vtSDA News Archive
Looking for something we posted some time back? Check out the following older news items regarding the vtSDA.
Happy Birthday, vtSDA!
1.19.2010 - Dear Members and Friends of the vtSDA:Our organization is celebrating its fifth birthday this month! I encourage all of you to tip your hats in the direction of the founders who saw the need and took action to create our growing organization. Over five short years, we've gone from an informal group of small businesses, to a formal corporation with an office, staff, and a vibrant mission.
From the very beginning, we have focussed our efforts on creating awareness of the software industry, identifying funding sources for software companies, and supporting our member companies so that they grow and thrive. We are especially proud of the grants we have received from the state and federal government which have allowed us to focus on workforce development and educational outreach.
We are quite fortunate to have the cooperation and support of Seven Days, CEDO, the colleges and universities in Vermont, VSAC, and the State of Vermont in producing the Vermont 3.0 Tech Jams.
Each of these Tech Jams brought together businesses, students, and potential employees in a fun yet serious event that drove home the point that there are plenty of high-tech career opportunities right here in Vermont. Within a month of the very first Vermont 3.0 event, companies that participated in the event had increased their employment ranks by 20 people; and that was only the beginning!
While we are proud of what we've accomplished, I am even more excited about what the vtSDA has planned for the future. Like most other software alliances around the country, we continue to receive inquiries from similar companies that focus on more than just software. The alliances from Maine, Boston, and Utah all predicted we would grow into a hi-tech alliance, and our experiences with the Vermont 3.0 Tech Jams support their predictions.
We are strengthening our ties to the schools in Vermont so as to encourage students at an early age to think about hi-tech careers. We plan to add more formal training events to our repertoire that go beyond our monthly Lunch & Learns, covering topics as diverse as Financial Planning and Project Management.
These plans came out of the surveys and feedback we received from you - our members and friends of the organization. I encourage you to continue to share your ideas and needs with us, as they are the seeds that will allow us to continue our growth into a state-wide, self supporting, organization of successful and thriving member companies.
Happy Birthday vtSDA and here's to a vibrant future for everyone involved!
John Canning
vtSDA President
Happy Holidays!
12.11.2009 - The vtSDA would just like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. Stay warm and be merry!We've moved!
11.01.2009 - The vtSDA has obtained new offices and conference space on the second floor of the Champlain Mill. This move puts us in a great location and will enable us to continue our efforts to support and grow the Vermont software industry.
Please note that all future Lunch & Learns will be held at this new location. Attend our next meeting to check out our new digs!
Vermont 3.0 Innovation Jam
The vtSDA is a proud sponsor and organizer of the 3rd installment of this fun software, technology and innovation event! As part of our involvement, the vtSDA has arranged to give vtSDA members a discount on booths!
- Less than 10 employees: $200
- 10 or more employees: $325
A Note from John Canning
7.08.2009
When the vtSDA was formed, one of the most common concerns raised by founding members was the difficulty they have in securing loans to help grow their business. I am pleased to share with you today some news from the Small Business Administration that will make it much easier for a software company, be they large or small, to secure a loan. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the SBA has revised their guidelines and added a new program that could benefit the many one and two-person software developers in Vermont.
Microloan Program
With this program, a company can borrow up to $35,000 through this program over a six month period. The money is borrowed at a fixed and relatively low interest rate and no payments are due in the first year. You can pay the loan off as quickly as you like, but it must be paid off completely within six years. The money can be used for equipment, leasehold improvements, or working capital.
If you were to borrow the full amount, pay it off over five years, and took advantage of the no payments in the first year option, your monthly payment would be in the $700 to $800 range. The application process is quite straight forward; the most complicated thing you will have to do is produce copies of your recent personal and corporate tax returns.
SBA Express Loan
This program has been revamped in ways that will be quite attractive to companies with three or more employees. Under this program, a company can borrow up to $350,000 as either a line of credit or a term note. The line of credit will be good for seven years, while the length of the term note can vary.
In the past finding collateral for a loan has always been the challenge for software companies since they rarely own a building, have inventory, or a gigantic pile of receivables. Under this program, the company borrowing the money only has to find collateral worth $35,000.
The application process is also streamlined and your bank should be able to give you a decision in a matter of days rather than weeks. In addition, the ARRA allows the SBA to waive the closing fees on loans funded in 2009. This alone can save a business over $8,000 on a $350,000 loan.
Documentation
The SBA was kind enough to provide us with three PDF files - the first is an overview of all of their lending programs, and the other two are press releases that highlight specific aspects of the improvements made under the ARRA. The links are includedjust below.
SBA Loan Chart
SBA Capital Loan Program
SBA Improved Financing
If your business is in the need of financing, I expect the improvements made to the SBA programs will be of great benefit to your business. If you decide to apply for a loan, I encourage you to speak with several banks about your financing needs.
I wish you all the best in growing your business! Enjoy the newsletter!
Sincerely,
John Canning
President
vtSDA Board of Directors
Job fair helps dispel gloom
By Tim Johnson Burlington Free Press Staff WriterMarch 31, 2009
Maybe it takes a job fair to dispel the popular notion that there aren't any openings out there.
