It’s not easy selling goods to the Federal Government.
With all of the procurement rules and regulations involved, businesses hoping to do business with Uncle Sam often find the process can be a labyrinth of long corridors that — in some cases — can lead to a dead end.
Since 1967, Interface Inc. has helped their customers navigate the maze, helping big and small firms sell everything from HVAC filters, to chemicals, to environmental services that help the U.S. Army dispose of used oil and antifreeze after repairing its fleet of automobiles.
Until the late 1980s, all of the company’s important information — client notes, proposals, invoices — were all kept on paper. The firm later began digitizing those documents using a Lotus Notes program, and that data lived on servers at the company’s offices.
And it went on like that for years. More data being digitized meant the company needed to purchase and maintain larger, more expensive computer servers that had to be stored in the company office.
Move to the cloud
Interface, Inc. has trusted JTC, Inc., an IT solutions company in Manassas, Virginia, since the early 1990s. Five years ago, however, Interface, Inc. took a big leap forward into the future of IT security and performance by putting all of the company’s secured data on JTC Sky, a secured, private cloud solution from JTC.
“When they started talking about the cloud, I didn’t know what they were talking about, but we trusted them, and I said ‘tell me how to do this transition, and we’ll do it,” said David Knapp, Interface, Inc. president.
Overnight, the company’s data was in the cloud, and Knapp’s employees could access their information from anywhere in the world.
“As our company has grown, the size of our physical office has shrunk,” said Knapp. “After we moved to the cloud, I had to ask myself, ‘why are we sitting in an office all day when we should be out selling to the government?”
Cost savings
Interface Inc.’s move to the cloud not only proved efficient, but it was clearly a cost-saving move.
The company was able to shrink the size of its 3,500 square feet corporate office that had been located in Alexandria, Va. down to a smaller office that now has room for two employees.
Those two employees are now the only staff that is required to be in the office as the rest of Knapp’s team works remotely from multiple states.
The company not only slashed its rent costs but with JTC Sky, it also no longer needed to buy and maintain expensive servers and computers, as all of those services are now provided to it — in the cloud — by JTC, Inc.
The company was also able to switch their telephone service provider to JTC Voice Over IP — a customized telephone solution that provides the comfort and reliability of traditional phone service at a fraction of the cost, without the need to regularly replace expensive desk phones and backroom office equipment.
JTC’s VOIP solution provides many features that make working remotely very easy. Faxing from email and the smartphone application allows users to have their business phone system with them at all times.
“I was spending between $5,000 and $10,000 every two years on new equipment, plus the cost of internet services,” said Knapp. “We’ve seen as much as a 40% cost savings after we switch to JTC Sky.”
Monthly support, regular replacement of servers — those things are all bundled into one price for JTC Sky — meaning it’s one less thing for Knapp to worry about.
Disaster recovery
The onset of the COVID19 pandemic led to the federal and state governments ordering residents to work from home. That left many companies without a Business Continuity Plan scrambling to get their employees working from home on a secured data solution.
During this chaotic time, however, it was business as usual for Interface, Inc. As the virus spread, Knapp had the peace of mind that his company could continue to operate as normal. He didn’t have to risk contracting the virus and go to an empty office to backup computer servers, or risk exposure to the sickness by unlocking the office door to let in employees who needed to retrieve files or equipment.
“How do you put a cost on that?” asked Knapp. “This service is efficient, and it has saved us time and money.”
JTC Sky not only provides a continuous solution during the coronavirus pandemic, but also during fires, floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters that could negatively impact a business.
“If you’re going to make this move to the cloud, do your research. Make sure you know you have someone who knows what they’re doing, and that company has a track record of performance to show you,” Knapp concluded.
About JTC, Inc.
JTC has just released its 5th generation of Private Cloud Hosting Services. The firm owns and operates its own Private Cloud Infrastructure located in multiple data centers, as noted in this exclusive LeaseWeb article: Leaseweb USA Accelerates JTC’s Infrastructure Update
Dataverstiy has also highlighted JTC’s work to build a trusted IT cloud infrastructure: Case Study: JTC Grows its Cloud Services Core through Trust and Teamwork
JTC was also named “Tech Company of the Year” for 2020 by the Prince William County Chamber.
