OC Grant Consulting Offering Seminars for Those Interested in Attaining Non-Profit Status and Grant Funding

ORLANDO, Fla. – Olivette Carter, owner of OC Grant Consulting Associates in Orlando, has begun a series of Nonprofit Capacity-Building seminars on attaining non-profit status and grant funding.

The next session, “An Introduction to Grant Writing,” will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 5 at the Orlando Business Development Center Office, 3218 E. Colonial Drive Suite G.

OC Grant Consulting is a client company of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program at the OBDC site, one of the program’s six business incubators throughout metro Orlando.

Designed for executives, administrators, managers and other leaders of aspiring or new start-up grassroots organizations, the series kicked off recently with “How to Start a Non-Profit and Obtain 501(c)3 Status” seminar. Carter said that session will be repeated Jan. 9.

Additional Saturday seminars are: “Board Development for New Non-Profits,” Jan. 23; “Program Design and Planning,” Jan. 30; and “Volunteer Management,” Feb. 6. The December introduction to grant writing session will be repeated on Feb. 20.

Each seminar is $25.00. To register, go on-line at www.ocgrantconsulting.com or call 321-281-8346.

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For more information about this release, please contact:
Olivette Carter, Owner, OC Grant Counseling, 321-281-8346 or ocgrants@obdc2.fdn.com

Melissa Wasserman, OBDC Site Manager, 407-281-8383, mwasserm@mail.ucf.eduGordon

Hogan, Director of Operations, UCF Business Incubation Program, 407-882-1157; bizdev@mail.ucf.edu

Charlene Hager-Van Dyke, Larry Vershel Communications, 386-837-8780, 407-644-4142; Lvershelco@aol.com or chagervandyke@yahoo.com

About the UCF Business Incubation Program:
Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Business Incubation Program has helped more than 130 emerging companies (including nearly 80 current clients) create over $500 million in annual revenue and more than 1,600 new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. With six facilities across the Greater Orlando community, the Incubation Program is a collaboration in economic development between the University of Central Florida, Orange County, the City of Orlando, Seminole County, the City of Winter Springs, Lake County, the City of Leesburg, City of Sanford and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. For more information, please visit www.incubator.ucf.edu.

OC Grant Consulting Schedules Second Series of Seminars for Those Interested in Attaining Non-Profit Status and Grant Funding

ORLANDO, Fla. – Olivette Carter, owner of OC Grant Consulting Associates, will present the second series of Nonprofit Capacity-Building seminars on attaining non-profit status and grant funding beginning Nov. 14 in Orlando.

The sessions will be held on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon at the Orlando Business Development Center Office, 3218 E. Colonial Drive, Suite G, Orlando 32803.

OC Grant Consulting is a client company of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program at the OBDC site, one of the program’s six business incubators throughout metro Orlando.

Carter recently held the first round of the series at the Disney Entrepreneur Center.

Participants who attended were provided with the tools needed to start up new nonprofits and to secure and maintain funding to operate effective programs, she said. Among those attending were individuals and groups interested in providing services to homeless Veterans, establishing after-school programs, and implementing volunteer recognition projects.

Designed for executives, administrators, managers and other leaders of aspiring or new faith- and community-based organizations, the second seminar series will kick off with “How to Start a Non-Profit and Obtain 501(c)3 Status” on Nov. 14.

The “how-to” seminar will be repeated on Jan. 9, said Carter, who specializes in grant proposal writing, grant review and grant writing training, as well as post-grant support.

Additional seminars scheduled are: “An Introduction to Grant Writing,” Dec. 5; “Board Development for New Non-Profits,” Jan. 23; “Program Design and Planning,” Jan. 30; and “Volunteer Management,” Feb. 6. The December introduction to grant writing session will be repeated on Feb. 20.

Each seminar is $25.00, and those who sign up for four sessions can attend the fifth one free. To register, go on-line at www.ocgrantconsulting.com or call 321-281-8346.

