Mayor's Business Day features, job fair, expo, luncheon

The Third Annual Mayor’s Business Day will take place Tuesday at Idaho Falls High School. The event is being presented by Grow Idaho Falls, the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Idaho Department of Labor.

The day begins with a job fair in the small gymnasium, from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Representatives of more than two dozen businesses will be there to take applications and offer advice. They include: Barton Consulting, BBSI, Carl's Jr., CBS Collections, Center Partners, CenturyLink, City of Idaho Falls, Compa Industries, Development Workshop, E2 Consulting Engineers, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, Express Employment Pros, Home Depot, Human Dynamics & Diagnostics, I. E. Solutions, Idaho Department of Labor, INL - Peer Support Specialists, Legal Shield, Melaleuca, RED Inc., Riverbend Communications, SAGE Trucking School, SHRM, Stevens Henager College, Teton Toyota, TRPTA, University of Idaho, Waddell & Reed, Western Transport and Alsco

A luncheon in the small gym will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. Two speakers will be featured: Donna Tuttle, who served in the Reagan Administration and is now a partner in the Elmore Tuttle Sports Group, which owns the Idaho Falls Chukars; and Jeff Sayer, executive director of the Idaho Department of Commerce. Seating for the luncheon is limited. RSVP by e-mail at admin@growidahofalls.org or by calling (208) 522-2014.

The luncheon will be followed by the Area Business Connections Trade Show, in the large gym from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Vendors include: Ag Grand Natural Organic Fertilizer, Advantage Employer Solutions, Apple Athletic Club, Atwood Family Dentistry, Bank of Idaho, Better Business Bureau, Barrett Business Systems, Century Link, ComDesigns & Idaho Aviation, COMPA Industries, DL Evans Bank, Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership, Eastern Idaho Technical College Foundation, Eastern Idaho Technical College, Foothills & Riverwest Dental, Good Samaritan Society - Idaho Falls Village, Hands of Hope Home Health & Hospice, Hopkins Roden Crockett Hansen & Hoopes PLLC, Hunter Idaho Falls Monuments, Idaho Correctional Industries, Idaho Industrial Commission, IBF, Idaho Housing & Finance Association, Inches-A-Weigh, Key Bank, GIFCC Military Affairs Committee, Microserv, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, Northwind, Riverbend Communications, Rocky Mountain Environmental, Sam's Club, Scenic Falls Federal Credit Union, Snake River Animal Shelter, Snake River Landing, State Farm Insurance, Syringa Networks, Technology Ventures Corporation, The Bank of Commerce, University of Idaho & Idaho State University, Waddell & Reed, Wienhoff Drug Testing, Machen Family Dentistry, The Bank of Commerce and Syringa Wireless.

Four things not to buy at Costco, assuming that one is coming someday



OK, we all know you're waiting for news on Costco. Not since the advent the Olive Garden has there been such interest, and to be frank even in those days people were already asking about Costco.

Since we found out Dec. 23 that the company has boots on the ground locally, we've been determined to check periodically to keep tabs. A call Thursday to Costco's headquarters in Issaquah, Wash., brought the response I expected. Our interest was appreciated, but the company's development calendar doesn't show anything planned for Idaho Falls in the next six months.

This is how it's going to be until the Costco has a deal and is ready to make an announcement. Some of you may not be able to contain yourselves and will go to Pocatello to get your fixes. For your benefit, here's a link to a story about the four things you should not buy at Costco: designer clothes, imported shrimp, sheets and towels and bulk produce.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505144_162-51484580/4-things-not-to-buy-at-costco/?tag=re1.galleries

Commerce Director to speak March 30 at I.F. City Club forum

Jeffrey Sayer

Idaho Commerce Department Director Jeffery Sayer will be the speaker at the Idaho Falls City Club's March 30 forum, at the Samuel Horne Bennion Student Union Building, 1784 Science Center Drive.
 
His talk, "Moving at the Speed of Business," will address several topics, including:
    •    Business attraction and retention
    •    Long-term competitiveness
    •    The “Window Dressing” of Business Attraction
    •    The Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission (IGEM)
    •    The Idaho Leadership in Nuclear Energy (LINE) Commission

An eastern Idaho native and Brigham Young University graduate,  Sayer was appointed to his current post by Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter in October 2011. He is the former president and managing partner of Novayx Group, a firm specializing in providing financial and business sophistication for small- to medium-sized businesses. Before that, he was president and chief financial officer of Mountain View Hospital in Idaho Falls. He began his career with Ernst & Young in Silicon Valley, where he specialized in advising venture-capital funded technology companies through all stages of growth. His experience includes corporate turnarounds, public offerings, equity financing, mergers and acquisitions, and extensive involvement in corporate strategy and leadership.

Sayer serves on the board of directors of the Idaho Governors Cup, Idaho Falls Auditorium District, Hospice of Eastern Idaho, and was a former member of the Governors Select Committee on Health Care.

Lunch will be served at noon. Cost is $14 for members and $16 for non-members. Gallery seating is $5. Reservations or advanced payment are required for lunch service, and are due by noon Tuesday. To pay by credit card, visit http://www.ifcityclub.com/forums.html

You are not an entrepreneur if ...

Business author Jeff Haden

In the newspaper business, there's an editor who "sorts the wire," which is to say he or she sifts through all the stories from the Associated Press, Reuters or whoever to determine what might be of interest to readers. If a wire story is on Page 1, it's because the editors agreed that it was a winner. If there's a lot of good local news, there will be fewer wire stories out front (unless there's really big national or international news). Likewise, on a slow news day, you'll see more wire.

I've discovered publishing a blog isn't that different. While I want to be on top of every local business development, one thing I do every morning is surf the Web to see if there might be interesting links worth sharing. To keep readers engaged, I have a duty to generate content every day, one way or another. On a slow news day, I go to the Web.

Today's find is a piece by business author Jeff Haden on the traits you ought to look for in yourself before you decide you're an entrepreneur. If you answer yes to any one of these, chances are you'd be better off working for someone else. Before I post the link I'll bullet them, for the sake of the people who always stop reading at "the jump" (another newspaper-ism).

According to Haden, you are not an entrepreneur if:

• You spend a lot of time personalizing your office.
• You manage your fantasy teams at work.
• You never empty your own trash.
• You are sure you could be a lot more productive if you only had a new (insert hot new tech tool).
• You can't get over the fact your department got shorted during the last budget cycle. 
• You passionately discuss work-life balance issues.
• You sometimes say, "Wait, I've paid my dues."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_162-57357004/got-what-it-takes-to-be-an-entrepreneur/?tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea    

I.F. Magazine app offers BizMojo link

Considering that 25 percent of the visitors to this blog are doing it on iPhones, iPads and Droids, the question of whether to make an app for BizMojo is very much on my mind.

Earlier this month, I asked whether people saw the market moving from laptops to tablets. A few people responded on Facebook, and the answer seemed to be emphatically yes.

So, I would say an app is in the future. In the meantime, if you want to read BizMojoIdaho on your mobile device, Idaho Falls Magazine has provided a direct link to it from its app, which it is pushing hard.

All you have to do is follow this link and scan the QR code.
http://www.idahofallsmagazine.com/magazine/free_app.cfm

It's got plenty of other cool stuff to browse through, but don't get distracted.

I've also found Google Reader to be a pretty effective way to look at the blog. Meanwhile, stay tuned for exciting developments.