Volunteers Needed for Harbor House's Great Harbor Shoot-Out

Harbor House is heating up for the annual Great Harbor Shoot-Out  March 14-16, 2014.    Athletes, coaches and thousands of fans will descend upon Mount Desert Island, Trenton & Ellsworth for the tournament. Volunteers Needed for Friday March 14 thru Sunday March 16 Taking place at Mount Desert Elementary School, MDI YMCA, Pemetic Elementary,Trenton Elementary, MDI High School & Ellsworth Middle School. Please contact Diana Novella at 244-3713 or email diana@harborhousemdi.org if you can help with this great community event.    We are looking for individuals who can help us with running the clock, concession stand and selling tickets at the gateway.   With 89 teams participating, the Shoot-Out features four divisions of play for girls and boys, this three-day tournament, a mini March Madness, gives young people the opportunity to compete, excel and develop invaluable life lessons and sportsmanship skills.  See you in March!!!

Changes to Services at the Social Security Offices Nationwide

We have received an update from the Social Security Regional Public Affairs Office letting us know of some changes that will be implemented at their offices during the coming year.

Beginning in August 2014, Social Security number printouts will no longer be available in their field offices.  Individuals needing proof of their Social Security numbers who cannot find their card will need to apply for replacement copies.

Beginning in October 2014, field offices will stop providing benefit verification letters except in emergency situations.  Benefit verifications will be available on-line, and can be obtained anytime by registering for a my Social Security account at: www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount, or reuested by calling the toll-free number: 1-800-772-1213.

Join Harbor House at Red Sky for Island Dining!

Join us for Island Dining at Red Sky Thursday, March 6, 2014

Come join us for Island Dining at Red Sky with friends and Harbor House supporters. Thursday March 6th starting at 6pm. The cost is $55 per person which includes tax. This dinner has always been a sold out event and since James and Elizabeth are sure to plan a gourmet feast, book your table today! To make sure you are part of this special evening please call Diana at 244-3713 or emaildiana@harborhousemdi.org to reserve your seats. So mark the date on your calendar, Thursday March 6th, and join us for an evening at Red Sky! Hope to see you there!

Welcome to new Chamber Member: Eden Spa at the Bluenose Inn

Welcome to new Chamber member, Eden Spa the the Bluenose Inn!

Located along the beautiful coast of Maine, the AAA 4-Diamond Awarded Bluenose Inn Hotel and Spa brings a sophisticated design aesthetic and easy-going atmosphere.

"We offer a variety of Holistic Facials, Manicures, Pedicures, CND Shellac Nails, Mud Wraps, Salt & Sugar Glows, Waxing and Massage: Swedish (Intro to Massage), Therapeutic, Deep Tissue, Hot Stone, Prenatal and Raindrop Therapy.

"Along with any spa purchase our guests get full day access to our gorgeous Indoor Pool, Jacuzzi, Steam Room and Exercise room. Come enjoy the memorable views, along with the tranquility of Bar Harbor and relax with us!"

You can visit or contact Eden Spa at: 

