The business partners believe their familiarity with the design needs and creative demands of local clientele will provide an untapped opportunity to harvest success. “However, we knew applying for a loan to purchase the necessary equipment and supplies would be our biggest challenge,” says Oppelt who was referred to MetroAction by the University of Scranton Small Business Development Center.

“The staff at MetroAction really helped us understand the entire loan application process,” observes Kuhn after the pair obtained a $15,000 small business loan. To keep overhead expenses down, Smart Blonde is operating as a home-based business, an additional benefit to Kuhn, a new parent.

Smart Blonde Creative has recently been a recipient of Wells Fargo Securities, LLC funding.

Through an innovative partnership between Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program and MetroAction these businesses are now able to access these training scholarships as well as flexible loans to help their businesses grow. The Brewing the American Dream initiative supports small business owners in the food, beverage and hospitality industry by providing accessible financing, as well as business and financial literacy tools and assistance.

For more information on scholarship opportunities for the Small Business Institute or the Brewing the American Dream loan program, contact MetroAction at (570) 341-0270 or visit www.MetroAction.org.

MetroAction has been asked to serve as the fiscal agent for this grant and administer the loan funds. These businesses can apply for loans up to $100,000 and borrow funds at a 1% rate.

Eligible applicants can contact Lisa Kenny at (570) 341-0270 or visit www.MetroAction.org for more information.

But Bird hoped to do more than just work for Wilmot. He planned to own it. “I saw a lot of potential in the nursery and thought I could make it one of the best garden centers in the area. So I asked the owner, Robert Wilmot about his future intentions,” says Bird.

After completing his master’s degree in agronomy at Penn State University in 2003, Bird joined the Wilmot staff, full time. For the following fiver years, Bird apprentices under and received management training from Mr. Wilmot. In 2008, Mr. Wilmot was ready to sell and Bird approached Honesdale National Bank’s vice president and commercial loan officer, Ron Sebastianelli, who referred him to MetroAction.

Through MetroAction, Bird received assistance with his budget and obtained financing to purchase his spring inventory. Today he owns the region’s largest and most comprehensive garden center, with more than 450 sizes and types of trees and shrubs and a gift shop.

Bird isn’t stopping to smell the roses just yet. With MetroAction’s help, he plans to build a new facility so Wilmot Nursery and Landscaping is “more of a destination, not just a place to shop,” and believes his budding business can rank among the top 25 garden centers in the northeast.

When his business partner, Leigh Mannina, informed him that the child care center where she works as director was for sale, it was an easy decision to purchase the center. However obtaining the financing was not as easy.

After exploring other options with no success, Mannina suggested they look into MetroAction, where she had previously attended business training programs.

MetroAction provided Abromavage and Mannina with a $70,000 loan that helped the pair purchase the business from its previous owner and start on their own success journey. “MetroAction provided the guidance we needed to purchase Little Acres,” says Ambromavage. “It was a seamless transition.”

And the help doesn’t stop with financing. “We are always looking to improve the quality of care and educational experiences that we provide,” says Mannina. “By attending MetroAction classes, we will earn professional development credit hours through the PA Department of Public Welfare. MetroAction can help us achieve our goal of obtaining a four-star rating, the highest in the Keystone STARS program.”

The red carpet rolls out on Friday, November 11th, at 5:00pm at The Mellow Theater, Lackawanna College, as we present the Chamber Gala and honor the recipients of the 2011 SAGE Awards -Scranton’s Awards for Growth and Excellence!

The SAGE Awards celebrate the outstanding efforts of our Chamber members and business community and their talent, creativity, and innovation.  Award categories apply to new and emerging businesses; along with our seasoned veterans – there’s something for everyone!

Presented by Penn Security Bank and Trust, the Gala is a Hollywood-style, black-tie optional event overflowing with entertainment, cocktails, gourmet cuisine stations and 20 different award presentations.
Tickets are $50 for Chamber members and $75 for non-members.  Special thanks to all of our Gala sponsors and partners!

Visit www.ScrantonSageAwards.com for more information and to watch video footage from last year’s event!
The SAGE Awards (Scranton Awards for Growth and Excellence) finalists for this year are:

BEST PRACTICES IN COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
•    Pennsylvania American Water Company, Wilkes-Barre
•    Powell Law, Scranton
•    TMG Health, Inc., Dunmore

BEST PRACTICES IN CUSTOMER SERVICE
•    Frontier Communications, Dallas
•    Karam Orthodontics, Scranton
•    Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, Wilkes-Barre

BEST PRACTICES IN HUMAN RESOURCES AND/OR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
•    Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, Wilkes-Barre
•    Prudential, Scranton
•    Tobyhanna Army Depot, Tobyhanna

BEST PRACTICES IN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
•    Happenings Communications Group, Clarks Summit
•    KKPR Marketing and Public Relations, Milford
•    Sordoni Construction Services, Inc., Forty Fort

BEST PRACTICES IN TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
•    Keen Bean Design, Clarks Summit
•    Net Driven, Scranton
•    Tobyhanna Army Depot, Tobyhanna

GREEN PRACTICES: 2-100 EMPLOYEES CATEGORY
•    Alliance Landfill, Taylor
•    DxDempsey, Scranton
•    Flexible Foam Products, Inc., Archbald

GREEN PRACTICES: 101+ EMPLOYEES CATEGORY
•    Tobyhanna Army Depot, Tobyhanna
•    UGI Utilities, Inc., Wilkes-Barre
•    Woodloch, Hawley

