3 Pittsburgh Companies Go Social

3 Pittsburgh companies are going on to the national Social Madness competition! 4CTechnologies, NexTier, and 4moms will be representing the city over the next few weeks- keep your eyes peeled!

National Round 1 of Social Madness began this week with three Pittsburgh-area companies competing with winners from other American City Business Journal markets.
4CTechnologies, a Forest Hills-based business consulting and software engineering firm, won in the local small category and is now in the national small category.
Local medium category winner NexTier Bank, a financial services company based in Butler, is now competing in the national small category.
Strip District-based 4moms, a robotics company that makes high-end baby products, dominated the local large category and is now in the national large category.
National round 1 runs until July 22. Round 2 will also be an open format from July 23-29. The remaining rounds will consist of a bracket format, where companies compete head-to-head. National winners will be announced Aug. 20. The three Social Madness national winners each will have the right to designate a charity to receive $10,000.

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Keep an eye out for the upcoming National Small Business week here in Pittsburgh!

Pittsburgh-area entrepreneurs looking to start or grow their small business will get useful international trade strategies, tips on obtaining certifications and best practices from successful local business leaders on June 20 at the U.S. Small Business Administration's National Small Business Week event. 

The informational sessions and workshops will be held at the Pittsburgh Technical Institute in Oakdale, Pa. SBA Administrator Karen Mills will lead an armchair discussion with leaders from Pittsburgh's nationally-acclaimed startup accelerator, AlphaLab. Mills, Jim Jen, executive director of AlphaLab and Ilana Diamond, managing director of AlphaLab Gear will discuss early stage business development for small companies and give advice on what small businesses need to succeed and grow. 

Breakout sessions on certifications for small businesses, crowdfunding and speed mentoring sessions will also be featured. Other highlights include an economic overview address by the chief economist for PNC Bank, a luncheon address by Chesapeake Energy's vice president and executives from 84 Lumber, Innovation 21 and staff from local universities will also be on hand to dispense advice. 

A discussion on the "Pittsburgh Entrepreneurial Ecosystem" will be led by local business leaders and moderated by Seton Hill University's E-Magnify Director Jayne Huston, an SBA Women's Business Center. 

The June 20 Pittsburgh-area National Small Business Week event will be live streamed at www.sba.gov/smallbusinessweek. The live streaming of all National Small Business Week events is provided by Microsoft. 

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Pittsburgh: Standard-Bearer for Urban Revitalization

The Wall Street Journal takes an insider look at what Pittsburgh has to offer, especially when it comes to job seekers, entrepreneurs, and academics.

THIS IS ONE RUST BELT town that's gotten a polish. After decades of losing jobs and residents, Pittsburgh has become a standard-bearer for urban revitalization. 

Joining its distinctive, bridge-studded skyline are ambitious buildings like the modernist Tower at PNC Plaza, expected to open in 2015 as the world's greenest skyscraper, and the Gardens at Market Square, a $90 million high-rise. Downtown is undergoing a gold rush, with old factories and closed department stores being converted rapid-fire into apartments and spaces for new businesses. 

Andrew Carnegie created the city's cultural backbone more than a century ago, founding what would become the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. Today the institution includes the Andy Warhol Museum, an homage to the native son's more-than-15 minutes of fame, and home to thousands of paintings, sculptures, photographs and films. The city's contemporary art scene thrives in gallery-heavy neighborhoods such as Garfield and East Liberty, while Lawrenceville hosts an annual 24-hour mass exhibition called Art All Night. The Western Pennsylvanian hub also wears its sporting pride proudly, with three centrally located arenas—the Steelers' Heinz Field, the Pirates' PNC Park and the Penguins' Consol Energy Center—drawing the black-and-gold masses (almost everyone, in other words) year-round.

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What It Means to Be an Entrepreneur Now

Entrepreneur Magazine editor-in-chief Amy Cosper talks with Mondelez International vice president of global media Bonin Bough about what the word "entrepreneur" means today. Once the term conjured images of snake-oil purveyors and out-of-work scamsters. In the popular lexicon, entrepreneurs have become known as people who create businesses in markets where there were none before. - See more at: http://www.entrepreneur.com/video/226837#sthash.NuoXz3VU.dpuf

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Pennsylvania Jobless Rate Declines

Pennsylvania has remained resilient against the national trend that has been making unemployment rates rising, making it an excellent time for job seekers continue the search.

Pennsylvania's unemployment rate dropped in April with the third-largest monthly decline on record. The jobless rate is 7.6 percent, down three-tenths of one percent compared to March, according to data released Friday by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. There were 13,000 more jobs added in the month statewide. "April was a tremendous month for job growth and the state’s employment situation," Labor & Industry Secretary Julia Hearthway said in a prepared statement.

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$100K goes to 6 Pittsburgh startups

Urban Innovation21 has given out a total of $100,000 to companies in Pittsburgh within the Leystone Innovation Zone:

Six Pittsburgh-area startups operating in redeveloping neighborhoods are receiving grants from the economic development group Urban Innovation21. The group dolled out a total of $100,000 to companies under the Pittsburgh Central Keystone Innovation Zone (PCKIZ) program. The awards do not include dividends or equity but are part of the group’s mission to ensure that the growing technology scene also benefits traditionally underserved communities. 

The following grants were awarded to: 

Rubitection Inc. for $25,000
Embedded Energy Technology LLC for $25,000
ActivAided Orthotics for $15,000
Community Elf for $15,000
HeadRight Games LLC for $15,000
Trincula’s Attic for $5,000

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Grow Your Business Through Recommendation

Many small business owners ask themselves if it is possible to expand using the feedback from customers. Is it possible? How is it done anyway?

At a time when one-click LinkedIn endorsements are stacking up faster than rush-hour traffic, obtaining sincerely worded recommendations is a lot like pulling into the carpool lane. You have to invest upfront in planning, personal contact and collaboration, but the effort is rewarded by access to a less-crowded environment and a quicker route to building credibility and trust.

Sit back and collect endorsements LinkedIn endorsements verify what you do (though most of us on LinkedIn have been endorsed for some skill we don't possess), while recommendations detail how you do what you do and the unique value you deliver.

LinkedIn endorsements are what social networkers call "lite" recommendations and what Forbes writer Eve Mayer likens to a "Stove Top stuffing version," with less "meatiness than Grandma's homemade stuffing."

Endorsements are easy to give and even easier to get. With no input beyond LinkedIn-provided prompts, your LinkedIn contacts simply click endorsement buttons -- at a reported rate of 10 million times daily. And while the endorsements, in the words of detractors, may serve as little more than "eye candy," they require no energy on your part, leaving you free to steer your efforts toward developing thoughtfully worded recommendations instead.

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