Budget Approved
The State House of Representatives and Senate have approved a $6.14 million FY 06-07 budget for the seven Local Development Districts in Pennsylvania.

The Northwest Commission is very pleased with the increase to our budget! Thank you to our legislators for believing in what we do, and giving us the tools to do a great job for you and the citizens we both serve.

Welcome New Staff
The Northwest Commission is very fortunate to have the excellent staff that we do. We recently hired an additional employee who will add to our growing talent.

Marija Jankovic has joined the agency as a Trade Specialist. In this position, Jankovic, a Hermitage resident, will provide ongoing technical export assistance, market the export program throughout the region, develop export-training seminars for clients, recruit for missions and trade shows, conduct basic market research, and provide cultural counseling to clients.

Jankovic is a 2005 graduate from Slippery Rock University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish with a specialization in International Business. She is a native of the former Yugoslavia but is now a United States citizen, fluent in Serbo/Croation and Spanish, as well as English. Her interest in international studies and business propelled her to study abroad in Alcala, Spain, where she obtained two language proficiency diplomas from the University Alcala.

NADO 2006 Innovation Awards
Four Northwest Commission initiatives have been selected to receive the National Association of Development Associations (NADO) 2006 Innovation Award. Award recipients include:

1. NW PA GIS User Group

2. Municipal Technology Assistance Program

3. 2004 Trade Mission to Chile/Brazil

4. National Fuel Interest Reduction Program

We will join other NADO Innovation winners at the 2006 NADO Annual Training Conference August 26-29, 2006. Congratulations to the award recipients and those that make this success possible!

In June the Northwest Commission closed 2 loans:

1. A $200,000 SBF loan closed for Warren Motel Associates of Warren County. The loan was used to renovate the rooms and commercial areas of the hotel and purchase furniture and fixtures. Eight jobs will be created within the next three years.

2. A $200,000 EDA/RLF loan closed for Frontier Pharmacy of Erie County. The loan was used to purchase a building. Two additional jobs will be created within the next three years.

The loan Committee approved five loans in June: Stewart Laboratories of Clarion County; Pro Tech Machining, Inc. of Crawford County; and Alcor Corporation, Great Lakes Manufacturing, Inc., and Matrix Tool, Inc. of Erie County.

Entrepreneur’s Club
The first meeting of the Entrepreneur Club will be held on Wednesday, July 19th from 6-8pm at the Arlington Hotel in Oil City. The Entrepreneur Club is for area business owners to network and discuss issues and needs. The Northwest Commission and Clarion SBDC are working together to provide these events. This month, the speakers will focus on the importance of professional services to small businesses. The events will be held every other month on the third Wednesday at the Arlington Hotel. Please plan to join us!

Upcoming training events:
July 19, 2006
Intellectual Property for Beginners
Clarion University – Still Hall
Basic requirements and scope of intellectual property rights

July 20, 2006             
Soni Diamond Seminar    
Gannon University              
Interviewing; promoting yourself; changing jobs or considering new careers

August 01, 2006
Congressman Phil English Presents his Business Development Conference & Expo
Gannon University - Yehl Ball Room
Marketing of Central & South America

If you are interested in attending any of the events, contact Ethel Rodebaugh at ethelr@nwcommission.org  x113.

Goodbye to a Friend
We'd like to extend our warmest wishes to Aubri Minerd, Manager, Government Contracts who left the Commission last week to start a new career in Real Estate. We wish her good luck and best wishes in her future endeavors!

Government 101 Training August 9th
This introductory class gives you a brief overview in how to do business with the government. Topics such as set-asides, bid leads, registration, and how to work through the government opportunities are customized for this half day training event. Please feel free to join us for our next training on August 9, 2006 here at the Northwest Commission office from 9a.m until noon. Please register in advance by contacting Lori Moore x104.

