May 17: SBA and Agility Recovery to Host Webinar on Hurricane Season Business Preparedness

The devastating effects of a hurricane extend beyond the coastal areas where the storms land. In recent years, we’ve seen how the impact of storm surge -- which is the indirect damage from water and flying debris -- inflicts collateral damage on small businesses in a surprisingly widespread area.

The 2011 mid-Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1. Is your business prepared for a possible shutdown on the heels of the infrastructure collapse that usually follows a major storm?

Get tips on protecting your customers, employees and your investment during a free webinar on May 17, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Hosted by Agility Recovery Solutions and the U.S. Small Business Administration, "Protecting Your Business This Hurricane Season" will feature Weather Services International Senior Meteorologist Ben Papandrea, who will present the 2011 Hurricane Season forecast. Paul Sullivan, a vice president for Agility Recovery Solutions, will share best practices towards preparing your company for disasters. A question-and-answer session will follow.

Space is limited for this event. To register visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/204235769.

SBA has partnered with Agility Recovery Solutions to offer business continuity strategies for entrepreneurs via their “PrepareMyBusiness” website. Visit www.preparemybusiness.org to access previous webinars and for more preparedness tips.

Since 1953, the SBA has provided more than $48 billion in disaster recovery funds to 1.9 million homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes in the form of low-interest loans. To learn more about the disaster assistance program, visit www.sba.gov/disaster.

SOURCES: Agility Recovery Solutions, U.S. Small Business Administration
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April 28: Free DOE Webinar Focuses on Calculating Loads for Heating and Cooling

The U.S. Department of Energy's [DOE's] Building Technologies Program [BTP] is offering a webinar on Thursday, April 28, 2011, from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon Eastern, titled "Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning [HVAC] Right-Sizing -- Part 1: Calculating Loads."

Register now to attend this free webinar: http://bit.ly/RegistrationBTP.

Calculating energy requirements for heating and cooling a home is the first critical step in the design process for correctly sizing the HVAC system. Designers use models of electrical loads to help them select the optimal equipment and duct designs to deliver the appropriate volume of conditioned air to rooms of the home.

This webinar, presented by IBACOS -- one of DOE’s Building America research teams -- will highlight the key criteria required to accurately calculate heating and cooling loads. During the webinar, experts will also discuss current industry rules of thumb, perceptions, and barriers to correctly sizing HVAC systems.

Target audiences include residential builders and HVAC design firms, contractors, installers, manufacturers, and distributors.

Learn more about the webinar: http://1.usa.gov/WebinarsEERE.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [EERE]
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June 22 & 24: SBA Offers Free Webinar and Web Chat to Encourage Disaster Preparedness Planning for Business Owners

No matter what time of year it is, or where you run your business, it’s a good idea to have a disaster preparedness plan in place. Recent disasters, such as the record-breaking flooding which occurred in Tennessee in April, serve as reminders to be proactive when it comes to building strategies to survive a disaster and recover quickly.

Toward this end, the U.S. Small Business Administration will offer two online disaster preparedness events next week:

Tuesday, June 22 -- 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. EDT
Agility Recovery Solutions President & CEO Bob Boyd will discuss "10 Steps to Business Preparedness." Boyd will highlight key aspects of business continuity planning -- including risk assessment, data backup, crisis communications and insurance coverage. A Q&A will follow.

Register in advance at: http://www.preparemybusiness.org/education.

Thursday, June 24 -- 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. EDT
SBA’s monthly Online Business Chat, "Disaster Preparedness for Business Owners: An Inside View," will be hosted by Nashville business owner Genma Holmes [pictured], CEO of Holmes Pest Control. Holmes will share her experience of how another business owner’s losses after Hurricane Katrina inspired her to develop her own preparedness plan. Because she was ready for the disaster, Holmes was able to resume operations just one day after cleaning up after a recent flood in Nashville.

Holmes will take questions and offer advice on disaster preparedness. Those participating in the Thursday Web chat may submit questions before or during the discussion.

Join the event live by visiting http://www.sba.gov/, and clicking "Online Business Chat." Web chat participants may post questions prior to the event by visiting: http://bit.ly/LiveMeetingSBA.

To review archives of past Web chats, go to: http://bit.ly/MonthlyWebChatSBA.

For education, planning, testing, and disaster preparedness tools and information to help keep your business up and running -- after a disaster, power outage, etc. -- please visit: http://www.preparemybusiness.org/.

SOURCES: Genma Speaks [photo], U.S. Small Business Administration
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