New Business in Monte Vista Colorado help small and rural businesses with bookkeeping

SLV Small Businesses to Benefit from Combined Talents

A new company has opened whose mission it is to help small businesses succeed. Kay Harmon and Cindy Morin have recently opened their business, “Professional Bookkeeping Services, Inc.” 

The company’s goal is to provide quality bookkeeping and payroll services to farms, ranches, non-profits and small businesses in the Valley.  They assist companies who do not need a full time employee but do need bookkeeping help.  They are dedicated to relieving the accounting headache from the owners and let them on concentrate on what they do best – running their own company!

Kay Harmon has been a valley resident for 24 years and has always been active in the community. She owned and operated Monte Vista Secretarial Service from 1990-1999, which concentrated mostly on small local non-profits.  Kay originally took the Leading Edge course when her husband opened his own welding business. This time, she entered the Leading Edge to renew and explore different growth options for a re-engineered company offering support to other San Luis Valley entrepreneurs

Cindy Morin, after successful management careers in both the Racehorse and Relocation industries, moved to Alamosa 3 years ago to return to a rural setting and to be near her sister. She entered the Leading Edge class to round out her management skills as she felt that she had great experience in understanding how companies ran but never had the view from the top down, as the owner sees and understands their company.

Taking the Leading Edge class at the same time, Kay and Cindy were inspired to pool their talents and create their own company to provide a service much needed here in the Valley. They are available to work at your place of business or they can provide the bookkeeping and payroll services at their own office.   In addition, agricultural compliance services are offered.  They can be reached at (719) 852- 5638.  These “Pros on the Go” are located behind Sunflower Bank of Monte Vista, at 101 Adams Street, Suite C.

The next Leading Edge Seminar is open for registration for a February 1, 2012 beginning date.  For more information on LE, contact Donna Wehe at the SLV SBDC at (719) 589-3682 or read about it on the blog, http://slv-small-biz-success.blogspot.com/.

Don't forget: January 1, 2012, adjust minimum wage in Colorado.  Click here for details.

Tax Seminar in December

Tax Seminar for the Self Employed

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

5:30-7:00 p.m.

The Depot (610 State Avenue), Alamosa

CPA Bob Gjellum, Wall, Smith,Bateman & Associates

$20 per business      RSVP to donna@slv-sbdc.com  719-589-3682

Free Schedule C Resource Guide to the First 10 participants

Tax Seminar available in Monte Vista Colorado

Tax Seminar for the Self Employed

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

5:30-7:00 p.m.

Monte Vista Information Center

CPA Bob Gjellum, Wall, Smith,Bateman & Associates

$20 per business      

RSVP to donna@slv-sbdc.com  

719-589-3682

Free Schedule C Resource Guide to the First 15 participants

New Owners for SLV Vacuum Business in Alamosa Colorado

At 721 ½ Main Street, Alamosa, you can find the new and the old.  Pictured here is the former owner, Steve Nies, of SLV Vacuum, along with new owners, Wayne and Sherry Billings.  You can buy new and old (refurbished) vacuums and accessories, and get them serviced here.  The business has been in existence at this location for over 17 years.

The products and services that San Luis Valley Vacuum Sales and Repair provides are selling used vacuums that have been refurbished and rebuilt.  They sell Kirby, Eureka, Hoover, Bissell, Orek, Regina, Dyson, Kenmore, and other major brands. We buy the used vacuums from a dealer, rebuild them, and resell them. Also we will sell all brands of vacuum bags, belts, cords, rollers, and accessories for all these brands of vacuums and shampooers.  Also we will service and repair all of the above models and makes of vacuums.  The phone number for the store is 719-589-2686.

Sherry and Wayne moved to the San Luis Valley in 2001 and have been working at different jobs over the last 9 years waiting for an opportunity like this.  They are extremely hard workers and the vacuum repair work fits Wayne’s abilities as a “fixer,” someone who loves to work with gadgets and is a general all around handyman.  Sherry had just bought an engraving machine and will use some of the retail space to display the many gift items that she can special order and engrave for customers.  They moved to Colorado from Central California and love the people and the weather.  “We have been blessed with so many opportunities here to find work and better our lives.  But meeting Steve and having him mentor us in this business has been remarkable.”