HEALTHY WORKPLACE
•    Keystone College, La Plume
•    Keystone Community Resources, Clarks Summit
•    UGI Utilities, Inc., Wilkes-Barre

HOMETOWN STAR
•    Arts on Fire, Scranton
•    Endless Mountains Rails, Wyoming
•    Scranton Jaycees Santa Parade, Scranton

NEW & EMERGING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
•    Backyard Ale House, Scranton
•    Karam Orthodontics, Scranton
•    Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center, South Abington Township

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR
•    United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Scranton
•    United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties, Scranton
•    Voluntary Action Center, Scranton

PRIDE & PROGRESS: EXTERIOR RENOVATIONS
•    Connell Building, Scranton
•    Fidelity Deposit & Discount Bank/DxDempsey, Scranton
•    KBA Engineering, P.C. , Jermyn

PRIDE & PROGRESS: INTERIOR RENOVATIONS
•    Connell Lofts, Scranton
•    The Electric City Trolley Museum/Leadership Lackawanna, Scranton
•    Hemmler Camayd Architects/Center for Architectural Studies Marywood, Scranton

PRIDE & PROGRESS: LANDSCAPE & SITE DESIGN
•    Tobyhanna Federal Credit Union, Scranton
•    The University of Scranton – Commons Extension Landscaping Project, Scranton
•    The University of Scranton – Mulberry Street Improvement Project, Scranton

PRIDE & PROGRESS: NEW CONSTRUCTION
•    Highland Associates, Ltd. – The Commonwealth Medical College, Scranton
•    Tobyhanna Federal Credit Union, Scranton
•    Hemmler Camayd Architects/The University of Scranton – Upper Class Residence Halls, Scranton

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
•    Condron and Company, Scranton
•    Sculpted Ice Works, Lakeville
•    The Ballet Theatre of Scranton/The Dance Studio, Scranton

SOLO-PRENEUR OF THE YEAR
•    Bella Faccias Personalized Chocolates, Scranton
•    Laugh to Live, Scranton
•    Michael Straub Photography, Mt. Pocono

WOMAN OF EXCELLENCE
•    Sister Anne Munley, IHM, Ph.D., Scranton
•    Dr. Ann Pipinski, Ed.D., Scranton
•    Tina Jezuit, Scranton

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
•    Katrina Foster, Founder & President, KKPR Marketing and Public Relations, Milford
•    Adam Weitzenkorn, Owner, New Visions Studio and Gallery, Scranton
•    Conor O’Brien, Co-founder & Programming Director, Vintage Theater, Scranton

All award finalists will be entered into the People’s Choice Award, where the winner will be chosen by a community wide online vote.

For more information on The Chamber Gala or the SAGE Awards or to purchase tickets, please call (570) 342-7711 or visit www.ScrantonSageAwards.com.

Representatives from Direct Discount Service and Program Trained Providers will be knocking on the doors of small businesses throughout Scranton to schedule or conduct free energy assessments and install up to five free CFL bulbs.

These energy assessments could qualify you for up to a 75% discount on lighting and refrigeration energy-efficiency upgrades!

MetroAction, The Chamber and PPL will be holding an announcement for this program on Tuesday, October 18 at 10:00AM in Scranton. Come out to learn more about this exciting program.

Please RSVP your attendance by contacting Contessa Singleton at (570) 342-7711 or csingleton@scrantonchamber.com by October 16 at 4:00 PM.

Social media is the fastest growing marketing trend but many small business owners do not know how to use it to grow their business. MetroAction has teamed up with the University of Scranton Small Business Development Center and The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce to present a Social Media and Your Small Business. This seminar will provide valuable tips from experienced professionals about building an online presence through Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and how you can maintain an online presence.

This seminar will be held at the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 8:30 AM. The cost is $35 per person. A webinar will also be offered for those that cannot attend the seminar.

Program speakers include:

Keith Yurgosky, University of Scranton Small Business Development Center
Megan Hughes, Keen Been Design and Kiss My Style
Amy Tobin, Ariel Marketing Group
Megan Galko, NEPA Mom

To register, visit www.MetroAction.org or call (570) 341-0270. This program is sponsored by MetroAction, The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and the University of Scranton Small Business Development Center.

The communications world is constantly changing. Trying to maintain a presence in the media can be hard for small businesses.  In order to help businesses have the most up-to-date information and fastest ways to get in touch with the media,  MetroAction will present a “Working with the Media” seminar on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at 8:30AM in Scranton. The cost is $35 per person.

This seminar will help small businesses develop effective low cost marketing strategies and will show how to generate free publicity and create buzz. The panel of local professionals in the media industry that will speak at this event includes:

Catherine Bolton, Founder, River Rock Communications
Elizabeth Zygmunt, Editor in Chief, Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal
Charles Schillinger, Assistant Metro Editor/Business, The Times-Tribune
Lou Abitabilo, Vice President/General Manager, WBRE-TV

To register, visit www.MetroAction.org or call (570) 341-0270.  This program is sponsored by MetroAction and The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center.

To help businesses sharpen the skills needed to develop, manage and grow a successful business, MetroAction, is offering their Small Business Institute starting Thursdays, September 1- September 22, from 9:00AM- Noon at the Chamber. This course shows how to:  create a strong marketing plan, understand business financials and prepare for business growth.  The cost is $99 which includes a textbook and materials. Training grants are available for certain businesses. Contact Alicia Tompkins.