2020 Census count is coming up soon. This data is so important as it determines voting districts, federal funding for schools, infrastructure, social services and every person living in the US (all status, even foreign nationals temporarily working here) is required by law to complete the Census. The less federal funding we receive, the more taxes we will have to raise locally. A lot is at stake in the 2020 Census, and our communities can’t afford an under count. Essential neighborhood resources like street improvements, school lunches for children in need, and housing for seniors and families will all be gained or lost because of the 2020 Census.
We only get one chance every 10 years to count all of our residents. With so many new people moving in and others being forced to move to new parts of town, no Census has ever been more important for Austin and Travis County. This Census count will also help local elected officials inform important decisions and determine federal funding allocations for the next decade.
Important Dates
Mar 12-20 Invitations to complete census online mailed
Mar 16-24 Reminder letters mailed
Mar 26-Apr 3 Reminder postcard mailed
Apr 1 Census Day: the count is of how many people there are on this day
Apr 8-16 Hard copy of questionnaire if you haven’t responded, mailed
Apr 20-27 Final postcards mailed
In person follow ups will begin
We are counting on you to help spread the word about the Census too! Click Austin Travis County census website for more information.
Through the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Skills for Small Business program, up to $2 million from the Skills Development Fund is dedicated to the backbone of Texas’ business community—our small employers. Small businesses can apply to TWC for training offered by their local community or technical college, or the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). TWC processes the applications and works with the college to fund the specific courses selected by businesses for their employees.
This exceptional opportunity supports businesses with fewer than 100 employees, and emphasizes training for new workers though it also may help upgrade the skills of incumbent workers.
Skills for Small Business emphasizes training newly hired employees, those who have been hired by the business up to twelve months prior to the date that TWC receives an application.
The program pays up to $1,800 for each new employee being trained and $900 for existing employees per 12-month period.
Funding for training is for full-time employees.
All training must be provided by a public community or technical college, or the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). No third-party vendor training is allowed.
Training must be selected from active course catalogs/schedules— credit, continuing education, online or other available unpublished courses.
Employers must pay the prevailing wages in the local labor market for the trainees funded under the grant.
How to Apply
Identify new or incumbent employees to be trained.
Identify each employee’s job/occupational title and corresponding Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code. Employers may use the Texas AutoCoder to find the best match between job titles/descriptions and SOC-coded occupations.
Identify employee’s wages. Wages must meet or exceed prevailing wage for the area where the business is located.
Romeo Manzanilla grew up in Los Angeles, California enjoying all of the area’s attractions, events, and fast-paced lifestyle. But after a successful military career as a U.S. Navy Officer, Romeo decided to call Austin home because of its booming economy, scenic beauty and quality of life. While working as an Operations Manager for Dell Computer Corporation, he became involved with Habitat for Humanity, donating his time in assisting with the construction of low-income family housing and working alongside others who freely gave of themselves to improve the lives of those around them. It was this positive experience of giving back to the community that would later mold his decision to become a real estate professional.
Romeo’s unique life experiences while serving in the military and working in both private and corporate organizations have made him a well-rounded person that easily connects with his clients on different levels. His focus on family life with his wife and son has helped him gain a deeper appreciation of spending quality time at home.
Romeo has been an active member of the Austin Board of Realtors since 2006 and has served as a Director for ABoR from 2015-2017 and is the current ABoR President. On the state level, Romeo is a Professional Standards member and Mediator for the Texas Association of Realtors.
Romeo holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and a Master of Business Administration degree from Regis University.When not working or volunteering, Romeo admits he’s a motor sports enthusiast and actively participates in organized track events in the Central Texas area.
After suddenly being laid off from her job of 8 years; LaRicher Parks had a lot of time on her hands. She was looking for ways to keep busy and seriously one could only scrub the tub, floors and toilet so many times. So she decided to refocus her energy on cooking. She remembered baking a zillion loaves of friendship bread, cookies, cakes, casseroles- you name it.
She got bored with baking and decided to try her hand at making salsa. After several batches she finally had something worth sharing with family and friends. Her family was eating it faster than she could make the salsa.
10 years later, she convinced her husband, who never takes anything to the company potluck, to take a couple of jars of salsa with him to work. After the potluck he called to let me know everyone loved the salsa and several folks offered to pay for more. That evening he came home with a few of orders from his coworkers. Soon after she had a chance to serve the salsa at a local ribbon cutting. After receiving positive feedback from the community they decided to give the salsa business a serious consideration. Along the way one of LaRicher’s sisters unexpectedly passed away, so in honor of her they named the salsa after her, well her childhood nickname.- Nanny Goat.
The salsa can be purchased in the following flavors original, cilantro lime, or chunky. The salsa can either be ordered online HERE or at local events North East of Austin like the Elgin Farmers Market and Sip Shop and Stroll.
In June, Workforce Solutions Capital Area (WSCA) will connect 100 teachers and counselors from AISD, Del Valle, Elgin, Manor and Pflugerville ISDs with three-day externships.
During the externship, an employer provides a teacher or counselor with the invaluable opportunity to observe and speak to employees, including management, about the skills, certifications and career pathways within the employer host’s organization. After completing their externships, the teachers must create lesson plans based on their experiences, which they can then use in the classroom. Here is a short video that WSCA created, which highlights some of the companies and teachers who participated last summer.
