Jewell Treats to move from SouthPark kiosk to uptown storefront

Jewell Treats Natural Cupcakes announced Tuesday they have opened a a storefront location on the second floor of the Hearst Tower uptown, at 214 N. Tryon Street.

The current kiosk at SouthPark Mall will close Aug. 31.

“We are very excited to be moving to The Hearst Tower,” says owner Mimi Jewell in a press release. “In addition to our new in-store kitchen, this move enables us to better reach our customers and provide them with a new, fresh and improved customer experience.”

Jewell says she'll also be rolling a new menu with an assortment of baked goods, in addition to the natural cupcakes.

The new location will also allow for curbside delivery for all orders, as well as after-hours and weekend deliveries on orders for a dozen or more cupcakes.

Jewell Treats will maintain a limited presence at Southpark Mall through its partnership with Crunch Salads, located in the Southpark Mall food court, Jewell said.

Crunch Salads will sell limited quantities of cupcakes, and customers who have placed orders larger than one dozen cupcakes will be able to pick-up orders from Crunch Salads during regular mall hours.

Cloud computing 101: How your business can use it

Charlotte-area small business owners will gather from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Aug. 21 at Industry Charlotte, a co-working spot in South End, for a discussion on the basics of cloud computing and how you can leverage it for your business.

Four local professionals will share their experiences with cloud software and work through a personal cloud assessment with a local tech professional.

The seminar, sponsored by Formstack, is free and includes breakfast; however, there may be a fee for parking.

More info and registration here. 

Industry Charlotte is located at 305 W. Morehead St.

New N.C. tax law cuts small business deduction

Recent changes to the N.C. tax code stand to impact many small business owners, according to the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants.

An article by Observer reporter Eric Frazier this Sunday outlined the new changes.
Beginning in 2012, small business owners who filed their business income with their personal income could deduct the first $50,000 in business income from their taxes.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2014, they'll no longer get that deduction.

Here's how the deduction worked: A small business owner who made $100,000 in business income in 2012 was only taxed on $50,000 of that total in North Carolina. (The federal government would still tax the income at the full $100,000.)

At the 7.75 percent tax rate, the deduction saved the small business owner about $3,700.

Are you a small business owner who will be affected? Let me know your thoughts: cmcmillan@charlotteobserver.com; 704-358-6045.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/08/11/4228287/nc-tax-changes-where-you-stand.html#storylink=cpy

Startup veterans, developers launch coding academy

Startup veterans, software engineers and developers Jim Van Fleet and Grady Peterson recently unveiled their latest venture: a coding and programming education center called Launchpad Code Academy. 

Their inspiration? Constantly being approached for help by startup technology companies whose growth, they said, was hindered because of a lack of coders, programmers and software developers in the region. 

The immersion program, which starts Sept. 9, is a commitment of nine hours a week for 10 weeks. Van Fleet says it will offer training in: business prototyping, .NET development and web development with Ruby on Rails. 

A semester at Launchpad Code Academy is $5,895. 

"Our goal is to prepare students for a $40,000 to $60,000 salaried position in these 10 weeks," Van Fleet said in the press release. "In the software programming industry, some three-day training programs cost several thousand dollars." 

Founders and instructors have experience working with and for industry giants, such as Google and Microsoft. 

Van Fleet said LaunchPad also has partnered with prominent businesses in the area, such as AvidXChange, Edison Nation, Skookum and Virtual Race Bags. 

“Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg are all coders and programmers, said co-founder, Grady Peterson, in the release. “It's time Charlotte started growing our own." 

For details: Contact Grady Peterson, grady@launchpadcodeacademy.com; 704-448-2502. 

Apply here. 

Directors of documentary on decline of U.S. manufacturing jobs will stop in Charlotte

A film crew for  "American Made Movie," a documentary about U.S. manufacturing, will roll through Charlotte this Friday as part of its 30-cities-in-30-days tour. 

The feature-length documentary explores the decline in America’s manufacturing workforce, and the tour promotes small and large companies that have had success with American-made products. 

The documentary's directors, Vincent Vittorio and Nathan McGill, will be at several events in conjunction with the Charlotte Chamber. Only Chamber members can attend. 

Here's the day's agenda: 

Ayrsley Grand Cinemas 14 (9110 King's Parade Blvd.)

• 9:30 a.m.: a meet-and-greet networking event with Vittorio, McGill and local community leaders.

• 10 a.m.: Guest panel with moderator Richard Zollinger, CPCC's vice president for learning. Panelists include: Vittorio and McGill; Thomas Barnhardt, president and CEO of Barnhardt Manufacturing Co.; Mark Rohlinger, technical plant manager at Bosch Rexroth Corporation; and Greg Flickinger, vice president of manufacturing at Synder's-Lance, Inc. 

• 10:30 a.m.: Filmmakers discussion with Vittorio and McGill.

• 10:40 a.m.: Advanced screening of "American Made Movie." 

Central Piedmont Community College (1201 Elizabeth Ave.)

• 2 p.m.: Tour of CPCC's apprenticeship training program.