Facade Grants Awarded to Two Local Businesses

<strong>Michael McDevitt, owner of the Olde Towne Convenience Store, with Mike Engard, chair of the POTA Design Grant Committee.</strong> ” title=”facade_grant_for_mcdevitt1″ width=”320″ height=”300″ class=”size-full wp-image-123″ /><p class=Michael McDevitt, owner of the Olde Towne Convenience Store, with Mike Engard, chair of the POTA Design Grant Committee.

Two local businesses recently received Facade Improvement Grants from Perkasie Olde Towne Association.
Charles Croce, owner of Bravo’s Pizza, received $550 to seal the blacktop and paint new lines in his parking lot at Third and Walnut Streets. Michael McDevitt of Olde Towne Convenience received $1,233 to install new awnings and paint the front of his store at 517 W. Walnut Street.

“We are pleased to help these two businesses,” said Michael Engard, chairman of the POTA Façade Improvement Grant Program. “If you are thinking about making changes to your façade, the availability of this grant could help make up your mind.”

Borough businesses are eligible for matching grants up to $1,500 through the Façade Improvement Grant Program. The money, which does not have to be repaid, can be used for 50 percent of the cost to renovate, remodel or revive facades and storefronts. Eligible projects include awnings, landscaping, lighting and painting. Signs are not included.

The Application and Design Guidelines can be found on the Perkasie Olde Towne Association web site: http://www.perkasieoldetowne.org

For more information, call Engard at 215-257-1202.

<strong>Charles Croce, owner of Bravo's Pizza, with Mike Engard, chair of POTA's Design Grant program.</strong>” title=”facade_grant_for_croce” width=”320″ height=”240″ class=”size-full wp-image-105″ /><p class=Charles Croce, owner of Bravo's Pizza, with Mike Engard, chair of POTA's Design Grant program.

Filed under: Uncategorized on August 22nd, 2009 | No Comments »

Introduction to the Google Local Business Center

(This information is from the Duct Tape Marketing Blog.)

The Google Local Business Center is a must visit for business in general, but certainly for businesses attempting to attract customer in their local community. As you may know, Google allows you to add your business to a directory and then enhance your profile with all kinds of information about your business, products, and services. This is a free listing and every small business should take advantage of it.

Google shows these listings when someone makes what is obviously a geographic based search such as – Toledo plumber. The results show in what is called the Google 10 box above other listings. When someone clicks on one of these results they are taken to the profile through Google Maps.

Recently Google has added and integrated a couple of useful tools.

1) Now your Local Business Center account shows you analytics. You can see how many people are clicking on your profile, what search terms got them there and, for folks looking to find your business locally, where they came from based on their requests for driving directions. This is some pretty cool data, particularly for retail locations. It could help inform where you might spend some direct mail focus, for instance, and how you might optimize some of your web pages.

2) AdWords now allows you to connect your Google Local Profile to your AdWords account and, by doing so, you can ask Google to show your address, based on the location of the ad visitor, when someone views your ad. Google has dubbed this add-on Local Extensions. Once extensions are set up, Google will dynamically match your business locations to a user’s location or search terms and show the address with your text ads.

This could be useful for a business with multiple locations. Now, instead of having to set up multiple local ads you simply assign extensions to all your ads and Google will show the address of the best location based on where the user is located. Here’s the help page for more info on setting up.

Filed under: Uncategorized on July 28th, 2009 | No Comments »

“Hot Ribs, Cool Music” Delights Visitors to Perkasie

Spectacular weather combined with new events and expanded musical offerings helped produce one the best “Hot Ribs, Cool Music” festivals ever, according to Perkasie Olde Towne Association, which organizes the annual event.

“We were thrilled with the way the day turned out,” said POTA President Hope Fisher. “People really seemed to appreciate the fact that they could enjoy a great family day in their own community without spending a ton of money.”

