Expo Offers Ways for Businesses to Keep Louisville Weird through Buying Locally

The Louisville Independent Business Alliance (LIBA), an alliance of over 750 locally owned and independent businesses, will hold the first Louisville Local Business Expo on Thursday, January 14th at the Clifton Center, 2117 Payne Street. The expo will showcase all local and independent "Business-to-Business" companies, giving business purchasing decision makers the opportunity to explore local options for their needs. The event is open to LIBA members only from 1:00pm-2:00pm and will be open to the general public from 2:00pm-5:00pm. Admission is free with a business card.

Making a shift in our purchasing habits can have big effects on our local economy, keeping more dollars circulating locally. This applies to both our personal and business decisions. A market shift of just 10% to local independent businesses would retain an additional $416 million in our regional economy, which helps all of Louisville businesses.

"We've had great response from our members - the booths filled up immediately after we announced it," said Lance Minnis, LIBA Board member, chair of the Expo committee and partner in Commonwealth Financial Advisors LLC. "We've found that often people will take the 'buy local' message to heart in their personal habits, but don't necessarily think of applying that to their business life."

"Keeping Louisville weird is about more than where you buy gifts or groceries," says Jennifer Rubenstein, Director of LIBA. "Having a healthy 'BtoB' community reinvesting our dollars is an important piece."

The event will feature:

• Booths from 35+ local companies
• A "Local Love" gift bag for the first 150 people who register to attend in advance at www.keeplouisvilleweird.com/localexpo
• "Office Hours" session where attendees can sign up in advance for free, 20 minute consultations with professionals in various fields. The sessions provide an opportunity to ask specific questions about your business with a local, independent expert. Examples of industries represented include Accounting, Human Resources, Payroll, Social Media, Credit Card Acceptance, Technology, Advertising & Marketing, etc.
• Insightful programming will be offered through dynamic, 20 minute, TED-style talks, including: Healthy Humor Isn't Just For Laughs: The Secret To Fueling Business Success With Humor (Dr. Clifford Kuhn, The Laugh Doctor),  They Drive Me Crazy! Understanding the Millennial Mindset (Cara Silletto, Crescendo Strategies), How to Develop Your Own Online Tribe (Joel Gerdis, The Content Squad), and Building Your Business Through Referrals (Mike Gandolfo, RE Solutions).

Visit www.keeplouisvilleweird.com/localexpo for details, registration and office hour sign ups. This event is presented by DMLO, with support from Commonwealth Financial Advisors, Total Office Products & Service, Wimsett & Co., XBE, MediaIMPACT Technologies, Mackey Printing, Advanced Payroll Systems, The Floor Store, Insider Louisville, Louisville Magazine, Louisville Public Media, Office Environment Company, One Thing Marketing, RE Solutions, Trimen Solutions and USA Printing & Promotions.

About the Louisville Independent Business Alliance

Celebrating 10 Years of Weird in 2015, LIBA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve the unique community character of the Metro Louisville area by promoting locally-owned businesses and to educate citizens on the value of buying locally. For more information about LIBA, visit www.keeplouisvilleweird.com. 

TARC will be adjusting services on seven bus routes effective Sunday, January 31st. 

Most of the service changes involve minor adjustments to pick-up times in response to traffic conditions and delays. 

Route #18 will be adjusted. Trips to and from Valley Village will reroute over Dixie Highway to Watson Lane where a new bus loop with a park & TARC lot is located. Valley Village trips will no longer operate on Pendleton Road, Kinross Blvd., Ethan Allen Way, Tennis Blvd., Nathan Hale Way and Sandray Blvd.

For more changes visit TARC's website here!

Are you interested in serving on a Board or Commission?

Interested in learning more about the many different Boards or Commissions?

Apply online and search for current vacancies here:

https://louisvilleky.gov/government/mayor-greg-fischer/boards-and-commissions-list

City Launches Louisville Sells Targeted to Sales Professionals

In response to the growing number of unfilled sales positions, the city is launching Louisville Sells, a training program that combines online education with hands-on workshops to build the skills to become a successful sales professional, Mayor Greg Fischer announced today.

Over the course of the two-day workshops, participants will complete online courses through Lynda.com, a comprehensive online class site. The workshop will be facilitated by local employment experts, and will end in an employer panel from companies such as JAVS, Impact Sales Systems, ADT, Roppel Industries, and Signarama Louisville-East. The workshop will consist of interactive mock sales activities and live sales presentations.

