A shining example
I enjoyed your article on adversity in SBN (August 2000, page 5).
As a business owner and employer of 25, I certainly concur with your three points of light. You haven’t begun to live until you’ve conquered the never-ending battle of adversity.
Adversity only lies dormant, then, without warning, it reappears.
Nick Opalich, president
Continental Health Care
Cleveland
The best of both worlds
I was very happy to see you highlighting Small Business Innovative Research subcontracts in your recent article, “Money for Nothing” (SBN August 2000, page 10).
SBIR grants offer the best of both worlds because they allow a company to develop products and profit from them.
Applewood Centers Inc., one of the region’s largest nonprofits helping children and families, used SBIR money to develop a software program to complement our Peacemakers curriculum, which teaches children how to settle conflicts in a nonviolent manner. The interactive CD-ROM game has enjoyed great success in schools in Cleveland, Parma, Cincinnati and San Diego.
As a nonprofit, we never could have funded a project like this without help from an outside source. The SBIR proved to be all that you said in your article, “a way to get money that didn’t have to be paid back.”
You did a great service to the region’s small business by alerting them to the SBIR’s grants. I hope many other businesses in the area will reap the benefits of this program as we have.
Richard A. Paulson, CEO
Applewood Centers Inc.
Cleveland