Success Story:
DT Search & Designs LLC
Manufacturer of military communications equipment finds solution to connecting with government purchasers
From the flags and torches of the mid-19th century U.S. Army Signal Corps to modern-day communications satellites, military operations have always depended on the most reliable communications systems available. That's one big reason the folks at DT Search & Designs LLC in St. Joseph are succeeding in business.
One of their primary product lines is the Relia-Com™ communications system for military applications. Bill Junk, president of DTS, and Dean Thompson, vice president of research, teamed up nearly six years ago to make and market the communications distribution boxes and cables that comprise Relia-Com.
Bill Junk (left) and Dean Thompson (right) flank members of their development team at DT Search & Designs ... Tim Pollard and Mike Dragoo ... and the distribution box of their Relia-Com™ military communications system. Bill focuses on marketing and administration. He brought to DTS more than 25 years of marketing, finance and operations experience with Scott Co. and Research Seeds Inc. Bill, a U.S. Navy veteran, also founded and operated Twelve Oaks Consulting before starting DTS.
Dean concentrates on engineering and development. His background includes 16 years in electronics and satellite dish technology development with the Marine Corps. Later Dean worked as an engineer for the state of Kansas and with the Sherwood Medical Instruments Corp. He also owned and operated a telecommunications company.
Their experience, along with the talents of their two cohorts — Tim Pollard and Mike Dragoo — combine to design, produce and market communications devices to meet the demands of 21st century warriors.
"Our communications system saves time, saves money, and — most importantly — saves lives in dangerous combat situations," says Dean.
After starting the business the guys at DTS ultimately discovered it was relatively easy for them to produce complex communications devices, but much harder to sell their wares to government agencies. Attempting to navigate the convoluted maze of the federal purchasing bureaucracy almost brought their progress to a halt.
Read this complete success story with additional photos.
St. Louis Region SBTDC Receives Accolade from St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay
The award, presented during the city's annual business recognition luncheon, honored the SBTDC for its impact on the economic development of the St. Louis metropolitan area. (Left to right) Accepting the award from Mayor Slay are Kevin Wilson, St. Louis SBTDC director, and Max Summers, state director of the Missouri SBTDC program. Also offering recognition to the program is Rodney Crim (right), executive director of the St. Louis Development Corp.
Business Going Green
MU engineering students help Missouri companies cut costs, prevent pollution
The University of Missouri College of Engineering recently announced the results of this year's pollution prevention partnership with Missouri business and industry. The results show that when businesses reduce their environmental impact they save money too, according to Marie Steinwachs, director of the environmental assistance office, part of MU Extension's Business Development Program.
Among the program's achievements this year:
- AT&T in Kansas City hired a team of interns from Mizzou's pollution prevention program that identified improvements that could produce an annual savings of $187,353, along with the energy use reduction of 1,731,015 kilowatt hours and the elimination of more than 15 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
- Two interns from the program evaluated the air conditioning systems for the eight buildings of DRS Sustainment Systems Inc. in West Plains, potentially saving the company more than $35,500, reducing energy use by 760,473 kilowatt hours and eliminating 427 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
"Last summer, MU interns from the program found ways for ABB in Jefferson City to save $77,500 annually, Boeing in St. Louis to save $66,500 annually, and Cargill in Marshall to save $117,000 annually," says Steinwachs. "Through the students' application of the pollution prevention strategy for reducing energy, water, air emissions or waste at the source, it is not unusual for interns to find significant cost savings associated with business operations."
Mizzou's pollution prevention intern program, conducted every summer, sends highly trained upper level engineering students to help cut energy use, improve environmental performance, and save money. As partners, the companies provide a dynamic workplace experience that challenges and expands the students' classroom knowledge.
Students accepted into the competitive program must complete an intensive training course in energy efficiency and pollution prevention. Selected interns are matched to the companies' needs by a careful screening process that considers their experience, academic focus and interests. Interns have 11 weeks to complete the on-site projects and provide companies with a report that includes technical, economic and environmental analysis.
Tyler Chlaplek, one of the AT&T interns, said the summer experience proved to him that pollution prevention practices work: "It provided tangible evidence that so many resources can be saved if businesses approach their energy consumption practices in a thoughtful and innovative way."
The Mizzou Pollution Prevention Program is a collaboration between the Extension Business Development Program and the College of Engineering, with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The program is currently seeking companies to host next summer's interns. In addition to its industry focus, the program is expanding services to include school districts, water and wastewater treatment plants, and municipalities. For more information contact Steinwachs at 573-882-5011 or steinwachsme@missouri.edu or visit the Web site at MOEAC.net . The application deadline is Jan. 15, 2010.
SBA News
SBA launches online training course on winning federal contracts
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Small Business Administration has launched a new online training course to help strengthen access to contracting opportunities for small businesses, including those owned by women, minorities, disadvantaged individuals and veterans. The training course, "Recovery Act Opportunities: How to Win Federal Contracts," is part of a federal government-wide initiative announced recently by President Obama and being led by SBA and the Department of Commerce.
The course serves as a general guide on federal contracting and encourages further exploration of the topic with the Procurement Technical Assistance Centers program.
"Government contracts can play a key role in helping small businesses turn the corner in terms of expansion and job creation," says SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills. "But make no mistake, the benefits the government receives are equally as impressive — working with small businesses allows the federal government to work with some of the most innovative companies in America, often with direct contact with the CEO."