“Trained sales professionals are in high demand in our region and we want to make sure our workforce is ready and prepared,” Fischer said. “Louisville Sells is an excellent opportunity for community members who are interested in sales to enhance their current skill set by learning new sales fundamentals and techniques.”

Curriculum will prepare students for jobs from inside and outside sales to sales management and commission-based jobs. It also will prepare those in non-traditional sales jobs for career advancement opportunities by enhancing their sales and communications techniques. In the Louisville area, the average entry-level salary for a sales position ranges from $30,000 - $50,000 per year.

Louisville Forward and KentuckianaWorks are partnering to offer the Louisville Sells training.

"In synch with Mayor Fischer's strategy for growing jobs and wages, we are super-focused on those sectors where we can have the greatest impact, and sales is near the top,” said Michael Gritton, executive director of KentuckianaWorks. "There is a sales component to just about every business and Louisville Sells will be a valuable resource for getting people into sales positions or honing their skills and advancing their existing careers."

The first workshop will be held on January 25 and 28, 2016 at the Louisville Central Community Center located at 1300 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd, 40203. Workshops will soon be announced for March and May with additional workshops planned for later in the year.

In addition to a call for participants, Fischer is asking for more local employers to be involved with the Louisville Sells workshops. Opportunities for employers include participating in live sales presentations, becoming a mentor, offering job shadowing opportunities or hosting a two-day seminar. Interested companies are encouraged to contact KentuckianaWorks at (502)574-4398.

To sign up for the first Louisville Sells workshop, visit http://www.kentuckianaworks.org/LouisvilleSells

See the latest scams in BBB’s January 2016 Hot Topics

1.    Beware of advance fee check scams. A local consumer submitted her resume on Indeed.com and was offered a housekeeping job. The scammer claimed to be in Turkey with a sick child. The job seeker received a check in the mail for $3450, was told to keep a portion of the check as an “advance” for housekeeping services, and to wire back $2400 via Western Union. Never wire money to someone you do not know!

2.    Don’t fall for job scams. A local job seeker received a text message from a scammer, saying they had reviewed her resume and wanted to offer her a job. The job seeker was directed to Google hangouts where questions were answered for more than an hour. The job seeker was then informed she had to pay $155 for software and the company would “reimburse her.” This is a scam!

3.      A scam email claims to protect you from scam emails! The message, with the subject line “Mailbox Helpdesk” (or something similar) states that “new security updates need to be performed on our servers, due to the rate of phishing.” To get the update, just click the link and log into the IT help desk. The “software” to protect your inbox is actually a phishing scam itself. Clicking on the link will download malware to your computer.

4.    BBB is already getting calls this year on the IRS Scam. Scammers pose as the IRS and tell local consumers they are going to be arrested on an outstanding warrant for taxes owed. To cancel the warrant, they are told to pay immediately through Money Gram.

5.    It’s a scam that won’t go away! Scammers are posing as Publisher’s Clearing House, telling local consumers they have won a cash prize. BBB has received several calls already this year. All the “winner” has to do is wire money for taxes and fees. Never pay money to claim a prize!

6.    Local consumers are receiving calls from PC Support saying there is a security issue with their computer. They say they can fix the problem for a fee. They take your money, log into your computer remotely, then add malware to your computer to steal your identity. This is a scam!

7.    Check your Credit Report for FREE at www.annualcreditreport.com! You can check your credit report, up to three times annually, once from each of the credit reporting agencies. Check all information to make sure it is correct and to be sure that no one stole your identity!

8.    It’s tax time! Choose a Tax Preparer wisely! Before you hire a tax professional, find out what the service fees are before the return is prepared. Avoid preparers who base their fee on a percentage of your refund. Only use a tax preparer that signs your return and provides you with a copy. Avoid anyone who asks you to sign a blank tax form. You are ultimately responsible for your tax return! Check out tax preparers at www.bbb.org.

9.    Is your New Year’s resolution to join a Health Club? Before you sign on the dotted line, check on cleanliness, adequacy of space, and other factors that are important to you. Also, consider your budget. Ask the club about enrollment fees and ongoing monthly costs. Find out if there is a contract, and what the fee is if you cancel it. Last, check out the business at www.bbb.org. 

10.  Be a Smart Consumer in 2016! Do your research on businesses and charities by going to www.bbb.org. Keep your computer safe by installing anti-virus software. Get everything in writing. Do not just take someone’s word for it. Never wire money to someone you do not know. Last, protect yourself from scam artists by limiting the information you share on social media pages.

For more information on holiday scams go to bbb.org or call 1-800-388-2222.