Fisher also thanked the sponsors who stepped up to support the event, even in a difficult economy: Prodesco/Secant Medical; QNB; First Savings of Perkasie; The Pennridge-Perkasie Rotary Club; Grim Biehn and Thatcher; Laurel Abstract; Shadywood Communications Group; and ReMax440.

“It is only with the tremendous support of our sponsors that we are able to put on such a great event,” said Fisher.

Paul Garges topped a field of 13 entrants to win the Rib Grilling competition. Patrick Shire of Shire’s Pub, took second, while Stacey Kolb (Happy Smokers) took third place. Mark Perbis and Jason Boyne, competing as the “Smoke'em If You’ve Got ‘Em” team, won the People’s Choice Award.

In the Pie Baking competition, which drew 23 competitors, Noel Ferry of Perkasie took first place for her Shoofly Apple creation. Susan Alexander was second for her Blueberry pie while Candace took third for her Chocolate Pecan.

Shelby Koehler, 11, of Hereford, won the Pie Eating contest in the Kids Division. Lee Davidson of Emmaus took the Adult Division.

For the first time, Perkasie Olde Towne Association donated two $500 scholarships to graduating Pennridge seniors: Maria Boland of Sellersville, who will attend West Chester University to major in Music Education, and Christopher Garges of Perkasie, who will attend Johnson and Wales College to major in Pastry Baking.

Judges for the Ribs Grilling Competition were: David Rank and Matthew Weaver of Starters Bar and Grille in Bethlehem; Peggy Clauhs of the Cooking Cottage in Sellersville; and Michael Scott, owner of Revivals Restaurant and Banquets in Perkasie.

Judges for the Pie Baking Competition were Alice Agnew of Touching Hearts at Home; Bucks Hazzard of Crossroads Bakery in Doylestown; Vicki Derstine, manager of Revivals Restaurant and Banquets; and Julia Peterson of Sugarbakers in Bedminster.

Filed under: Uncategorized on June 9th, 2009 | No Comments »

“Hot Ribs, Cool Music Festival” Set for May 30

No matter your musical taste, there will be something for everyone at the “Hot Ribs, Cool Music Festival” in Perkasie on Saturday, May 30. Sponsored by the Perkasie Olde Towne Association, the Hot Ribs, Cool Music Festival” the event is free and will take place from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. in downtown Perkasie.

Jimmy Buffet fans will enjoy a trip to “Margaritaville” with The Mango Men, a Perkasie-based band that tosses in a little of Today’s Country and Classic Rock to round out it’s energetic, interactive performances. Now in their 14th year, the Mango Men are one of the most requested bands in the Philadelphia area.

Prefer jazz? The Pennridge Jazz Ensemble, a talented group of high school students, will delight audiences with their enthusiasm and musicianship. These young men and women know how to light up a room.

If you’re into acoustic covers, Mike Greer & Co. will perform their favorites. For a mouth-watering blend of rock and funk an original funk-rock sound, check out Veinmelter’s blend of dynamic grooves with fresh intelligent lyrics and swinging guitar hooks. And for a completely different experience, stop by to hear Dirk Quinn, whose unique and progressive style sits somewhere between jazz, funk and rock.

“Thanks to the support of our sponsors, we’ve been able to put together an outstanding list of musical talent for people to enjoy,” said Cathy Weierbach, who chairs the organization’s Events Committee.

Thousands of people are expected to stroll the streets of Perkasie for the Hot Ribs Cool Music Festival, which will be held rain or shine. Main event sponsors include Prodesco and Secant Medical; First Savings Bank; QNB; Grim, Biehn and Thatcher and Laurel Abstract; the Pennridge-Perkasie Rotary Club and ReMax 440. Other local businesses also generously donated to make the event possible.

In addition to great music, the festival will feature a rib-grilling competition and sampling; a pie-baking contest and sampling; the “Cool Kids, Hot Spot” featuring activities, fun and games for all ages; Art on the Avenue, a showcase for local artists and artisans; and the Magic of Barry Weaver.