Just days after Vermont's unemployment rate rose to 7 percent, the highest level in 17 years, more than 90 employers turned out for Champlain College's spring job fair Monday, and many of them -- from Kmart to Northwestern Medical Center to Dealer.com -- are hiring....
Special Announcement
The following is a fond farewell message from our Executive Director, Patrick Martell. Please take a moment and read. Patrick's last day at the vtSDA will be Friday, March 20th, 2009.
We wish you the best of luck Patrick!
Call for Private Sector SBIR Phase (0) and IF - Intent to Submit Letters
Deadlines for the VT EPSCoR Private Sector SBIR Phase (0), Use of Facilities and Innovation Fund (IF) awards are as follows:
SBIR Phase (0) - due April 30, 2009
Use of Facilities - due April 30, 2009
Innovation Fund - due April 15, 2009
To see the full RFPs for submission guidelines, please visit the web at:
- If you plan to submit a proposal for any of these programs, please send an "Intent to Submit" email message to epscor@uvm.edu by February 25, 2009.
- Indicate the name(s) of the applicant(s), the tentative project title and program that you intend to apply for in your email.
- Please enter "Intent to Submit" in the Subject Line of your email message.
- The "Intent to Submit" email is NON-BINDING should you be unable to submit a full proposal on the due date.
- Questions? email epscor@uvm.edu
Dealer.com sells 20 percent of company for $35M to Montreal media company
Fri Jan 23 2009
Related Company: Dealer.com, Inc.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Jan. 20, 2009) - Trader Corporation (Trader), the vertical media business of Yellow Pages Income Fund (TSX:YLO.UN), announced today it has entered into a strategic agreement with Burlington, Vermont-based Dealer.com (www.Dealer.com) that will deliver a suite of marketing technology solutions to Canada's new and used vehicle industry.
Trader and Dealer.com have signed a long-term, exclusive commercial agreement making Dealer.com's web solutions available to Trader's extensive customer base in Canada served under its AutoTraderTM brand. Concurrent with the commercial agreement, Trader will also take a 20 per cent equity interest in Dealer.com for US$35 million, with the option to increase its ownership in the privately held company over time ...
Bjarne Stroustrup on Educating Software Developers
Bjarne Stroustrup is a leading figure in modern software development. As the designer of the C++ language ? used in everything from the Google search engine to the iPhone ? his contribution has impacted countless development projects.
After 24 years as a researcher at Bell Labs, in 2002 Stroustrup became a professor at Texas A&M University, where he holds the College of Engineering Chair in Computer Science. The experience has given him insight into the all-important task of educating tomorrow?s software developers ....
Vermont 3.0 Is Poised For Another Go!
Vermont 3.0?s last Creative Technology Career Jam on January 26, 2008, was so successful, they?re doing it again!
Event Details
Saturday, October 25, 200810 a.m. - 5 p.m. Champlain CollegeFree admission
Be sure to stop by booth #25B at the Vermont Business Expo this May 21st and 22nd! This is the vtSDA's fourth year at the Sheraton at Burlingon event, spreading awareness of our member companies and touting the future plans for the organization.
Don't miss it!
Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce Internship Board
May 7th, 2008
The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce has just launched their new Internsip Board. It is a website dedicated to facilitating connections between employers and potential interns. They list only paid internships and act as a central location for finding workforce resources in the community. Posting your paid IT and software intern positions is encouraged.
Check out the website for complete details.
[Internship Board][Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce]State of Vermont Offers Pre-Qualification RFP
April 2nd, 2008
In response to the concerns raised by the vtSDA and others about the lengthy process to bid on state contracts the State has just issued an RFP to pre-qualify IT vendors for development and support services provided to state agencies. Companies that respond to the RFP and meet the minimum requirements will be added to a "qualified vendor list" in certain categories. State agencies can quickly award future project and support work to companies on this list. Larger state projects will still required a traditional RFP.
The Pre-qualification RFP is a great way for the smaller VT firms to build a relationship with a state agencies and to grow your businesses.
If you have questions, you will need to follow the Q & A process outlines in the RFP.
[Pre-Qualification RFP Link][Other Open RFPs]New England's Economy
March 10th, 2008The Community Development Advisory Council has put together a presentation regarding New England's Economy.
Green thinking vs. great access: A tale of two high-tech contenders
Ambitious Vermont needs what Westchester County, N. Y., has: broadbandOctober 30, 2007 (Computerworld) -- When IBM on Tuesday said it had come up with a way to recycle silicon chips into solar panels, the dateline on its press release was from Burlington, Vt. It's the kind of environmental-related news that fits in with this state's high-tech ambitions and green sensibilities. [more >>>]Martell is first director of Vermont software group
9.28.2007 -- Patrick Martell is just now rolling up his sleeves as the first executive director of the Vermont Software Developers' Alliance, but the three-year old group has already laid out the groundwork so Martell could hit the ground running ...
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vtSDA Hires New Executive Director
8.15.2007 -- The Vermont Software Developers' Alliance (vtSDA) announced the hiring of Patrick Martellas its new Executive Director.
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