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“It could be janitorial supplies. It could be printing. It could be medical supplies. It could be computer supplies,” Ford said. “It’s everything you see in county government.”

Shelby County Government through its Purchasing Department believes that a successful community is one where all levels of society and business are given equal opportunity to enjoy economic success and prosperity. The purchasing department believes that Locally Owned Small Businesses represent a major part of our business community and offer a wide variety of products and services needed by the County. When the County utilizes this segment of the community, it enriches the owners, employees and families of these businesses and the community as a whole with success and prosperity.

 Locally Owned Small Business subcontractors who have certified by the Shelby County Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance and are urged to consider same in compilation of their bid. Additionally, subcontractors on the list are advised of the project so that they may advise the general contractor of their desire to submit a bid.

 For informational purposes, the County considers a Locally Owned Small Business to be one which:

• Is a sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership, joint venture or any other business or professional entity that has gross annual sales of Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000.00) or less over the last three (3) fiscal years.
• At least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a Shelby County resident and located within the boundaries of Shelby County, Tennessee.

To help our Department expand these programs, the Purchasing Department urges our locally owned small businesses to contact the Shelby County Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance at (901) 545-4336 and inquire as to certification.

 As we move to a new millennium, Shelby County will continue to emphasize policies that foster locally owned small businesses by removing obstacles to their growth and by implementing incentives. For all of us, it is important to remember that fostering small businesses is good business in Shelby County.

The University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business looked at the relationship between social media and small businesses and found that the technology adoption rates in the U.S. have doubled in the past year from 12% to 24%.

The data comes straight from the university’s third installment to its Small Business Success Index report and is based on a December 2009 telephone survey of 500 small business owners. Adoption rate calculations are compared against a baseline report conducted in December 2008.

The study concludes that one nearly one in five small business owners are integrating social media into their business processes — Facebook() and LinkedIn() were the most popular sites. In fact, 45% of surveyed respondents even believe their social media initiatives will pay off financially in 12 months or less.

As the graphic below details, the small business owners who are using social media are primarily engaging in social media through company pages (75%) and status updates (69%) on Facebook or LinkedIn. What’s especially intriguing is that a much smaller percentage of respondents — just 16% — are using Twitter() as a customer service channel.

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