Founded in 1996 and incorporated in 2002, Jewell Technical Consulting is a leading provider of technology-based business solutions to small and medium-sized businesses in Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area.
Headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, Jewell Technical Consulting services the business needs of a variety of clients and employs Cisco and Microsoft Certified full-time professionals that are truly some of the best in the business.
Our staff has many years of experience and strives to continue learning all of the new products and features the technology world has to offer. Every JTC employee is committed to making your technology function the best way possible, so you and your company get the most out of it.
Contact JTC, Inc. today by visiting their website, by calling 703-794-1225, or by visiting them on Facebook.
The Fauquier Bank has continued its “Charity of Choice” program for 2020.
For every new account opened, the bank will donate $25 to a Charity of Choice and for every “Tell-A-Friend” coupon redeemed, the bank will donate $10 to the selected charity.
A total of 10 charities have been selected for the program, which focuses 80% on local charities and 20% on larger charities that the bank believes are important to the community.
This week, we’re highlighting the Charity of Choice Central Virginia Housing Coalition.
Central Virginia Housing Coalition works with community leaders to prevent homelessness.
The nonprofit provides resources to families to assist them in becoming successful renters or homeowners. Such resources include education, counseling, community management, and casework. The Coalition offers several programs where families can get financial assistance for their homes, rent directly from them at fair market rate and counseling on budgeting and credit concerns.
The Coalition also offers a voucher program that enables very low-income individuals to acquire safe, sanitary housing. The Coalition started in 1988 and today has a full staff serving the counties of Caroline, Stafford, Spotsylvania, King George, Fredericksburg, and Caroline.
You can support their efforts by giving a monetary donation or volunteering for one of their programs.
It’s Virginia Restaurant Takeout Week, and restaurants in the state are reeling due to lack of business following the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Gov. Ralph Northam has limited the number of people who can be inside a restaurant at one time to 10 people, so customers this week are encouraged to call ahead to their favorite restaurant and order out.
Starting Saturday night and into Sunday, I spent hours collecting and compiling the names of area restaurants, in Fredericksburg, Gainesville, Haymarket, Manassas, Stafford, and Woodbridge, and their Twitter accounts. I sent each a message, inviting them to share any specific takeout week specials they might be offering to their customers — at no cost to the business.
One restaurant — Smoothie King of Woodbridge, located at 4296 Merchant Plaza in Woodbridge — responded:
@PotomacLocal @SKWoodbridge Thank u for supporting the restaurants of PWC! I was born&raised here &there’s no better place to have a small business.We’re a large county with small-town roots & take care of each other.We r offering a free immune builder enhancer in all smoothies.
— SKWoodbridge (@SkWoodbridge) March 30, 2020
Smoothie King, we’re happy to share this with our Potomac Local News community. Good luck, and we hope you sell a lot of smoothies this week.
Virginia Takeout Week runs today through Sunday, April 5.
I spent the past four hours scouring the web, looking for the Twitter handles of as many restaurants in our area — from Gainesville to Fredericksburg — that I could find.
Starting tomorrow in Virginia, it’s Restaurant Takeout Week, a chance for residents to support their favorite restaurants during a time when dining rooms are closed in the wake of a growing number of coronavirus cases in the state and in the U.S.
The event, a partnership between the state tourism corporation and the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging, and Travel Association lasts through April 5. While dining rooms are closed, customers are encouraged to order delivery or drive to get curbside pick up of their favorite foods.
Participating jurisdictions in our area include Fairfax, Fauquier, Prince William, Stafford, and Spotsylvania counties, and the cities of Fredericksburg and Manassas.
Despite efforts like these, and the Virginia ABC’s effort to loosen restrictions, almost overnight, to allow for the sale of to-go alcohol at breweries and distilleries, the coronavirus is expected to have a major impact on restaurants across the U.S.
