2009-04-20T23:53:14Z A blog about businesses in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, written by The Washington Post's Dan Beyers and Terri Rupar tag:voices.washingtonpost.com,2009:/washbizblog//312 Copyright (c) 2009, WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2009/04/value_added_the_entrepreneurs.html 2009-04-20T23:53:14Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-04-20:/washbizblog/2009/04/value_added_the_entrepreneurs.html

Tom Heath's "Value Added" column has moved here on Sundays but he sent us this account of a recent business competition at the George Washington University School of Business. I spent my morning this past Saturday watching the Final Four. Not that Final Four. But the Final Four of the first annual Business Plan Competition at the George Washington University School of Business. Out of 210 initial contestants, these were the four that had...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.<br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=763a9d61c1df5a249bbe62047a39dabe&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=763a9d61c1df5a249bbe62047a39dabe&p=1"/></a>

Dan Beyers http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=763a9d61c1df5a249bbe62047a39dabe&p=4 Pheedo

]]>

]]> http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2009/04/value_added_has_moved.html 2009-04-03T16:55:27Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-04-03:/washbizblog/2009/04/value_added_has_moved.html

We are so proud of our first graduate from the WashBiz Blog: Thomas Heath's "Value Added" column is moving to its own dedicated Web page, just like our other famous columnists. Value Added will now run in Sunday Business. You can find a link to his columns here. If you subscribe to Value Added via an RSS feed, you need to resubscribe. Here's the link for that....Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.<br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=79a5f3a05d14914b2894187c8cfc5681&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=79a5f3a05d14914b2894187c8cfc5681&p=1"/></a>

Dan Beyers http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2009/03/value_added_will_return.html 2009-03-27T19:20:52Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-03-29:/washbizblog/2009/03/value_added_will_return.html

As you may have read, Tom Heath's Value Added is moving from Mondays to Sundays. But we'll have to wait a week; look for his column next weekend....Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.<br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=102aa8cee3e8ee03cdabc8646037fe40&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=102aa8cee3e8ee03cdabc8646037fe40&p=1"/></a>

Terri Rupar http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2009/03/value_added_reinvention_in_a_d.html 2009-03-20T20:40:26Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-03-22:/washbizblog/2009/03/value_added_reinvention_in_a_d.html

By Thomas Heath Great American companies are under stress and cutting dividends. General Motors is openly discussing bankruptcy. Another General, this one Electric, slashed its dividend. Venerable Goldman Sachs has morphed into a commercial bank and took government bailout money. Remember the legendary Lehman Brothers? Bear Stearns? Wachovia? They were once so reliable, their stocks were the reliable investment choice of widows and orphans. More of the names I grew up with might not survive...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.<br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=b79284cfb7897c95938509b13e31d5ab&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=b79284cfb7897c95938509b13e31d5ab&p=1"/></a>

Dan Beyers http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2009/03/local_reaction_to_congress_aig.html 2009-03-20T20:51:20Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-03-20:/washbizblog/2009/03/local_reaction_to_congress_aig.html

By Thomas Heath Here is what some of the Washington areaCongress's decision to go after bonuses at AIG, which has received more than $100 billion in taxpayer money to help it stay afloat. "While the public and taxpayer anger is completely understandable and justified, we should be focused on preserving the value of the institutions we have invested in and getting the economy and capital markets moving," said Mark Ein, Washington entrepreneur and owner of...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.<br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=1ce853447ba33c1c83f8e96d81338227&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=1ce853447ba33c1c83f8e96d81338227&p=1"/></a>

Terri Rupar http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2009/03/value_added_17.html 2009-03-14T00:18:55Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-03-15:/washbizblog/2009/03/value_added_17.html

By Thomas Heath I have been tweeting on Twitter (my call sign is addedvalueth) for the last two weeks, wondering why a grown-up would share mundane parts of his personal life ("heading to sleep") with complete strangers on the other end of a computer or handheld. And why anyone would want to read aforementioned drivel. The most substantive discussion I had on this social networking site centered on the merits of Chicago-style deep dish pizza...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.<br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=19e82a8c34635fa160b0ed2d02c98ed7&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=19e82a8c34635fa160b0ed2d02c98ed7&p=1"/></a>

Dan Beyers http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2009/03/value_added_16.html 2009-03-06T23:06:07Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-03-08:/washbizblog/2009/03/value_added_16.html

By Thomas Heath I used to get giddy when the envelopes from Fidelity Investments and Vanguard Group arrived in the mail each month, informing us how much new wealth the magic stock market had bestowed upon us. I would contemplate the balance and think of what steel king Andrew Carnegie said the first time he received a stock dividend: "Eureka!" Now, like much of the rest of the world, I can't even look. My wife,...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.<br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=73656916586e57bc0e60a642d0652444&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=73656916586e57bc0e60a642d0652444&p=1"/></a>

Dan Beyers http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2009/03/value_added_15.html 2009-02-27T22:55:33Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-03-01:/washbizblog/2009/03/value_added_15.html