Eden Spa at the Bluenose Inn

90 Eden Street, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609

Tel: (207) 288-2665 EXT 501

(207) 288-3348

edenspa@barharborhotel.com

http://barharborhotel.com/eden-spa.html

News from the Maine Small Business Development Center

Maine Small Business Development Centers February 2014 Meet with a  Business Counselor In This Issue Retirement Planning Tax Tips E-Week Maine Build-A-Biz Veterans in Business   Veteran Business Initiative  Service member or veteran business owner? Have a business question?  Contact: Gordon Platt 207-615-3294 Maine SBDC  Upcoming Workshops February 12  - Bangor Business 101 February 12 - Bangor Top Ten Marketing "Musts" for Small Business February 12 - Bangor The Art of Networking February 13 - Machias Marketing Essentials February 26 - Fairfield Creating Your Marketing Plan February 28 - Portland Introduction to Small Business Taxes for Sole Proprietorships February 2014 - Portland Strategic Planning Basics for Small Business Wednesdays - 4 -6 pm Six Workshops! Attend one, or attend them all! MULTIPLE DATES Strategic Positioning & Risk Assessment - 3/19 Knowing Your Target Market & Competition - 2/12 & 3/26 Assessing Your Industry - Trends/Social Responsibility and Sustainability - 2/19 & 4/2 Solid Financials - Cash Flow Forecasting - 2/26 & 4/9 Solid Financials - Balance Sheet Management - 3/5 &  4/16 Growth Strategies & Setting Goals - 3/12 & 4/23 Cost: Any 1 session is $20, OR prepay for all 6 sessions for $100 For more information or to register, contact Chris Long at 780-4949 Join Our Mailing List Retirement Planning for Business Owners 3 Steps to Making Retirement Savings a Reality Many business owners - particularly smaller businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs - face difficult decisions when it comes to providing their own benefits. As the business owner, you decide how to spend or invest your income. Often, the decision is how to prioritize. It's not uncommon for a business owner to put off his/her personal retirement saving strategy in order to prioritize the cost of health insurance, for example. If your business itself is not producing equity, creating a separate capital base for retirement is extremely important. The good news is that as a business owner, you can take advantage of retirement saving vehicles such as a SEP-IRA and other income tax planning strategies. Read the full article here. Small Business Taxes Helpful Resources to get you through Tax Season It's tax time and our business counselors often get asked about choosing good tax preparers. Making sure to wisely choose a qualified professional is important. To help you, theIRS has published a list of tips to help you find the right person.   Additionally, the below articles highlight important 2014 tax information and changes: Important Tax Figures for 2014 Tax Changes for 2014: A Checklist Tax Brackets, Deductions and Exemptions for 2014    The IRS website is full of helpful information. They've also made some virtual workshops.    Free tax preparation services are available for those who make $52,000 or less. Call 2-1-1 to find a location near you (or visit their site). In addition, the IRS offers free software for those who make $58,000 or less through their FreeFile program.  Celebration of Entrepreneurship In Maine - February 8-22   National Entrepreneurship Week is organized in Maine by a coalition of business and education partners in support of the creative and managerial efforts of entrepreneurs and small business. Workshops and business competitions are among the events designed to inspire young entrepreneurs and enhance the skills of older ones.   For more information, visit www.eweekmaine.org Youth Entrepreneurship Program Registration open! Build-A-Biz, a youth entrepreneurship education program, is now accepting registrations for their ages 5-9 and 10-18 programs!  The programs gives children education, attention and real-world experience into business ownership. They learn to set goals through experiential activities.  For more information or to get your child involved, visitwww.buildabiz.me.

Maine Small Business Development Centers | Website | 207-780-4420

Valentine's Day Offer from the Salty Dog Gallery

Vote for Harbor House!

Help Harbor House get a  Community Matters More Grant!

Please help Harbor House win a Community Matters More grant from Bangor Savings Bank Foundation. It is as easy as clicking on the link below. Then go to the Downeast section and click other and simply type in Harbor House Community Service Center. Please cast your vote for Harbor House now, it's that simple. Thanks so much for your help! P.S. Pass this onto your friends and family who care about Harbor House. The more votes the better! Bangor Savings Bank is offering a simple way to show some love for your favorite non-profits during the month of February and all it takes is a bit of your time. We are looking to you, our community, to assist us in distributing $100,000 to charitable organizations in Maine. Last year, more than 80,000 of you supported non-profits of all types and sizes by voting in the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation's Community Matters More grant-making initiative. A total of 68 grants will be awarded to the organizations listed on the ballot and to the top 20 write-in recipients. The organizations in each of the eight regions (including write-ins) that get the most votes will receive $5,000 each. The remaining 60 organizations will each receive $1,000. The 2014 Community Matters More voting takes place during the month of February, beginning February 1 and ending February 28. Winners will be announced in April. It's easy to vote for your favorite non-profits by visiting Community Matters More or stopping by any of our 57 branches statewide. A complete list of voting guidelines and eligibility requirements for write-in nominations are available at www.bangor.com/cmm. The success of this annual initiative is made possible because of the commitment Mainers have to their communities and the important role non-profits play in our state. As Maine's largest independent bank, Bangor Savings Bank is committed to being a strong community partner and a good neighbor throughout Maine. We need your help to make Community Matters More a success, so please cast your votes today!

Southwest Harbor Library: Women's History Project Art Show 2014 Call for Artists

This year's theme is "grandmothers." Please feel free to interpret this idea as openly as you would like. Some examples include a portrait of a grandmother/s, the influence of grandmothers on you, shared views both pictorial and perspective, historical significance, the cyclical nature of having and becoming grandmothers, and grandmothers in the past, present, and future. These are just suggestions, and we look forward to your interpretation of this theme. Participants need not be "professional" artists and all types of media and crafts are encouraged. 

TO REGISTER for the Southwest Harbor Public Library art show, go to: https://docs.google.com/a/acadiachamber.com/forms/d/11OH5PgcIoXcbw3I4FZx2n6Wc1nI7BMar4BjhEbeTCAQ/viewform

Artists may exhibit at more than one library. To sign up to exhibit at another library, contact the library of your choice at the contact information listed below. Space is limited and we ask that each artist exhibit only piece per library. Contact: Bass Harbor Library, Clara Baker, 207-244-3798, clarabaker0@gmail.com Jesup Memorial Library, Laura Edwards, 207-288-4245, ledwards@jesup.lib.me.us Northeast Harbor Library, Brook Minner, 207-276-3333, bminner@nehlibrary.org.