The annual public service awards are named for Sen. Arthur V. Watkins, who was a former U.S. Senator for Utah. This year is the 30th Anniversary of the Award, and a particularly special event featuring the award of Citizen of the Year to Tye Noorda, who is Ray Noorda’s widow, and a remarkable philanthropist.

Nicke Brown and husband Kurtis Brown together own and operate Let’s Logo, a corporate embroidery and promotions company they started together as a ‘dream business’. An accomplished networker, Nicke is a member of Corporate Alliance, BNI, and the Chamber of Commerce. She credits her emphasis on relationship building and strong focus on customer service as her secrets to success.

Other notable Utah Valley businesses in the spotlight included:

Dexter & Dexter, who received the Business of the Year award.

Culinary Crafts, taking home the award for Small Business of the Year.

Our local Timpanogos Harley-Davidson shop received praise for Business Beautification (which I personally think is well deserved).

The Environmental Quality Award goes to the Utah Flash.

The Businessman of the Year award went to Keith Tintle, CEO of Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem.

The Business Education Partnership award was presented to SCERA for their dedication to “Build the body, enrich the mind, touch the soul and unify the family.”

As we have already covered, John Pilmer’s PR group received the best Home-Based Business of the Year award. Way to go PilmerPR!

The Community Service Award went to Kena Jo Mathews for her work as the executive director for Habitat for Humanity of Utah County.

The Chamber Chairman’s Award went to William Sederburg, president at UVU.

And finally. the Entrepreneur of the Year award went to Jeremy Hanks for creating Doba, one of Utah Valley’s most successful companies with growth of over 8,000 percent. Yes, I said ‘eight thousand’. Doba has been ranked No. 23 on the Inc 500 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America, and numer one on the Utah 100 list of fastest-growing companies in Utah.

Congratulations to all of you!

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ProPay, a comprehensive provider of simple, safe and affordable merchant payment solutions, today announced a breakthrough product for the millions of mobile, small, and home-based merchants who accept credit and debit card payments in face-to-face transactions.

ProPay’s patent-pending process includes the credit or debit card information being encrypted at swipe and stored in coded form for later processing or being transmitted and processed real-time through ProPay’s secure virtual terminal from any Internet-connected PC.

“We believe the MicroSecure Card Reader has the potential to change the face of the transaction industry,” said Greg Pesci, ProPay Executive Vice President of Business Strategy. “Because the cardholder information is encrypted at swipe and then securely transmitted and processed though our virtual terminal, this is the first truly secure, end-to-end card processing solution we are aware of.”

Released at an introductory price of US$99 plus a small monthly support fee, the ProPay MicroSecure Card Reader is also affordable.

Market research shows that more than 6.9 million small and mobile merchants run credit and debit card transactions. Since its recent launch, over 2,000 home party consultants, mobile service providers, schools, charities, fund raisers, fast food restaurants, and door- to-door sales people have purchased and are using the ProPay MicroSecure Card Reader to quickly and securely capture and process their customers’ credit and debit cards.

“This goes well beyond helping these merchants avoid the risks and headaches of writing down cardholder information for later processing.” added Mr. Pesci.  “We find most don’t fully appreciate the PCI requirements and risks they and their acquirers bear. Rather than expecting these smaller merchants to spend vast sums of money on PCI compliance or to learn how to secure their systems from every possible breach, they can use the ProPay MicroSecure Card Reader to remove cardholder data from their systems altogether. By removing the data, they can remove most, if not all, of the cardholder data security risks.”

To purchase the ProPay MicroSecure Card Reader or to obtain more information, please go to ‘MicroSecure Card Reader’.

About ProPay
Since 1997, ProPay has led the market in providing simple, safe and affordable credit card processing and electronic payment services for businesses, ranging from the small, home-based entrepreneur to multi-billion-dollar enterprises.

ProPay understands the unique needs of these businesses and has created payment services specifically for them. With ProPay, merchants can set up an account online and rapidly begin accepting credit cards without buying special equipment and making long-term commitments or investments. ProPay leads out in educating merchants of every size about how to reduce or eliminate the risk of touching or holding sensitive cardholder data. The company also leads the payments market in the development of end-to-end data security solutions and alternative payment options that can significantly reduce risks and operating costs.

ProPay is a privately held company, headquartered in Orem, Utah.

For more information, visit www.propay.com.

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PR Contacts:
Cheryl Snapp Conner or Don Osmond
Snapp Conner PR
801 994-9625
Cheryl (at) snappconner.com or don (at) snappconner.com

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Invented in Utah is currently accepting applications. The final deadline to apply is January 31, 2009. Application information can be found here.

If you have an invention and are just getting started, this is a great way to get some buzz going for your idea and perhaps even get some momentum behind it.

