Business Administration

Small-business owners are reasonably optimistic about their own companies despite uncertainties that could rattle the economy this year, experts say.Among the unknowns are the impact of economic woes in Asia and South America, President Clinton's political viability and the year 2000 computer problem."

Business owner Sarian Bouma spent one year on welfare, and she says that was more than enough.She has since used her business acumen to help others move from dependence to independence. And for her efforts, Bouma has been named a national winner of the U.S. Small Business Administration 1998 Welfare to Work Entrepreneur award.As founder and chief executive of Capitol Hill Building Maintenance Inc., a janitorial services company based in St. Mary's County with offices in Prince George's County and Norfolk, Va., Bouma has hired the homeless, poor, elderly and even people on work-release.

Buschman Design-Build wins Remodeler awardBuschman Design-Build of Marriottsville was recently honored with a Remodeler of the Year Award by the Maryland Improvement Contractors Association.The award, which recognizes remodeling contractors for design and craftsmanship, was presented during a banquet at the Museum of Industry in Baltimore last month.The winning project, in the category of "Best Residential Exterior," involved the exterior remodeling of the front of a ranch-style house in Howard County.

ATLANTA -- Pledging to spark more economic growth and prosperity among African-Americans, Vice President Al Gore yesterday announced a goal of $1.4 billion in new loans for black small-business owners nationwide, including developing a Baltimore center.The new loan initiative, to be administered by the Small Business Administration, will be buttressed by seven community development centers to educate black entrepreneurs. The announcement is timely for Baltimore, where City Council President Lawrence A. Bell III has spent months prodding area banks for more business capital in black neighborhoods.

WASHINGTON -- To many Republicans and Democrats in Washington, the Money Store could not have a better name.In the past 15 years, it has been not only the nation's largest lender of loans backed by the Small Business Administration (SBA), but one of the biggest campaign donors in the industry.The company and its executives have contributed and raised more than $400,000 for Republicans and Democrats over the past two years.In the same period, Money Store Investment Corp. has persuaded lawmakers and Clinton administration officials to block a regulation that senior career officials at the SBA say would reduce the likelihood of a huge taxpayer bailout, should the economy turn sour, and with it the Money Store's fortunes.

Women business owners can now hook up with hard-to-find private investors in a whole new way -- by logging onto the Internet. And eventually, they'll be surfing the World Wide Web to compete for government contracts, too.In a public-private alliance, the U.S. Small Business Administration is designing the two new Internet programs for all businesses. But the programs should especially help eliminate barriers and level the playing field for women business owners, SBA officials told Baltimore-area business owners yesterday.

Managed care official named at Carroll hospitalDavid Horn has been appointed vice president of marketing, business development and managed care at Carroll County General Hospital.Horn comes to Carroll from Children's Health System in Norfolk, Va. He also has been a medical administrator in the Navy.He holds a bachelor's degree in health and business administration from the University of Cincinnati and a master's degree in health policy and administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

No one can accuse J. William Knott of being an outsider.The 39-year-old area president of First Union National Bank of Maryland grew up in Baltimore and is a member of the sprawling Knott family.His grandfather, Henry A. Knott, was a local construction mogul, and his uncle, Henry J. Knott Sr., who died last year, a philanthropist and treasurer for former Gov. Marvin Mandel."Prestige doesn't mean anything," he said. "I took this job because I have a chance to positively impact, influence and make decisions in the town I grew up in."

WASHINGTON -- A dispute over whether political connections influenced the Clinton administration's trade policy escalated yesterday, with senior Republicans demanding that the White House release a raft of sensitive documents removed from the Commerce Department by an outgoing official.The White House has refused to let Congress see some of the documents and has warned it might assert executive privilege to protect them. This is a rarely used device that allows presidents to keep certain communications secret.

Business managers pinched for time, but who long for the letters M.B.A. after their names, can earn the degree by attending classes once a week at the University of Baltimore Merrick School of Business.The university is offering a master's of business administration program that meets on Saturdays for eight 10-week semesters.The program can be completed in two years. It is scheduled to begin in July."Our goal is to make our programs as convenient as possible for working students," said University of Baltimore President H. Mebane Turner.

