BUZ in the Press

More and more employers are struggling to find skilled workers. A changing economy and increasing skill demands are creating a shortage of qualified people willing and able to take jobs.

Without an adequate supply of skilled workers, business growth is significantly constrained, which in turn limits economic and social growth. To effectively meet workforce development challenges, workers need direction and training to understand and fill workforce demands, and employers need resources to secure and sufficiently motivate individuals to achieve productivity levels and support growth.

An alliance of public and private organizations in New Hampshire is knocking down the walls of the business incubator, aiming to create a virtual network of services to help small ventures thrive and grow.

The New Hampshire Virtual Business Incubator -- a first-of-its-kind on-line effort that provides information and support to new businesses -- has been launched with the goal of expanding to become a national resource.

BUZGate™ participates in the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce's "(Re)Position Your Business for Success: An Information and Resource Fair." Other participants included the Office of International Commerce, the N.H. Department of Resources and Economic Development, Women's Business Center, SCORE, New Hampshire Stories, MicroCredit-NH, the Emerging Technology Center of New Hampshire Community Technical College and the Business Information Center it houses.

The Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce offers back-to-back programs Tuesday at Yoken's conference center and Comfort Inn in Portsmouth. The chamber will present "(Re)Position Your Business for Success: An Information and Resource Fair" from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., its annual Biz Expo. BUZGate™ participated as a resource provider.

CombiNet-NH Inc., a coalition of corporate and nonprofit organizations focused on providing technical assistance to entrepreneurs, on Tuesday opened its latest Business Information Center at Pease International Tradeport...In addition to free business counseling from several organizations, the center will offer access online and print resources from BUZGate (the Business Utility Zone Gateway) to step-by-step guides on starting specific types of businesses, marketing, and financing.

Virtual small-business community Web site www.BUZGate.org was honored at the seventh annual Economic Development Conference in Manchester for bringing together public and private sectors in support of economic development..."We had an idea, we shared it with all of you, and we listened," said Deborah Osgood, BUZGate's designer and engineer.

When Dr. William Osgood is described as having his finger on all things business in New Hampshire, that's not an exaggeration. He was instrumental in developing such diverse projects as the concept that led to the Small Business Development Center, the business resource think tank Knowledge Institute, BUZGate.org, a cybernetic business resource guide - and everything in between.

Leadership New Hampshire announced its class of 2002-03, the 11th year of the statewide leadership development program...This year's class includes...Deborah Osgood, co-founder of the Knowledge Institute.

A collaboration is studying the potential of importing information technology employers and jobs to the North Country from the southern tier...According to Dr. William Osgood, director of The Knowledge Institute and project director, the goal of IT WorkNet is to "see if southern work is portable to the north and to see if there is a trainable work force in the north to accommodate southern employer needs"...Instrumental to analyzing the data is The Knowledge Institute's Workforce Knowledgement System^SM or WKS, a matrix tool that will develop an attribute-based profile of the skill sets required by southern tier employers and the skill sets possessed by northern tier workers. "Ultimately, we hope to identify linkages," said Osgood.

The U.S. Small Business Administration opened its regional Business Information Center at the Mt. Washington Valley Economic Council's Technology Village Business Center...The program is sponsored by the SBA, Fleet Bank, the state Department of Resources and Economic Development, the Knowledge Institute, Southern New Hampshire University and other public and private-sector groups...at the ribbon-cutting ceremony: MWVEC Executive Director Jac Cuddy, Dr. William Osgood of the Knowledge Institute, MWVEC President Steve Knox, Bill Phillips of the SBA, Roy Duddy of DRED, and Sandie Sullivan of the SBA.

A comprehensive business resource network that offers both on-line and "hands on" assistance has been unveiled in New Hampshire with an eye toward making it a model program for the rest of the country.

The network, called CombiNet-NH (an abbreviation that stands for Community & Business Information Network), is a statewide collaboration that will provide information to small businesses 24 hours a day, through an Internet resource (www.BUZGate.org) and seven U.S. Small Business Administration Business Information Centers, six of which opened in conjunction with the CombiNet announcement.

CombiNet-NH, a Community and Business Information Network, is a nonprofit organization created to expedite the development and maintenance of a network designed to facilitate transactions between business assistance, community development, and nonprofit support organizations, and the constituents they serve. There are a number of players in this network, including the major sponsors, Fleet Bank, The State of NH, The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and BUZGate™ (a part of the Knowledge Institute.

CombiNet-NH, a public, private and non-profit collaboration, will include five new U.S. Small Business Administration Business Information Centers in New Hampshire and one in Maine...

...Major collaborators on the project include Fleet, the SBA, the Knowledge Institute, Southern New Hampshire University, the state Department of Resources and Economic Development and the Office of State Planning. Regional economic development organizations are also involved and will provide people to staff the centers.

