Dade City Business Incubator Joins A
Booming Trend
Friday,
April 4, 2014 5:59pm
DADE
CITY — As the owner of a fledgling home-based business, Kellye Dash liked being
able to work in her PJs but found productivity a challenge.
"You
feel so isolated," said Dash, a former IT employee who quit in 2012 to
turn her part-time side business into a full-time venture. Though she liked
being her own boss, she also missed bouncing ideas off colleagues.
So
when she learned about SMARTstart, Pasco County's new business incubator in
Dade City, the Wesley Chapel resident couldn't wait to apply.
Her
business, the Busy Buddy, was among the first seven firms accepted into the
program, which opened its first office last fall in the Dade City Business
Center.
The
2,500-square-foot incubator provides office space, free Wi-Fi and meeting space
for clients. But more important, Dash said, it offers training in how to run
and grow a business.
Through
workshops, conducted in a room aptly decorated in a garage motif, she learned
how to interpret body language, how to negotiate and how to market her
business, which provides a host of support services, from social media
management to report preparation and accounting. Like the other members, Dash
also was assigned a mentor.
"I can bounce anything off
someone," Dash said (modals, ds), referring to SMARTstart
director Krista Covey as "my angel."
Covey,
an employee of the Pasco Economic Development Council, was tapped last year to
lead the charge as Pasco made its first foray into business incubators.
"They're
like my baby chicks," Covey said of the seven members , who were on hand
for an open house Friday to show off the now-filled quarters to potential new
members — and donors.
Members
must come up with a six-month business plan to be accepted into the program.
They also must be either new, relocating or transitioning from home and seeking
to grow. Priority is given to businesses that build on local strengths, have
high employment potential, export products or services, replace imported
products or services, provide new products or services or deliver them in a
unique way and that meet unsatisfied community needs. Those approved may stay up
to two years and then are re-evaluated.
"We're
not here to provide free office space," Covey said. "Our goals are to
create jobs and economic development."
Bitcoin OK for politics, with $100 limit
The Federal Election Commission on Thursday
approved the use of the alternative currency Bitcoin for political
contributions with limits of $100 per donor per election cycle.
The 6-member panel voted
unanimously to allow the contributions, a move that could open the floodgates
for donors to make political contributions with the digital currency in the
upcoming midterm elections.
The decision means that
political groups or candidates can accept Bitcoin if they abide by the same
guidelines that the political group Make Your Laws set forth when it asked for
the commission's approval. Bitcoin political contributions would be clearly
identified and limited.
Proponents say it's a sign of increased acceptance of the upstart currency,
as more businesses and individuals are starting to embrace Bitcoin
paymentsas an alternative to credit cards. (simple
present, ids)
"It's still a pretty good step, we'll be allowed to
accept Bitcoin in the way we proposed," said Sai (simple future, ds), who runs the
political group Make Your Laws. "It's probably good for the Bitcoin economy as well."
(simple
present, ds)
Sai is his full legal
name, and his Make Your Laws is a nonpartisan group. Its website says its aim is to
use technology to give individuals a louder voice in elections and democracy.
The decision was monitored
by the Bitcoin Foundation, a lobbying group that also asked the commission to
approve the use of Bitcoin for political fundraising.
The decision is a
turnaround from last fall, when the election commission deadlocked on a similar
request.
With no official laws
barring the use of Bitcoin in elections, a handful of candidates and political groups have said
they're already accepting Bitcoin.(present continous,ids) They can
continue to do so, but they risk getting reviewed and possibly penalized by the
elections panel if they go beyond the election commission's Thursday decision.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is running for governor in that state, said last month he'd accept
donations in Bitcoin.(present perfect,ids) The Libertarian
Party also collects between $10,000 and $20,000 in Bitcoin each year. It's a
small percentage of the $1 million it raises annually, according to Libertarian
Party Executive Director Wes Benedict.
The developments come as
Bitcoin is under increased scrutiny. Last month, Attorney General Eric Holder told lawmakers that virtual
currencies pose a challenge for law enforcement agencies, because they can be
used to hide illegal activity.
