Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Greater Good Academy Recognizes Socially and Environmentally Responsible Denver Start-Ups

November 26th Event Celebrates 6th Graduating Class with Business Plan Showcase

Denver, CO, November 21, 2012 - Socially and environmentally minded entrepreneurs will gather to demonstrate how they plan to build Denver businesses focused on community and sustainability at the Greater Good Academy’s (GGA) showcase on November 26, 2012. The event, held from 5:30-7:45 p.m. at Mi Casa Resource Center (360 Acoma St., Denver, CO 80223), will showcase these emerging small business ventures and feature a discussion on business ethics and social responsibility.

The goal of the GGA program is to give low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs the training and financial support they need to develop ideas into profitable business plans. During an eight-week class, students develop “triple bottom line” business plans – plans that have community, sustainability and profit at their core.

Four of the Academy’s most recent graduates will present their business plans at the showcase. The event will feature: Tim Brauhn, Denver Seitan Company, (a line of delicious, healthy ‘fake meat’ vegan foods); Francine Lomiller & Kim Roth, Schoolyard Crop, (reconnecting students to nature and agriculture through a hands-on edible garden and curriculum program); Mike Pachan, SolCharged, (a veggie oil powered,  vending truck using solar technology to provide power for mobile devices); and Destiny Faithe, Colorado Pure Essentials, (a line of handcrafted natural soaps and personal care products).

The Showcase will also include Michael Ditchfield, owner of Jing, and Tammy Cunningham will present the ‘Cunningham Award’ to one Greater Good Academy (GGA) entrepreneurs in food-related businesses who exemplify the philanthropic contributions and communitarian ideals of Noel Cunningham, String's Restaurant.

During the GGA, each entrepreneur completes a business plan that defines the company’s mission, operations, marketing, pricing and related growth strategies. The plan also describes how the business will integrate environmental and social elements into its overall business strategy.

“Businesses that care for the environment and quality of life in their community are more likely to become successful,” said Richard Eidlin, Founder and CEO of The Progress Group. “The Greater Good Academy program helps entrepreneurs implement sustainable and triple bottom line business thinking and practices to become more profitable.”

GGA also provides its students with meaningful business relationships by connecting the entrepreneurs with key people in the economic development, angel capital and socially responsible business world. Through these networking opportunities, the GGA program aims to equip its participants with the tools they need to take action and contribute to the Denver community.

“This event gives attendees the chance not only to meet these entrepreneurs, but also to learn more about the importance of business ethics and the benefits of socially responsible practices,” Eidlin said.

The GGA showcase is open to the general public. Registration is $15 for private companies, nonprofits, government and $10 for Greater Good Academy Alumni and students. Supporting organizations for the event include Accion, the Denver Office of Economic Development, the Colorado Enterprise Fund, Colorado Lending Source, Johnson and Wales University, Mi Casa Resource Center, Accion, Mile High Business Alliance and UMB Bank.

For more information, email Richard@greatergoodacademy.org. To register, visit: http://proggroup.com/greater-good-academy/showcase.html

About The Greater Good Academy
The Greater Good Academy provides civic-minded entrepreneurs from under-served communities with the resources they need to succeed and “scale” their ventures. GGA accomplishes this by providing students with mentors and connecting them with business partners in the community. The GGA helps to strengthen local communities, incubate green businesses and increase economic self-sufficiency.

Contact:
Richard Eidlin
The Greater Good Academy
Denver, CO
(303) 478-0131
Richard@greatergoodacademy.org
http://www.greatergoodacademy.org

Luxury Travel Vietnam Taps Southeast Asia Halal Holiday Market

Luxury Travel Ltd (www.luxurytravelvietnam.com) Seeks Growth From Niche Markets and Targets Intra-ASEAN and Muslim Holiday Markets.

Hanoi, Vietnam, November 21, 2012 - Asia’s economy is still healthy and intra-ASEAN travel is growing significantly. Arrivals from Malaysia and Indonesia to Vietnam have rebounded significantly in the past nine months thanks to more direct flights, and Luxury Travel Ltd. is reaching out to court Muslim tourists from these markets.

