Adelante Newsletter - March 2009 Issue

RIBBON CUTTINGS & AFTER 5 MIXERS

A ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration was held for Pocket Communications New Customer Contact Center & Retail Store on February 10, 2009. The ribbon cutting was conducted by the Harlingen Hispanic Chamber & the Harlingen Area Chamber. Guests enjoyed morning refreshments and tours of the facility. Pocket Communications, a San Antonio-based wireless voice and data service provider, has opened its flagship customer care service center in Harlingen. The center's 120 employees are providing customer care 24 hours a day for Pocket's nearly 300,000 customers in San Antonio, Laredo, and the Valley. The customer care center, located at 6902 W. Exp 83, will also serve as the recruiting hub for the Rio Grande Valley, and handle customer call overflow for the company's New England division which was scheduled to launch on January 29th. Visit Pocket Communications at 6902 W. Exp 83 in Harlingen or you can reach them by phone at (956) 444-4002.

A Business After 5 Mixer hosted by Mediforce DME was held on February 12, 2009. Guests enjoyed great food, refreshments and networking. A blessing and dedication prayer was held before the mixer began. Mediforce DME is located in the Star Professional Plaza at 1702 E. Tyler Ave., Ste. 5 in Harlingen. Stop by and visit or call (956) 423-6333 for more information on their services.

HARLINGEN WELCOMES WINTER FRIENDS

The 5th Annual Winter Texan Appreciation Fiesta was held January 19, 2009 at the Valley Race Park in Harlingen. This city-hosted event is designed to thank our winter visitors and to showcase the many shopping, eating, sightseeing, and other activities found in and around Harlingen. Spectators enjoyed a variety of live music, food and giveaways. Winter Texan visitors come from as far north as Canada and they start arriving to the Valley around November and stay through April of each year. The fiesta was sponsored by HEB, City of Harlingen, Harlingen Park & Recreation, Valley Race Park, Harlingen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, United Hearing Services, la Quinta Inn & Suites, and Best Western SPI.

VICDC & FUEL7 STUDENT CENTER ANNOUNCES 2ND ANNUAL BENEFIT NIGHT

The Valley International Community Development Corporation and the Fuel7 Student Center are proud to announce their 2nd Annual Benefit Night at the Fuel7 Student Center in downtown San Benito. In the second year of its existence, lterally hundreds of young students from throughout Cameron County have found the center to be the best option to spend their evenings several times a week. On March 12th they will hold their 2nd Annual Benefit Night at the center and kick it off with a ribbon cutting ceremony. This fun-filled event for all their partners and friends, features a tour of the facility, a live and silent auction, a presentation of past activities and their vision of 2009. The VICDC and Fuel7 Student Center are looking for items to be donated for the live and silent auctions. If you would like to participate by donating an item please contact Sylvia Zamponi at (956) 222-8930.

BUSINESS LOAN FAIR HELD AT SBA OFFICE

A business loan fair was held January 21, 2009 at the Small Business Administration office in Harlingen. The fair was hosted by the Small Business Administration, ACCION Texas, Small Business Development Center, and the Harlingen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Some of the loan products covered during the business loan fair are $500-$50,000 6-72 month fixed rate terms, unsecured loans, factoring, lines of credit, 504 SBA loans and other business products. For more info, contact Jose De La O at (866) 312-3778.

FOR SOME SMALL BUSINESSES...RECESSION IS GOOD NEWS

The current economic picture is certainly a gloomy one, with massive layoffs, bankruptcies, the collapse of financial institutions, and a severe credit crunch. But the recession has also injected life into a slew of small businesses that are thriving either in spite of or because of the economic downturn, giving new relevance to the old adage that one man's misfortune is another's opportunity.

Among those businesses that are thriving are pawn shops and thrift stores, which have traditionally catered to those in tight financial straits and which are historically seen an uptick during economic slumps. They're reporting higher volumes of business and even a bradening of their customer bases among those who have recently found themselves with greatly diminished stock portfolios or among the unemployed. "More people are trying resale than may have done before," says Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Association for Resale & Thrift Shops, a trade association based in St. Claire Shores, Michigan. "And once people shop resale they realize what value and quality they're getting for the price. They become hooked, and this becomes their way of shopping." Now, many thrift stores are finding that their inventories are running especially low: Business is booming, and goods for resale aren't being replenished as fast or as easily.

Keeping Things Running

Others who are getting a financial jolt...a positive one... are auto mechanics and other repairman, who have seen record business in some cases over the past six to nine months. With wallets stretched and credit tight, many people are hanging onto their cars, appliances, and even shoes rather than replacing them. "Our business in the last seven to nine months has been better than compared to the last four to five years," says Dick Whittington, owner of Leon's Shoe Shop in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Fear and crime has also boosted a number of businesses. Sales of home safes are on the rise, while several private detective agencies are also reporting a surge in business. Repo men across the country are doing record levels of business, thanks to the high number of loan defaults on big ticket items such as cars, boats, and motorcycles.

The record number of foreclosures and ballooning consumer debt has been a windfall for businesses that consolidate, restructure, counsel, and settle debt foreclosures. However, an increase in fraudulent firms claiming to help consumers with their debt and mortgages has also been on the rise.

So while many businesses are shutting down or limping along, there remains a sturdy group of small firms that have found opportunity. Source: HispanicBusiness.com

SBA OFFERS NEW ONLINE RESOURCES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TO HELP WITH ECONOMIC RECOVERY

Entrepreneurs can take advantage of new, free online training and other resources offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration to assist them during this period of economic recovery.

The SBA offers a variety of online courses to assist small businesses in more effectively managing their firms in the current economy. The new course topics, available directly at http://www.sba.gov/services/training/onlinecourses include winning customers in a slowing economy, restructuring existing debt, and diversifying your customer base with federal contracts.

The most recently added course is "Downshifting in a Slowing Economy: A Business Planning Guide." This course is designed to help business owners reorganize and streamline their business strategies. Other related business tools include a new automated business plan template, and an assessment and strategies guide for surviving in a slowing economy.

"The SBA is helping small businesses with the resources and tools they need in the current business cycle," said Jeff Andrade, Associate Administrator for Entrepreneurial Development. "In addition, SBA offers a variety of resources and referrals to small businesses uncertain about what to do in the current economy on its web page on Economic Recovery at http://www.sba.gov/helpingmainstreet ."

Each free course is self-paced, and provides practical guidance on how to stay on top of economic conditions. These and other courses can be accessed from the SBA's web site at www.sba.gov/training . To access them click on "Free Online Courses", then make a selection under the header "Surviving in a Down Economy".

The SBA can also help to find local agency offices and lenders. Business owners can: talk with an SBA representative about financing options and identify local, participating SBA lenders; learn about SBA's Loan Guaranty Program using an electronic guide with audio and many targeted links; and train with expert counseling and mentoring services by talking with an SBA representative or resource partner about management assistance.