Intro to RFID Training September 13th
The next scheduled Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) event will be hosted by the Northwest Commission on September 13th in Warren. RFID is a method of identifying unique items using radio waves. This training seminar will
provide you with the vital information needed to get RFID started in your business, the latest word on supply chain management technology for the 21st century, and what’s happening now in package tagging as it grows at a rate of 46% a year. Registrations will be taken until September 6th and the cost is $35.00 per person. For more information
please visit the Northwest Commission's event page to view the brochure or contact Bill Kenyon, x107.

Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC) Training
On June 27th, Eleanor Holland of the DSCC Small Business Office provided companies with a crash course on their Training, Knowledge and Opportunities through the DSCC. 14 companies from regional area machine shops and electronic manufacturers attended this course at the Regional Training and Conference Center in Meadville to learn how to find opportunities, find drawings and submit quotes through their DSCC Internet Bid Board System (DIBBS). To view the presentation of this event, go here:  www.nwcommission.org/gov.html (two versions of the presentation are listed on left hand side)
The Defense Supply Center Columbus puts on two day free Training Knowledge Opportunities (TKO) seminars on a monthly basis at their Columbus Ohio facility. As the largest purchaser of military spare parts, this training will help to answer any questions you may have and will also provide you with some good contacts.
Training schedule at Columbus for August - October is as follows:

August 15-16
September 19-20
October 17-18

Seating is limited - make your reservation on line at: www.dscc.dla.mil/News/events/tko/

The 2007-2010 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) has been approved and forwarded to Harrisburg.

The 2007 TIP is online on the Commission's website at: www.nwcommission.org/transportation.org

Breakfast for Champions is a quarterly event in support of the international marketing program of the Northwest Commission and the services we provide throughout the region. We encourage you to attend an informal and relaxed breakfast roundtable to learn about our services and how companies can benefit from working with us. Please join us to listen to our client’s comments and market insights as they share their experience in working with the State’s foreign offices and our international marketing program. Please RSVP with Lori Moore x104 by July 25, 2006.

7:30 am - 9:30 am
Wanango Country Club, Reno PA
Click for brochure

Pennsylvania International Week
October 4, 2006 - Cross Creek Resort, Titusville
Join us in welcoming the States Overseas Contractors in the Northwest Region!

Take advantage of meeting one-on-one with the State’s foreign contractors, discuss how to get your product or service in the international market. Determine your market potential, know your competition, and find key contacts, organizations and events.

Stay tuned for more details!

EuroMold 2006! Frankfurt/Main, Germany
The Northwest Commission is taking companies to Germany to exhibit November 29 – December 2, 2006

Whether you are a tool-or mold maker, designer, application developer, supplier of CAD/CAM, rapid prototyper, supplier of machine tools, laser and testing technology, coating technology or even raw materials, EuroMold is the right trade fair for you. World fair for mold making and tooling, design and application development. The entire process chain “From Design to Prototyping to Series Production” is represented at EuroMold. A unique fair-concept closing the gap in between industrial designers, product developers, producers, suppliers, and end-users. Everyone with rank and fame of the industrial sector meets here: decision makers, purchasing, and leaders of the industry.

The Northwest Commission is offering subsidized booth space. Each participant will have their individual booth of 12 sqm.  Call Dorte for more information on this event.

The MTAP computer training program is underway after a longer than expected but comprehensive scheduling process. The program includes 18 classes covering many popular business applications all to benefit local government electronic document efficiency and integrity. All elected officials and government employees are urged to attend the FREE day-long classes to be held throughout the region. These classes and the annual MTAP program are made possible in-part to a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

Click here to view the MTAP training schedule.

The Technology Advisory Group will meet on July 21st which includes four guest speakers to talk about new broadband services and technologies now available or coming to the region soon. Topics will include: Wi-MAX Technology & Proposal for Frequency Licensing Legislation; Ethernet Anywhere ™ Technology.

TAG member Sam Plumer has put some ideas together for an additional MTAP training application concerning the scope of IT planning; he’ll be presenting that for us.

The TAG will also learn a little about the IU Consortium (Broadband Project) RFI outcome.

The next Technology Advisory Group meeting is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 15th beginning at Noon.