The Classic Committee wishes to thank all the major sponsors, hole sponsors, prize donors and participants who contributed to making this event successful. Special thanks to the major sponsors, including: Founding Sponsor: Cancer Centers of N.C.; Elite Sponsors: Wake Radiology Oncology Services, Rex Healthcare; Diamond Level: Duke Medicine, Wake Med; Platinum Level: Harris Teeter, Continental Airlines, Hurricanes, American Express; and Silver Level: Cary Urology, Crescent State Bank and Erimos Research. There was also a number of Hole Sponsors: Tom Brady, Johnson Optometric Associates, LGA, Lorenzi Family, Merrill Lynch (Steve Halko), Physical Solutions, Prep Rite Painting, Primrose Schools, PSNC Energy, Psychological Associate, Remax Partners – John Wood, Fletcher Realty, Rick Wolf, Rudino’s, State Farm (Tim Farless), Susan Aldrich, Bob Conlin, Vinnie DeBenedetto, Four Oaks Bank Gordon Milligan, Bryan Properties, Crescent Family Practice, Crosswinds Marina, Holly Springs Eye Associates, Homegrown Pizza, The Young Group of Fuquay. Additionally over $10,000 in Raffle and Golf prizes were awarded at the luncheon on the day of the event.

* Compliance Risk Management,
* Transparency,
* Income Tax Gap Analyses,
* Communications and Technological Enhancements,
* Preparer Requirements, and
* Improving Employment Tax Reporting and Worker Classification Compliance.

IRSAC was established in 1953 as the Commissioner’s Advisory Group (CAG), a national policy and issue advisory committee.  Renamed in 1998 to reflect the agency-wide scope of its focus as an advisory body, the primary purpose of IRSAC is to provide an organized public forum for representatives of the public and senior IRS executives to discuss relevant tax administration issues.

Through IRSAC, systemic problems relating to existing tax policy or emerging tax administration issues are addressed in a public forum.  IRSAC draws its members from the tax professional community and from academia. The council receives full-time support from the IRS office of National Public Liaison.

The recommendations are available on IRS.gov at: http://www.irs.gov/taxpros/article/0,,id=188458,00.html

So how does someone get a ticket to the most popular event of 2009? The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies is responsible for divvying out tickets to Congressional representatives. It is then up to the Congressmen and women to hand out the tickets—which are free—to constituents the day before the inauguration. According to the Times Wires Services, some members of Congress—who usually have several hundred tickets to pass out at their discretion—have received thousands of requests. North Carolina Congressman David Price’s office reports nearly 20,000 requests for tickets.

The fact that tickets haven’t even been distributed to the members of Congress yet hasn’t stopped online scalpers from trying to rake in cash from patriotic Americans. A CNN.com report found that some online ticket brokers were selling VIP seats for more than $20,000 each. While many online brokers offer a money-back guarantee if they can’t secure the tickets, the purchaser will likely already be en route to Washington, DC, before they receive the bad news that the broker couldn’t provide the promised tickets.

“While this is certainly a historic time in American history, citizens should remain cautious and be certain they are dealing with a reputable organization when searching for Inauguration tickets,” says Beverly Baskin, president and CEO of the BBB of Eastern North Carolina. “If not, they may be out money and left to watch the swearing in on television.”

Not only are scalpers trying to sell tickets they don’t have, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, plans to introduce legislation this month that would make scalping inaugural tickets a misdemeanor crime. The Committee is also alerting lawmakers that it is a violation of Congress’ code of ethics for members or staff to sell their tickets.

The BBB strongly advises against purchasing inauguration tickets online, but for those that are willing to assume the risk, the following steps should be taken to reduce the chances of being ripped off:

* When buying from a ticket reselling company online, buyers should always look for the BBBOnLine seal. The BBBOnLine logo is a sign that the company has a good reputation for satisfying customers and a secure Web site for processing payments.
* Paying with a credit card or through PayPal will provide protection and the opportunity for potential reimbursement if the company is fraudulent. Consumers should never pay with a cashier’s check or wire money to a seller, as they will have no way to get their money back if the tickets do not arrive.
* Consumers who have been ripped off buying tickets online can file a complaint with Better Business Bureau online at www.bbb.org. They can also file complaints with their state Attorney General’s office.

