Usually this space is dedicated to our Face Off feature in which two policymakers square off on an issue. This month, we asked a U.S. Chamber member to give his perspective on an important small business issue-health savings accounts.

 

Chamber Applauds Energy Campaign
The U.S. Chamber is supporting a nationwide educational campaign by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) and the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Energy Star program to persuade households to swap their light bulbs for more efficient ones.

 

Chamber Holds Three-Day Summit
The U.S. Chamber and its new affiliate, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW), welcomed business, chamber, education, and nonprofit leaders to a summit in Dallas, October 4-6, on how to make U.S. schools and the workforce more competitive.

 

IRS Plans to Increase Audits
The head of IRS' Small Business/Self-Employed Division, Commissioner Kevin Brown, announced that the division is planning a significant increase of audits to reduce its $290 billion tax gap.

 

Consider Event Cancellation Insurance
The date is set and plans for your event are under way. But what if  the unthinkable happens and your event is canceled? Any organization with a financial interest in an event is exposed if the event does not happen. What can you do to protect yourself?

Guest Column: Libraries Incubate New Ventures

Starting up your own business has long been a dream. You've got a great idea, some funds in reserve, plenty of energy, and drive.  What you don't have, perhaps, is a clear picture of how to conceive and execute your startup road map.

 

The top official at the General Services Administration (GSA) recently addressed a U.S. Chamber audience about procurement opportunities for small businesses.

 

Safeway CEO Discusses Health Care
Safeway Inc. Chairman, President, and CEO Steve Burd told a U.S. Chamber audience that his company has improved employee health and has reduced health care costs by implementing a program focused on preventative care and more consumer control.

 

You don't have to be a global brand to be the victim of counterfeiting and piracy. Companies of every size and industry are vulnerable, according to government officials and industry leaders who attended the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's third annual anti-counterfeiting and piracy summit, Threatening Health, Safety, and Jobs: The True Cost of Counterfeiting and Piracy.

 

U.S. Chamber member Robert Stevenson proves the old adage that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Stevenson, the owner of Eastman Machine Company, a fourth-generation family-owned small business in Buffalo, New York, has fought back against counterfeiters by going public.

 

U.S. Chamber Member Testifies on Paperwork
Jim Wordsworth testified in support of the Small Business Paperwork Amnesty Act of 2006, H.R. 5242, during a hearing of the House Government Reform Committee on September 26.

 

Hurricane Hugo was good to Ocean Breeze Awnings. A third-generation family-owned business, Ocean Breeze had its best year ever after the 1998 hurricane wiped out most of the existing awnings and patio rooms along South Carolina's coast.

 

Capital Roundup (PDF)