From ASME San Francisco Section February 1997 Newsletter:

Small Business Report: February 1997
by Eric E. Worrell, P.E., Small Business Committee Chair, ASME Region IX and San Francisco Section

This column, past editions, upcoming small business events, The Small Business and Consultants Referral List and more are on the web at http://www.ccnet.com/~eew/asmesfsb/.

We are grateful to Michael Parker, P.E., an active small business member and owner of Redwood Ergonomics in Santa Rosa, for volunteering on short notice to be feature speaker for our February Section meeting. I hope you are looking forward, as I am, to partaking of his expertise in "Design for Ergonomics". Michael will present principles relevant in some way to all of us whether just for arranging our own office for efficiency, modifying a power plant or refinery or designing a procedure or product used by hundreds, thousands or millions. You can reach Michael at 1-800-575-1456 or redergo@sonic.net. For more on this Small Business Member of the Month, check the front page meeting announcement.

With slightly more notice, Small Business Member of the Month Angela Faulkner brings us some lessons from her business as a solo consultant. (Thank-you, Angela.)

I probably shouldn't admit this after seven years in business as a consulting engineer, but I still get this jazzy little feeling inside every time I get a call for new business. My clients are all aerospace oriented and located in Southern California. They accept the drawbacks of travel costs and teleconferencing to receive quality engineering analyses in the fields of heat transfer, statistical reliability and aerothermodynamics.

Although my primary clients are companies I used to work for, I have made some in-roads in expanding my base by keeping in touch with colleagues that move to new jobs. After they become accepted by their new employer, I have a potential new customer. This year I plan to use the SBA Small Business Liaison List to make contacts. The SBA prints out a one inch thick booklet listing the name, phone number and address of small business liaisons for government prime contractors. These prime contractors are obligated to employ a specific number of small businesses as a contract requirement on government projects. By contacting the liaison, a small business can be added to the potential bidders list.

A few "Do's and Don'ts" have come up along the way which assist me in keeping my clients satisfied and insuring my company's survival. The "Do's" include flexibility, timeliness, accuracy and a sense of humor! The "Don'ts" are involvement in office politics, having direct employees spend time getting you information and asking for a contract increase with every minor design change.

Although the hours can be long and weekend work is the norm, I never want to give up consulting. My goal for 1997 is to minimize the "feast or famine" aspect of the business. This past year has been hectic and busy; while 1995 was the slowest year for work since I started. It's difficult to implement a marketing plan when you are up to your eyeballs in work, but it's necessary to keep a reasonably steady flow of contracts. I hope to continue getting that "jazzy" feeling from new business for many years to come.

Contact Angela at FCS, 1500 Oliver Road #K Suite 291, Fairfield, CA 94533; Ph/Fax (707) 434-1011, E-mail A_Faulkner@compuserve.com

From the January 8 ASME Capital Update, here's the full scoop on the ASME Accessing Technology Briefing -- Saturday, February 22 in Pasadena "ACCESSING TECHNOLOGY BRIEFING
ASME International's Board on Government Relations, Region IX, and the Los Angeles Section are sponsoring a briefing on state and federal technology resources in the Southern California region. The briefing will be Saturday, February 22, 1997, at the Beckman Institute Auditorium on the campus of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. It begins at 8:00 a.m. with a continental breakfast and ends by 1:00 p.m. Speakers will describe programs in southern California which bridge technologies available to federal laboratories and research universities, and the development problems facing engineers today. Their presentations will include real examples of how engineers in industry have been able to solve problems and create opportunities with the help of state and federal government technology resources. Opening remarks will be made by The Honorable George Brown, Jr., (D-Calif.). The moderator of the panel discussion will be The Honorable Governor Richard Celeste, Former Governor of Ohio. Panelists include Ken Dozier, Far West Regional Technology Transfer Center; David Braunstein, California Manufacturing Center; Steve Jarvis, Office of Competitive Technology, California; and Rohit Shukla, Los Angeles Regional Technology Alliance. Mr. Gary Bachula, Deputy Undersecretary, U.S. Department of Commerce, will provide closing remarks. There is no charge to attend this event, but space is limited so registration is required. To register, send an e-mail with your name, address, and phone number to meisingerr@asme.org by February 19, 1997."

As always, if you have comments or input for small business activities, this column or the small business web site, please contact me at: Eric E. Worrell, P.E., The Ergonomic Energy Works, PO Box 271923, Concord, CA 94527-1923, Phone/Fax (510) 689-4579, eew@eew.com.

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