On the Horizon – March 9, 2012

March 10

Free Shredding Day

To help properly dispose of old documents containing personal information, Doug and Chris Ware, owners of the PostalAnnex, 3472 Research Parkway, are hosting a “Free Shredding Day.” Members of the community are encouraged to bring up to five pounds of documents to the Ware’s location. According to a report by Javelin Strategy & Research, in 2010, 8.1 million people were victims of identity theft, and the overall losses from identity fraud were $37 billion. Identity thieves search through garbage cans and dumpsters looking for documents with personal information.

March 13

EPIIC Night

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs El Pomar Institute for Innovation and Commercialization hosts EPIIC Night at 5:30 p.m. with guest speaker Sara E. Farley, co-founder and CEO of Global Knowledge Initiative. She will define and highlight how social entrepreneurship can catalyze science, technology and knowledge partnerships to generate innovative solutions to the challenges facing global society. The event will be in Upper Lodge, UCCS, 1420 Austin Bluffs. RSVP at 255-3686 or email Bev at bwasinge@uccs.edu.

March 14

Customer Service seminar

Ent Business Banking and the Colorado Springs Small Business Development Center host a seminar called “The secret service that will have your customers coming back for more,” at 11 a.m. at 7350 Campus Drive, second floor. By examining each phase of the customer experience cycle, organizations can learn practical ideas that can be transformed into repeatable best practices and learn how to turn customer complaints into positive experiences. RSVP by emailing to seminars@ent.com or by calling (719) 574-1100 ext. 6670 or 800-525-9623 ext. 6670.

March 20

Start-up Basics

SCORE hosts a free workshop 6 to 9 p.m. at Fountain Corporate Center, 3595 East Fountain Blvd. to help entrepreneurs assess and document their business plans. SCORE is a national volunteer association, sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration, providing free and confidential counseling and seminars to small businesses. This is the first in a series of six sessions. For more information, visit www.coloradosprings.score.org/ or call 636-3074.

Business Programs at Penrose Library

All library programs are free unless otherwise noted. For more information, visit ppld.org.

Minding Your Business

Learn how to research starting or growing a business or how to find a job. This class covers print sources, electronic databases and websites that will help you find information on industry, competition, vendors, financials, marketing, demographics and more.

8:30 to 10 a.m. March 29

Excel II

Participants will learn more complex formatting, charts, formulas and sorting of an Excel worksheet. Prerequisites: Completion of Excel I.

8:30 to 10 a.m. March 15

Excel I

Participants will learn how to set up, manipulate and format a basic spreadsheet. Prerequisites: Computer 101 or experience using a mouse and keyboard.

8:30 to 10 a.m. March 22

Investment Tools at Your Library

Participants will learn about resources that can help you become a better informed investor. The seminar includes print, online databases and free websites as well as Valueline and Morningstar.

8:30 to 10 a.m. March 31