| StrategicPartner's Columbia Office Expands, Relocates and Celebrates Ten Year Anniversary
StrategicPartner, a sales force development firm, announces it has expanded and relocated to 919 Washington Street in downtown Columbia. Along with business coaching and hiring expertise, the firm provides business owners and sales professionals with a proven training program, the Sandler Selling System®. StrategicPartner has offices located in Columbia, Greenville, and Charleston. .
Village Coffee brews up growth
Village Coffee is branching out. Village Coffee founder Tommy Lowery currently owns three stores -- the original in Troy and two in east Montgomery -- and he's sold licenses in Millbrook, Prattville and Enterprise as well as one in California. He says he's negotiating a dozen other license deals. The Alabama-based company is growing through licensing, which allows the buyer a more affordable and more flexible opportunity than franchising, Lowery said. Under a franchise agreement, the store operator follows instructions from corporate on almost every aspect of running the business. In a license agreement, the store owner has permission to use a company's name and sell its products, according to Daniel Slocki, a counselor at the Auburn University Small Business Development Center.
Franchise fee an issue in TV dispute
MALONE -- Time Warner Cable says the franchise fees it pays communities for hosting its service will not change if a federal rate-regulation exemption is granted. The Town Council and Supervisor Howard Maneely are concerned that if the Federal Communication Commission grants an exemption to allow Time Warner to raise its basic-cable rates, that could open the door for the company to end its quarterly franchise payments. That would be $14,500 a quarter in the town and about $11,000 a quarter for the village. But Jeff Unaitis, vice president of public affairs, said the exemption and franchise fees are two separate issues that do not impact each other. The fees are based on a percentage of the gross revenue Time Warner takes in from customers in each municipality, up to a maximum of 5 percent.
|
