Technology & Life Sciences
Richmond Business Wins $10,000 from Start-Up Competition
Cherry Bekaert is proud to have sponsored the Greater Richmond Chamber’s second annual i.e.* Start-Up Competition. Awarded this week, the prize was given to Speakeasy, an online restaurant review service connecting customer reviews directly to restaurant owners. As Richmond BizSense reports, eligible businesses had to be less than a year old and based in Richmond, Virginia. Contestants were evaluated by a panel of local entrepreneurs and investors based on their business’ originality, creativity and likelihood of continued future success. “We’ve worked every job in the restaurant business, and we know what it takes to be successful in this industry,” said Rob. Read More.
Changes Make it Easier to Qualify as a High Technology Company in Washington, D.C.
With the passing of the Technology Sector Enhancement Act of 2012 (L. 2013, Act 19-513 (Law 19-211) D.C. Code 47-1817), which became effective March 5, 2013, the rules for Qualified High Technology Companies (QHTC) within the District of Columbia have changed. Along with the decision from a recent District of Columbia Court of Appeals ruling, Cherry Bekaert is encouraging all of its government contractor clients who work in the District to re-examine their QHTC qualification. In 2000, the District of Columbia passed the New E-Conomy Transformation Act of 2000 to encourage technology based businesses to locate to the District by. Read More.
Fighting Against Threats to Medical Technology, MDMA Urges Medical Device Tax Repeal
The much-opposed medical device tax that went into effect at the beginning of this year and places a 2.3% tax on the sale of certain medical devices is currently one of the big topics of discussion in Washington. Notably, the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA) leads the fight against the tax; its leadership is urging Congress to repeal the policy. According to the organization, the imposed tax deters advancement in medical technology and stifles innovation. Moreover, it has eliminated thousands of jobs, both in the technology and healthcare fields. “If we lose America’s leadership position in medical technology innovation – and the great jobs. Read More.
IRS Issues Final Regulations Implementing Medical Device Excise Tax
On December 5, 2012, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) published final regulations regarding the implementation of the excise tax on the sale of certain medical devices. This excise tax was enacted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, “the ACA”), and codified under section 4191 of the Internal Revenue Code (“Code”). Medical Device Excise Tax Effective January 1, 2013, the IRS will administer an excise tax on the sale of certain medical devices by the manufacturer, producer, or importer of the device in an amount. Read More.
Are you squandering money on inefficient energy use?
The latest report from Siemens Financial Services demonstrates the enormous potential energy cost savings of implementing variable speed drives on motors in industrial production environments alone, German industry could save upwards of £5,913m. The incorporation of variable speed drives (VSDs) has the potential of saving the UK industry up to £2,512 million in energy costs, according to Siemens Financial Services’ (SFS) new report ; which predicts Germany, Europe’s industrial colossus, could save upwards of £5,913 million. Traditionally, to change a motors speed of operations, the accepted method was ‘chocking’ the constant speed; consuming significant amounts of electricity. In comparison, VSDs optimise the voltage and frequency. Read More.
An Introduction to Big Data
Think about all the tweets, texts, emails, pins, likes, posts, photos, documents, and videos that are created and shared in a single day. And that’s just on the social side of things. Now think about the data sets and files created and stored by large corporations (especially IT companies) in a single day. Each piece of data builds on top of others to form a massive system of data points, which ultimately becomes so complex that basic management tools simply won’t do. Big Data refers to the collection and analysis of these data sets, which require new tools to make. Read More.