The Business of Child Care Management program is the result of collaborations involving the governor's office, the College for Lifelong Learning, Fidelity Investments, Knowledge Institute, Providian Financial and the child care association

George Thirsk, executive director of the NHCCA, and Dr. William and Deborah Osgood of the Knowledge Institute created a curriculum that would address the business concerns of child-care professionals in an intensive, flexible atmosphere.

The feedback was all positive at the Greater Derry Business Resource Expo, which was an effort between the state and private companies to educate and provide resources to local businesses that are suffering in the recession...Deborah Osgood, a representative from BUZGate.org, said the people who attended the Expo were a qualified audience. Her company helps connect people to resources such as cash management, Web marketing and business planning. Even though times are tough, people will manage, she said. "In this state, people are used to being creative in hard times," Osgood said.

SWOT is an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It is a method used to evaluate your company's internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as identify any external opportunities or threats that may impact business operations.

Dr. Osgood...echoes Fox's sentiment. "SWOT in and of itself will not give speciafic answers. Instead, it is a way to organize information and assign probabilites to potential events -- both good and bad -- as the basis for developing business strategy and operational plans.

The Amoskeag Small Business Incubator has named William Osgood, president of The Knowledge Institute, to its advisory board.

Vitts Networks Inc. must shut down its high-speed Internet telecommunications services on May 9 at 5pm, the federal bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Del., ruled yesterday...Vitts posted a list of recommended vendors on its Web site yesterday. Several other Web sites have devoted space to Vitts customers. One is www.BUZGate.org, which provides a list of alternative telecommunications service providers.

The state Public Utilities Commission yesterday ruled that Vitts Networks Inc. must give its high-speed Internet service customers 60 days notice that it plans to close, rather than the 30 days Vitts requested...Yesterday, Verizon Communications and the Knowledge Institute announced the availability of an interactive Web site to help Vitts customers locate alternative providers of high-speed Internet access. The site, /referral.php?to=http://www.BUZGate.org, or Business Utility Zone Gateway, has an online form customers can submit to Internet and telecommunications providers specifying the types of services they are looking to keep.

Now you can find out who's who and what's what in NH when it comes to helping your small business without any unnecessary legwork, networking or research. A single web site, underwritten by PSNH, may be your new best friend. Dial up www.BUZGate.org and gain access to just about every conceivable sort of small business support, including more than 500 hypertext links. BUZGate.org is a creation of the Knowledge Institute, a New Hampshire organization designed to help entrepreneurs and other small businesses grow their dreams in the rich soil of practical experience available from the countless experts and programs across our state.

The Knowledge Institute of East Kingston has begun a new information-based Web site, The Business Utility Zone Gateway (www.BUZGate.org) for the small business community and providers of free and low-cost business assistance. Deborah Osgood, vice president, says, "We are three clicks away from direct access. At our home page, the first click takes you to the 'legal lounge' where you get a matrix of business entity types: the second click takes you to one of six types of business entities; and the third click takes you to the information you seek for your specific business type.".

Continuing its mission of supporting business and community development in New Hampshire, the Knowledge Institute has created the Business Utility Zone Gateway, BUZGate.org...Co-founded in January 1999 by William Osgood, president, and Deborah Osgood, chief knowledge officer, the Knowledge Institute is a research, education and consulting firm serving non-profit and for-profit organizations worldwide...Patrick McDermott, economic and community development manager for Manchester-based electric company, PSNH, said small businesses are the backbone of New Hampshire's economy..."Supporting BUZGate.org makes business sense. It's the right thing to do.".

The Business Utility Zone Gateway (www.BUZGate.org) is a one-stop shopping, online resource center, according to information released by the Knowledge Institute, an East Kingston nonprofit organization that created BUZGate..."There are so many valuable resources available to New Hampshire businesses," said Commissioner George Bald of the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development..."We are so please to work with The Knowledge Institute in communicating what those resources are and how they can be accessed."...Gov. Jeanne Shaheen said..."I am pleased we were able to work with The Knowledge Institute to ensure more individuals know about these public resources, and resources available in the private sector."..."New Hampshire businesses have instant access to a robust high speed telecommunications infrastructure," said j. Michael Hickey, president and chief executive officer of Verizon New Hampshire..."The Knowledge Institute unlocks the door for business to business networking and Verizon is proud to work with them in this effort.".

The The Knowledge Institute has introduced the Business Utility Zone Gateway (www.BUZGate.org), a new Internet venture for small businesses to gain access to thousands of experts in a wide range of business and community development disciplines. "Technology advancements and globalization represent valuable opportunities for businesses today," said Dr. William R. Osgood, president of The Knowledge Institute. "However, they create sophisticated challenges for all business units, large and small...BUZGate helps users pluck out of the infoglut the precise answers they need to succeed in this new digital and world economy.

