Business digest

New entrepreneurial assistance program begins Feb. 7 Montgomery — After establishing an Entrepreneurial Assistance Program last year with a grant from the Empire State Development Corporation, the Orange County Chamber of Commerce will begin the third series of EAP classes in on Feb 7 at the Chamber Business Center in Montgomery. The 10-week program is designed to help individuals create a business plan that will grow their companies, help secure financing if it is needed, and demonstrate how to maintain a constant positive cash flow. As a result of the funding provided by New York State, the EAP classes are available at a fraction of the cost of similar programs elsewhere. Everyone who completes the EAP program will be eligible to apply for the Orange County Chamber’s two loan funds (loans up to $70,000) and have an increased chance for approval. For more information, visit www.OrangeNYEAP.com. Those who register by Jan. 31 will receive an additional 50 percent on the tuition cost, in addition to the already reduced cost. Details are also available by calling Carol Smith at 457-9700 or e-mailing carols@orangeny.com. Transcription open house set for Feb. 7 MIDDLETOWN - SUNY Orange will hold an open house for those interested in training at home for a career in the health care industry at Monday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. in the Gilman Center for International Education on the college’s Middletown campus. This spring, the college is offering non-credit online programs for medical transcription as well as inpatient and outpatient medical coding and billing. The highly interactive medical coding and billing program prepares students to sit for the industry certification exams administered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). By the conclusion of the course, students will have transcribed hundreds of authentic dictations, on their own schedule and at their own pace, and will have developed the knowledge and skills of a quality medical transcriptionist as they prepare to sit for the Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) exam administered by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI). For more information, call 341-4890. $250 million available for renewable energy projects Albany — The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Public Service Commission have announced that approximately $250 million is available to fund a broad range of renewable energy generation projects that will reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and help build a clean-energy economy in New York State. Supported by the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), the funds will be awarded competitively through a solicitation released today for electric generation projects using wind, hydroelectric, biomass or other clean-energy resources. Awards under this solicitation are expected to be announced in April. Under the RPS program, NYSERDA has awarded funding on a competitive basis to 39 large-scale renewable electricity generators that are expected to produce enough electricity to provide 4.3 million megawatt-hours of renewable energy per year. These include three biomass facilities, one landfill biogas operation, 21 hydroelectric upgrades, and 14 wind farms. New York’s RPS program has been successful at attracting investments in clean energy and diversifying the in-state resource mix. Wind capacity in operation is nearly 25 times what existed prior to the RPS Program and, in 2010, New York was ranked first in the Northeast and eighth nationally in installed wind capacity. For more information, visit: www.nyserda.org/rps/pastSolicitations.asp. 'A Woman’s Journey: The Fun Side of Aging’ program is Feb. 16 Warwick — The Warwick Women’s Committee of the St. Anthony Community Hospital Foundation will again present “A Woman’s Journey: The Fun Side of Aging” at Minerals Resort at Crystal Springs in Vernon, N.J. on Wednesday, Feb. 16. at 6:30 p.m. The evening will feature presentations by Edward Lundy, M.D., Ph.D., chief of cardiac surgery for the Active International Cardiovascular Institute at Good Samaritan Hospital and Seth Hurwitz, M.D., cardiologist with Metropolitan Cardiology Associates, LLC. After dinner, the evening’s entertainment will feature Zumba by Damola of Studio Ayo in Middletown. Tickets are $60 per person. This second event will focus specifically on women and heart health, and will support St. Anthony Community Hospital and Warwick Healthcare Campus, with proceeds to benefit Mount Alverno Center. The first event in November raised more than $20,000 for this “Make This House a Home” initiative. For more information or to order tickets, call 368-5151. Rebates available for appliances An electric efficiency program recently approved by the New York State Public Service Commission creates incentives for the sale of high-efficiency dehumidifiers and air conditioners through customer rebates. The program will also offer an incentive, free removal and recycling of second refrigerators and freezers. O&R customers purchasing Energy Star rated air conditioners will receive $50 rebates and customers who opt to have a second refrigerator or freezer removed will receive free removal as well as a $50 incentive. This program is also available to small-business customers. Tweet with Hayworth Washington, D.C. — Rep. Nan Hayworth has created congressional Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube pages as an additional way to communicate with constituents. Hayworth said she’ll be using these pages for all the latest congressional news and information. Information is also available at www.hayworth.house.gov. Volunteers needed to assist at Washington’s birthday celebration Newburgh — Volunteers are needed to assist in the annual birthday celebration for George Washington at Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site in Newburgh Feb. 19 to 21. from noon until 4:30 p.m. In addition to an open house at the Hasbrouck House, activities will include talks and military re-enactors. Tasks may include serving cake, greeting visitors, providing way-finding, or other general support. Call 562-1195 or e-mail: elyse.goldberg@oprhp.state,ny.us to learn more.