Coos Conversations

More great signs of life (and laughter) in Coos County from the No. Country Trade Show

Link: Trade Show 03-22-08 008 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!.

Outdoor Life Magazine names Berlin one of the best

OutdoorLife in an article called Paradise Found, has named Berlin, NH one of the top 200 places for sportsman in America. While we worry about our favorite fishing holes getting overrun, we really can't complain too much. Especially when you see the competition.

Signs of economic life in the North Country

The entrepreneurial energy of the North Country is alive and well, thank you. For all those gloom and doom skeptical types that questioned the entrepreneurial spirit north of the Notches, a quick tour of Saturday's North Country Trade Show should put your doubts to rest. There were artists, like Andre Belanger (left) hugging Reike masters like  Betty Gosselin -- bakers and builders, and quilters and booksellers and web designers and interior designers and aromatherapists and detoxifiers . Organized by Valley Ventures it was a wonderful local celebration of creativity and entrepreneurship.

Even more interesting was how quickly they got the message about Social Media. Jim Wells, who was at the Microcredit Entrpreneurial Exchange last week, left inspired to take the plunge into social media. He signed up for Twitter, found three other people interested in locally made in wooden toys, called one of them and now has a whole new outlet for his wonderful north country made wooden cars, trains, planes and busses.

What struck me was the number of great ideas that were circulating around the White Mountains Community College cafeteria. 

My personal favorite was Dennis Bisson selling tropical fish and hand-tied fishing lures. He refused to test how well those lures worked on the tropical fish, but they looked really lovely.

   

Next door to him was Gateway Gallery & Gifts, a framer who in true Yankee tradition couldn't bear to throw away her left over framing remnants, so she started making box frames for lures which are just gorgeous:

Just as I was getting so hungry that the tropical fish started looking like sushi, I found my way over to the bakery table. Who know that you could get a wide variety of yummy, low-fat, low-sugar and even some gluten-free, breads and cookies, right here in Berlin?

Photos of all the exhibitors are posted here.

Interesting piece on "green energy" in Coos County

The Worcester Telegram does a good job assessing our energy transmissino situation

Need money to start your business?

For so many of us entrepreneurs, all you need is a little extra money to get you to make that jump into entrepreneurship. For me it was a check from my mom that allowed me to pay for a logo and letterhead. But not everyone has a mom like mine, so that's why WREN 's $2000 cash equity awards are such a cool resource. Follow this link to an accessible version of this application.

Supported by a grant from the Citigroup Foundation, the Women and Company® Microenterprise Boost Program is designed to provide low and moderate income women microentrepreneurs with the opportunity to achieve greater business success by providing cash awards that will have a measurable impact on the development of their business.

This year WREN will make 5 awards of $2000 each through an application process to a mix of entrepreneurs in both service-based or product-based businesses. Equity awards can be used for:
• Marketing
• Inventory
• Equipment
• Technology purchases
• Website development
• Advertising
• Professional services (accounting, legal, etc.)
• Hiring of an additional employee/s
• and more…
The deadline for applications is Thursday, May 1st. If you have any questions, call Marilinne Cooper at WREN (603) 869-9736.

Women and Company®, a division of Citigroup that provides access to financial education and resources for women, has partnered with Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) to implement and promote the Women and Company® Microenterprise Boost Program. As a national membership association for the microenterprise development industry, AEO represents hundreds of microenterprise development programs across the U.S

If you want to start or grow a business, you need to sign up for this

WREN has long been one of my favorite organizations.
It was one of the reasons I looked north when I wanted to expand KDPaine & Partners. So that's why I was thrilled to learn that WREN is now coming to Berlin, with a great training program that will be held at St. Barnabas Church.  Here are the details:

WREN�S NEW BUSINESS TRAINING PROGRAM COMES TO BERLIN
Monday, March 31st, 2008
St. Barnabas Church on Main Street in Berlin

Have you been thinking about starting a business?
Do you have a great idea for a business but don�t know where to start?
Do you need help with planning or expanding an existing business?

Starting March 31st, the WREN BETA (Business and Entrepreneurial Technical Assistance) program will be offered for the first time in Berlin at a special discount price.

Since September when the pilot program was offered in Bethlehem, 64 people have graduated from BETA classes. In Groveton, where the Wausau mill closure has touched hundreds of livelihoods, 29 people enrolled in the 8 week, comprehensive program that was offered there from January to March. This group of new and emerging business owners was enthusiastic about the course, which integrates the nationally known Core Four business training course with WREN�s own brand of business coaching and networking.

A winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence, Core Four� has a proven track record in providing a thorough understanding of all aspects needed for a successful business. Appropriate for both new and existing business owners, the course presents entrepreneurs with the knowledge and tools for building and growing profitable businesses. It provides students with a clear understanding of the marketplace, as well as techniques for staying focused on personal and entrepreneurial goals.

�I was energized and empowered by the topics,� said Belinda Phillips, a graduate of the program. �The course was fantastic in inspiring me to try further. The pace was good, the mood was upbeat and the whole atmosphere was optimistic.�

The eight week course will be held at the St. Barnabas Church on Main Street in Berlin, on Mondays from March 31st to May 19th, from 4 to 8 pm (with a half hour break for dinner). The special price of $40 covers all 8 classes, a student manual valued at $50 and a WREN membership. Please call 603-869-9736 to register or email wren@wrencommunity.org.

