GROW News
January 20, 2010
CHANGE THE WORLD with GROW: Glass Reuse for Our World
We are inviting you to help us GO GREEN and make a small step in changing the world. We are piloting a glass reuse program at the Kearney store.
What is the project?
Consumers will be encouraged to bring their empty glass jars of GROW Nebraska products to the Kearney store where participating members will re-sanitize and reuse the glass containers.
Why be involved?
- FREE glass container because you will be able to reuse the returned empty jars.
- Environmentally conscientious consumers will want to buy your product because it is recyclable.
- You will get additional product promotion.
- It’s simple.
How to be involved in this project:
- Sign up here.
- Agree to put a small label on your participating products that says it is returnable for recycling.
- Pick up empty glass containers at the Kearney Store.
Re-sterilize the glass containers.
- Reuse them!
If you have any questions about this project, don't hesitate to contact us at
info@grownebraska.org.
Save the Date for MarkeTECH Conference
The GROW Nebraska Annual Meeting is now called the GROW Nebraska Marke
Tech Conference. This year's MarkeTECH conference will be held in Lincoln on April 22 from 8am-4pm. We will once again also be offering the pre-conference for members only on April 21.
The conference will once again feature the product evaluation, a service business trade show, a wonderful meal and many great speakers.
Details will be coming soon regarding specifics.
If you have any questions, please contact us at 888.476.9632 or e-mail us at
info@grownebraska.org.
Renewals Due February 1
The deadline to be in the 2010-2011 GROW Book is to
renew and pay by February 1, 2010. Our designer will be taking a leave of absence in March, so
NO exceptions will be made to this deadline to ensure that the GROW Book is printed in a timely manner. Remember, if you joined after September 2009 you do not need to renew. If you have any questions or concerns, or did not receive a renewal, please contact us at 888.476.9632 or e-mail us at
info@grownebraska.org.
MarketPlace 2010 Conference and Store
GROW Nebraska will once again be running the MarketPlace Store. We strongly encourage those involved with the store to sign up for the MarketPlace conference. For more information please visit their web site at
www.cfra.org/marketplace/home/.
Please note your business is responsible for a display for your product (table top displays are fine). Displays can be brought Tuesday, February 23 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Product delivery will be Wednesday, February 24 from 7:00 am to 9:00 am. Please be sure to be on time so the store can open at 9 am.
Commission fees for all items sold in the store are 25%. If you are interested please sign up
here.
New Members
LL Cool Dad's Workshop - Lincoln, NE
Larry Larsen creates many wood creations, such as quilt racks, wine racks, and more!
Tru Cafe - Kearney, NE
Tru Cafe is Kearney's downtown corner cafe and coffeehouse serving an organic & natural breakfast and lunch menu made daily from scratch. Tru Cafe features delicious soups, quiches, wraps, sandwiches, salads, and fresh baked goods. Enjoy their coffee and tea bar and shop their Art Gallery, Antique Shop and Nebraska made Gift Store.
D. Jean Smith - Curtis, NE
D. Jean Smith's book "Medicine Creek Journals" is about a Southern belle and markswoman who settles in a Nebraska trappers' camp in 1872. Her journals reveal acquaintance with the Indians and well-known plainsmen such as Buffalo Bill.
Flowers by V - Kearney, NE
Verleen has very different pictures of flowers with bees and other insects. She also dries flowers and make pictures with them.
Member News
Congrats to GROW Member Larry Owens on the release of his new product, the 3rd EAR™ Magnetic Clip. Learn more about his latest invention
here.
Congratulations to Mike and Renee Holen of Holen One Farms on their 40th wedding anniversary.
Congrats to Heritage Nebraska on the launch of their new web sites. You can see them at
www.nebraskamainstreet.org or
www.heritagenebraska.org.
Who Sold Online This Week?
GROW Nebraska is now highlighting what sold online for the week. If your item sells the most for the week, it will be the featured picture for this section of the weekly update!
We encourage you to look at the photography and descriptions for each of these items to see how you can make improvements to your listing. Remember, you know more about your business and product than we do, so we really need your help to make your listing the best it can be! To easily find your products on the eCommerce store please
click here.
If you would like to make edits to your listing, please e-mail us at
info@grownebraska.org.
January 20 - January 27
Marketing Workshops
Twitter Tense? Facebook Frets? Utterli Uneasy? Social Media Stressing You Out? We Can Help!
GROW Nebraska has teamed up with the University of Nebraska Extension Specialists to help you reduce your anxiety in keeping up with the social media marketing craze.
