BUSINESS BRIEFS
GB Chamber to host marketing series

The Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of Commerce is set to present its marketing series, "Short Seminars to Boost Your Sales," which is a five month long series of seminars designed to help local businesses. The short seminars will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Chamber office, located at 409 Gulf Breeze Parkway. Each session is $20 or only $90 for the entire marketing series. Sessions will be limited to 20 attendees. Lunch will be provided.

The series will include "Branding" April 3 presented by Christopher Davis of Clever Branding Associates, "Strategy and Tactics" on May 1 presented by Bill Eveleth of ActionCOACH, "Developing an Advertising Plan" on June 5 presented by Trudy Romjue of Romjue Advertising and Co., "Search Engine and Website Marketing" on Aug. 7 with Kara Szostek of GrendelFly Studio and "PR and Free Marketing" on Sept. 4 presented by Don Ruth of Covenant Hospice.

To register for the marketing series, or for more information contact the Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of Commerce at 850-932-7888.

UWF small business center to hold IRS and business seminars

The University of West Florida Small Business Development Center, located at 401 E. Chase Street, Ste. 100, in Pensacola, is holding its "Guide to IRS Resource Tools for Small Business" workshop on Tuesday evening, April 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. Business owners are liable for the information that is placed on their tax return even if a tax professional prepares the return. Learn how the use of free IRS resources can help save money. This is a free event.

The development center is presenting "Starting a Business" on Thursday morning, April 10 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.. Attendees will learn about taxation, financing, insurance, and legal forms of business. Attendance is $35 for the public and free for students and faculty members of the University of West Florida who present a Nautilus card. Call 850-473-7830 to register.

The development center/Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Program is offering a workshop entitled "Learn the Rules From: Escambia County Purchasing Department" on Thursday, April 10 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The workshop is free. However, pre-registration is recommended. To register, call Michelle Putfark at 850-473-7826 or Diane Miller at 850-473-7830. Visit the PTAC website at www.fptac.org for more information.

The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Program is funded through federal and state agencies to provide counseling and technical assistance to Florida firms interested in the local, state and federal markets.

BBB aims to help U.S. Marines

The Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Marine Corps at a ceremony in Washington, DC last week, to formally establish BBB Marine Corps Line - part of the greater BBB Military Line® program - designed to serve the specialized consumer needs of Marine Corps personnel and their families.

BBB Marine Corps Line will bring the full resources of BBB to the Marine Corps consumer, no matter where that person is located, through a dedicated Web site and targeted education efforts.

BBB Marine Corps Line will:

Provide Reliability Reports to support pre-purchase decision-making and objective, trustworthy advice on businesses across the nation;

Assist Marine Corps personnel with complaints against unresponsive businesses;

Supply guidance, focused education efforts and easily accessible information on how to avoid being victimized by predatory lenders, misleading advertisements, high-pressure salespeople and other suspect business practices; and,

Help identify trends and emerging marketplace issues impacting Marines and their families through BBB data tracking.

With the addition of the U.S. Marine Corps, BBB Military Line® has now established partnerships with all four Department of Defense military branches. Military families from the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army and U.S. Navy - both at home and abroad - can benefit from the educational programs and consumer guidance provided by BBB Military Line.

BBB Military Line is supported through funding from the Department of Justice and the Boys' and Girls' Clubs of America, with additional, private sector sponsorship from Patton Boggs, LLP, and the Defense Credit Union Council.

The BBB Marine Corps Line Web site can be found at www.bbb.org/usmc or as a link from the BBB Military Line home page at, www.bbb.org/military.

Learn the basics of eBay

The University of West Florida Small Business Development Center, located at 401 E. Chase Street, Suite 100, in Pensacola, is holding its "Basics of Selling on eBay" workshop on Saturday morning, April 12 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants will learn the essentials for selling on eBay from a professional with experience. The Saturday morning training will show you how to sell almost anything on eBay including your garage sale items or liquidation of your excess retail inventory. Our eBay-trained Education Specialist will teach you how to avoid costly mistakes as a new eBay seller. Participants will see first-hand and in real time how to list an item for sale on eBay.

Fee: $60 (includes a 215- page The Basics of Selling on eBay Student Guide)

To register, call 850-473- 7830 or visit www.sbdc.uwf.edu and click on training.

Publix announces dividend

Publix Super Markets Inc. announced that its board of directors declared an annual cash dividend on its common stock. The 2008 dividend is 44 cents per share, up from 40 cents per share in 2007. The dividend will be paid June 2 to stockholders of record as of the close of business April 25.

Publix stock is currently priced at $20.70 per share. Publix stock is not publicly traded and is made available for sale only to current Publix associates and members of its board of directors.

Publix is privately owned and operated by its 146,000 employees, with 2007 sales of $23 billion. Currently Publix has 928 stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. The company has been named one of FORTUNE's "100 Best Companies to Work For in America" for 11 consecutive years. In addition, Publix's dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized as tops in the grocery business, most recently by an American Customer Satisfaction Index survey. For more information, visit the company's Web site, www.publix.com.

Walgreens announces Health and Wellness Division

To provide patients with greater access to quality, affordable and convenient health care near their homes and at work, Walgreen Co. has created a new Walgreens Health and Wellness division. The division will manage health centers and pharmacies at large-company worksites, while continuing the rollout of Take Care Health Clinics located at Walgreens drugstores nationwide.

Walgreens estimates the current potential market for worksite health centers and pharmacies includes more than 7,600 corporate campuses of 1,000 employees or more.