Winners' Circle: Call for Nominations

Now in its 18th year, Westmoreland County's most prestigious business awards program is seeking nominations for women, men, businesses or organizations who advocate for women, women-owned businesses and our community.

Nominate NOW! Visit www.wcwinnerscircle.com for details about the program and award criteria, a list of past honorees, and to complete and submit a nomination form. It's fast and simple to nominate someone online. NOMINATION DEADLINE IS MIDNIGHT FEBRUARY 4, 2013 (No exceptions). If you do not have internet access, and need assistance or have questions, please call Seton Hill University's E-Magnify, 724-830-4625.

Awards will be presented at the Winners' Circle Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at the Ramada, Greensburg. 

E-Magnify & PowerLink Form Strategic Alliance

E-Magnify, PowerLink Form Strategic Alliance to Help Women Grow Businesses

We are pleased to announce a new partnership with PowerLink. Through a strategic alliance, PowerLink programs will now be offered exclusively by E-Magnify.

"PowerLink complements the services already offered by E-Magnify, such as business counseling, education and training and mentoring programs, including ATHENAPowerLink and the Women Presidents' Organization,” said Jayne Huston, director, Seton Hill University’s E-Magnify. “Our alliance will be a great advantage to all of our clients who will now have the opportunity to participate in exciting and impactful new programs.”

"For more than 20 years, PowerLink and E-Magnify have been the recognized leaders in the western Pennsylvania women’s entrepreneurial community,” continued Huston. “This strong new alliance is a tremendous advantage for women-owned businesses in the region.”

Lee Ann Munger will lead PowerLink for E-Magnify from a satellite office at the Riverside Center for Innovation on the Northside of Pittsburgh. She is charged with continuing to direct the program's strategic plan and working to successfully integrate PowerLink with E-Magnify.

"After two great years at the University of Pittsburgh's Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence, PowerLink is returning to its roots as an organization that focuses exclusively on women entrepreneurs," said Munger.

Founded in Pittsburgh, PA in 1991, PowerLink is a unique and proven resource for advancing women-owned businesses.

The PowerLink Advisory Panel Program is a core program and provides women business owners with a high level panel of business advisors. The customized Advisory Panels are composed of volunteer business professionals who are carefully chosen to meet the specific needs of the company. PowerLink maintains a database of approximately 400 professionals who have served on the Advisory Panels. These individuals are highly experienced in their fields and represent some of the top firms in the region.

Since 1991, PowerLink has provided Advisory Panels to more than 200 women business owners. PowerLink has worked with firms in virtually every businesses category ranging from printing to technology to manufacturing. Recent survey data reveals that annual revenues increased 46 percent and the number of employees increased 22 percent as compared with the PowerLink baseline. Additional PowerLink programs that will be offered through E-Magnify include the following:

• PowerLink Protegee, an advisory program for earlier stage companies;  
• WBE SuperPanel, an advisory program specifically for WBE (Women's Business Enterprise)-certified businesses;  
• Financial Boot Camp, an intensive one-day finance workshop specifically for business owners;  
• PowerHour Lunch, a monthly lunch series on topics of interest to women business owners;
• CEO Circles, a peer-to-peer advisory program for PowerLink alumni; 
• PowerBuild, an experiential leadership development program for corporate managers and executives; and 
• Connect the Dots, PowerLink's annual event uniting the entire PowerLink community.

For more information, about PowerLink programs, please contact Lee Ann Munger at 724-552-4388.

Featured Entrepreneur: Maria Fagan

RQS co-founders, L-R: Pres. Maria Fagan,
VP Robert Markley, and VP Lisa Casavant
(image source: RQS website)

E-Magnify features women entrepreneurs in our Success Stories section. This month's featured entrepreneur is Maria Fagan, president and co-founder of Regulatory & Quality Solutions, LLC, located in Murrysville, PA. 

Regulatory & Quality Solutions (RQS) provides full-service regulatory affairs and quality assurance expertise to medical device organization.

Maria worked with E-Magnify as part of our ATHENAPowerLink® mentoring program, which provides professional advisory panels to women-owned businesses to assist in business growth.

Maria shared some thoughts on entrepreneurship and the experience of working with E-Magnify. Keep reading....

Happy Holidays from E-Magnify

E-Magnify Symposium: March 26, 2013

   

Save the date for E-Magnify's Building a Benchmark Business, a Women's Entrepreneurial Symposium. 

Date: March 26, 2-13
Time: 8:00 a.m. - Noon
Location: Seton Hill University's Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Ave., Greensburg, PA

Full details and registration coming in the new year. For now, please mark your calendars and plan to join us for our signature event! 

Last Minute Holiday Marketing Tips

The holiday countdown is on, and the SBA has 12 low-cost holiday marketing tips to help your small business during this busy season, from fine-tuning your online campaigns to targeting the holiday crowd. Check them out on the SBA website here.

The SBA also has a guide to understanding overtime wage law, which is especially useful if your employees are working overtime during the holidays. You can find that information here.

CORE FOUR Business Course (January)

Seton Hill University's E-Magnify and Downtown Connellsville present CORE FOUR^® Business Planning Course  in January 2013.

Dates: Four Tuesdays in January (8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th)
Time: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. (Come at 5:30 to join us for a light dinner.)
Location: ArtWorks Connellsville, 139 West Crawford Avenue, Connellsville, PA
Cost: $100* for all four classes. (All materials are included with registration.)

Registration deadline: January 4, 2013

Who should attend: Open to all entrepreneurs.

RSVP required: Please contact Michael Edwards at 724-626-0141 or downtownconnellsville@zoominternet.net.

About CORE FOUR^®
Developed in 1998 by the Northeast Entrepreneur Fund, the CORE FOUR^® Business Planning Course is a culmination of years of experience training individuals in starting and growing their own small businesses. E-magnify has been presenting CORE FOUR since 2008.

The course focuses on the following four core bodies of knowledge that a business owner must have in order to operate a successful business:

• Marketing plan preparation;
• Business plan preparation;
• Cash flow projections; and
• Business operating procedures.

By helping participants develop an understanding of the four core bodies of knowledge presented in the course, CORE FOUR presents participants with the tools and knowledge needed to build a business plan. The knowledge gained allows participants to begin the process of gathering information needed to plan their business. Once participants have obtained the knowledge about how to plan a business, they can use it for any business idea, at any time, for the rest of their lives.
CORE FOUR is suitable for those who want to start a business, as well as those who desire to operate a business more effectively.


*Class fees (typically $300) are underwritten through a grant from Chevron and Community Foundation of Fayette County. This program is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.