Click here to print
Recent Press Releases (U.S. and international) for magazine issues and staff changes may be found below. Please note that for many issues there exists only a highlights sheet, while for others there may also be a full press release. The cover of FSB's current issue is pictured at right. Please contact the appropriate communications staff member with any questions.
|
Highlights of the May 2006 Issue of FSB: FORTUNE Small Business
The full stories are available at FSB.com. COVER STORIES
Here are six particularly promising candidates that Thomson says stand a good chance of becoming the next major players: Collegiate Pacific, Dallas, sports equipment sales; Citi Trends, Savannah, Hip-Hop Fashion; Bentley Pharmaceuticals, Exeter, N.H., Pharmaceuticals; Strayer Education, Arlington, Va., Higher Education; 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, Vancouver, British Columbia, Junk Removal; Webroot, Boulder, Software. GREEN TECH Cut that %!@# Power Bill, by Justin Martin, pg. 95 A new device lets you buy electricity when it's cheapest and store it for later use. Starting this spring, a Washington D.C. startup called GridPoint is selling a "smart box," that will allow business owners to manage their electricity more intelligently-and cut down on power bills. A built-in computer powered by a Pentium chip will make intelligent purchase decisions, buying when prices are low, then storing the electricity for later use. "Our product will allow customers to trim their bills painlessly," says CEO Peter Corsell. "Think of it as a kind of TiVo for electricity." SMALL & GLOBAL The Digital Dump, by Elaine Pofeldt, pg. 78 More than 1,000 gallons of blood plasma stored at the wrong temperature. A shipment of smoke-scented coffins. A railcar full of beef lungs. A hundred thousand damaged doorway peepholes. It's hard to imagine who would want such things, much less buy them. But all of them have been sold on SalvageSale, and online auction site based in Houston that aims to do for the international salvage industry what eBay did for homeowners with attics full of junk. By helping sellers connect with bidders around the world-most of which are small companies-SalvageSale has expanded sales to nearly $70 millions a year and is profitable. SECURITY Is Your Software Safe?, by Betsy Cummings, pg. 75 Since the dot-com bust, when many custom-software sellers went out of business and left clients in the lurch, an increasing number of companies-both buyers and developers-have insisted on escrow. Data-escrow firms keep your company's code under lock and key-and give you access when you need to make fixes. Essentially, data-escrow is a kind of insurance for custom software. The service costs about $800 to $2,000 a year and includes a written agreement between software client and vendor that spells out when the code can be released-say, if the developer is acquired, declares bankruptcy, or reneges on its service agreement. PERSONAL ASSETS An Innovative Hedge Fund Boosts Small Stocks, by Jeanne Lee, pg. 73 How does a hedge fund that specializes in microcaps reduce volatility while still offering double-digit returns? Meet Laurus Funds, a New York City firm with a single portfolio that invests in public companies with market caps below $500 million. Since the funds inception in 2001, it has posted average annual returns of 20.4%, according to Hedgefund.net, while the benchmark HFN Hedge Fund Aggregate index was up 11.25% a year over the same period. Their secret to success: identifying fast-growing small public companies and helping finance the company's growth. HOW WE GOT STARTED Shifting Careers, by Bobby Rahal, as told to Alex Taylor III, pg. 88 Some succeed in sports. Others succeed in business. And then there are the lucky few who can do both. Bobby Rahal has competed in 20 Indianapolis 500 races and won both as a driver, in 1986, and as an owner in 2004, when his team, which he co-owns with talk-show host David Letterman, took the checkered flag. Many racing fans may not realize that Rahal, 53, is an entrepreneur as well. He owns six car dealerships in Harrisburg, Pa., and the Pittsburgh area, representing 11 import brands. A lot of drivers have their names on dealerships, but Rahal, who opened his first outlet in 1989 while he was still racing, gets his hands dirty in every aspect of the business. Here he explains to FSB how his success on the track informed his success in the business world. In Startup: Small businesses face an unjust disadvantage when it comes to providing health care. Here's a bold proposal for change. An inventor gets new hope in a suit against GM. The 6% Real Estate commission has been under assault awhile, but the hits just keep coming-and are getting more sophisticated. Three Internet upstarts are the latest to take a shot. A startup helps families keep elderly relatives safe by placing sensors in the home. In Off Hours: Weekend jogs are child's play for entrepreneurs who test their mettle by running in ultramarathons around the globe. From violin bows to hand-tuned harmonicas, we uncover the best instruments made by small business across the U.S.
For further information please contact:
|