Send business announcements to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, e-mail to loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is two weeks before publication. Photos/artwork encouraged. Questions? Call 703-917-6449.
Belfort Furniture, 22250 & 22267 Shaw Rd., Dulles, will host an open house to mark the debut of the National Geographic line of furniture and accessories. The event is to be held Saturday, May 22, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Attendees will be able to speak with National Geographic photographers Bob Caputo, Jim Blair and David Evans about the travels that inspired this collection and enjoy other live entertainment, as well as refreshments, discounts and gifts for children.
Several local businesses, including Leesburg's Infusion Antiques, will exhibit at Home & Design Live!, May 29-30 at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean. The event gathers work from many local home design vendors and artisans and is open to the public. Tickets are $10. Call 301-622-5107 or visit www.homeanddesign.com for more information.
The Go Mom! daily planner for mothers, designed by South Riding-based entrepreneur Molly Gold, is now on the shelves at Target stores nationwide. The planner includes such mother-specific features as spaces for school contact information, menu planning, sports schedules, and a celebrations journal. It was sold only through Web site www.gomominc.com before being licensed by MeadWestvaco Consumer and Office Products, Sidney, N.Y. Other versions of the planner will soon be sold at Borders and Rite-Aid stores. The product has also been featured on "Good Morning America" and the Fine Living Network's "Simply Your Life."
The Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce held a spring membership telethon May 12, with a goal of 25 new members. The total number of new member recruits will be tallied on May 21, which is the last day for new members to receive a waiver of the registration fee. The Chamber's next recruitment effort will take place on June 11, when volunteers will visit businesses in the Leesburg area in the "Hit the Streets" campaign. For more information, call the Loudoun Chamber at 703-777-2176.
The Loudoun County Small Business Development Center has announced three free seminars. The schedule is listed below:
*"Start Your Business," Wednesday, May 19, 6-8:30 p.m. at the Eastern Loudoun Regional Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Presenters Caroline Mansi and Terry Corle will lead participants through the steps for starting a successful small business.
* "Bookkeeping and Taxation for Small Businesses," Tuesday, May 25, 6-8:30 p.m. at the Eastern Loudoun Regional Library. Mark Turbyfill, a CPA and partner at Tax Management Systems, will address set-up of accounting records, including software; monthly/quarterly filings and bookkeeping responsibilities; the four most common tax returns for companies and other areas of corporate accounting.
* Low Cost Marketing for Small Businesses, Wednesday, June 2, 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at the Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Road NW, Leesburg. Presenter Laura B. Poindexter is principal of laurabcreative, a small business marketing and graphic design studio in Sterling. Poindexter will discuss: why a marketing plan is needed; how to create one; how to assess if a marketing plan is working; and how to market with low- to no-cost marketing strategies. Participants are encouraged to bring their marketing materials for review at the end of the seminar. Pre-registration is required for all three. Call the Center at 703-430-7222 or email sbdc@loudounsbdc.org to register and obtain more information.
Local area vendors are invited to the 2004 Loudoun County Purchasing's Buyer/Seller Information Exchange sessions. The purpose of these sessions is to give area businesses the opportunity to meet the County's Purchasing staff and become familiar with the County's procurement process. These will be an informal sessions open to all vendors to discuss the County's processes, upcoming contracts and any vendor questions or concerns. Representatives of area businesses are invited to attend. The sessions are scheduled for Thursday, May 20 at 10:30 a.m. and Wednesday, June 16 at 2 p.m. The Buyer/Seller Information Exchange sessions will be held in the Lovettsville Room on the first floor of the County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., in Leesburg. To reserve a seat, call 703-777-0403 or send an email to sfields@loudoun.gov.
Loudoun Cooperative Extension is offering a seminar on "Starting a Family Child Care Business" to provide caregivers with the tools to develop a successful home based child care service. Topics in the "Starting a Family Child Care Business" seminar will include getting started in family child care, zoning, advertising, contracts, arranging space, activity planning, and preparing nutritious foods in family day care. The requirements for both business and state licensing will be discussed, as well as voluntary registration, and how to enroll in the USDA Food Program for reimbursements of meals and snacks. The program will be held on Thursday, May 20 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Loudoun Extension Office in Leesburg. The registration fee is $10 to cover the resource manual provided to participants. For more information, contact Beverly Samuel in the Loudoun Cooperative Extension office at 703-777-0373.
Loudoun County Government is seeking local businesses and non-profit organizations that offer health screenings, fitness products, interactive health and fitness activities and educational services to help celebrate Employee Health, Fitness & Benefits Day. The Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, in cooperation with Management Services, will host the ninth annual event for more than
2,000 county government employees on Friday, May 28 from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the government center in downtown Leesburg. Interested vendors should contact Lara Hughes at 703-771-5386 or lhughes@loudoun.gov by April 23.
Virginia/Cardinal Concrete Companies of Northern Virginia are the main sponsors for the 5th Annual Special Olympics Golf Outing. The event was founded by Dennis Mitchell to benefit the Special Olympics of Loudoun County. WBIG's Murphy and Cash from Oldies 100's morning show will be honorary chairpersons for this year's outing held at Virginia National Golf Course located in Bluemont on Monday, June 7. Virginia/Cardinal Concrete Companies are still seeking hole and contest sponsorships, door prizes and cash donations. To be involved, contact Kathie Land or Brian Young at 703-354-7100.
Sterlingfest 2004 will take place on Saturday, Oct. 9 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Sterling Community Center after the Knights of Columbus parade. The event includes arts and crafts, business vendors, non-profit organizations, a kid's marketplace, open house at the fire station, and children's games area plus two stages of entertainment. The event is sponsored by Sterling Foundation with proceeds being used for the beautification of Sterling.