Twelve states and the District of Columbia are now championing innovation-friendly policies at the highest level according to the 2016 Innovation Scorecard, an annual innovation policy performance index released today by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM, formerly the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®. Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wisconsin are first-time Innovation Champions – top… Keep reading →
Grant Thornton LLP has achieved accreditation as a Third Party Assessment Organization under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). FedRAMP is a government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. Administered by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), the 3PAO accreditation… Keep reading →
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville has selected Siemens to be its long-term partner to address water and energy infrastructure needs and improve energy efficiency at the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD). Siemens was notified September 30, 2015 that it had been awarded the $24M Energy Savings Performance Contract… Keep reading →
The Business Roundtable third quarter 2014 CEO Economic Outlook Index ‒ which provides a picture of the future direction of the U.S. economy based upon CEOs’ plans for sales, capital spending and hiring ‒ declined moderately from the second quarter. Results show plans for capital expenditures, hiring and sales all decreased relative to the previous… Keep reading →
A bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives – 233 members – have signed a letter urging the House leadership to preserve the cash method of accounting for tax purposes, writing that proposals requiring a transition to the accrual method “will have a severely detrimental impact on thousands of businesses in our districts.” Last… Keep reading →
Minnesota’s manufacturers are more confident in their firms’ future than at any point since 2009, according to the sixth annual The State of Manufacturing®, a survey research project sponsored by Enterprise Minnesota and partners. Health care costs, government policies and regulation, and the ability to attract and retain qualified workers also top the list of… Keep reading →
The National Retail Federation today urged Congress to pass the bipartisan Save American Workers Act, which would change the Affordable Care Act’s definition of full-time employment from 30 hours per week to 40 hours. NRF sent a letter to the House saying all votes related to the bill, H.R. 2575, would be considered key votes… Keep reading →
Optimism for the nation’s economic outlook among U.S. business leaders plummeted 16 percentage points in fourth quarter 2013 to a net balance of 36 percent according to the latest data from the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR), a survey of 3,300 business leaders in 45 countries. Hiring expectations in the United States declined for… Keep reading →
The American Small Business League (ASBL) is predicting President Obama will use the government shutdown as an excuse to permanently shutdown the Small Business Administration (SBA). Ronald Reagan tried to close the SBA by combing it with the Department of Commerce. Obama has resurrected Reagan’s exact same plan to close the SBA by combing it… Keep reading →
The National Retail Federation welcomed a new study released today that shows retailers have passed along the majority of the savings from debit card swipe fee reform to their customers, and that the resulting increase in consumer spending has boosted job creation across the country. But the study also shows that benefits for consumers and… Keep reading →