Because of the overwhelming requests for tickets, some members of Congress are planning to distribute tickets via a lottery system. Constituents can contact their local U.S. Representative or U.S. Senator to request tickets and get their name in the hopper.

About BBB of Eastern North Carolina:
The Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina is a 501 (c)(6) not-for-profit corporation serving 33 counties in eastern North Carolina. The organization is funded primarily by BBB Accredited Business fees from more than 3,200 local business and professional firms. The BBB promotes integrity, consumer confidence and business ethics through business self-regulation in the local marketplace. Services provided by the BBB include, reports on companies and charitable organizations, general monitoring of advertising in the marketplace, dispute resolution services, and consumer/business education programs. All services are provided at no cost to the public, with the occasional exception of mediation and arbitration. Visit www.bbb.org.

1. Invest time, rather than money, by taking advantage of low-cost or “free” visibility opportunities such as networking groups, festivals, expos, association meetings and social business gatherings (e.g., after-hours events or luncheons).

• Enter with an interest in others: find out who they are and what they offer; help out; share resources; make yourself useful; and of course, once you find a group of people you like, trust and value, show up consistently.
• Hone your business description so you can quickly and easily describe both what you do and why it matters to the customers you work with. Share it in conversation even beyond the traditional business settings: waiting on line, with telemarketers, or at your children’s activities, to name a few. The one golden rule: don’t dwell on yourself/your business too long; let your listener keep bringing you back to the topic, IF they’re interested.

2. Spread your name, number, URL and top benefit around as much as possible.

• Give something away that has your business name on it.  Select low cost items that have a shelf life and are useful — sticky notes or pads and similar paper products are always the most popular.
• Use the “media” that you already have and make them work harder for you: brand your cars (use magnets and stickers), your “self” (apparel, bags, name badges), your windows (signs, banners, clings). Your website is a good candidate for putting to best use too — focus on incorporating good content, updated regularly.

3. When you’re networking, marketing and/or updating your blogs and website, share brief stories about creative solutions you’ve employed, problems you’ve solved, and benefits rendered to your customers and prospects. Keep them light, share the credit, and remember to turn the spotlight on someone else before you start to sound too self-serving.

4. Be diligent about follow-up. Always. Enough said.

5. Identify opportunities for making your business stronger — partnerships, sponsorships, events, promotions, new programs, new business lines — and use these newsworthy changes to get some added publicity.

And above all, say AIM Group Two co-owners Barry and Ellen Sherrill, “keep your focus on what’s positive in your business environment. Projecting doom and gloom is not going to help attract business.” For more information and ideas on how to increase visibility cost-effectively, contact AIM Group Two at aimgrouptwo@yahoo.com or 919-387-7588.

About Aim Group Two: AIM Group Two Promotional Products is owned and operated by Barry and Ellen Sherrill, who have specialized in small-quantity, high-quality, in-house production of personalized promotional products for small business marketing and individual gift-giving for over 12 years.  They are active members of the local business community, including being members of both the Cary and Apex Chambers of Commerce. Barry also serves on the board of the Mid-Atlantic Fly-In and Sport Aviation Convention. Ellen has her Masters degree in Social Work and is a founding member of the Research Triangle Association of Diabetes Educators, “ReTRADE.” For more information please contact them at 919-387-7588 or aimgrouptwo@yahoo.com.

From start to finish, students will be guided through the complete process of painting with watercolors.   Enjoy individualized instruction and have fun!

$75; All Levels of Experience; Preregistration required.  For details, call Judie at (919) 387-9448.

“When the folks at Creative Angst contacted us about partnering on the project, we immediately saw the potential for the app,” said Thomas Ingham, co-founder and chief technologist at Coalmarch. “Our creative development team really pulled through to provide what we believe to be a potentially lifesaving and fun application.”