Participants must have a legal residence in Utah and be at least 18 years of age. Existing small businesses must have a primary business presence in Utah, having annual revenues less than $5 million. The idea or invention being submitted must not yet be introduced into the market and must not have generated formal sales revenue.

Read more about the requirements in the FAQ.

Curious? Check out last year’s finalists.

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Orem, Utah—October 20, 2008—ProPay, a comprehensive provider of simple, safe and affordable merchant payment solutions, today announced that eBay silver, gold, platinum, and titanium PowerSellers can now sign up for ProPay’s eAuction Account. The eAuction Account is integrated with the eBay checkout process and gives sellers the ability to accept credit and debit cards quickly and easily for their eBay auctions.

ProPay confirmed the eAuction Account is available for an annual fee of $24.00. This fee will be reimbursed in the form of a $24.00 processing credit to those eBay sellers who process over $3,000 with ProPay during the first 6 months following their account activation.

In addition, ProPay announced transaction fees as low as 2.4 percent. The transaction fees are determined by the seller’s eBay PowerSeller tier: For Visa, MasterCard, and Discover, the fees are:

• Silver – 2.7% and $0.30 USD per transaction
• Gold – 2.4% and $0.30 USD per transaction
• Platinum – 2.4% and $0.30 USD per transaction
• Titanium level sellers are encouraged to contact ProPay directly to set up custom transaction fees by calling (888) 227-9856

Sellers will also be able to accept American Express. The transaction fees for processing American Express will be slightly higher than those listed above.

The account does not have fees that most merchant accounts charge, including bank transfer fees, monthly gateway fees, online statement fees, cancellation fees, monthly processing minimum fees, or transaction downgrade fees. *

The transaction fees are flat so they do not change, regardless of the type of credit or debit card (rewards, corporate, etc.) used. With ProPay, eBay sellers can know exactly what the transaction fees will be each time.

ProPay’s eAuction Account is the first of two accounts ProPay will provide to the eBay seller community, ProPay executives said. In January 2009, the company will be launching the eAuction Pro Account that is integrated with eBay Checkout and provides several other credit and debit card processing options, such as an online virtual terminal and touch-tone phone processing. The eAuction Pro Account will also support shopping carts for personal websites, the new ProPay secure card reader, and a direct API.

“Today’s announcement is an important step in our efforts to provide attractive, comprehensive, and technologically advanced payment options for eBay’s PowerSellers,” said Greg Pesci, ProPay Executive Vice President of Business Strategy. “We look forward to growing our working relationship with these advanced eBay PowerSellers, and we welcome the chance to premier several additional cutting-edge services in the seasons to come.”

To set up a ProPay eAuction Account today, sellers can visit www.propay.com/ebay.

About ProPay
Since 1997, ProPay has led the market in providing simple, safe and affordable credit card processing and electronic payment services for businesses ranging from the small, home-based entrepreneur to multi-billion-dollar enterprises.

ProPay understands the unique needs of these businesses and has created merchant services specifically for them. With ProPay, merchants can set up an account online and begin accepting credit cards without buying special equipment and making long-term commitments or investments. ProPay leads out in educating merchants of every size about how to reduce or eliminate the risk of touching or holding sensitive cardholder data. The company also leads the payments market in the development of end-to-end data security solutions and alternative payment options that can significantly reduce risk and operating costs.

ProPay is a privately held company, headquartered in Orem, Utah. For information, visit www.propay.com.

* Please see the Payment Services Agreement at www.propay.com/ebay for complete information on pricing and fees.

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PR Contacts:
Cheryl Snapp Conner or Don Osmond
Snapp Conner PR
801 994-9625
Cheryl (at) snappconner.com or don (at) snappconner.com

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“We are extremely pleased to be the first alternative payment option that eBay has integrated with as a part of their effort to move entirely to paperless transactions,” said Greg Pesci, ProPay Executive Vice President of Business Strategy. “Moving all eBay purchases to an electronic method will help expedite the purchase process, and potentially reduce complaints and negative buyer feedback. ProPay is looking forward to providing alternative merchant services to help improve the buying/selling experience. We welcome the opportunity to support the advanced eBay power sellers, who we anticipate will benefit most from the comprehensive payment solutions we provide.”

According to eBay, items paid for with check or money order are 80 percent more likely to result in an item not received (INR) than those paid with credit card. Also, buyers who pay with check or money order are 50 percent more likely to leave negative feedback than those who pay with electronic methods. eBay hopes to reduce these numbers by integrating more electronic payment offerings in order to make the checkout process faster and more reliable for sellers and buyers.

