Still Life

With four guide ropes attached to it, the east-side clock face is raised into position. While it didn't seem that windy on the ground on Saturday, Jan. 28, winds higher up were strong, requiring extra guidance to bring the clock face safely to the Old Main bell tower.

Old Main clock faces installed

Ben White of New Vibrations Audio and Video works on a ledge of the Old Main bell tower, to remove the speakers from the old chime system. The company installed a new carillon system today (Jan. 27) that will play a digital recording made of the original Old Main bell that now sits adjacent to Old Main and other bells of comparable sizes.

New carillon, restored clocks being installed

The funeral procession for Joe Paterno made its way past Beaver Stadium and down Porter Road as crowds applauded on Jan. 25. Thousands lined the procession route through the University Park campus and downtown State College to bid a last farewell to Joe Paterno.

Joe Paterno's funeral procession

Coach Joe Paterno was on the field for the first half of the Nittany Lions' football game. Penn State beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 13-3 on Oct. 8, 2011, in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Beaver Stadium.

Joe Paterno through the years

Katie Knobloch and Andrew Adamietz, members of the a capella group Blue in the Face, shared a candle at the vigil held Sunday, Jan. 22, to mourn the death of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who passed away earlier in the day. Several thousand members of the Penn State and State College community came out to the Old Main lawn on Penn State's University Park campus for the vigil.

Thousands mourn Paterno's passing

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Seminar to help small businesses navigate maze of government contracts

Monday, October 26, 2009

University Park, Pa.— Billions of dollars in Pennsylvania government contracts are available to small business owners each year, but knowing how to successfully bid on them can be a difficult job.

The Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) hopes to make the process easier by offering a free seminar called “Working with the Commonwealth” next month.

The seminar will focus on contracting with the state and the qualifications for minority business enterprises (MBEs) and women business enterprises (WBEs). It will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Nov. 10 at the State College Municipal Building.

More than $4 billion was spent on government contracts in 2008 by Pennsylvania’s Department of General Services, according to Curtis Burwell, seminar quest speaker and equal opportunity manager for the Bureau of Minority and Women Business Opportunities. Burwell said that MBE/WBE government contracts have risen from 2 percent to 10 percent for minority and women business owners in the last six years.

Linda Feltman, senior business analyst with the Penn State SBDC, encourages all small businesses to attend—especially those offering a business-to-business product.

“This isn’t just ‘we’re buying office supplies,’” Feltman said. “The government buys anything from toilet paper to frozen peas. They use everything.”

While government contracting can be lucrative, Feltman said it can also be a difficult process that involves lots of paperwork.

“There’s competition, lots of it. All your ‘I’s’ need to be dotted, all your ‘T’s’ need to be crossed,” she said. “It’s a maze. But this seminar is like having someone to help you through the steps.”

The Penn State SBDC provides no-cost, one-on-one consulting, as well as low-cost training in proven management fundamentals. It also sponsors numerous seminars and special events at low-cost fees. Since its founding in 1997, the SBDC has assisted more than 1,000 new and established businesses. Clients have reported a $1.9 million increase in sales in the first half of 2009, the creation of 14 new businesses and 77 new or retained jobs, thanks to the SBDC.

The SBDC is funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Department of Community and Economic Development, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, as well as through support from Penn State.

To register for the free seminar, go to http://www.sbdc.psu.edu/seminar-registration.asp online. For more information, contact the Penn State SBDC at sbdc@psu.edu or 814-863-4293.

About Penn State SBDC
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is part of a nationwide network of more than 1,000 centers. The Penn State SBDC provides free business assistance to small firms and business start-ups in Centre and Mifflin counties, enabling them to compete and grow in today’s highly competitive global economy. For more information, visit www.sbdc.psu.edu online. Penn State SBDC is part of Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education. Penn State Outreach serves more than 5 million people each year, delivering more than 2,000 programs to people in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and 114 countries worldwide.

 

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