For more information about this release, please contact:
Olivette Carter, Owner, OC Grant Counseling, 321-281-8346 or ocgrants@obdc2.fdn.com Melissa Wasserman, OBDC Site Manager, 321-281-8384, mwasserm@mail.ucf.edu
Gordon Hogan, Director of Operations, UCF Business Incubation Program, 407-882-1157; bizdev@mail.ucf.edu
Charlene Hager-Van Dyke, Larry Vershel Communications, 386-837-8780, 407-644-4142; Lvershelco@aol.com or chagervandyke@yahoo.com

About the UCF Business Incubation Program:
Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Business Incubation Program has helped more than 130 emerging companies (including nearly 80 current clients) create over $500 million in annual revenue and more than 1,600 new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. With six facilities across the Greater Orlando community, the Incubation Program is a collaboration in economic development between the University of Central Florida, Orange County, the City of Orlando, Seminole County, the City of Winter Springs, Lake County, the City of Leesburg, City of Sanford and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. For more information, please visit www.incubator.ucf.edu.

Mercantile Capital Corporation Appoints Four New SBA 504 Loan Specialists

Mercantile Capital Corporation Appoints Four New SBA 504 Loan Specialists

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - Mercantile Capital Corporation, which ranks as one of the nation’s leading providers of U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 loans for small business owners who want to acquire or develop their own facilities, recently appointed four new SBA 504 loan specialists.

Christopher G. Hurn, CEO of Mercantile Capital Corporation, said he promoted Jon DeJulio from intern to marketing associate.

Yelena Sulyagina was promoted from intern to credit analyst.

Tammy Hennen was named operations administrator and Carolyn Skog was named credit analyst. Both Hennen and Skog have more than 20 years of experience.

For more information contact:

Chris Hurn, CEO, Mercantile Capital Corporation, 407-786-5040

Geof Longstaff, Chairman, Mercantile Capital Corporation, 407-786-5040

Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142

OC Grant Consulting Associates to Host Seminar at Disney Entrepreneur Center to Help Agencies Attain Non-Profit Status and Secure Grant Funding

OC Grant Consulting Associates to Host Seminar at Disney Entrepreneur Center to Help Agencies Attain Non-Profit Status and Secure Grant Funding

ORLANDO – OC Grant Consulting Associates, an Orlando-based grant consulting company, will present a series of informative seminars next month at the Disney Entrepreneur Center in downtown Orlando.

The first of five Capacity Building Seminar workshops will be from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 12 at the Disney Entrepreneur Center, 315 E. Robinson St. The sessions are designed to help local organizations – including those still in the planning stages – learn how to attain nonprofit status and receive grant funding, according to founder Olivette Carter.

“The seminars are for executives, administrators, managers and other leaders of aspiring or new start-up grassroots, non-profit faith- and community-based organizations,” said Carter, who specializes in prospect research, grant proposal writing, grant review and grant writing training, as well as post-grant support services.

OC Grant Consulting Associates is a client company of the UCF Business Incubation Program and located at Orlando Business Development Center (OBDC) office on E. Colonial Drive.

The Capacity Building Seminar is comprised of five separate workshops:
How to Start a Non-profit and Obtain 501(c) 3 Exemption
Board Development for New Non-profits
Program Design and Planning
Strategic Planning
Introduction to Grant Writing

Additional workshops will be held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 26, Oct. 10 and 24. The cost of each is $25 per person and those registering for four sessions can attend the fifth one free.

To register, go to http://www.ocgrantconsulting.com/ online or send a check payable to OC Grant Consulting Associates to 3218 E. Colonial Drive, Suite G, Orlando, 32803.

For details, contact Carter at 321-281-8346 or ocgrants@obdc2.fdn.com.