A portion of the proceeds from the “Hot Ribs, Cool Music Festival” will go toward scholarships for graduating Pennridge seniors in music and the Culinary Arts.

Although there is no admission fee for the ‘Hot Ribs Cool Music Festival,” some children’s attractions do require tickets. Parking is free at designated locations in the borough.

For more information about the “Hot Ribs, Cool Music Festival” call 215-257-4989 or go to www.perkasieoldetowne.org

Filed under: Uncategorized on May 12th, 2009 | No Comments »

State Grants Available for Small Businesses

Department of Environmental Protection acting Secretary John Hanger is proud to announce an opportunity for Pennsylvania’s small businesses to improve their energy efficiency and manage higher energy prices.

The new Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant Program provides a 25 percent match, up to $25,000, for equipment or processes that significantly improve energy efficiency. The program is the first available through the Alternative Energy Investment Fund, part of Governor Edward G. Rendell’s Energy Independence Strategy.

Grants will apply to energy efficiency improvements on systems such as lighting, heating, cooling, refrigeration and process machinery, as well as building insulation and weatherization improvement projects.

An eligible applicant must be an independent, for-profit business with 100 employees or fewer, located in Pennsylvania. The project must save at least 20 percent annually in energy-related expenses, with a minimum savings of $1,000 per year. Examples of eligible small businesses include manufacturers, retailers, service providers, mining businesses and agricultural operations.

The grant application and guidelines are available online at www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant, or by contacting the Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, 15th Floor, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 400 Market Street, P. O. Box 8772, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8772, or by e-mail at ra-sbgrants@state.pa.us.

Applications will be accepted through May 1, 2009. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. A total of $3 million is available for this grant round.

In addition to the Small Business Energy Efficiency Program, the state will unveil a number of new energy conservation programs and alternative energy investment programs in the next couple of months that will benefit the state’s power consumers at work and at home and protect the environment.

Filed under: Uncategorized on March 2nd, 2009 | No Comments »

Learn How You Can Benefit From Stimulus Plan

Bucks County Congressman Patrick Murphy will host a meeting Monday, March 9 to help small business owners find out how they can take advantage of the $789 billion stimulus plan by going green. Entitled “Small Businesses: The Benefits and Opportunities in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of Going Green,” the seminar will be held starting at 7 p.m. in the Gateway Auditorium of Bucks County Community College in Newtown.

Tom Tuffey, director of PennFuture and chairman of the Smart Energy Initiative, and Sally Silver, of the Smart Energy Initiative of Southeast Pennsylvania, will join Murphy in outlining the ways small business owners can participate by adopting environmentally-friendly practices.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide unprecedented levels of financial support for the development of renewable energy and energy efficient industries across the nation. This seminar will provide background on emerging energy sectors and translate the complex new legislation into market opportunities for local businesses.

Additionally, the seminar will allow attendees to construct a meaningful business framework for energy market opportunities that integrates existing Pennsylvania energy legislation, the new federal stimulus legislation, and ongoing federal and state policy trends.

If you plan to attend, please RVSP to rsvp.pa08@mail.house.gov

Filed under: Uncategorized on February 27th, 2009 | No Comments »

HOT FLOW YOGA COLLECTS FOOD FOR PENNRIDGE FISH

Hot Flow Yoga, 516 West Walnut Street, Perkasie announces their Annual Thanksgiving Morning Yoga Class. Admission is a donation of one bag of groceries. All items collected will be donated to Pennridge Fish. The class on November November 27 will begin at 9 a.m. and is an all-level class.

Call 215-453-9983 for more information. 

