Archive for March, 2007
Phone-Based Yellow Pages Search
Jingle Networks, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based directory assistance service, has added a new feature that allows users to search the Yellow Pages for phone numbers and addresses by business type and location from any phone at 1-800-FREE411. The free service also allows advertisers to reach consumers looking for their type of business, and as such [...]
A welder starts a well-hedged topiary business
Before Cliff Finch entered the topiary trade, he was an underwater welder, setting up pipelines at the bottom of the North Sea. But for Finch, 58, the switch to creating garden sculptures wasn’t as erratic as one might think: Beneath every topiary Finch produces is a custom-welded metal frame holding the structure together. “Building the [...]
2007 Tax Tips
Keeping your tax files fit for the coming 12 months not only cuts frustration in another year, it likely will cut your taxes. Here are some things to consider in the next few months: Make a plan – At minimum your plan should summarize total revenue, collections by client and expenses from the past year [...]
Backyard Bird Shop Takes Flight
One could say Scott Lukens took a flying leap when he launched his one-of-a-kind retail chain in 1991. But the idea was firmly grounded on market research, said Lukens, 54, a Clark County businessman who started Backyard Bird Shop in a tiny cottage in Lake Oswego, Ore. Pacific Northwest bird lovers quickly embraced the store’s [...]
A Portlander’s line of graphic T-shirts and caps catches the thrill and rush of racing sports
by Vivian McInerny, The Oregonian He savored the speed. Engines blasting. Colors blurring. Cars rocketing past with a force he could feel in the bones of his teeth. Tarran Pitschka, gripping steel railings for support, stood on the racetrack. Even as floating debris settled on his shoulders, the residue of seared tires from the cars [...]
Tech’s 38-billion wipeout
Perhaps you know that sinking feeling when a single keystroke accidentally destroys hours of work. Now imagine wiping out a disk drive containing information for an account worth $38 billion. That’s what happened to a computer technician reformatting a disk drive at the Alaska Department of Revenue. While doing routine maintenance work, the technician accidentally [...]
Live rich, retire richer
We all know the drill: To make sure you have enough green for your golden years, you’re supposed to max out your 401(k) contributions, invest in index funds and growth stocks, and not – repeat, not – splurge on that top-of-the-line Ferrari. All sound advice. But where’s the fun in that? And what about now, [...]
