Industry Focus

Now’s a good time for small businesses to renew their relationship with banks, or   start one, small-business advocates say. They cite several reasons why:

With thousands of commercial banks to choose from, many of them conveniently located, how does a small-business owner know which one is right for his company?

The year 2010 did not go according to plan.    
Having prevented a depression in 2008 and with a strong rebound in 2009, policymakers expected the global economy to see sustained growth in 2010. That never happened. Recent data show a slowing global recovery.

General Motors’ 2011 Buick Regal is a lightly reworked, front-wheel-drive, midsize sedan based on the European Opel Insignia. For North America, Regal was benchmarked against the Acura TSX, and it also will compete with the Mazda6, Volvo S60 and Volkswagen Passat.

With visions of a U.S. auto industry that is innovative, competitive and far less dependent on oil, the Obama administration has pumped more than $12 billion to date into vehicle technologies, speeding up innovation in electric-drive, advanced combustion, sustainable biofuels, natural gas and fuel cells.

In today’s tumultuous economic environment, when survival is paramount, it is difficult for businesses to argue that a specific function, program or initiative should be considered “sacred” and left untouched.

In 1998, St. Lucia, a beautiful island in the Caribbean, rich in natural resources, was a “best-kept” secret. Twelve years later, the island is a popular tourism destination, dotted with luxury developments, chain hotels and a compromised ecosystem.

Spring has sprung! You’ve been anxiously waiting to take that vacation with your family, significant other, or even alone. Looking to relax and commune with nature?

The statistics are discouraging. A survey by Smith Travel Research, an independent research company focusing on the U.S. lodging industry, found that American hotels had a record-low 45.1 percent occupancy rate — the lowest for the month of January since 1987. Yet many hotels owned by Blacks have found new ways to attract guests locally and new business opportunities internationally.

Care Cab L.L.C. operates in the fast-growing market for non-emergency transportation. Paul J. Ravenell bought the company two years ago from its previous owners, who had run it for four years.