Social media marketing is essential to increasing brand awareness and expanding your online business presence. However, if you don’t understand how it works, thinking about posting tweets, updating your Facebook page and incorporating your blog into the media mix seems overwhelming.
Not only will we teach you how to save time by being more efficient when using social media, but we are bringing the "Get Social Sessions" to you. Spots are filling quickly! Price is $10/person. If you have questions, call us at 888.GROW.NEB or e-mail us at
info@grownebraska.org. If you are interested in attending one of these workshops, please sign up
HERE.
- January 28 - Scottsbluff - 9-12 at UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center
- January 28 - Sidney- 4-7 at Western Nebraska Community College - Room 112
- March 18 - Kearney - 9-12 at IntelliCom
GROW Food Business Members – Would like to export your product?
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture will be hosting meetings March 15 and 16, 2010 with Dennis Lynch from the Food Export Helpline. During his visit, they will be traveling to meet one-on-one with Nebraska food companies. If your company is interested in learning more about exporting, please contact Laura Linden, Agricultural Trade Representative Inter at 402-471-6804 or e-mail laura.linden@nebraska.gov.
National Conference for Small Food Manufacturers
The Food Processing Center at the University of Nebraska is sponsoring and planning the second annual National Small Food Manufacturer Conference to be held on May 20-21, 2010 in Omaha, Nebraska. Additional sponsors include the Nebraska Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which is a strategic partner as well as a conference sponsor and the USDA Rural Development.
Participants from throughout the U.S. will be invited to attend this important conference where they will increase their knowledge on issues and challenges directly related to small food manufacturing businesses. “The first conference was held in 2009 and was so well received that The Food Processing Center will host this event on an annual basis. We have created an even more exciting agenda for the upcoming conference, which will continue to help small food manufacturers explore opportunities and expand their businesses,” explained Dr. Rolando A. Flores, Director of The Food Processing Center.
Many nationally recognized speakers will be on hand for this conference. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Ellie Mirman, an expert on using social networking sites to promote and market products. Patrick Lynch from the National Association of the Specialty Food Trade will discuss the current state of and trends in the specialty food industry. These are just two of the many presenters scheduled to speak at the conference.
The Food Processing Center is nationally recognized for its support of the food industry since 1983. The Center has provided technical and business assistance to hundreds of food entrepreneurs and manufacturers throughout the country and in many foreign countries. This in-depth knowledge and assistance to the industry has allowed them to develop a conference specifically targeted to the issues small food manufacturers encounter every day. By attending, participants will learn from nationally known speakers, participate in interactive sessions, explore new opportunities, network with peers and industry experts and come away motivated and inspired to grow their business.
Early registration is encouraged due to limited space. To receive a conference brochure contact: Jill Gifford, Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, 143 H.C. Filley Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583-0928, phone 402-472-2819, e-mail: jgifford1@unl.edu, or visit the conference website: www.fpc.unl.edu/nsfmc.
Donation Opportunity
The Great Plains Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association is requesting donations for their annual “STARS ARE OUT” fundraiser on February 6, 2010 at Embassy Suites in Lincoln. They will have a silent auction for items with an estimated value of $75.00 or more.
Another highlighted fundraiser at the event is their “Star Boxes”. These boxes are sold to their more than 350 attendees at a cost of $15.00 each. The value of the items in the boxes is $15.00 to $75.00.
Their fundraiser supports the programs and services that they provide throughout their chapter area of Nebraska and Wyoming. With the growth of this disease among “young onset” patients, as well as the growing numbers of baby boomers who have been diagnosed with the disease, they are truly appreciative of donations that will benefit all families, caregivers, and support groups in their chapter. The Great Plains Chapter covers 80 counties of Nebraska.
If you are interested in donating of product to this cause, please contact Ellen at 402-420-2540 or e-mail her at ellen.collins@alz.org.
Midlands Venture Forum Entrepreneur & Investor Networking Reception
Plan now to join us Thursday, January 28th
Come join us after work (starting at 4:30 p.m.) and help us kick off the 2010 year!
LOCATION: DJ’S Dugout at 114th & W. Dodge Rd.
There is no need to register for this event - just show up and have fun!
COST: Members – No charge; Non-members - $5 (payable at the door)
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER (Speaking at about 5:15 p.m.) Serial entrepreneur John Petersson, CEO & co-founder of Vendorin
Serial entrepreneur John Petersson, CEO & co-founder of Vendorin, will talk about his experience with startups in Omaha, Northern Virginia, England and Sweden. He also will reserve time for audience questions.