Are you an employer interested in participating? Please register here. For small businesses with less than 150 employees, WSCA is able to offer $500 stipends to businesses hosting teacher externs, as a token of appreciation for the time they are dedicating to the teacher externship. Please note that this year, they are placing a particular focus on Health Care, Information Technology, and Skilled Trades/Manufacturing industries.
This unique professional development opportunity connects the classroom to the workplace. In summer 2019, WSCA placed 48 teachers from 3 area school districts in externships with 24 employers in various industries.
Help our teachers be more effective in educating our future workforce!
By LeAnn Pashina, founder of Creatively Communicate, Inc .
Believe it or not, where you and your prospective client
sits at a table during your presentation will play a factor in the conversational
flow, success in closing the sale, and the energy in the room. Understanding this
will enable you to set up every meeting for success before you speak your first
word.
Every sale happens between two or more individuals , and any time people are part of an equation, it can create some interesting dynamics. Sales are difficult enough as a profession; if you can increase your rapport and closing ratio with your client simply by selecting the right place to sit, then why wouldn’t you?
Research shows that more sales are closed when the salesperson
sits to the left of their potential client than to the right. I am not saying
that if you sit in the left-hand seat, you will close every sale; there are too
many aspects that lead to a sale for that to be true. You still need to deliver
a good presentation, although I am suggesting that by simply understanding the seating
strategy, you can increase the percentage of your successful closes.
Keep in mind that I am not talking about manipulation in your
sales presentation. What we’re discussing is basic human nature and information
you can use to have your meetings and presentations proceed with more success.
Whenever possible, you will want to be the one deciding
where each person sits, instead of leaving it to chance. Choosing who sits
where is not always possible, but you can still make some minor changes or
modifications to benefit you during your presentation. There are various
positions to consider, in this article, we will cover where to sit when you are
at a conference table.
The corner position seating arrangement creates a casual,
friendly environment for conversation. It has an advantage over having a
confrontational “face to face” setting, which is perceived as too
direct and aggressive – not the most welcoming qualities to display when you
are meeting someone new or presenting to a prospective client.
Corner positioning allows for good eye contact and the
opportunity to use numerous hand gestures and body language expressions as well
as a vantage point to observe the gestures of the other person. The corner of
the table or desk is a partial barrier for each person, which is important
because it will provide some security if one person begins to feel threatened
for any reason, and at the same time avoids territorial division of the table
or desk.
The corner position is the most successful strategic
position from which you, the salesperson in position B, can deliver a
presentation to your prospective prospect in seat A. By simply occupying the
chair in location B shown in the above diagram; you can prevent a tense
atmosphere and increase the chances of a positive outcome.
The other significant thing to keep in mind with the corner
seating arrangement is to sit to the left of your prospective client whenever
possible, especially if you’ll be giving a presentation. Research shows that
more sales are closed when sitting to the left of your client. It is because
you are speaking more into the right brain hemisphere of your client, which is
the emotional side, and where we all make most of our decisions. (We make
decisions based on emotions and then justify them logically.)
Knowing and understanding this information will allow you to
apply it to your next sales meeting easily and enjoy even more success.
Need more detail
about sitting positions? Grab a copy of
our book “Sit Your Way to Success” to learn how you can apply even more
strategies. www.sityourwaytosuccess.com
CO.LAB Community Makes provides a creative space by the community for the community. The donation-based and volunteer-driven studio has provided community makers that visit this North Austin location with ongoing training & support, materials, and space for almost a year now.
The Makerspace offers a wide selection of tools and the training required to work with them safely, from laser cutting to CNC milling to sewing and screen printing. The organization operates on a volunteer-driven schedule. Hours has continued to evolve as more volunteers are available. Anyone interested should check the calendar on the web site for the most current schedule.
The Co-working Space is a comfortable common workspace, ideally suited for sharing ideas, equipment, and expertise. Many groups also use co.lab to host a class, teach a workshop, hold an event, or arrange a meet up.
Creatives should consult with one of CO.LAB Community Makers experts to help bring ideas to life with their fabrication equipment. Equipment includes 3D printers, laser cutter, and a vinyl cutter.
SAVE THE DATE–March 28th–CO.LAB birthday celebration & community day . For more details follow them on Facebook or stay tuned to their web site. http://www.colabcommunitymakers.org/
Transportation is an extremely important issue for those with disabilities in the rural areas or in the inner city. People with disabilities have consistently described how transportation barriers affect their lives in important ways. United States Disability Chamber of Commerce aims to develop and implement a transportation plan that addresses these concerns of people with disabilities.
Over the last two decades the National Organization on Disability (NOD) has sponsored three successive Harris polls with people with disabilities, and respondents in each survey have reported that transportation issues are a crucial concern. In the last survey, undertaken in 2004, just under a third of those with disabilities reported that inadequate transportation was a problem for them; of those individuals, over half said it was a major problem. The more severe the disability of the respondent was, the more serious were the reported transportation problems (National Organization on Disability-Harris Interactive, 2004). Donations will assist in developing policies and implementing a plan to address this issue. United States Disability Chamber of Commerce’s plan will create new transportation ideas or leverage existing ones to fulfill the needs of people with disabilities.