Hope to see you today at the North Country Trade Show

Anyone wondering where the future of the North Country lies need look no farther than the VALLEY VENTURES TRADESHOW today that showcases all the wonderful businesses that are helping rebuild the economy of the region. Small business has long been the job creation engine of New Hampshire and what better way to celebrate it than to come check out their wares today at the White Mountains Community College.

Berlin Residents get informed

Tim Cayer has put together a great resource for Berlin NH residents to keep track of what is happening in local government. I suggest everyone book mark it and check it regularly

Trade show will highlight North Country businesses

If you want to catch my "its the end of the world as we know it" routine, come check out the 2^nd Annual North Country Tradeshow
 

Are you tired of driving long distances to buy the products and services your family needs? Do you want to support local businesses? The 2^nd annual North Country Tradeshow will provide an opportunity for you to see what  businesses have to offer. This event is free of charge and open to the public, and will feature local business owners, from bakers and artists to web designers. It will be held Saturday, March 22^nd, from 9 AM to 4 PM at

White MountainsCommunity College 2020 Riverside Drive in Berlin. This event is sponsored by the Citizens Bank Foundation and MicroCredit-NH.

The tradeshow will feature hourly vendor raffles, product demonstrations and discounted products and services. Complimentary snacks and refreshments will also be available. Individuals with a business idea or those already building a business are also encouraged to attend, as the tradeshow will feature business training. At 11 AM, keynote speaker your truly will share her expertise in social media.  Dr. Debbi Warner, a clinical psychologist, will offer a workshop at 12:30 PM about “Innovation and taking the leap into entrepreneurship.” Vendor workshops will be held throughout the day.

The North Country Tradeshow has been organized by Valley Ventures, MicroCredit-NH’s Berlin Business Group. This group of local business owners meets monthly to access business skills training, loan capital and networking opportunities through the MicroCredit-NH program. The tradeshow is a unique initiative of the Valley Ventures group.

“We decided to offer the North Country Tradeshow so our neighbors and fellow citizens of the region could see and sample firsthand the products and services created by local business owners,” said Lise Grondin-Danault, Chair of Valley Ventures and owner of OSMOSIS. “Our hope is that attendees will realize that local businesses can meet many, if not all, of their needs.”

Members of MicroCredit-NH and WREN are invited to participate in the North Country Tradeshow as vendors. For more information about reserving a booth, or to learn more about the tradeshow, visit www.northernnhtradeshow.org.

Visit www.citizensbank.com for more about the Citizens Bank Foundation. MicroCredit-NH is online at www.microcreditnh.org.

New HampshireMicroCredit-NH is a program of the non-profit New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, and delivers services to the state’s self-employed and microbusiness owners, which are businesses with one to five employees, including the owner. To accomplish its mission of increasing the income and economic stability of microbusinesses and the self-employed, MicroCredit-NH provides business development programming, loan capital up to $15,000, and expanded marketing and networking opportunities. Since program inception, MicroCredit-NH has loaned more than $977,000 to NH's entrepreneurs. MicroCredit-NH is generously supported by the Citizens Bank Foundation, NH Community Development Finance Authority, the Community Development Block Grant Program, the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund, an advised fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, among others, and is endorsed by all New Hampshire County Commissions.

Great music and laughter coming to St. K's April 11th

 

St Kieran’s Arts
Center in Berlin will present the Cosy Sheridan folk  trio in concert Saturday
March 15.
Sheridan and her wryly insightful songs have been showcased
everywhere from Carnegie Hall to The Dr Demento Show. One of the pre-eminent
songwriters on the folk scene to document the lives of modern women, Sheridan
places the fast-paced culture of 21st century America into a mythic context with
insightful, energetic and at times comic effect. The Cornell Folksong Society
wrote: “Sheridan is frank, feisty, sublimely and devilishly funny. She fuses
myth with modern culture; Persephone with Botox.”
In her live CD on Waterbug Records, Live At CedarHouse, listeners can sample a taste of Sheridan’s live
performances and see why she’s been called “one of the era’s finest and most
thoughtful singer/songwriters” and why Acoustic Guitar Magazine wrote, "If I
were going to throw an all-girl dinner party at which I wanted to laugh and cry
from the hors d'oeuvres to the chocolate pudding, Cosy Sheridan is the first
woman I'd invite." Sheridan first appeared on the national folk scene in 1992
when she won the songwriting contests at the Kerrville Folk Festival and the
Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and released her critically acclaimed CD Quietly
Led on Waterbug Records. Folk Music Quarterly wrote: “When she’s accepting her
Grammy, we can say we knew her when.” Since then she’s released 5 more CDs,
and written a one-woman-show (and accompanying CD) entitled The Pomegranate Seed
– An Exploration of Appetite, Body-Image and Myth in Modern Culture.
She recently composed a song-cycle for best-selling author Robert Fulghum’s new book
Third Wish – which has been at the top of the bestseller list in the Czech
Republic since last year. Two of the songs from that project have been recorded
on her new live CD. Sheridan will be  accompanied by her longtime musical
partners, Kent Allyn on keyboards and guitar, and TR Ritchie on bass.
For more information about Cosy Sheridan, go to www.cosysheridan.com. For more
information about the concert call 603- 752-1028 or go to
www.stkieranarts.org.