ProPay Accounts and Pricing

eAuction Account
With today’s announcement, ProPay has unveiled the ProPay eAuction Account for eBay Silver power sellers and higher.  It will be available from ProPay in late October. It will have a $24 annual fee ($2 per month, billed annually at sign up), with a $24 rebate processing credit offered to sellers who process $3,000 or more with ProPay during their first 6 months after signing up. The transaction fees will be very similar to competitors’ virtual terminal transaction fees.

ProPay is fully integrated into eBay checkout. Buyers do not provide their banking information or log into or sign up for ProPay accounts. Buyers simply enter their credit or debit card information, making their checkout quicker and easier.  And many buyers prefer paying with credit cards because of the convenience, broader protection and rewards.

In early 2009, the eAuction account is expected to be available for Bronze power sellers.

eAuction Pro Account
Late this year, ProPay will unveil the eAuction Pro Account for eBay Silver power sellers and higher who sell on eBay and need additional, specialized services for processing credit and debit cards in face-to-face and other situations. This account will add processing options such as ProPay’s:
-    online virtual terminal
-    touch-tone phone processing
-    e-mail invoice
-    direct API integration
-    secure card reader

The annual fee for this account will be $240 ($20 per month, billed annually upfront at sign up).  The transaction fees will be identical to the eAuction account and very similar to competitors’ virtual terminal transaction fees.

ProPay Card Reader
ProPay’s secure card reader allows sellers to remotely “swipe” and process credit cards safely. The card holder information is immediately encrypted and, with an internet connection, processed real time through ProPay’s virtual terminal.  If internet access is not available, the information is stored for later processing, eliminating the need to manually record or key in credit card information.

For more details about these ProPay accounts and fees, please go to www.propay.com.

About ProPay
Since 1997, ProPay has led the market in providing simple, safe and affordable credit card processing and electronic payment services for businesses ranging from the small, home-based entrepreneur to multi-billion-dollar enterprises.

ProPay understands the unique needs of these businesses and has created merchant services specifically for them. With ProPay, merchants can set up an account online and begin accepting credit cards without buying special equipment and making long-term commitments or investments. ProPay leads out in educating merchants of every size about how to reduce or eliminate the risk of touching or holding sensitive cardholder data. The company also leads the payments market in the development of end-to-end data security solutions and alternative payment options that can significantly reduce risk and operating costs.

ProPay is a privately held company, headquartered in Orem, Utah. For information, visit www.propay.com.

#

PR Contacts:
Cheryl Snapp Conner or Don Osmond
Snapp Conner PR
801 994-9625
Cheryl (at) snappconner.com or don (at) snappconner.com

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The event was held at the Open Source Technology Center on the Novell campus. Over 60 people attended with six investors comprising a panel of judges. Investors were treated to a review of five up-and-coming business opportunities, and entrepreneurs were given a preview of what it is like to present a business to potential investors.

As a participant, I found it to be an extremely valuable experience.

The five companies who pitched were:

• ListPipe, a new SEO company focused on providing custom content through an online subscription service.
• Izatt International, a local development group focusing on iPhone applications.
• Gruvie, a social utility that enables you to wrangle all your social networking accounts into a single login.
• Lignin Bio Fuels, an alternative fuel company that produces transportation fuel out of non-edible biomass.
• Estamar Strategy, a consulting group managing business investment opportunities.

After the presentations, the audience voted for their favorite companies with ‘Monopoly-style’ dollars. Two companies with the most amount of ‘investment cash’ were selected as ‘winners’ and were awarded $500 in-kind consulting services from Funding Universe.

The two winners chosen by the audience were: ListPipe and Gruvie. See photos below.

In addition to our appreciate for event hosts Funding Universe, a special thanks to the event sponsors, which included Dashboard Accountants, The Open Source Technology Center, Fibernet, and Grow Utah Ventures.

The next LivePitch event has not been announced; stay tuned for information as it becomes available.

Presenters receive votes in the form of faux 'investment dollars'

Contact Funding Universe for more information.

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The Business Directory Plugin for Wordpress is an easy way to host a free directory page for your readers, affiliates, advertisers, community or club members. Invite them to submit a simple advertisement listing for themselves on your blog.

Listings include company name, a short description, and contact information including a live URL. The plugin includes control panel that allows you to approve listings before they appear live on the site. You can also edit and delete listings.

We will soon have a premium version of this plugin that allows you to promote a listing upgrade to your directory participants; you set the cost and collect via PayPal, they get to upload a logo and appear in the top ‘premium’ section of your Directory.

Business Directory is a great way to increase the SEO value of your site, and to monetize your community participation.

The plugin is available as a free download from the Wordpress Plugin Directory.

NOTE: The Business Directory on this site is powered by The Business Directory Plugin for Wordpress.

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