For more information about this release, please contact:
Olivette Carter, founder/owner, OC Grant Consulting Associates, 321-281-8346 or ocgrants@obdc2.fdn.com
Melissa Wasserman, Site Manager/OBDC, UCF Business Incubation Program, 407-882-2296 or mwasserm@mail.ucf.edu
Charlene Hager-Van Dyke, Larry Vershel Communications, 386-837-8780, 407-644-4142 or chagervandyke@yahoo.com

About the UCF Incubation Program:
Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Business Incubation Program has helped more than 100 emerging companies (including nearly 70 current clients) create over $500 million in annual revenue and more than 1,600 new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. With five facilities across the Greater Orlando community, the Incubation Program is a collaboration in economic development between the University of Central Florida, Orange County, the City of Orlando, Seminole County, the City of Winter Springs, Lake County, the City of Leesburg and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. For more information, please visit http://www.incubator.ucf.edu/

Builders, Developers Can Solicit Financial Support from Owners of Self-Directed IRAs

Builders, Developers Can Solicit Financial Support from Owners of Self-Directed IRAs

LAKE MARY, Fla. - Builders and developers who are finding it difficult to secure financing from traditional lenders can solicit owners of self-directed retirement accounts, says a leading funds administrator.

Glen Mather, president of Entrust Administrative Services, which administers more than 2,000 retirement accounts that total more than $200 million from offices in Lake Mary, Boca Raton and Jacksonville, told the Latin Builders Association in Miami recently that they should go directly to the source to seek alternative funding for worthy projects.

“It’s not just homes, it’s commercial too,” Mather told the more than 70 builders in the audience. “Builders and developers can gain access to finance through individual IRAs if they take the time to learn the correct approach,” he said.

Mather said IRAs can lend to companies, limited partnerships and individual ventures and serve as a stockholder.

Mather said one representative in the group was raising funds to finance individuals who wanted to buy mortgages.

“They are pooling resources to provide financing for distressed properties at a very low price so that individuals can acquire and remodel properties for resale or rental,” Mather said. “The IRAs would then become the lien holders---in effect, the bank---to make these transactions happen.

For more information contact:
Glen Mather, President Entrust Administrative Services, Inc. 407-367-3472 gmather@entrustfl.com;

Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 lvershelco@aol.com

UCF Incubation Program eyes U.S. Economic Stimulation grants for client companies, alternative energy, healthcare are big targets

UCF Incubation Program eyes U.S. Economic Stimulation grants for client companies, alternative energy, healthcare are big targets

ORLANDO, Fla. - Many of the more than 60 client companies at the University of Central Florida’s Business Incubation Program could benefit from U.S. Economic Stimulus Program funding grants, loans and incentives, says founder and head of the program, Dr. Tom O’Neal, associate vice president for the UCF’s Department of Research and Commercialization.

But O’Neal cautioned that competition for the incentives could be tough.

“We anticipate there will be hundreds of companies writing grants and presenting proposals, so the competition for new funding should be brisk,” O’Neal said.

Many economic stimulus funding programs seem tailor-made for client companies in the UCF Business Incubation Program, O’Neal said.

For example, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) has more than $150 million in new funding available to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) received a 30 percent increase in their funding. “If that increases our grant success rate from 10-15 percent, that can be a significant boost,” O’Neal said.

New policy directions announced by the U.S. Department of Defense could aid the UCF Business Incubation’s technology companies as well.

Earlier, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced his preference for smaller, smarter defense innovations over multi-billion dollar weapons systems.

“That emphasis should effect our client companies,” O’Neal said. “Several companies competing for Small Business Administration SBIR and STTR grants for the defense industry are focused on small, innovative projects that substantially reduce costs and improve defense capabilities,” he said.

For more information contact:
Tom O’Neal. Ph.D, UCF Associate Vice President for Research and Commercialization and Incubation Program Executive Director, 407-882-1120, oneal@mail.ucf.edu;
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 Lvershelco@aol.com

About the UCF Incubation Program:
Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Incubation Program has helped more than 100 emerging companies (including nearly 70 current clients) create over $500 million in annual revenue and more than 900 new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. With five facilities across the metro Orlando community, the Incubation Program is a collaboration in economic development between UCF, Orange County, the City of Orlando, Seminole County, the City of Winter Springs, and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. For more information, please visit http://www.incubator.ucf.edu/.