Program Helps Small Exporters Save on Taxes
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, one key issue employers are facing is workplace diversity , particularly with respect to issues of race, religion and culture.
The Society of Human Resource Management is holding a conference locally for large and small employers to address workplace diversity. A strong focus at the event will be how the workplace is affected by religion and culture in this country, said Frank Scanlan, a society spokesman.
“Today, the religious landscape is much more diverse. It includes Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists (and) a myriad of other faiths,” he said.
Along with the more traditional religions, many are carving out their own unique religious and spiritual identities. Employers who have struggled to ensure gender and racial equality in the workplace are finding that they must deal with this new and unfamiliar dimension, Scanlan said.
The conference will be held Dec. 3-5 at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina.
For information, call (800) 283-7476, or go to (www.shrm.org/conferences).
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Exports Less Taxing:
As a small-business exporter, you can save on your tax bill by doing what you’re already doing.
Under a new program that provides incentives to U.S. businesses to increase foreign sales, businesses can claim an exclusion if they are involved in selling products they manufacture for customers outside the country, according to a statement from the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce.
To qualify, at least 50 percent of the product’s value must be U.S.-sourced. The exclusion is available to most taxpayers, according to the chamber.
For information, contact the chamber’s International Trade Committee at (760) 931-8400. Or, if you would like to learn more about international trade, join the committee on the third Thursday of each month at 7:30 a.m. in the chamber’s conference room.
Crisis? What Crisis?:
Bucking the trend toward gloom-and-doom scenarios for retail, one local businessman is expecting to have a robust season this year.
Bob Dye, general manager of the Viejas Outlet Center, said he expects the 57 stores at his center to do at least as well as last year, if not better. This comes despite a climate of job layoffs and security concerns, he said.
“The act of giving is probably more profound than ever before,” Dye said.
For his part, Dye is holding several holiday promotions this year. The center, along with Viejas Casino, is sponsoring its annual holiday food drive for the San Diego Food Bank. Also, between now and Dec. 31, the center will hold a weekly drawing for a $100 shopping certificate, he said.
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Mall Gets Casual:
Both the Casual Corner Annex and Casual Corner Annex Petite are coming to Chula Vista Center. The combination store will open near Macy’s in the mall.
This retailer has been in service for more than 50 years, growing to more than 250 stores nationwide. It offers value-based fashion apparel from missy to junior to petite and children’s sizes, said Susan Lipp, marketing manager for Chula Vista Center.
“Our shoppers have responded enthusiastically to the opening of this duplex concept,” Lipp said. “By offering the petite and missy sizes side-by-side, our female shoppers are finding more of what they’re looking for.”
Help For Hispanic Businesswomen:
Hispanic businesswomen now have an online resource to assist entrepreneurs, professionals, corporate executives, inventors, and investors as they do business and collaborate among themselves.
The Hispanic Business Women’s Alliance has launched a Hispanic commerce Web site at (http://www.hbwa.net). Hispanic women with an entrepreneurial spirit are invited to go to the site for information on how to join and benefit from this rapidly growing, international online community, said Lourdes Aponte-Rosario, president and founder of the group.
The site will allow Hispanic women to identify, directly contact and share information on business opportunities and resources in over 100 business categories, in 98 market areas throughout North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Spain, she said.
Call (858) 277-6359, Ext. 112, or e-mail Zion at lzion@sdbj.com.
