Brightway Insurance Announces Plans for Major Growth
Jacksonville based insurer, Brightway, intends to triple the number of offices it maintains over the next several years. Presently, Brightway operates 70 offices throughout the state of Florida. However, the ambitious expansion plan is set to begin in Georgia and extend into six (6) additional Southeastern states by the year 2015. Brightway estimates that its new business revenue will grow to over $250 million once this expansion phase is complete.
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Recently, current St. Joe Co. CEO Wm. Britt Greene released a statement to employees in response to the news of shareholders taking action against the embattled real estate developer. In addition, two members of its board of directors resigned after only six weeks of service. Greene assured the employees that despite these recent events, the company is still viable and "financially strong." 
A trademark is any name, word, symbol or device used by a manufacturer or merchant to identify his or her product or goods in order to distinguish them from those goods manufactured or sold by others.
Customers are very important and valuable to businesses. So when there is a conflict that rises to a level that may result in the loss of a customer, or worse, litigation, there needs to be a way to resolve it. It is always better for both parties to manage the conflict initially, or, if that is not successful, through an alternate dispute resolution method - such as mediation. Alternate dispute resolution, or conflict management, is important for all businesses because litigation can be very expensive, even devastating, to both the business' reputation and its bottom line. 
Steve McKee, author of When Growth Stalls: How it Happens, Why You're Stuck and What to do About It, stated that “every business lives or dies by its brand.” Few owners invest the time or money they should into their brand. "Brand neglect" can occur imperceptibly, through weak or non-existent branding strategies, poor articulation or visuals, or inconsistent brand messages. Many business owners do not notice it happening because brand neglect often happens slowly. A business’ brand is its ultimate asset and should not be mismanaged. Brands can increase in value if they are well-managed. For example, the market value of Coca-Cola’s brand is more than $70 billion. Disney’s brand is worth $28 billion and McDonald’s brand is worth more than $33 billion. While your brand may not be worth that amount, it is an asset worth protecting and enhancing. 
Home Depot has recognized that it needs to appeal more to women, who make up half of its customers. Due to the current situation of the housing market, big items and major renovation supplies are not selling like they once were. As a result, management has modified its store presentation and product line to entice their underperforming market segment - women purchases. Specifically, Home Depot is promoting small projects this spring, in an effort to get female customers excited about a home makeover. In addition, Home Depot is offering Martha Stewart Living products that bear a certain icon so a buyer can match pieces for different rooms, such as a living room or bathroom. This helps to create matching rooms without searching for coordinating pieces. 
LinkedIn Corp., the leading website for professional networking, plans to raise at least $175 million through an IPO in the hopes of debuting on the stock market within the next three to four months.
As a creator of original content, especially on the internet, you must be constantly vigilant and take quick, affirmative steps to stop those who may try and merely reproduce it. But as the internet has grown, and become an excellent source of advertising, “authors” and various websites have begun the practice of copying works and using citations or link-backs in an effort to minimize the appearance of plagiarism.
Although unemployment is at 9.4 percent, the amount of job postings on job search engines are rising. This may be a good sign of more employers hiring as more employers have begun to post job openings online. These recent increased on line job-posting numbers are very encouraging. As always, any responses to online requests for information should be critically viewed to reduce the risk that the "wrong person" is securing personal information about you. Some suggestions to prevent this may be to check the email address for authenticity, or to call the potential employer to ensure the posting is still active.
In November, 2010, the SEC released a 181-page set of proposed rules for the execution of the new whistleblower provisions enacted as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which encourage whistleblowers to report violations to the SEC by offering payments for information. Any individual, or individuals, who provide(s) information relating to a violation or potential violation of the securities laws to the SEC is a whistleblower. Certain individuals, however, are barred from receiving compensation for supplying information to the SEC. Those individuals convicted of crimes related to the violation, individuals who discovered the information by completing audits of financial statements, and those who knowingly provide false, fabricated, or fraudulent information are some excluded from receiving a bounty. 
Popularity does not automatically equal legality. It is common to see videos posted on YouTube including a portion of a popular song. This is called sampling, which is a copyright infringement and is illegal in most instances. Before using or distributing a copyrighted work, always obtain permission. If consent is not acquired, then you are probably infringing on someone else's copyright. 
Crowdfunding, microlending, credit unions, bootstrapping and the slow money movement are five financing trends that could have an impact on companies in 2011. 
JPMorgan Chase is issuing checks after learning of overcharges and errors in its handling of 4,000 service members’ mortgages. Chase has resolved thirteen of the fourteen cases of service members that were forced into foreclosure and is working on resolving the last case. The errors were recognized after a lawsuit was filed by a Marine fighter pilot - specifically - errors were made in the handling of loans of service members who requested their rights under the Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act. 
Despite owning the tagline “Happiest Place on Earth,” Disney does not employ the happiest workers in the United States. Disney and other well-known companies rank lower than all four branches of the military and the National Guard according to a new survey for the “most blissful places to work.” Growth opportunity, benefits and job security were ranked higher for the military. Companies could learn from the military’s unique programs that provide opportunities to grow and improve skills, creating a happier work environment. 
Twitter and Facebook have both become popularized by millions of internet users. But what began as a social phenomenon has morphed into something new as businesses are starting to harness this constant stream of information and potential customers. 
Recently, I was going through the iPhone App Store and I saw that there are a few free tax-related Apps. The first App was published by the IRS and is entitled “IRS2Go”. It is a free App which allows you to track your refund status, sign-up to receive tax updates via email, follow the IRS on Twitter – if you feel inclined to do so – and finally gives you different ways to contact the IRS based upon what your specific questions are. The App is very simple and easy to use.
The phrase “small business growth” seems to be a popular topic in the business community. In 2010, small business trends reflected that the amount of businesses sold was up 3% from 2009. Although the average sales price fell 6.3% to 150,000 in 2010 from $160,000 the previous year, sales in the fourth quarter increased by 11% from 2009. Transactions increased, in part, due to business owners being more realistic about their businesses value, allowing more negotiations and deals to take place. 
Knowing the difference between a patent, trademark, servicemark, and copyright is important for when you need to apply for one. A patent is for an invention and grants a property right to the inventor. The Patent and Trademark Office issues the patent, setting the term of a new patent at 20 years from the date the application was filed. The right granted by the patent is the right to exclude others from “making, using, offering for sale or selling” the invention within the United States. It does not grant the right to make, use, etc. to the person who holds the patent, simply the right to exclude others. 