John has 20 years of experience starting, growing and exiting companies in the field of technology enabled business services. His current company, Vendorin, was founded in 2007 and is building a network where large and small companies come together to create, manage, and share vital information for conducting business in a digital economy. Vendorin was founded by the management team of Trancentrix, a team that has worked together in four startups over 15+ years, and is working with clients like Firestone and True Value Company, as well as launching a partnership with a top 5 commercial bank.
Prior to Vendorin, John co-founded Trancentrix in 1999. Trancentrix was an electronic payments company serving customers like 3M, Best Buy and General Dynamics. Trancentrix was VC-funded, an Inc 500 company in 2004, and was acquired by a private equity-backed competitor in 2005. As Chief Operating Officer of Trancentrix, John was in charge of operations, customer service and product management. John also led a startup-within-a-startup by running the company’s international expansion and opening a European office in London, England.
Prior to Trancentrix, John was part of the management team that launched the Corporate Foreign Exchange business for Travelex in 1995. John was part of growing the business on three continents to tens of millions in revenue over four years, and the business has now grown to several hundred million in annual revenue. Before Travelex, John worked for several small startup companies in Omaha, Sweden and the Czech Republic. John is a native of Sweden, but has lived in the U.S. since 1992.
INTRODUCTIONS: this informal meeting will be a great opportunity for entrepreneurs, capital resources & service providers to meet and share ideas and resources
NETWORKING: bring your business cards and plan to connect with others that have the same vision to grow their company or meet professionals that can assist you with your own vision or company business plan
ACTIVITIES: find out what speakers, educational sessions and dinners MVF is planning for the coming months
GET CONNECTED: membership sign-up to MVF will be available that evening; you can pay the membership fee by check or credit card
BE HEARD: submit your ideas for future educational session topics and keynote speakers
"Turning Talent into Profits"
Anyone interested in starting or growing a business or venture is invited to the February 9th Inventors, Investors and Entrepreneurs (I2E) Club meeting which will be held at the UNL Kimmel Education & Research Center north of Nebraska City on Business Hwy 75.
Jo Morton, founder of Jo Morton Quilts, will share her journey of turning talents into profits as the guest speaker for the meeting. Jo’s presentation, How Did I Get Here?, will provide attendees with ideas and inspiration designed to advance their inventions and business dreams. Like many entrepreneurs and inventors, Jo did not have an exact plan; however, she was a talented, persistent and hard working individual who knew how to take advantage of being in the right place at the right time. Jo was introduced to quilting in 1979 and has not put down a needle since. She will share her journey, which began when she was a teacher, exhibitor, and a lecturer for quilt guilds. Her business continues to evolve and grow. Jo has published 18 books and is currently writing book 19. She is also a designer for Andover Fabrics. In 2004, Jo was nominated for Professional Teacher of The Year. Jo and her husband Russ reside in Nebraska City with their three cats.
Dr. Connie Reimers-Hild, Extension Educator at the UNL Kimmel Education and Research Center states, “We are excited to host Ms. Morton as I2E’s guest speaker. She was originally scheduled to share her story in December, 2009. However, the I2E meeting was cancelled due to the weather. Her expertise and entrepreneurial experience has generated a great deal of interest from around the state.”
Come see how I2E can help you and your business venture. Attend the meeting and learn more about I2E’s new mascot and traveling trophy-“GiGi” – and get the details about how GiGi can inspire you to move forward!
A networking social, sponsored by Shawnna Silvius with eVentures Marketing will begin at 5:30 PM. Jo Morton’s inspiring presentation will begin shortly after 6:00 PM. Wrapping up the evening, Silvius will share a brief comparison presentation showcasing a number of electronic marketing and newsletter products that are available online helping business owners and entrepreneurs further their communication and marketing efforts.
I2E Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at the UNL Kimmel Education and Research Center, 5985 G Road, Nebraska City, NE. The Club is a collaborative effort of the Southeast Nebraska Partners for Progress and has been made possible by funding from a Building Entrepreneurial Communities Act (BECA) grant. There is a $10 per session fee or participants may choose to join the club and pay a small annual membership fee.
For more information about the I2E Club or any of its programming, contact Dr. Connie Reimers-Hild at the UNL Kimmel Education and Research Center at 402-873-3166 or creimers2@unl.edu. You can also learn more about I2E, including access to past video presentations and meeting materials, online by visiting i2eclub.org. Become a fan of I2E on Facebook! Log into Facebook and simply search I2E Club.
