Business album briefs
Latrobe Trade seminar planned
LATROBE – A seminar for businesses interested in developing or sharpening their international trade skills will be held on Tuesday, June 25, at the Penn State Fayette Campus Corporate Training Center.
The seminar, titled Essentials for International Trade, is one of several international workshops being offered this summer in a series sponsored by National City Bank and the Center for Global Competitiveness (CGC) at Saint Vincent College.
The event provides the necessary information for anyone interested in or involved in exporting. Designed for those who are new to exporting, those who want to gain a better understanding of their current export program and for those who want to learn what it takes to make a successful exporter, this program focuses on the fundamentals of exporting and the procedures necessary to develop effective and profitable overseas trading.
Topics include: the advantages, disadvantages, and errors made by exporting companies; export management – compliance and regulations; Pro Forma Invoice – what it is, why it is important and how to prepare it; Export Insurance; INCOTERMS (International Commercial Terms); International payment terms and the Diversion Clause.
Other events in the National City/CGC International Trade Series include Access to International Markets on Thursday, July 18, and International Transactions on Thursday, Aug. 15. All events will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. The fee for each event is $40, or $35 when registering for two or more. Early registration is recommended.
To register or to obtain more information about the International Trade Series, please contact the Saint Vincent College Center for Global Competitiveness at 724-537-4572.
Uniontown
Crop deadline nears
The deadline for farmers to obtain crop insurance on fall-seeded forage acreage for crop year 2003 is July 31. Current policyholders also have until July 31 to make any changes to existing contracts. The forage seeding policy covers newly seeded acreage of alfalfa and forage mixtures containing at least 50 percent alfalfa seed (by weight) planted by Aug. 31. Coverage under this particular policy ends upon commencement of grazing or the initial harvest. The acreage may then be insured for second and subsequent years under a separate forage production policy.
Growers are urged to contact a local crop insurance agent as soon as possible for premium quotes and other details. For a list of crop insurance agents, farmers may contact the Fayette/Greene Farm Service Agency, 10 Nickman Plaza, Lemont Furnace, at 724-437-7971 (Ext. 2) or 724-627-3056 (Ext. 2) or log onto the following Risk Management Agency Web site at http://www3.rma.usda.gov/tools/agents/
Latrobe
Cash flow workshop
LATROBE – The Small Business Development Center at Saint Vincent College will host a workshop entitled Managing Cash Flow in a Weak Economy on Thursday, June 13. The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m., at Saint Vincent College.
The workshop is designed for anyone who is looking for fresh ways of managing cash flow in a business. Techniques will be discussed to maximize cash flow of a business through development of internal and external financing alternatives, expenditure analysis, and exploring tax-planning opportunities.
The fee for the program is $40 or $35 per person for two or more (continental breakfast and materials included). Early registration is recommended, as space is limited. To register or to obtain more information, contact the Saint Vincent College Small Business Development Center at 724-537-4572.
Pittsburgh
Realtor testifies
In testimony recently before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Financial Institutions of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Howard W. Hanna III, vice chairman of RESPRO and past chairman of The Realty Alliance, strongly urged Congress to open competition among banks and real estate brokers.
In his testimony, Hanna told the subcommittee that RESPRO and The Realty Alliance supported bank entry into the real estate brokerage business after a nation-wide consumer survey confirmed that homebuyers overwhelmingly prefer “one-stop” shopping.
The survey found that 82 percent of homebuyers would prefer using a “one-stop” shopping service for their home purchase and that 64 percent of homebuyers who recently used realty-based “one-stop” shopping programs had a much better overall home purchase experience.
Hanna, who is also president and CEO of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services in Pittsburgh, said that, “any bank should be able to compete with us in providing homebuyers with one-stop shopping programs.
“We do not believe that the entry of banks into the real estate brokerage business would change the potential consumer benefits of realty-based one-stop shopping programs.”
Homebuyers cite convenience, lower costs, and faster home purchases as the key benefits of “one-stop” shopping, Hanna said. He added that competition with financial conglomerates, such as Prudential, GMAC, Cendant and Berkshire Hathaway, over the past 20 years has caused real estate brokerage firms to be more efficient and consumer-focused. He also pointed out that over 50 percent of financial institutions can already engage in real estate brokerage. According to Hanna, this fact has not changed the competitive landscape in the industry.
RESPRO is a national association of approximately 200 residential real estate brokerage, mortgage, home building, title, and other settlement service companies that promote an environment that enables providers across industry lines to offer one-stop shopping for home buyers.
The Realty Alliance is a national organization of 45 regional residential real estate brokerage firms providing idea-sharing venues, industry forecasts and analyses, financial benchmarking, and technology information.