Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Cracked or faded laptop screen?

Bring it in to get it replaced. Our PC Techs, Matt & Jason, have a handle on pretty much every laptop!! Screen Replacement cost is $90 plus the cost of the screen. Replacement screens range from $80-$200 based on the manufacturer and model laptop.

Bring in the new screen yourself and N-Sync will install it for only $55! This price includes a “Clean- Up” with PC Tune Up.

Contact Jason and Matt in the PC Repair department today!

(321) 784-8488 x 201 or 202

Supply is at an all time low. The number of properties sold is up year to date and has been up for the past 2 years especially in the condominium market. This year 22% more condominiums have been sold since the end of September compared to the end of September last year. With unemployment for Brevard County at 11.7% why are homes and condominium sales picking up? The answer is two—fold. Condominium financing has become more readily available and interest rates are hovering around 4%. Plus condominium and home prices have decreased to an unprecedented low. Why do you think Donald Trump is investing in real estate at this time? Is it time for you to be considering a move?

Supply is at an all time low. The number of properties sold is up year to date and has been up for the past 2 years especially in the condominium market. This year 22% more condominiums have been sold since the end of September compared to the end of September last year. With unemployment for Brevard County at 11.7% why are homes and condominium sales picking up? The answer is two—fold. Condominium financing has become more readily available and interest rates are hovering around 4%. Plus condominium and home prices have decreased to an unprecedented low. Why do you think Donald Trump is investing in real estate at this time? Is it time for you to be considering a move?

The Brevard Heart Walk to benefit the American Heart Association was held on September 17,2011 at the Space Coast Stadium.

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The Beachside Resident Magazine, May 2011- www.thebeachsideresident.com

This month, we interview Gary Kitchens, one of the brains behind Brevard’s Green Team, a Cocoa Beach-based company that helps promote sustainable, “green” business practices.

This past February, in conjunction with Club Cars and Solar World, and with the support of the City of Cocoa, Kitchens and BGT were given approval to introduce in June an 8-person solar-powered golf cart to provide free transport and tours of Cocoa Village.

It’s an intriguing project, and places Brevard at the forefront of Florida’s burgeoning green-business revolution.

We asked Kitchens about the “Solar Ride” vehicles and BGT’s vision for the future.

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Tell us a little bit about yourself first. Where are you from originally?

I’m originally from Long Island, NY and am 20-year resident of Cocoa Beach. I was a snowbird since 1979 and have lived here full-time since 1991. After four years of engineering and frostbite at Clarkson University in New York, near the Canadian border, and earning an MBA in the early ‘70s, I went on to develop a career in energy efficiency though design and development. I’ve since worked to create energy saving thermostats, high efficiency windows,heating systems, solar hot water heaters, and through Brevard’s Green Team, have developed Adopt-A Bin recycling programs and other initiatives throughout the County.

Tell us about the history and formation of the Brevard Green Team. How did it come about?

Brevard’s Green Team Organization was created in late 2008 to improve recycling at local businesses and to make Brevard a greener destination. Through community projects and by offering classes through a non-profit educational foundation,we hope to prepare the region for the green revolution to come. In 2009, we kicked off BGT’s Adopt-A-Bin program for countywide events, and we’ve since aided in recycling at over 100 events, including major league baseball games, the Cocoa Beach Air Show, NKF Surfing contests, and Chamber ofCommerce ribbon cuttings, as well as Cocoa and Melbourne Village events, and other local festivals.

How did the idea for these “Solar Rides” start?

In March of 2010, the concept was conceived at a Cocoa Beach Chamber of Commerce event at Rockledge City Hall. We asked Troy Tutterrow, of Extreme Custom Carts, if the vehicles were made of recycled parts and laughingly enjoyed a meeting of the minds about how to create a recycled, custom retrofitted, steet legal, long-range, solar-powered golf cart to pick up recycled products at local events. Prior to that, a colleague, Dewey Kessler, had discussed using golf carts as “bar hoppers” at the Port, and though the idea sounded good to the merchants, the liability was ultimately not acceptable to Port Security. Extreme Custom Carts was contracted by Dewey to recycle a 1995 cart into a street-legal vehicle a while back. He installed a custom-made, solar charging system in it, and after four months of successful private usage in low-speed locations, it’s still used for personal use and private events in the area. Now, with the help of Troy Tutterow, J.W. Jones of Power Shift Solar, Dan Faulkenberry of Push Creative Printing, Fred of Time Industries, and Russ Jamison of Atlas Insurance, we’re just weeks away from introducing our Solar Rides to Cocoa Village.

Why Cocoa Village?

There’s inconvenient parking there, and the Village has a prominent low-speed zone. What we’ll offer is welcoming, user-friendly access to and from long distance parking coupled with recycle bin pickups. Most of all, it will save visitors gas and time during their visit to the area.

When do you expect the cars to be in operation?