Luxury Travel Ltd. has a high end halal holiday concept and has just launched vietnamhalalholidays.com. This is a unique online brand, offering truly great holiday experiences with an Islamic ethos. The company’s aim is to provide a holiday experience that is in harmony with Islam. The featured hotels and resorts do not serve alcohol in rooms upon request, and have segregated swimming pools, leisure areas and spa facilities for men and women. Further, on some chartered cruises on Halong Bay, all food on board is sea food or halal food.

“The Muslim population within Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia shows immense potential. Demand from this segment is picking up and is expected to increase, thanks to direct flights between Southeast Asian countries, including the newest flight to HCM City from Jakarta four times per week. Also, no visa is needed for most citizens traveling between ASEAN countries.” said Pham Ha, founder and CEO of Luxury Travel Ltd.

“In order to capitalize on these potential markets, we have launched a website, created special tours for Muslim travelers, worked with reputable halal food restaurants, searched out mosque locations and trained our staff in order to better serve Muslim travelers. We attend various travel trade shows in individual markets such as TTC Indonesia and Selangor Matta Islamic Travel Fair in Malaysia. We also plan to target India, Turkey, and the Middle East in the long run. And with nearly 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, the potential market is huge.” added Ha.

According to Luxury Travel, about 23% of the world population is Muslim. Of these, around 62% live in Asia – Pacific, 20% in the Middle East- North Africa,15% in Sub Saharan Africa, around 3% in Europe and 0.3% in the Americas.

The company has launched a new website www.vietnamhalalholidays.com and will launch a Vietnam guidebook for discerning travelers and focus on Muslim visitors. Plans are also in place to open a representative office in Jakarta, to act as a point of contact and information for Indonesian travel consultants and consumers. Luxury Travel is positioning itself as the first luxury halal tour and holiday operator in Indochina.

According to VNAT, during the first nine months of 2012, the number of visitors from Malaysia to Vietnam was 210,805, an increase of 125.4 per cent from the previous period.

Ha stressed that the number of tourist arrivals increased thanks to direct flights to Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City from Kuala Lumpur. The company enjoyed 30% percent growth in Central Vietnam, where Luxury Travel opened a new office a few month ago. The company will attend Selangor Matta Islamic Travel Fair in Malaysia from 7-9 Dec 2012.

The tourism industry is looking to 6.5 million international arrivals, 32 million domestic travelers and revenue of VND150 trillion in 2012. The already approved tourism development strategy envisions that the number of international arrivals will soon be 7-7.5 million, that domestic travelers will approach 36-37 million, that revenue will hit US$10-11 billion by 2015, and that the tourism sector will contribute 5.5-6% of the country’s GDP by that year.

Vietnam-based Luxury Travel Ltd (www.luxurytravelvietnam.com) is a long established Asian specialist in the art of travel and serves today’s most sophisticated travelers with luxury privately guided and fully bespoke holidays in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand. Luxury Travel excels in designing tailor-made tours and providing unique travel experiences to fulfill the most sophisticated traveler’s expectations. Luxury Travel Ltd. has won numerous travel awards for excellent performance, including the most recent award: “Best Luxury Tour Operator”. www.facebook.com/luxurytravelcompany

Contact:
Linh Doan
Luxury Travel Ltd
05 Nguyen Truong To Str.,
Ba Dinh Dist, Hanoi 84444
Vietnam
84439274120
marketing12@luxurytravelvietnam.com
http://www.LuxuryTravelVietnam.com

Silk’n Announces Facebook Deals with Contest, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday Promotions

The Beauty Product Brand Offers Consumers a Social Media Holiday Promotion.

Los Angeles, CA, November 20, 2012 - Silk’n the beauty product company specializing in innovative at-home technology have announced today that they are offering their online community holiday giveaways and discounts for their anti-aging and permanent hair removal products. Participants can only be entered through Facebook by “liking” one of their three designated Silk’n Facebook pages for FaceFX, Silk’n Products, and Flash&Go by providing their names and email addresses at point of entering.

Three prize packs will be given away throughout the duration of the online contest. The options to select from are Silk’n’s FaceFX device including a $50 gift card to Sephora, Silk’n’s SensEpil device including a $50 gift card to Bed Bath & Beyond, or Silk’n’s Flash&Go’s device including a $50 gift card to Target. Upon completing all required information, participants will also receive a special code that will be redeemable for 20 percent off their next purchase in the eStore.

The contest will run from November 19 through December 3 and is located under the “Silk’n Contest” tab of each of the individual Facebook pages.