"The SBA online training course can help businesses access the federal purchasing system and position them to compete for the commercial opportunities offered by government contracting."
In announcing the government-wide initiative, Obama reiterated his administration's commitment to providing "our nation's small businesses with maximum practicable opportunity to participate in federal government contracting." As part of the initiative, federal agency procurement officers are participating in more than 200 events over the next several weeks to help connect small businesses with contracting opportunities. Additionally, SBA and the commerce department are expanding their outreach to contracting officials across the federal government to ensure they have the tools to meet their annual contracting goals and increase opportunities to small businesses, including those owned by veterans, women and minorities, as well as those in designated HUBZones.
As part of the outreach to small businesses, the comprehensive online course uses both audio and script to provide information about the federal marketplace, contract rules and, most importantly, how to sell to the government and where to find contract and Recovery Act opportunities. The new training portal is a free online training course designed to assist entrepreneurs during this period of economic recovery. This self-paced, instructional guide provides an overview of the federal procurement process.
The Recovery Act Opportunities course is available on SBA's Web site at www.sba.gov or directly at www.sba.gov/fedcontractingtraining. The course is indexed by subject matter to allow ease of use, and encourages contacting additional contracting information resources, such as MO PTAC.
The course includes direct links that highlight the best contracting resources and engages small business owners in the contracting process. The course also includes practical and fundamental steps to engage business owners in the federal contracting arena.
Study cites importance of specialized education for future innovative entrepreneurs
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Entrepreneurship education is becoming more available at American universities, and researchers are looking at the results, according to a new study supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy. The study is based on initial findings from a survey funded with a challenge grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to the Berkley Center for Entrepreneurial Studies of New York University.
Students who took an entrepreneurship class were more likely to have engaged in three types of "innovation": offering new products or services, obtaining patents or copyrights, and using production techniques that differ from those of the industry's main competitor. Not surprisingly, graduates who have taken such courses are significantly more likely to select careers in entrepreneurship.
"Entrepreneurship education is more and more available to people looking at career options, whether at the beginning of their working lives or in mid-career," said Chad Moutray, the office's chief economist. "The Office of Advocacy continues to examine the education of entrepreneurs and to encourage colleges and universities to include entrepreneurial research and data in their curricula."
Results suggest that there is a strong correlation between respondents having taken an entrepreneurial course and their self-reported skill in identifying new business-related opportunities. The researchers hope additional data will help instructors identify educational approaches to train prospective innovative entrepreneurs by helping them identify promising technological developments and other opportunities for innovation.
The study is based on a pilot survey of students at five universities conducted in April and June 2008. Lessons learned in this analysis will be incorporated in future surveys, which will include additional universities in the United States and elsewhere. The full study is available online at www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs353tot.pdf.
IRS Roundup:
What kind of records should small business owners keep?
The Internal Revenue Service frequently receives questions from small business owners concerning recordkeeping.
According to the IRS, you may choose any recordkeeping system suited to your business that clearly shows your income and expenses. Except in a few cases, the law does not require any special kind of records. However, the business you are in affects the type of records you need to keep for federal tax purposes.
Your recordkeeping system should also include a summary of your business transactions. This summary is ordinarily made in your business books (for example, accounting journals and ledgers). Your books must show your gross income, as well as your deductions and credits. For most small businesses, the business checkbook is the main source for entries in the business books.
Supporting business documents
Purchases, sales, payroll, and other transactions you have in your business will generate supporting documents such as invoices and receipts. Supporting documents include sales slips, paid bills, invoices, receipts, deposit slips, and canceled checks. These documents contain the information you need to record in your books. It is important to keep these documents because they support the entries in your books and on your tax return. You should keep them in an orderly fashion and in a safe place. For instance, organize them by year and type of income or expense. For more detailed information refer to Publication 583, Starting a Business and Keeping Records.
Read all IRS recordkeeping tips.
Ask a Specialist: Dissolving an LLC
Question: What procedure do I follow to dissolve the LLC I formed in Missouri several years ago?
Answer: To discontinue your Limited Liability Company, follow these four steps:
- Go to this Web site www.sos.mo.gov/forms.asp to download the forms "Articles of Termination for a Limited Liability Company" (LLC 5), and "Notice of Winding Up for Limited Liability Company" (LLC 13) to cancel your LLC registration with the Missouri secretary of state. Complete the forms and mail them with the required fee of $25 each to the address listed at the top of the form.
- (Note: Skip this step if you did not have employees.)
File your final income tax return with the IRS (Form 941). If you go out of business, you must file a final return for the last quarter in which wages are paid. See the Instructions for Form 941 for details on how to file a final return. (NOTE: All U.S.-based (domestic) taxpayers may file their Zero Wage Forms 941 by telephone using the 941TeleFile system. Eligible filers must have had: (a) no withholding, (b) no federal tax deposits, and (c) no taxes to report for the quarter. Dial 1-800-583-5345 (toll free) to use 941TeleFile.
- Complete MO Form 943 (dor.mo.gov/tax/misc/forms/943f.pdf) a "Request for Tax Clearance" and submit it to the Department of Revenue's Tax Clearance Unit (the address is on the bottom of the form). If you have questions about this form, please call the Tax Clearance Unit at 573-751-9268.
- On the local level, check with the city or county office that issued your merchants license to see if they have any special requirements to discontinue your operations.
Visit the Missouri Business Resource Library Web site for other tools and resources to help you with your business needs.
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