Filed under: business writing on November 30th, 2008 | No Comments »

Educational Opportunities This Fall

(This post first appeared on the Souderton-Telford Main Streets website)

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has introduced two new free online finance courses to help small business owners with the basic principles of finance and borrowing. The self-paced courses are:

These courses walk business owners through steps that answer questions about debt financing, vailable loan programs, what small businesses should know about borrowing money, how to prepare a loan package and how loan requests are reviewed by lenders.

The finance primer gives an overview of the SBA’s loan guaranty programs to help small businesses understand the variety of financial resources, including those from the SBA. The finance courses can help entrepreneurs avoid such common mistakes as securing the wrong type of financing, miscalculating the amount of financing required, and underestimating the cost of borrowing money.

The loan package course includes small business links to related information, and refers course participants for direct support in preparing a loan request to appropriate resources that include SBA’s district offices, SBA resource partners and lenders.

Course participants who complete the 30-minute online training programs can earn a certificateof completion from the SBA. These courses have been added to a menu of more than 26 online tutorials offered by the SBA through its virtual training campus at the Small BusinessTraining Network (SBTN) (www.sba.gov/training)

Filed under: Uncategorized on September 20th, 2008 | No Comments »

Donated Karate Uniforms Headed to Chuck Norris’ Kick-Start Foundation

resized-1.jpgJennefer Pursell, membership coordinator of Tsunami Karate, 516 West Walnut Street in Perkasie, and Luke Martin of Keller Williams Real Estate, 2100 Quaker Pointe Drive in Quakertown, pack used martial arts uniforms that were donated by martial artists from several local schools.

Pursell explained, “I was looking for a way to recycle outgrown gis from my own family, all of whom train at Tsunami Karate. My family and I agreed that we didn’t want them to end up in a thrift store as Halloween costumes. I was thrilled to find an organization that assured me that the uniforms will be a blessing to children in the kick-start program.”

Kick-start is a martial arts program that benefits inner city youngsters and children of various environments who might find it a hardship to purchase a new uniform. Tsunami Karate hopes to support this organization in other ways in the future.

Luke Martin of Keller Williams Real Estate graciously donated the cost of shipping. He can be reached at 267-261-7600. 

For information about Tsunami Karate, check out our website or call at 215-453-9983.

Filed under: Uncategorized on July 28th, 2008 | No Comments »

How NOT to Win the PR Battle

So a local Realtor buys an irregularly-shaped property with a dilapidated single-family home on it.

Except he wants to tear it down and build a twin.

But the neighbors, all of whom live in nice singles, don’t want to see a twin in their neighborhood. It’ll lower property values, they say, and you never know what kind of riff-raff will live in anything other than a single.

When the Realtor goes to Borough Council for a variance, the neighbors show up to protest. Things get pretty heated between the two sides. He threatens to build an apartment building, which he can do by right, and turn it into Section 8 housing.

Strike one.

With no decision forthcoming from council, the Realtor takes another swing. This time, he paints the crumbling house a lovely shade of hot pink, combined with a touch of vibrant plum.

Strike two.

But the outside paint job is just the first step if the Realtor doesn’t get his way. Fluorescent yellow trim comes next, and he has even talked about raising turkeys on the property. Neighbors say he has threatened to deck the exterior walls with polka dots and representations of horses’ hindquarters.

“If I don’t get my twins, it’s going to be the ugliest single,” he said in a newspaper story. “It’s going to become “Green Acres’ north. That’s my guarantee.”

Strike three.

Here’s a modestly successful Realtor putting his reputation on the line by trying to bully elected officials and neighbors in to giving him what he wants. Rather than working toward a compromise, convincing his opponents why a single-family home won’t work and why a nicely-designed twin would, he has resorted to cheap publicity tactics guaranteed to turn public opinion even more against him.

Even if he happens to win this battle, his professional standing in the community will have taken a major hit. Would you deal with a Realtor who is so mean-spirited and spiteful? Probably not.

That, my friends, is how NOT to wage a battle for the hearts and minds of the public.

Filed under: Uncategorized on July 11th, 2008 | No Comments »

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