Leon Faruq, the director of Safe Streets for Living Classrooms who spent 27 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit, died Wednesday at Sinai Hospital, where he was being treated for kidney disease. He was 58. Mr. Faruq - who was Leon Awkard Jr. until his conversion to Islam - was born in Olney and raised in Northeast Washington, the eldest of five children. His run-ins with the law began early. He was 13 when he started breaking into cars, houses and stores, which resulted in his being sent away by his family to a juvenile institution.

WASHINGTON -Working to jump-start the economy's engine of job creation, President Obama announced yesterday that up to $15 billion will be spent to boost lending to credit-hungry small businesses. The new effort was also meant to allay criticism that the White House has focused too much on the needs of fallen financial titans on Wall Street and not enough on the economic damage to small businesses. The financial crisis has dried up most commercial lending, including the lines of credit that are the lifeblood of small business, which historically has created about 70 percent of the economy's new jobs.

When Leslie Faison started a master's program in criminal justice, it seemed like a good idea to quit work and attend school full time. She wanted to spend more time with her young daughter and, with the economy doing well, finding another job did not sound very difficult. Yesterday, looking radiant in her cap and gown at a University of Baltimore graduation ceremony, Faison said that she wished that she had hung on to her job and studied part time. She's having a hard time finding a job in the grim economic climate - many of the agencies to which she has applied are under a hiring freeze, and the others are flooded with applicants.

Awards *Jennifer Lewis, president of Frederick-based Lewis Web Solutions, received Small Business Administration state and regional awards for being selected as the 2008 Home Based Business Champion. *Manekin LLC, a commercial real estate management and development firm based in Columbia, was named Green Business of the Year by the Baltimore Business Journal. *The Baltimore office of the Reznick Group, the national accounting, business consulting and tax services firm, received the 2008 Governor's Volunteer Service Award.

You have a great business idea. And your well-crafted plan is ready to go. Now comes the even harder part: Finding money. Or, rather, securing the right type of financing. It can be a daunting task. The U.S. Small Business Administration says "inadequate and ill-timed financing is a close second" among the most frequently given reasons why businesses fail. (Poor management is No. 1.) But seed money is out there in many forms if you know where to look. And even if you find a source or two, there are big decisions to make.

Michael E. King, retired president of a Baltimore publishing company, died of cancer Monday at the home of a nephew in Mebane, N.C. He was 69. Mr. King was born and raised in Henderson, N.C., and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1960 from East Carolina University. He taught business courses for two years at Parkville High School until joining H.M. Rowe Co. as an editor in 1962. He later became president of the company on North Gilmor Street, which specializes in business textbooks.

Marguerite B. "Marge" Martin, a quality control manager and outdoorswoman, died at Sinai Hospital Sept. 15, five days after being injured while riding her bicycle. The Roland Park resident was 61. Ms. Martin, who was wearing a helmet, was found unconscious on North Charles Street near Cold Spring Lane from a severe injury to the back of her head. City police said yesterday that there was no indication a vehicle had been involved. The former Marguerite Baum was born in Baltimore and raised in Howard Park.

Gilchrest to hold business forums Republican U.S. Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest will hold two forums to help business owners learn about opportunities for doing business with the federal government. Speakers will include representatives of the General Services Administration, the Small Business Administration and the Procurement and Technical Assistance Centers. Other guests will be small business owners who have been through the process and who will share tips and techniques. Various government agencies will have booths.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Toppled from her perch as one of Silicon Valley's most powerful women a little over a year ago, Carleton S. "Carly" Fiorina has put together a new life that retains some of the trappings, if not the influence, of an elite corporate insider. Since Hewlett-Packard's board showed her the door on Feb. 8, 2005, the ousted chief executive has been crisscrossing the globe - and commanding big bucks - speaking about how to be a good leader. In lots of little ways, Fiorina's past year has been about trading places.

Shanell Williams, Woodlawn SPORT Basketball GIRLS STATS -- A captain for the Warriors, the 5-foot-9 forward averages 8.4 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. She is an Amateur Athletic Union veteran who began playing in the Edmondson Recreation Council when she was 10. She played on the 2004 Warriors basketball team that reached the state Class 4A final. She also played volleyball for the Warriors. SIDELINES -- Listed in Who's Who Among American High School Students, the senior has a 3.02 grade point average and is a member of the National Honor Society.