Coalmarch was the principle developer of the new iPhone and iPod Touch application. The application was developed using the Apple Developer Program’s iPhone SDK and all the assets, stone masonry, carbon fibering and Software Development was done on a Mac.

“This super fun app is an easy way to keep track of how many drinks you’ve had while you’re out and about,” said Jake St. Peter, president and co-founder at Coalmarch Productions. “You can create multiple profiles for anyone in your address book GotYourBAC even keeps track of all the active profiles so you can keep tabs on your buddies.”

GotYourBAC easily tracks BAC and calorie/carb intake. The real-time Slosh-O-Meter accurately calculates when a user is over the safe limit to drive. A GPS location feature of the iPhone, in combination with Google Maps, even finds nearby cab companies. You can download and buy GotYourBAC at the Apple Store.

Have a great idea for a mobile app? Coalmarch would love to hear from you. They’re all about making partnerships with people with fantastic concepts for apps; taking dream apps from concept to reality. Contact them today!

About Coalmarch Productions®
Coalmarch Productions® is the Triangle’s leading software developer. Coalmarch specializes in Web site management and both online and traditional marketing solutions. Coalmarch Productions provides a complete range of new media solutions including graphic design, custom programming, SEM, virtual tours, as well as public and media relations. Custom innovations include its CoalEngine® software suite that is strategically designed to outperform on search engines and is proven to deliver a significant increase in online traffic for its clients. Located in Cary, N.C., Coalmarch Productions’ clients include:

Hosted Solutions
The United States Playing Card Company (Gamblers General Store
Bicycle Brand Playing Cards)
LEAP Technologies
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

For additional information, please visit www.coalmarch.com or contact Jake St. Peter, president, at (919) 481-2895.

The Triple Crown is the newest addition to the 2008 Readers’ Choice Awards program, created to recognize companies that have won the Readers’ Choice competition for at least three consecutive years, dating back to 2006. It is an award reserved for “products that win again and again” and “deserve special recognition for staying on top in a competitive industry,” according to Redmond’s recent announcement.

Global Knowledge was given the top spot in the competitive field of Certification Boot Camp training by 41.6% of the readership, well ahead of the 15.4% for second place. In the Best Online, Disk-Based, or Instructor-Led Training category, the company took second place.

“Given the popularity of our Microsoft Boot Camps, the need for consistency in quality training, and the ever-changing requirements for IT professionals, we are committed to helping our customers with their chosen careers, including the demanding technology areas of unified communications, security, and virtualization,” said Fox.

Global Knowledge delivers a full schedule of Microsoft training courses worldwide and has received awards from Redmond magazine readers every year since 2003.

About Global Knowledge
Global Knowledge is the largest privately held provider of training and enterprise learning services for information technology (IT) and management professionals. The company offers a broad array of hands-on IT, project management, and professional skills training featuring proprietary core and custom curriculum, as well as content from leading companies, including Cisco, Microsoft, Nortel, and Red Hat. Delivered in classrooms, at private facilities, or over the Internet, Global Knowledge has helped Fortune 500 companies, organizations and government agencies leverage learning to turn knowledge into productivity for employees, customers, and channel partners. Founded in 1995, Global Knowledge employs more than 1,200 people worldwide and is headquartered in Cary, N.C. The company is owned by New York-based investment firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson, and Stowe. For more information, visit www.globalknowledge.com.

“We are very excited about the growth of our office,” said Rebecca Stevens, managing partner. “With the addition of Kara Daniels Hand as a new partner this year, the public has responded positively, and our client base has grown significantly. We see this as a natural progression to ensure timely, efficient services for our long-standing, loyal clients and our new customers.”

About Stevens & Hand, PLLC
Based in Cary, North Carolina, Stevens & Hand, PLLC has over 20 years of legal experience specializing in residential real estate closings in the Triangle and surrounding counties. Stevens & Hand offers the expertise and knowledge to assist clients with the necessary legal counsel and documentation for purchases, refinancing and home equity loans. Additionally, they provide legal services for simple wills, living wills, and power of attorneys. For more information please visit www.stevensandhand.com.