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I've been in and out of Tennessee several times over the last few months.
I'm becoming a business office down here. A north Alabama branch of my parents' company, L. I. Smith & Associates LISmith.com
Here's a wonderful picture of the office building, which used to be a hospital:
My office when I'm there is the glass block stick out area (used to be porch, but was enclosed as waiting area when the building was still a hospital) to the right of the front door. Upstairs, just to left of the big tree, sticking out over the side entrance and the driveway, is my mother's office. I got to use that one one of the times I was up there, because she and my dad were at a conference, which was why I was there. It's a great space. The squirrels run along the window sills.
DBE means Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, which is important for "brownie points" if you're doing gov. work. We're a woman-owned (= minority = disadvantaged) company. Mother owns 52%, another female surveyor who was there at the beginning owns 10%, and my sister and I each own 1%. Mother's 52% qualifies us as a minority.
I've been to one "pre-bid" meeting here, and handed out my cards and shook hands with people. One of those people was a rep from a big firm and called the next day to get us to submit a couple of bids on things. Nothing may come of it, because they have to accept our bid(s), then include it in their bids for the work, and IF they get the job, then we get our part of it. But it's a beginning.
I'm becoming a business office down here. A north Alabama branch of my parents' company, L. I. Smith & Associates LISmith.com
Here's a wonderful picture of the office building, which used to be a hospital:
My office when I'm there is the glass block stick out area (used to be porch, but was enclosed as waiting area when the building was still a hospital) to the right of the front door. Upstairs, just to left of the big tree, sticking out over the side entrance and the driveway, is my mother's office. I got to use that one one of the times I was up there, because she and my dad were at a conference, which was why I was there. It's a great space. The squirrels run along the window sills.
DBE means Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, which is important for "brownie points" if you're doing gov. work. We're a woman-owned (= minority = disadvantaged) company. Mother owns 52%, another female surveyor who was there at the beginning owns 10%, and my sister and I each own 1%. Mother's 52% qualifies us as a minority.
I've been to one "pre-bid" meeting here, and handed out my cards and shook hands with people. One of those people was a rep from a big firm and called the next day to get us to submit a couple of bids on things. Nothing may come of it, because they have to accept our bid(s), then include it in their bids for the work, and IF they get the job, then we get our part of it. But it's a beginning.
