As an insurance representative with 17+ years in the business, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has been the most challenging and time consuming regulatory task I have faced.  The law as approved March 23, 2010 has not significantly changed from its inception.  The several thousands of pages of proposed guidance, transitional relief and practical procedures have attempted to codify what the original laws intent was, and with a few exceptions, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Health and Human Services (HHS) have done just that. 

If you haven't heard, there's a real Irish pub in Salisbury now and business has been brisk since opening the doors in December 2012.

Located in the Clairmont Shopping Center on Route 13 just north of Salisbury University, co-owners Jeff Trivits and Scott Urban have created an atmosphere you might find in any good pub in Ireland. They went to hi gh school together and always dreamed about opening an Irish bar.

According to the US Census bureau, there are more than 1,000 businesses owned by African Americans located on the Maryland's Eastern Shore. 
     Most of these are "micro-businesses" being led by entrepreneurs. They are owned and operated by one person and he/she is the only employee. 

Emily E. Norman, CPA

PKS & Company, P.A.

By: Patricia Wirthlin, HR Director at BBSI

Employees and employers often think of the performance appraisal as a once a year, one hour long (or less) meeting.  However, the most effective program is one that is administered throughout the year and is a process rather than just a review.

The performance appraisal process will be more effective if you understand its underlying purpose—to provide feedback to employees.  Yes, performance

Client Profile

MCE sits down with nurse practitioner Kerry Palakanis, DNP, FNP-BC, who has opened a health clinic in Crisfield to serve a chronically underserved community. 

EASTON, MD – A recent Harvard Business Review blog described “action” as what differentiates an entrepreneur from an inventor. Three Maryland entrepreneurs were recently awarded a total of $35,000 to turn their innovations into business enterprises on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The startup cash and services were awarded through the inaugural Eastern Shore Business Plan Competition, presented by the Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center (ESEC) of Easton, Md., and Maryland Capital Enterprises (MCE) of Salisbury, Md.

The wise taxpayer may have to consider more than one tax strategy as we come to the end of 2012. Running the numbers under two or more scenarios may be the necessary for a year filled with significant tax uncertainty.  Much of the tax uncertainty is due to:

All parents treasure that first photo of their new baby and can't wait to show it off to family and friends. These days - that happens long before birth. With new ultrasound technology, parents are able to see even the tiniest features of their developing babies.

Martha Foster saw that as a business opportunity. She recently opened Wiggles and Giggles, her own 3D/4D ultrasound studio to offer pregnant women a range of options for permanently capturing those first precious images.  

By Ira Wolfe of Social Media Architects

Social media marketing, for the most part, has an enticing entry fee – Free!  For that reason social media is ubiquitous and popular. Its use grows exponentially each day. Facebook alone has 600 million users and yet it is just one small segment of a very expansive revolution in how customers communicate and make decisions. Two billion videos are watched per day on YouTube. Three thousand images are loaded to Flickr every minute. Sixty-one percent of U.S. households use social networks.