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Pictured is the surgical suite in Metropolitan Veterinary Associates & Emergency Services in Lower Providence. Photo by Gene Walsh

Julie Banyacski, practice manager, and James F. Dougherty, VMD, pose in the lobby of Metropolitan Veterinary Associates & Emergency Services in Lower Providence. The practice is celebrating 25 years of animal care. Photo by Gene Walsh

LOWER PROVIDENCE — When Jim Dougherty hung out his shingle with three other doctors 25 years ago, he had no idea that Metropolitan Veterinary Associates & Emergency Services would one day grow into a facility with 24 doctors practicing 10 different specialties.

“There weren’t any other practices in the Philadelphia area at that time, besides the University of Pennsylvania,” Dougherty recalled. “We all did training and residencies there and were looking for a place to open a practice when we found some real estate on Trooper Road.”

Easy highway access to its original 915 Trooper Road address was an important factor in choosing the location. “

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Foursquare is a phone app that lets people earn points and unlock badges as they go from place to place and share their location and their opinions about it with their social networks. Foursquare claims millions of everyday users and can be a good way for businesses to attract and retain customers.

To use it, business owners basically go to the website, claim their venue, and create specials that will reward people for visiting their businesses. Foursquare has a whole menu of different types of specials that let you reward customers in different ways. You might offer customers something “special” every x number of times they check in or offer a one time discount for a particular time, for instance.

And Foursquare provides Venue stats that allows you to see a full set of real-time data about your customers, so you can see how much impact your Foursquare specials are having.

This app has lots of potential, I think, as cell phone use is constantly growing.

Visit Foursquare to get started.

People line up to attend the first day of a foreclosure event organized by the Neighborhood Assistance Corp. of America at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. AP Photo

CHICAGO — Just as President Barack Obama took a reassuring tone in the State of the Union address, there are reasons for optimism when it comes to our personal finances.

The stock market has come back, companies are starting to hire again and economists are increasingly upbeat about the future.

But unemployment remains stuck at more than 9 percent, home prices are falling and the pace of foreclosures is accelerating.

It’s hard to see a return any time soon to the level of financial comfort many enjoyed before the tough times began.

“We dug ourselves a very deep hole,” says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “I think it’s going to take a full five years to recover in most areas: unemployment, wages, personal wealth and our collective psyche.”

Whether you are upbeat about your financial situation likely depends on not just your job security and income level, but also on how much you have invested in the stock market. T

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Are you a non-Canadian who has an established business in your own country and would like to open a business in Canada? Or are you a non-Canadian who would like to start a company in Canada? Then this FAQ is for you. Expanding into Canada for an already-established foreign business is straightforward… Read more…

On Starting a Business

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Effective Jan. 31, Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch hours will change in Nappanee and Walkerton.

In Nappanee, the branch, at 219 W. Market St., will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

In Walkerton, the branch, at 302 Roosevelt Road, will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Customers can conduct most BMV business on line via https://myweb.in.gov/BMV/mybmvportal/.

Some transactions also may be completed through the BMV Customer Service Center at 888-692-6841.

BUSINESSES in south east Wales are more optimistic about the future than those in the Swansea area according to the latest survey by the South Wales Chamber.

The survey, covering the last quarter of 2010, showed sales improving overall, with 74% of businesses surveyed showing either a rise in or constant sales, a slight improvement on the previous quarter (73%).

Both Cardiff and Newport- based businesses reported a slightly worse quarter, with 34% and 33% of businesses showing an increase in sales, a fall from 49% and 47% respectively.

However the majority of businesses in each area reported constant sales rather than a fall.

Businesses in the Swansea territory reported slightly less impressive figures with 30% of businesses reporting an increase in sales, the majority (35%) remaining constant.

The outlook for UK orders improved with only 20% of businesses reporting a decrease in sales, compared to 25% last quarter, showing an improvement in the overall market.

Export sales were slightly improved on the previous quarter. Read more…