Nature Takes Over the Office in Downtown Denver

 In this wired era, it’s easy to let the office creep into every part of life, even time spent in nature, by checking email from the beach or taking a work call while out on the trail. But what if the tables were turned, and it was nature that was creeping into the office instead? It might look something like the playful, slightly surreal installation that eco-friendly architects Tres Birds Workshop created recently in downtown Denver. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/08/nature-takes-over-the-office-downtown-denver.php

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JASPER, IN (July, 2010) – National Office Furniture recently introduced the Antimicrobial Silver Ion Protection on its finished wood products including tables, casegoods and seating. Beginning July 1, 2010, antimicrobial silver ion technology comes standard at no upcharge on National’s wood finishes.
Inhibiting the growth of stain and odor causing bacteria, such as E.coli and Staph, as well as other microbes, silver ion technology provides a continuous protective antimicrobial surface. Tests have shown that on unprotected surfaces, bacteria have the capability to double in number every 20 minutes. Mitigating the effects of this rapid escalation, the antimicrobial silver ion technology embedded into our wood finish inhibits bacterial growth by 99.94%, keeping surfaces cleaner, longer.

Ideal for any space and organization, this extra level of product protection is especially suited for the high traffic, public areas in healthcare and education environments.

“From sustainability to quality and price point to reliability, at National, we constantly strive to add value for our customers any way we can. Infusing antimicrobial silver ion technology into our wood finish is one more way to ensure they receive exceptional product performance from National. We are pleased to offer this extra level of product protection to the marketplace as standard and at no additional cost,” says Angie Schuch, Director of Product Line Management, National Office Furniture. For more information call Corporate Environments at 610-974-7990

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2010 HIRE Act: Tax Breaks for Small Business

President Obama signed the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act on March 18, 2010. This new $17.5 billion legislation (scaled down from an earlier $150 billion package) is of particular interest to businesses as it includes new tax benefits directly related to hiring employees and writing off investments in equipment.

The new tax incentives for businesses to hire unemployed workers:

• payroll tax exemption of the employers share of Social Security taxes on wages paid to these workers after March 18, 2010.
• employer tax credit of up to $1,000 per worker

The new employees must meet these criteria in order to qualify for the business tax credits.

• hired between Feb 3, 2010 & Jan 1, 2011
• newly-hired employee was unemployed during the 60 days prior to starting work, or worked fewer than 40 hours for someone else during the 60 day period

Household employers are not eligible for the new tax benefits.

The HIRE Act is aimed at providing hiring incentives to restore some of the jobs lost in the latest economic recession. The goal is to help put Americans back to work as soon as possible. Business owners that hire qualifying workers sooner rather than later will get the most out of the tax credits, as the tax credits diminish over time, disappearing completely by January 1, 2011.

Another item of interest in this federal jobs bill is to permit small business owners to write off equipment investments of up to $250,000 this year, instead of taking years to depreciate. This in a doubling of the previous amount of $125,000. This will provide tax incentives for small businesses to grow while stimulating the economy with their investment spend.

President Obama’s job creation bill also includes provisions for putting people to work by reforming municipal bonds. Build America Bonds will allow the money to be spent on construction & repair of public projects like schools, highway and transit programs, as well as green and clean energy conservation projects like wind turbines and solar energy devices. Some of this money comes from moving $20 billion into the highway trust fund.

All politics aside, we will let the Americans going back to work decide how well the HIRE Act actually accomplishes its goals of a national recovery and job growth.

More details of the HIRE Act, including tax incentives like the payroll tax holiday can be found here.

A transcript of President Barack Obama’s signing of the HIRE Act at the White House can be found here.

The complete text of H.R. 2847 “Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act” can be found here.

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