the past year. Representatives from businesses and non-profit corporations with first-hand knowledge of exemplary acts or an extraordinary body of work during the past year by an Independence First Responder are encouraged to complete the nomination process described below.

For more information, to nominate or to reserve a table ($160 per table), please go to:
Annual First Responders Recognition and Awards Breakfast

Manage Your Financials—Don’t Let Them Manage You -
Manage Your Financials—Don’t Let Them Manage You is designed for business owners, managers, accountants, bankers and consultants who need to know how to turn financial statements into useful management tools. During this course, you will learn to identify key business information that is captured on the income statement and balance sheet. You will learn to calculate several ratios and understand what those ratios mean in terms of business productivity and success. You will leave this session with a greater understanding of how to read and interpret financial documents and how to use that information to drive business decisions.

Course Objectives

Identify key business information on income statements and balance sheets.
Know what key ratios indicate, why to use them and how they are calculated.
Make better decisions for your business based on sound financial understanding.

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Google Apps Workshop -
Google Apps are Google’s suite of tools that help you run your organization and business more efficiently. You may have experimented with (or regularly use) Google Docs, their on-line word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software. Google Apps combines the Docs environment with e-mail, calendaring, website hosting, collaboration software, cloud and e-discovery tools all wrapped up in Google’s secure, Internet-based environment. Over 4 million businesses use Google Apps – should your company be one of them?

In this workshop you’ll find out how your business can take advantage of the free tools and how much it might cost to implement Google Apps across your entire enterprise. We’ll compare Apps to Microsoft’s product suite and you’ll be able to better decide if your company could join thousands of others who’ve made the switch to Google Apps (or stay with the thousands who didn’t). While the focus of this workshop will be Google Apps for Business, we will also compare Google’s offerings for Government, Education and the Non-profit sector.

This workshop will be taught by Doug Allen, President of Allen’s Consulting. Lunch will be provided.

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Crowd Sourcing Workshop -
When you combine the concept of outsourcing with the power of Internet-connected individuals, you have Crowd Sourcing. Companies are using crowd sourcing to raise funds for start-ups, get product ideas for the next line of merchandise, and to solve problems that seem too big for the organization.

How can your company utilize crowd sourcing? In this workshop we will explore the following “crowd” topics and discuss how you can take advantage of this new technology-enabled workforce:

    Crowd Funding and Capital Raising
    Crowd Creativity and Idea/Content Generation
    Crowd Wisdom, Problem-solving and Decision-making
    Crowd Work

We’ll also discuss how to get your organization “crowd sourcing ready” so that when you find the right problem for this solution, you can jump right in with confidence.

This workshop will be taught by Doug Allen, President of Allen’s Consulting. Lunch will be provided.

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FastTrac® NewVenture™ -

In FastTrac® NewVenture™, a program of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City and brought to you by the UMKC SBTDC in partnership with University of Missouri Extension, you will look at all aspects of your proposed company, exploring the feasibility of your business concept and learning how to develop a viable business plan. Participants will address start-up issues such as assessing the competition, legal matters, marketing and financial management aspects. FastTrac® participants work on their own business endeavors throughout the course. This program is fast-paced and energizing, using guest speakers and group breakout activities. This 32-hour training is offered one day a week for 5 weeks.