By Thomas Heath Most years around this time I visit Big Wheel Bikes in Bethesda and fork over around $80 to get my 10-speed tuned up so I am ready for the summer. It's up there with my other costly spring rituals such as paying someone to put up the awnings, remove the storm windows, buy the mulch, check the air conditioning, garden stuff ..... let's just say the Heaths do their share to stimulate...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.<br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=5801cfedcdcb841a0ce89c1b0b235ad4&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=5801cfedcdcb841a0ce89c1b0b235ad4&p=1"/></a>

Dan Beyers http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2009/02/value_added_14.html 2009-02-15T23:15:43Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-02-15:/washbizblog/2009/02/value_added_14.html

By Thomas Heath Robert L. Johnson's rise to riches is one of those oft-told success tales in entrepreneurial circles, the stuff of Washington legend. He was a lobbyist for the cable-TV industry in the late 1970s when he persuaded communications mogul John Malone to invest in his idea for a television network targeted at African-Americans. Thus was born BET, Black Entertainment Television, which is located in the District. Johnson sold BET to Viacom in 2000...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.<br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=41b379c75a9b390c6cc610785a6e8ad9&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=41b379c75a9b390c6cc610785a6e8ad9&p=1"/></a> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=41b379c75a9b390c6cc610785a6e8ad9" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

Dan Beyers http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2009/02/value_added_13.html 2009-02-09T02:51:32Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-02-08:/washbizblog/2009/02/value_added_13.html

By Thomas Heath I thought I knew how fitness centers make money. They sell lots of memberships at low prices, assuming many people will just stop showing up. The fitness center is built and staffed for the regulars, so the money from the no-shows is profit. That's not how entrepreneur David von Storch does it. "Our model is different," said von Storch, founder and owner of three VIDA Fitness centers in downtown Washington. Von Storch...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.<br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=d9ab1bb9b758984b02d24729e8566ac7&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=d9ab1bb9b758984b02d24729e8566ac7&p=1"/></a> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=d9ab1bb9b758984b02d24729e8566ac7" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

Dan Beyers http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2009/02/value_added_managing_the_move.html 2009-02-02T01:50:05Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-02-01:/washbizblog/2009/02/value_added_managing_the_move.html

By Thomas Heath My 92-year-old mother motors around her two-bedroom, one-floor ranch home in Syracuse, N.Y., with the help of a walker and comforted by a lifetime of mementos, photographs (not enough of yours truly), her old furniture and the daily presence of my brother and sister, both of whom live close by. You couldn't pry mom from her home with a crowbar. But many senior citizens aren't lucky enough to have family in the...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.<br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=5675a2dc6fa80484fa2640198dde9dfb&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=5675a2dc6fa80484fa2640198dde9dfb&p=1"/></a> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=5675a2dc6fa80484fa2640198dde9dfb" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

Dan Beyers http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2009/01/my_wife_and_i_have.html 2009-01-23T22:05:39Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-01-25:/washbizblog/2009/01/my_wife_and_i_have.html

By Thomas Heath My wife and I have a code when we talk about successful people. It's a play off Woody Allen's oft-quoted bromide that most of success has to do with just "showing up." When we see someone who is making something of themselves, we often nod and agree. "They showed up." Indra Books of Leesburg shows up. She ain't rich. But she is nothing if not resourceful and unafraid. And with the business...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.<br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=7622495d76df4bb2653ebdbca8416cfd&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=7622495d76df4bb2653ebdbca8416cfd&p=1"/></a> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=7622495d76df4bb2653ebdbca8416cfd" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

Dan Beyers http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2009/01/value_added_12.html 2009-01-19T05:05:33Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-01-19:/washbizblog/2009/01/value_added_12.html

By Thomas Heath One of my basic tenets to having a successful life is living beneath your means. I have my expensive flourishes, but my wife and I drive one car (a $12,500 Honda Civic), I buy some clothes at Sam's Clubs, get no premium cable, still have dial-up Internet access -- and you would not believe the furnishings in my living room. Hardwood Artisans, a Woodbridge-based maker of high-end furniture, has similar values. Hardwood...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.<br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <br clear="both" style="clear: both;"/> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=cb2be597d6dc9f40b30270a98bdd10a8&p=1"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=cb2be597d6dc9f40b30270a98bdd10a8&p=1"/></a> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=cb2be597d6dc9f40b30270a98bdd10a8" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

Dan Beyers 2009-01-10T01:08:12Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-01-11:/washbizblog/2009/01/value_added_making_mistakes.html

By Thomas Heath I don't have the entrepreneurial gene, but sometimes I forget that minor detail. I once had a crackpot idea to open a hot dog franchise in Washington selling the weiners I grew up with in Syracuse, N.Y. Then there was the phase (don't laugh) where I was going to get rich buying early American rare gold coins. My wife put the kabosh on that. But I admire entrepreneurs, both those who succeed...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Dan Beyers 2009-01-06T15:18:11Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-01-04:/washbizblog/2009/01/the_great_cocktail_hunt.html

By Thomas Heath My three vices in life (at least the ones I am willing to talk about) are fireworks, cigars and cocktails. And swanky hotels. Oh, and politically incorrect food like foie gras, and heart stoppers like sweetbreads. Butter. Traveling first class. Sharp hats. Okay, so there are a lot more than three. I gave up fireworks after nearly blowing myself up celebrating Fourth of July. I am down to about one cigar a...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Terri Rupar