May is National Military Appreciation Month. The SBA offers support for veterans as they enter the world of business ownership such as funding programs, training, and federal contracting opportunities.
Learn More It may be easier to expand your market than you think. Even small businesses can get into exporting with guidance. Learn how to get started during a free webinar series presented by multiple federal agencies for World Trade Month in May.
Learn MoreBlogs
Five Strategies for Winning at Working Solo
Here are strategies you can use to make your business work — even though you don’t have any employees working with you.
Read MoreWhat Is a POS and Why Does Your Business Need One?
The term Point of Sale (POS) describes the place where retail transactions are made. Investing in a POS system is hailed as being one of the best things you can do for your business.
Read MoreSCORE Live Webinar: Why Direct Mail Marketing Still Works
May 29, 2018 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT
Data from the U.S. Postal service showed that 98% of people check their mail daily. During this webinar, SCORE will talk about how to integrate direct mail into your marketing mix to get the best bang for your buck!
You will learn:
Why direct mail is still an effective advertising medium
The myths of using direct mail
How to create an effective direct mail campaign
How to integrate physical postal mail into your digital marketing strategies
FREE innovative automation tools to simplify your direct mail marketing
Register HereSCORE Live Webinar: Inspire Innovation in Your Small Business
May 31, 2018 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT
Do you know why your company struggles with innovation? What obstacles stifle your creativity? How can you develop your next product or sell your next service? During this webinar, award-winning inventor, entrepreneur and author Lon Safko will show you how to get creative and inspire innovative thinking to make your small business thrive.
You will learn:
How your brain functions (or doesn’t)
About difficulty in being creative through demonstrations
How to teach your brain to generate new ideas through example exercises, including “random association”
How to overcome obstacles and excel at creativity everyday
How to become your own “Innovation Thought Leader!”
Register HereContracting Opportunities for Veteran Entrepreneurs
This is an introduction to federal contracting opportunities for veterans. You will get basic information about veteran-owned businesses and opportunities, services available to small veteran-owned businesses, small business incentives, and government procurement methods.
Launch the CourseU.S. Small Business Administration
409 3rd St, SW. Washington DC 20416
www.sba.gov
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services USCIS reminds
F-1 students on Optional Practical Training (OPT) that transferring to another school or beginning study at another educational level (for example, beginning a master’s program after completing a bachelor’s degree) automatically terminates their OPT as well as their corresponding employment authorization document (EAD).
Although authorization to engage in OPT ends upon transferring to a different school or changing educational level, students in F-1 status will not be otherwise affected as long as they comply with all requirements for maintaining their student status. These requirements include not working with a terminated EAD, because termination means that students are no longer authorized to work in the United States. Working in the United States without authorization has serious immigration consequences, including removal from the country and bars on reentry. Furthermore, remaining in the United States in violation of lawful nonimmigrant status could lead to an accrual of unlawful presence which includes another set of penalties under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Currently, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) informs USCIS of the termination date, and the OPT termination is automatic under
current regulations. USCIS has updated its systems and will begin to enter the EAD termination date into these systems after being notified by SEVP. USCIS will notify affected students and provide them with an opportunity to correct any errors in the record via their designated school official (DSO). This process is intended to strengthen the integrity of the F-1 and OPT programs, to ensure consistency between SEVP and USCIS systems, and to inform students of possible consequences of working with a terminated EAD.
The following Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) reports were released on Thursday, May 17, 2018.
Australia: Dairy and Products Semi-annualMilk production is forecast at 9.5 million metric tons in 2018, up two percent from last year due to favorable seasonal conditions in southern dairy regions. Cheese production is expected to increase to 350,000 metric tons as processors focus on exports, with imports also continuing to increase. In 2017, the value of U.S. cheese exports to Australia increased by almost 80 percent. Butter and skim milk powder (SMP) production are forecast to remain stable. Whole milk powder (WMP) production is expected to increase by 6.7 percent while demand for infant formula is anticipated to rise, especially from China.
Netherlands: Current Market Opportunities for Wood Pellets in The NetherlandsThe Dutch Government subsidizes the co-firing of biomass, but the funding is linked with complex sustainability criteria which eventually must be demonstrated by the forest owner. To support small landowners, the Dutch legislation provides some flexibility that will still be in compliance with the requirements. Currently one of the most feasible opportunities is the supply of wood pellets made from saw dust.
For more information, or for an archive of all FAS GAIN reports, please visit
gain.fas.usda.gov.
News: May 18, 2018
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Skills & Jobs in LouisianaIn
New Orleans, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta visited a nonprofit cafe that helps at-risk youth develop in-demand job skills. Earlier, while addressing the National Council of Field Labor Locals Leadership Conference, he discussed how the Department’s regional staff help ensure that all Americans have access to safe, good, family-sustaining jobs.
#PeaceOfficersMemorialDaySecretary Acosta joined President Trump and Vice President Pence in honoring America’s fallen law enforcement officers at the 37th annual
National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service this week.
OSHA Leads Stand Down For SafetyDeputy Assistant Secretary Loren Sweatt provides a wrap up of OSHA’s “
National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction,” which she kicked off with Deputy Secretary Patrick Pizzella.
In Case You Missed It Retirement RestitutionThe former owner of
North Carolina’s House of Lights will restore $1.6 million to the company’s profit-sharing plan, after a Department investigation.
Trench CollapseOSHA cited a contractor and staffing agency for multiple violations after a temporary employee was fatally injured in a trench collapse at an
Alabama work site.
Pay DiscriminationThe Department recovered nearly $3 million in back wages to resolve alleged pay discrimination at
four Dell EMC locations in California and North Carolina.
Fatal HazardsFollowing a fatal fire in November 2017, OSHA cited a
New York cosmetics manufacturer for 11 safety and health violations.
Retirement TheftA
Tennessee eye care company and former fund trustees will restore more than $971,000 to the company’s profit-sharing plan.
Wages RecoveredAn
Alabama framing contractorwill pay $110,641 in back wages, damages, and penalties for overtime and recordkeeping violations.
DOL Working For You
A Fresh StartAn apprenticeship gave Yana the tools she needed to
transition in