• November: Small Business Resource Month
• TownCenter Redevelopment Update
• Let The Green Business Program Work For You
• Spotlight on Resources for Small Businesses
• City of Sunnyvale On-Line Permit Services

If you are thinking of starting a small business, or simply want to expand your existing business, these workshops are for you!

The City of Sunnyvale Economic Development, Sunnyvale Public Library, NOVA@Connect ! Business Services,  and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), present “Small Business Resource Month”, a series of 2-3 hour workshops where small business owners and prospective small business entrepreneurs will learn the skills that can help them start, manage, and grow their companies.  Speakers from the SBA, U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE, Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Lenders for Community Development, AnewAmerica, NOVA and other resource partners will provide practical information on program areas, which include: management training and counseling; access to financing; access to federal government contracting opportunities; and much more!

Space is limited!  Please register at least 72 hours prior to workshop.

For further information and/or complete list of workshops, please visit our website at: www.Sunnyvale-econdev.com and follow the link on the right titled November: Small Business Resource Month.

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Contact the City of Sunnyvale Economic Development Division at (408) 730-7607 or econdev@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us.

Town Center Redevelopment Update

With the old Town Center mall building completely demolished, Sunnyvale residents got their first look at updated plans for the redevelopment project at a community outreach meeting in August. The meeting was one of a series of public education and comment meetings hosted by the City and project developers.

Target has revealed plans for their new store. The design is a completely new approach for their stores; one that corporate representatives say may well be the prototype for their stores in the future. From the City’s perspective, the Target store presents a design challenge. With a 188,000 squarefoot size, some 28,000 square feet larger than the current store, there is a risk that it could look heavy and out of place. But the use of glass and other design elements have resulted in a creative and visually interesting store design.

When completed, the new Target store will have all of its retail space on the second floor, with the space under the store filled with parking and other retail shops. Target is now planning to close in early 2008 to begin demolition and then construction of the new store, with an expected opening in 2009.

What’s Changing in the Redevelopment Project?

With Sand Hill Property Management and RREEF as project developers, several features have been added to the original project design to enhance the vitality and viability of the area. Overall, the division of space has been changed slightly, with the new plans calling for 991,000 square feet of retail space, 315,000 square feet of office space and 292 ownership housing units. Developers have added a 133,000 square foot hotel that could have as many as 200 rooms. The hotel will be located at Murphy and McKinley Avenues.

A 14-screen movie theater is still planned for the development. But the most-asked question these days is “When will the stores open?”

Look for shops to begin opening in early 2009.

Monthly public meetings to discuss demolition mitigation measures and construction schedule are held the last Wednesday of each month at 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Meetings are held at 704 Capella Way (the corner of Capella Way and Frances Street) in the Town and Country Village. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 31.

For more information, visit Downtown.inSunnyvale.com. 

Let the Green Business Program Work for You

Sunnyvale businesses are invited to participate in the Santa Clara County Green Business Program.  The program is designed to certify and recognize businesses that choose to operate in a more environmentally responsible way. To become a certified Green Business, participants must meet program standards for conserving energy and water, preventing pollution and minimizing waste.  Unsure of whether your business meets these standards?  The Green Business Program can help your company identify measures already in place and additional measures that can be implemented to improve your operations and even save money.  These services are offered at no cost to your business. 

By participating in the Green Business Program, your business can get the recognition that it deserves for helping Sunnyvale save resources and protect the environment.  To sign up or for more information, visit the Santa Clara County Green Business Program website at greenbiz.sccgov.org, (408) 441-4329 or email Gretchen.Hayes@aem.sccgov.org. 

Spotlight on Resources for Small Businesses

By Joan Jackson

The Sunnyvale Public Library, located across from City Hall at 665 West Olive Avenue, contains a wealth of current and comprehensive information for the small business community.  We have information on a wide variety of subjects such as ideas for businesses, starting and running a small business, business plans, business law, franchising, incorporation, limited liability company formation, loans and grants, industry analysis, market statistics, employment trends, personnel management, teamwork, and training. 

A class has been created, and added to our regularly-scheduled adult learning programs: Basic Business Research.  This class will help you  learn about resources to find information on starting a small business, writing a business plan, finding company performance data, and performing competitive analysis. Resources for protecting and researching the intellectual property of a business are also covered.

The library subscribes to several online business databases which contain information you would otherwise have to pay for. We are proud to announce that we now have a subscription to the Value Line Online Research Center.  Value Line is the most trusted and prestigious name in the investment field. This great database is only available to our patrons inside our library. We encourage you to come in, and use one of our dedicated research PCs to access it.  Another powerful business and marketing research tool is Reference USA.  It is considered to be the No. 1 source of information on businesses and people for researchers, students, job seekers and government agencies.  Both of these databases can only be accessed within the library, and are free of charge.

The Business and Company Resource Center is a fully integrated resource bringing together company profiles, brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies and periodicals.  This resource is available to you free of charge and accessible anywhere you can access the Internet through the Library's web page at: http://www.sunnyvalelibrary.org/.  Please note you'll need a Sunnyvale Library Card to access these resources (an easy, one-minute process requiring you to present yourself and proof of your California mailing address at the Library).  Also, we have five dedicated database-only PCs for your convenience.

Whether the answer can be found in a book, magazine, video, audio book, online, or even in an e-book (electronic book accessible to you online 24 hours a day through the Library's web site), librarians are committed to assisting you uncover pathways for you to pursue the information you are seeking.  And in the event our resources are insufficient to adequately answer your questions, we have the ability to forward your question on to researchers who may have specific knowledge and/or more time to fully address your information needs.

Let the Sunnyvale librarians go to work for you, assisting you find and use the information you need!  You can reach the Reference Librarians in person, by telephone at (408) 730-7300, option 5, by fax at (408) 730-7809, or by email at adultref@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us.

CITY OF SUNNYVALE

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