events May 20, 2009

Member Events & More

Health Insurance Costs Zoomerang Results

FYI—We thought you might be interested in the survey results:

Q1: Do you provide health insurance benefits for your employees?

A: Of the 100 responses, 60 said they did, 40 said they didn’t.

Q2: If so, what percentage to sales revenue does health insurance cost your business?

A: Of 62 responses, 33 spend less than 5%; 19 spend 6–10%, 4 spend 11–15%; and 6 spend more than 15%. Special thanks to the RMA members who participated.

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Check out Virginia!

National Retail Federation has launched an interactive map that illustrates the power of retail in each of the 50 states. Use the map to learn about retail employment, number of establishments and revenues by state, or drill down more to get numbers by congressional district.

http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=Pages&sp_id=902

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Retail Partners Newsletter

Read It on Line—or Download!

RMA’s Retail Partners quarterly newsletter is now available through the RMA website–extra exposure for articles and advertising! Click here to see the most recent and past issues. Have a story? Interested in advertising? Contact Pat Vitsky, 804-662-5500 or email patricia@retailmerchants.com.

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Air Fair at the Virginia Aviation Museum

Saturday, May 30, 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

Check out a big wheeled fire truck that goes to airport runway emergencies. Peek into the Virginia Dept. of Aviation’s own six-seat, single engine plane. Look for demonstrations by dogs from K-9 Alert Search and Rescue. Fasten your seatbelt for a taste of flight. This XJ-5 simulator moves so that you feel what it’s like to dive, spin and do barrel rolls. Investigate a plane developed in secrecy and still shrouded in mystery—an SR-71 Blackbird. And lots more!

Air Fair is included with museum admission: $6 for adults ages 13–59, $5 for youth ages 4-12 and seniors 60+ and $5.50 for active military. The Virginia Aviation Museum is at Richmond International Airport at 5701 Huntsman Road. For museum information call (804) 236-3622 or visit www.vam.smv.org.

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Area Students Join Sun Powered Race at the Science Museum of Virginia

Saturday May 30 and Sunday May 31

Ready? Set? Go. Area middle school students are in a race with a twist. Competing teams use solar power to send their cars down a 20-meter track to the finish line. Students also compete in a design competition. Whose car has the best design? Which car goes the fastest? Find out at the Junior Solar Sprint on Saturday, May 30, weather permitting. Team registration begins at 10 a.m. The race starts at 11:45 a.m. In case of rain or clouds Junior Solar Sprint is on Sunday, May 31.

“Junior Solar Sprint challenges students to do real science,” says Science Museum Junior Solar Sprint Coordinator Susannah Bishop. “They are building a vehicle that goes as fast as possible using solar power. Not only are they building a cool, working-model solar car, but they are learning about science concepts including motion, torque and friction. They are constantly making changes and seeing how those changes affect the performance of their car.”

For race spectators Junior Solar Sprint, the Virginia Tech Solar House tour, model hydrogen car demonstration and Mindbender are included with Science Museum exhibit admission: $9 for youth ages 4-12, seniors 60+ and active military and $10 for adults 13-59. Children 3 and under are free. For Science Museum information call (804) 864-1400 or 1-800-659-1727 or visit www.smv.org. The Science Museum is located at 2500 West Broad Street.

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Henricus Dauber Dash:
Mud Run Mixes Fitness With Colonial History

August 22, 9:00 a.m.

“Rather than cutting back, we are aggressively adding new events to our schedule in 2009,” said Sports Backers president Roy Grier.

The Sports Backers and Chesterfield County announce the region’s latest healthy lifestyle event: the Henricus Dauber Dash, a mud run which will be held in Henricus Historical Park and the Dutch Gap Conservation Area. Named for the Daubers that built the mud walls and houses at the settlement site 400 years ago, the run features a 4.5 mile course that starts at the Citie of Henricus and goes around the trail loop of Dutch Gap. The course incorporates multiple obstacles designed to challenge the participants’ stamina and includes a final mud pit at the finish line in the park’s scenic overlook of the James River. There will also be a Mud Guppies Kids Run for runners ages 8 to 14 held on a shorter course with their own obstacles and a finish through the same mud pit as the adults. For further event details and registration information please visit www.sportsbackers.org.

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The Price is Right: The Virginia Historical Society Offers Free Admission for Everyone This Summer

Beginning June 6th and running through August 30th, the VHS will be free for all visitors every day the museum is open to the public. The Virginia Historical Society (VHS) has always been a good value: being free to children under 18 daily, being free to everyone on Sundays, offering discounts to seniors and students, and costing only $5 for an adult admission. From June 6th to August 30th, while open to the public at no charge, the VHS will display three exhibitions about the Vietnam era. The society is offering complimentary admission as a way to honor military personnel who served in the Vietnam War and their families. For more information, please call (804) 358-4901 or visit www.vahistorical.org.

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Businesses Who Take ARRA’s Energy-Saving Steps This Year May Get Bigger Tax Savings Next Year

The recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 contained a number of either new or expanded tax benefits on expenditures to reduce energy use or create new energy sources.

The Internal Revenue Service reminds businesses that many energy-saving steps taken this year may result in bigger tax savings next year. IRS encourages businesses to explore whether they are eligible for any of the new energy tax provisions.

An IRS Fact Sheet on Energy Provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides a listing of ARRA energy provisions. More information on the wide range of energy items is also available on the special Recovery section of IRS.gov.

Subscribe to e-News for Small Businesses to get the latest information about ARRA and other IRS news and information.