There are actually thousands of small business and economic development support programs and resources available to New Hampshire businesses. While this represents a powerful source of business development assistance, the process of identifying and qualifying them has traditionally been difficult and time-consuming for the business professional...In collaboration with the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center and other federal, state and local agencies, the Knowledge Institute has created a solution to this dilemma - the Business Utility Zone Gateway at www.BUZGate.org. BUZGate.org is a virtual on-line business community that now provides a single place of access to these varied and valuable resources. Small business owners and other business professionals are no "three-clicks" away from specific answers.

New Hampshire is rich with a telecommunications infrastructure for all business sizes and needs. With the right telecommunication system, busninesses can take full advantage of all kinds of productivity-enhancing telecommunication products and services...The Knowledge Institute unlocks the door to these otherwise overwhelming and often confusing choices. In collaboration with Verizon, business professionals can now make more informed decisions about their telecommunication needs at the Business Utility Zone Gateway (www.BUZGate.org, an Iternet-based resource community for small business.

BUZGate.org, an online knowledge community for small business, is entering into another strategic partnership to expand its Internet-based resource center to include an economic development practitioners' forum. Described as a "channel" within BUZGate.org, this new resource will allow economic development practitioners throughout the state, to access for free via a password, information about economic development "best practices", FAQ's and methodologies previously applied to other successful projects.

Small businesses in New Hampshire now have a new, free, on-line tool to assist them. The Knowledge Institute, with the support of Public Service of New Hampshire, recently announced the Business Utility Zone Gateway (BUZGate.org), a virtual center designed to help entrepreneurs and other small businesses grow, or simply get started..."New Hampshire offers a wide range of practical assistance programs that can help small businesses to prosper," said Deborah Osgood, president of The Knowledge Institute. "The business resource center has the potential to significantly contribute to the economic development efforts of the state through increasing awareness and accessibility of these resources to those who need them.".

.Today, there are nearly 160 million people online around the world with almost 90 million in the U.S. and Canada alone...As part of a sound business plan and marketing strategy, the Internet can be a powerful, cost-effective tool for target marketing, one-to-one relationship building and increased sales opportunities. Once you have decided that an online marketing campaign makes sense for your business, development a company Web site is the most common starting place.

Cash flow management is a problem for almost any firm, large or small. The worst symptom of the problem: the business runs out of cash...Why is cash flow so important? If the cash inflows exceed the cash outflows, the business can continue operations. If the cash outflows exceed the inflows, the business RUNS OUT OF CASH and grinds to a halt.

In October, 15 local entrepreneurs set out to better their businesses through the FastTracII course offered for 11 weeks at Pease International Tradeport...Jim O'Donnell, who runs the city of Portsmouth's Microenterprise Assistance Program, is also FastTrac's state director...O'Donnell agrees that the informal discussions during the class between participants and their instructor, William Osgood, can give entrepreneurs feedback they wouldn't likely get otherwise...Osgood, who runs The Knowledge Institute in East Kingston and is a business consultant, also thinks highly of his students. "This was just really a fabulous class," he said, adding that the group worked hard, had great interaction and shared a lot of their business problems with each other, together developing solutions.

The US Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced the release of a new series of "how to" publications for small business, the Common Sense Strategic Management Learning System (SMLS), written by New Hampshire author, Dr. William R. Osgood. In a recent news release on the SMLS, the SBA characterized Dr. Osgood as an internationally recognized expert in small business development.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today announced the release of a new series of "how to" publications for small business. The Strategic Management Learning System (SMLS) program, entitled the Common Sense Series, offers 12 management topics for developing the skills required to manage a small business.

Fifteen local entrepreneurs are looking to the FastTrac II program to teach them how to take their successful operations into the next century...At Comic Adventures in Portsmouth, owner Scott Champney is looking to the support system that FastTrac II helps participants develop. Not only does Champney have instructor William Osgood and program director Jim O'Donnell to fall back on, he now has 15 colleagues from the course to look to for advice and input.

...The Exeter Business Information Center started operations in mid-November, 1975 and since that time has worked in some meaningful way with more than 170 existing or prospective businesses...BICs provide direct assistance often by simply asking questions and listening to the businessmen define his own problems and discover his own solutions...The concept of BICs has been developed by Dr. William Osgood, Manager of the Urban Affairs Section of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and implemented as a pilot program in Exeter.

A joint venture by the city Greater Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and Federal Reserve Bank of Boston - the first in the state - will try to help the area's many small and medium-sized businesses to become success stories instead of fatalities...William R. Osgood, the Federal Reserve Bank's urban affairs manager and creator of the BIC idea, commented that "a lot of businessmen spend a lot of time trying to find solutions to problems that have already been solved".

The business information center is the brain child of William Osgood, East Kingston, manager of urban affairs for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston...Osgood hopes someday to see a network of BICs throughout this section of the country.

The BIC is a pilot program. William R Osgood, East Kingston, is responsible for the idea..."Sometimes businessmen think more money to invest in their business would solve problems. More money isn't necessarily the answer or even a possibility at times", said Osgood. "It's a myth that people pursue".