This June. State applications for street legal vehicle status have been submitted and we’re waiting for inspection. We’re going to start with one, and as greener endorsements grow, we’ll continue to build more. Right now we’re set for a 1-year pilot program.

What are the terms of the pilot program?

For one year, until further review, we’ll offer courtesy rides and tours into and around Cocoa Village. Eventually, the program will be limited to 6 vehicles with a recycle bin to be placed at 10 stops on the route.

Tell us a little about how the carts work and the construction process.

We started with old golf carts that had been returned from lease. The 8-passenger vehicles were retrofitted with the latest developments in comfort and electronics. We customized the nose to allow for added storage and incorporate 240-watt solar panels and digital controllers, and LED head and tail lights. Considering that most solar-charged technology has been for the 2-4 person carts, we’ve come a long way. The project required a larger roof structure, higher torque motors, and low-speed, street-legal outfitting.

What is the planned route?

Courtesy transportation and tours will originate at the Amish Deli, located at 607 Florida Ave. We’ll travel east on Orange Ave. and begin a 1.25-mile loop from the parking lot (South of 520) to pick up visitors from parking areas. We’ll continue south on Brevard Ave., east on Derby St., and turn north on Delannoy Ave. and around the park to West Harrison. Ten stops along the route will be designated pickup points for recycling containers.

What do you hope for the future of these carts?

We’d like to see expansion to similar low-speed areas such like Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral, Port Canaveral, Downtown Melbourne, the Eau Gallie Art District, and for 5k fundraisers and other events. To learn more about the Solar Ride Program and other BGT initiatives, visit www.brevardsgreenteam.org

These Credits May Mean Big Tax Savings

As a business leader, you have probably heard of the Research and Experimentation (R&E) tax credit.  This dollar-for-dollar reduction of tax could mean thousands of dollars saved for your business.  Traditionally, manufacturers, engineers, architects, software developers and other high-tech companies have benefited the most from this general business credit.

Overview

• The research tax credit, which dates back to 1981, is a wage-based tax credit that rewards companies for investing in qualified research activities.

• The R&E credit is available for the development or improvement of products, processes, techniques, formulas, inventions and/or software.  In addition to qualified wages, companies may capture supply costs for prototype components and tooling (and in some cases the costs for production tooling) as well as 65 percent of contracted labor spent performing qualified research on behalf of the company.
• Companies can benefit by both deducting the research expenditures and by claiming the credit.  The research expenditures are a reduction of taxable income.  The research tax credit is a general business credit, and a dollar-for-dollar reduction of tax.
• Generally, the research credit is 20 percent of the companys qualified research expenditures in excess of a base amount.  Companies must first use the credit to offset tax for the year the credit is generated.  However, if additional credit remains, the company may carry the credit back one previous tax year or forward to the next 20 years.
• The current law allows taxpayers to claim federal R&E tax credits for expenditures paid or incurred prior to December 31, 2011.  Your business can amend federal tax returns to claim R&E tax credits in prior years and establish systems to claim R&E tax credits in the future.

Qualifying Research Activities

How do you know if your company may qualify for research and experimentation tax credit studies First, review the checklist below and mark all that apply.  Does your company

• Design new products
• Improve existing products
• Improve manufacturing processes through technology
• Develop new formulas or techniques
• Improve customer part designs to improve manufacturability
• Design tools, fixtures, molds, or dies
• Develop prototypes or models (including computer generated models)
• Apply for patents
• Test new concepts or technology
• Implement robotics or production control software
• Streamline or improve production or manufacturing processes to achieve higher standards in quality and productivity
• Perform certification testing
• Expend resources on outside consultants or contractors to conduct any of the above-stated activities

If you answered yes to any of these activities, your company may qualify for R&E tax credit.

Four Basic Requirements

To qualify for the R&E tax credit, your research activities must meet four basic requirements:

1. Meet the definition of qualified research activities, which are defined as the development or improvement to a business component, e.g. a product, process, technique, formula, invention, or software.
2. The research must be technological, i.e. the process of experimentation used to discover the information fundamentally relies upon the physical or biological sciences, engineering, or computer science.  Companies may use existing technologies and may rely upon existing principles to satisfy this requirement.
3. The research must eliminate uncertainty concerning the development or improvement of a business component.  Uncertainty exists if the capability or method for developing the business component is unknown, or if the appropriate design of the business component is unknown.
4. Need of experimentation process. Elimination of the technical uncertainty must be accomplished through a process of experimentation, including systematic trial and error, modeling, or simulation.

To successfully complete a research and experimentation credit study, your company should use a project-based or cost center accounting system.  While the accounting records will track qualified expenses, your company will also need to maintain records with information on the nature of the research, such as marketing materials, bid packages, patent applications, management reports, engineering drawings.

As high-tech companies continue to generate jobs and add to the tax roles for our county, any advantages can provide a big boost for a company and mean the difference between growing from one year to the next.  The research and experimentation tax credit is a reduction of your tax.  Will you take advantage of it  For more information, visit Hoyman.com.

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