Bitcoin has grown in
popularity in large part because transactions with it are anonymous.
That has led to its use on
the black market such as occurred on Silk Road, the online site for marketing illegal drugs and other
items, until the FBI shut it down
last fall.
To ensure that Bitcoin
contributions follow the election commission's guidelines of transparency in
campaign contributions, Sai's group requested that the donations be clearly
identified and capped. 
NZ dollar falls on lower
dairy commodity prices
The New Zealand dollar was the worst-performing major
currency overnight on speculation lower dairy commodity prices will weigh on
economic growth.
The kiwi fell as low 85.45 US cents after rising as high
as 87 cents earlier this week. The local currency was at 85.58 cents at 8am in
Wellington from 86.02 cents at 5pm yesterday. The trade-weighted index fell to
80 from 80.37 yesterday.
Investors reduced their New Zealand dollar holdings after
dairy product prices had the biggest drop in almost 20 months at yesterday's
Fonterra Cooperative Group GlobalDairyTrade auction, with whole milk powder
falling to its lowest level in more than a year. That marked the fourth
straight decline in auction prices and raised concerns about the outlook for
New Zealand's 40-year high terms of trade, which are seen as a factor
underpinning accelerating economic growth this year.
"Globally the
market is focusing on dairy trade," said Sam Tuck, senior foreign exchange
strategist at ANZ Bank New Zealand. (present
continous, ds)
"It is a clear signal to not only New Zealanders but
also the globe that a 40-year high peak in terms of trade can't be considered a
one-way bet.
"It was a
catalyst for a correction back to where we have been recently, rather than a
complete game changer," Tuck said (simple
past, ds). "The
kiwi had got too high, within a cent and a half of its
post-float high." (past perfect, ds)
ANZ expects the New Zealand dollar to decline to 83 US
cents by the end of the second quarter as the US economy improves. Traders will
be looking to tonight's ISM non-manufacturing survey and tomorrow's payroll
report to gauge how the world's largest economy is tracking, Tuck said.
"Our central expectation is for continued pressure
on the New Zealand dollar from here," Tuck said.
The kiwi will
likely trade between 85 US cents and 86.10 cents today, ANZ said. (simple future,ids)
The New Zealand dollar dropped to 92.55 Australian cents
from 93.06 cents yesterday. Today, Reserve Bank of Australia governor Glenn
Stevens is scheduled to speak at a business lunch to the American Chamber of
Commerce in Australia and Australia also has data on retail sales and
international trade.
The local currency slipped to 62.18 euro cents from 62.31
cents yesterday ahead of the European Central Bank meeting today.
The kiwi fell to 51.48 British pence from 51.73 pence
yesterday and weakened to 88.81 yen from 89.30 yen.
1.
"I can bounce anything off
someone," Dash said
(modals, ds)
2.
Proponents say it's a
sign of increased acceptance of the upstart currency,
as more businesses and individuals are
starting to embrace Bitcoin paymentsas an alternative to credit cards.
(simple present, ids)
3. "It's still a pretty good step,
we'll be allowed to accept Bitcoin in the way we proposed," said Sai (simple
future, ds)
4. Sai said,"It's probably good for
the Bitcoin economy as well." (simple present, ds)
5. A handful of candidates and political
groups have said they're already accepting Bitcoin.(present
continous,ids)
6. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said
last month he'd accept donations in Bitcoin.(present
perfect,ids)
7. "Globally the market is focusing
on dairy trade," said Sam Tuck, senior foreign exchange strategist at ANZ
Bank New Zealand. (present continous, ds)
8. "It was a catalyst for a
correction back to where we have been recently, rather than a complete game
changer," Tuck said (simple past, ds)
9. Tuck said,"The kiwi had got too
high, within a cent and a half of its post-float high." (past
perfect, ds)
10. The kiwi will likely
trade between 85 US cents and 86.10 cents today, ANZ said. (simple future,ids)
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