The Billings also came across Donna Wehe at the SLV Small Business Development Center as they were putting their business plan together.  “I have never done something like write a business plan before, so it was overwhelming at first,” Sherry said.  “But Donna worked with me to keep it straight forward and on track, and it really helped us make a plan and hit the ground running when we took over as owners.”  The phone number for the SLV SBDC is 719-589-3682.  “This business is important to the whole region,” stated Donna Wehe.  “I was so glad to find a good fit to keep this viable business here.  They have service contracts with hotels and other businesses and we would have lost those to competitors from Pueblo, had Sherry and Wayne not come along.  The other piece that made this work was Steve.  He was willing to ask a fair price, had good books, and has been available to introduce Wayne to all of the ‘ins and outs’ of this niche business.”

Customer Service Training for Front Line Employees in South Fork

SOUTH FORK CUSTOMER SATISFACTION TRAINING

“Improving Your Customer's 1st Impression through Training your Front Line Employees”

Thursday, October 13, 2011

9:00-10:30 a.m.      or      3:00-4:30 p.m.

Community Center, 0254, Hwy 149, South Fork, CO 81154

Limited scholarships available to reimburse business owners for these training wages

Free to all SLV Chamber Members
(cost is $20 per person for non-chamber member)

Contact:  Donna Wehe, Small Business Development Center,

719-589-3682 or donna@slv-sbdc.com or 

Glynn Polter at glynn@mountainlighthouse.com

South Fork Chamber of Commerce & Town of South Fork

Rio Grande County Tourism Board

Upper Rio Grande Economic Development Corp

San Luis Valley Small Business Development Center: New Computer Business in Alamosa, Colorado

San Luis Valley Small Business Development Center: New Computer Business in Alamosa, Colorado

New Computer Business in Alamosa, Colorado

The HUB: Computer Recycling, Technology Training, and More

The old Move Gallery location is in the final stages of remodeling and will become the home for a team of businesses and services.  The Hub will have a soft opening on August 1^st.   The Hub is located across from Wal-Mart in the Cottonwood Business Complex at 3330 Clark St. in Alamosa.

The Hub will have a state of the art conference and Training room, certification center, Internet Hot Spot, and computer parts, repair, and computer recycling center.  The location will be open from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Mon. to Sat. “It is hard to describe how grateful we are to everybody that has helped us get this project off the ground.  Without the help and support of SLV Builders we would never have gotten to this point,” said Roger Jackson, who started the HUB and the technology division Personalized IT.  “We have many goals and dreams we are pursuing – we know that the San Luis Valley and many of its visitors will benefit from the services being offered at this location.”

The following is a brief description of some of the services that will be offered:

Computer Recycling:  Individuals, businesses, schools, and anybody else can bring (or for a nominal fee request a pickup) their old computers and monitors to the HUB.  If the systems are new enough they will be refurbished and resold to the community for $40, if they are not then they will be taken to a recycling facility that will properly dispose of them.  Currently only Computers and Monitors can be taken but they have plans to expand.

Training & Testing Services:  We are setting up a training room that will allow individuals to attend or host different types of training.  Alberta Coolbaugh (recently retired ASC Professor) is working on curriculum to provide Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) certification preparation.   In addition there are trainings being developed that will assist business with QuickBooks, Human Resource, and other managerial trainings.  Trainings are also being developed for individuals and families to better understand technology, what its risks are, and how to be protected against identity theft, viruses, and online predators.  Special training and certification requests are welcome by calling 719.937.4123. 

Other Services:  In addition there will technicians available to help repair, upgrade, and train on computers, cell phones, GPS, and other electronic devices. 

Once again they would like to thank all those that have assisted in this project:  SLV Builders, Dave’s Solar and Heating, Monte Vista and Sargent School Districts, Donna Wehe at the Small Business Development Center, and most importantly their families and friends.