Along with the two-week-long contest, shoppers on Black Friday, November 23 and Cyber Monday, November 26 are eligible to take advantage of discounts in the eStore, market places and ShopDango. For Black Friday, the posts will include a special code for $75 off of Silk’n’s Flash&Go device and $50 off of Silk’n’s FaceFX device and for Cyber Monday, a promotion of 25 percent off of the entire eStore including free shipping. The social media and message board announcements with take place on the specified dates.

About Silk’n
Silk’n offers safe, easy, FDA-cleared over-the-counter beauty devices that deliver professional results from the comfort of your home. The family of portable products help achieve long-term radiant skin with FaceFX and the next generation of permanent hair removal results with the clinically-proven SensEpil and Flash&Go. Learn more about Silkn's at home laser hair removal system, and other skin care products by visiting www.silkn.com.

Contact:
Chip Schutzman
Miles High Productions
P.O. Box 93157
Hollywood, CA 90093
323-806-0400
chip@mileshighproductions.com
http://www.mileshighproductions.com/

Center For Productive Longevity Wraps Up Successful Series of Baby Boomer Entrepreneurship Meetings

Nationwide Meetings Attracted More than 400 People to Learn More about Creating New Businesses

Boulder, CO, November 20, 2012 - The Center for Productive Longevity (CPL), which serves as the bridge between people 55 and older and opportunities that enable them to continue in productive activities, recently wrapped up its last meeting in the “Spotlight on Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Baby Boomers” series. These meetings attracted more than 400 participants 50 and older to the four meetings in Kansas City, Mo., Boston, Chicago and Denver.

There are 78 million Baby Boomers (one-quarter of the total U.S. population) reaching the traditional retirement age of 65 at the rate of 4.2 million each year from 2011 through 2029. With unemployment high and economic growth low for the foreseeable future, new-business creation is a bright spot on a gloomy employment horizon for older people. A survey sponsored by AARP in 2011 indicated that 80 percent of the Baby Boomers surveyed intend to continue working after leaving their regular career jobs. This series of meetings is on the leading edge in encouraging Baby Boomers to consider the benefits and opportunities of new-business creation as they consider how to remain productively engaged.

This interest in entrepreneurship as a career after retirement is reflected in national research as well, with increasingly more people 55 and older creating their own businesses than people 20-34. In fact, according to Kauffman Foundation research, the relative percentage of entrepreneurs has increased by almost 7 percent for people 55-64 from 1996-2011, the largest increase among all age groups. By contrast, the percentage dropped about 5 percent for people 20-44.

“This is what built America! Individuality, capitalism, inventiveness, and the freedom to create your own business,” stated Karen Rose, a participant in the Denver meeting. “This meeting reignited passion in so many of us, along with providing educational avenues to turn passion into success.”

Tom Backhus, another participant in the Denver meeting, said, “The event has given me confidence in moving forward and ideas on the importance of writing my business concept.”

Each meeting had presentations by successful, highly visible entrepreneurs such as Jerry Kelly, CEO and Co-Founder, Silpada Designs, Doug Rauch, former President and CEO, Trader Joe’s, Larry Levy, Founder and Chairman of Levy Restaurants, and Alan Hall, Founder and Chairman, MarketStar.

Participants also attended interactive breakout sessions on topics relating to new-business creation and how to become an entrepreneur, including: risks and rewards, strategies for identifying and selecting potential business opportunities, developing a business plan or business concept statement, and exploring funding support.

Written evaluations from all of the meetings indicated that participants benefited and were even inspired by their experience. Almost all participants reported that it increased their understanding of the benefits and opportunities provided by entrepreneurship, and 74 percent stated they were now more likely to create a new business as a result of the meetings.

For more information on CPL, visit www.ctrpl.org or Facebook at www.facebook.com/CTRPL.

Company Contact:
William Zinke or James Hooks
Center for Productive Longevity
303.499.3939
wzinke@ctrpl.org or jhooks@ctrpl.org

About the Center for Productive Longevity
The mission of CPL is to stimulate the substantially increased engagement of people 55 and older in productive activities, paid and volunteer, where they are qualified and ready to continue adding value. Visit ctrpl.org for more information. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CTRPL.

Contact:
Alicia Hassinger
Communications Strategy Group
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
303-433-7020
ahassinger@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com