Paul Finley, Fins Marketing
Wednesday, July 18, 11:30-1:30 p.m.
[HUNTSVILLE, AL] - The goal of marketing is to generate awareness for a product or service. The goal of the sales force is to sell the product or service. Wouldn't it be great if these two were connected, working together to help your organization maximize your sales?

Paul Finley will be our guest speaker at the July Lunch & Learn. He understands how to use the natural flow of your sales process to generate maximum sales dollars and profits. He also is a master at defining the marketing tools required to move the process "a step at a time," minimizing your sales cycle time. During this session you will learn:
The importance of defining and documenting the steps in your sales cycle

WBCNA Loan Clinic is July 18
[HUNTSVILLE, AL] - The Women's Business Center of North Alabama (WBCNA) provides assistance to start-ups or existing businesses who need to borrow money for their small business. To date, the WBCNA has helped small business owners in North Alabama receive over $1,500,000 in small loans.

Small business owners continue to have difficulty in accessing capital from traditional lending markets. To assist these small businesses, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) developed the Community Express loan program, an innovative approach to bring SBA financing to areas where commercial loans have been difficult to get.

"Plants that Work: The Shades Lovers," walk in the garden and PowerPoint presentation with Harvey Cotten, Huntsville Botanical Garden, 4747 Bob Wallace Ave., 1-3 p.m., $20, members $15, 830-4447 or hsvbg.org.

"Bordello Black Widow," Crash Boom Bang Theatre, Flying Monkey Arts Center, 2211 Seminole Drive, 7 p.m., $7, for mature audiences, 489-7000 or flyingmonkeyarts.org.

Poetry jam, Huntsville Jazz and Poetry Society, Humphrey's Bar and Grill, 109 Washington St., 7 p.m., 534-6431.

Jazz Jam, 6-9 p.m., musicians invited, free, 534-6431 or 852-8800.

Huntsville Dragway, motorcycles, 502 Quarter Mountain Road, 8 a.m., $20, weekend pass $45, 859-0807 or huntsvilledragway.com.

Carolina Shag/West Coast Swing, Marriott Hotel, 5 Tranquility Base, lesson at 6 p.m., dancing at 7 p.m., no partner needed, 721-5661, 881-2003 or sundance@knology.net.

The largest building permit issued during the week of June 25-29 in the city of Huntsville went to Ashburywoods LLC/HGG Ridge Ltd., $495,000, for a single-family residence at 22 Ashbury Woods Drive.

MONTGOMERY – Governor Bob Riley has announced drought emergencies for 19 counties in north and central Alabama and has requested a federal disaster declaration to make farmers eligible for aid.

The Governor’s actions come after the state’s Office of Water Resources issued a new advisory declaring severe drought conditions throughout the state.

The 19 counties now listed under the emergency status, the most severe level in the drought declaration, are: Blount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Morgan, Shelby, St. Clair, Walker and Winston.

[HUNTSVILLE, AL] - The Women's Business Center of North Alabama (WBCNA) provides assistance to start-ups or existing businesses who need to borrow money for their small business. To date, the WBCNA has helped small business owners in North Alabama receive over $1,500,000 in small loans.

Small business owners continue to have difficulty in accessing capital from traditional lending markets. To assist these small businesses, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) developed the Community Express loan program, an innovative approach to bring SBA financing to areas where commercial loans have been difficult to get.

[HUNTSVILLE, AL] - The Women's Business Center of North Alabama (WBCNA) is offering a workshop on Thursday, June 14, 8:00 - 12:00 noon, entitled "Accounting 101 for Small Business Owners."

The fastest, easiest way to learn the basics of bookkeeping and accounting! This 4-hour seminar will include explanations of common accounting terminology, overview of business financial statements, double entry accounting, and LOADS more.

The instructor, Bob Crook, CEO of Small Business Solutions, is a certified QuickBooks Pro-Advisor for QuickBooks products. Bob has over 20 years experience in small business accounting and accounting information systems.

[HUNTSVILLE, AL] - Whether you have a traditional "brick and mortar" business, an eCommerce site, or you work with a non-profit organization, the Internet is an important tool for your business. Learn how to use the Web in your business to become more visible, more efficient, and more competitive. Topics to be discussed include:

Moving beyond a Web presence and developing a holistic Web Strategy

Incorporating the Internet as a "real" and permanent piece of your marketing plan

Integrating Web-based tools into your business - for cheap, and sometimes free

To Blog or Not to Blog: culling through the trends to mine for Internet gold

5 Ways You Can Use the Web to Benefit Your Business Today

WASHINGTON — A U.S. House committee has approved $8.2 billion for BRAC, including more than $40 million for Alabama.

The House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2008 Military Construction Appropriations Bill, said U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Huntsville, on Wednesday.

Cramer, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, said the bill fully funds the Base Realignment and Closure process for 2008.

By Karen Middleton
karen@athensnews-courier.com

ATHENS — The long-awaited $3 million Athens-Limestone Diagnostic Center and Medical East Urgent Care Clinic opened this week in Athens-Limestone Medical Village.

The large, square brick building is located on the southeast quadrant of the U.S. 72 at Lindsay Lane intersection.

The Diagnostic Center, which houses a new 64-slice CT scanner, digital mammography, MRI, ultrasound, bone density scanner and full-service X-ray and laboratory, opened Monday. The Medical East Urgent Care, which moved from its former location of U.S. 72 East, opened Wednesday.

Karen Ferguson, chief of Emergency and Urgent Care Services, said Medical East treated some 15 patients in the first hour it was opened on Wednesday.