President Donald Trump last week told reporters that he expects many restaurants to close due to the pandemic. And, many more will reopen, possibly under new ownership, when the coronavirus outbreak ends.
That’s why I’ve been frantically searching the websites of local restaurants in our area to see if they have a Twitter account. As you’ll see below, we’ve sent messages to the ones we found asking those restaurants to Tweet to us their specials for Virginia takeout week.
I plan to post as many as we can into a post here on Potomac Local News so we can do our part to support local businesses.
If you or someone you know owns a restaurant, please share this post with them and ask them to Tweet us their specials @PotomacLocal. Please also share this post in any online community you may belong to.
Please help Potomac Local News help some of our local business owners who need our help the most.
VA takeout week: Tweet us your specials and we’ll share! @panchovillava @jukeboxdiner@lnbtaphouse @winerylagrang@phillytavernva@thebonebbq@uptownalleymva@outoftheblueva@DunbrisCafe
— Potomac Local News (@PotomacLocal) March 29, 2020
VA takeout week: Tweet us your specials and we’ll share. @Okras @CapitalAleHouse
— Potomac Local News (@PotomacLocal) March 29, 2020
VA takeout week: Tweet us your specials and we’ll share. @Okras @CapitalAleHouse
— Potomac Local News (@PotomacLocal) March 29, 2020
VA takeout week: Tweet us your specials and we’ll share. @OrneryBeer @KOdistillery @JiraniCoffee @BennyVitalis @MurLarkey @TinCannonBrewCo @AdventureBrewCo @GiorgiosFamRes @BadWolfBrewingC @pinkbicycletea@MadigansWaterfr @EileensBakery @BottlestopVA @foodeonline @PotomacPoint
— Potomac Local News (@PotomacLocal) March 29, 2020
Tweet us your Va. Takeout Week deals and we’ll embed in our news story. Let us help. @eatmonza@happyclamfburg @BarJChiliParlor @cj_finz @fattyscrabhouse@mummumnova@Zandrastacos @GlobeAndLaurel @timsrivershore@thesgcafe@MasonDixonCafe@mybellacafe @bluearborcafe
— Potomac Local News (@PotomacLocal) March 29, 2020
Tweet us your Va. Takeout Week deals and we’ll embed in our news story. Let us help. @eatmonza@happyclamfburg @BarJChiliParlor @cj_finz @fattyscrabhouse@mummumnova@Zandrastacos @GlobeAndLaurel @timsrivershore@thesgcafe@MasonDixonCafe@mybellacafe @bluearborcafe
— Potomac Local News (@PotomacLocal) March 29, 2020
The staff here is trained to greet everyone who comes through the dining room door with hearty “Welcome to Chick-fil-A!” But now that the dining room is closed to the public, that phrase isn’t being used there as much as it was only a few short weeks ago.
The staff now at Chick-fil-A Bristow have been working to serve their customers from the drive-through window and utilizing curbside pick up.
That means that, despite the coronavirus pandemic, Chick-fil-A’s faithful customers have continued to come to the restaurant to support their favorite eatery.
So with an empty Dining room, on Monday the Marketing Director, Karen Allam came in to brighten things up literally by setting up a table display of spring colors and Easter-themed decorations for the Team Members accented with Easter gift baskets that she made. Since their store Easter Egg Hunt and Store Anniversary celebration had to be canceled, she brought the prizes to them.
So instead of hunting for a golden egg to win the baskets, she set it up as an entry. Each Team Member, by dropping their entry blank into the entry box, has a chance to win one of the two smaller baskets or the big grand prize basket. The winners will be selected by random drawing.
The baskets, however, provided a nice change of scenery for the staff who have been focused on getting the orders out expeditiously through the Drive-Thru and complying with all the COVID-19 guidelines for customer safety and not much else.
Chick-fil-A Bristow is located at 9939 Sowder Village Square in Bristow, near Manassas. Its hours of operation are now 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. The restaurant is and always has been closed on Sundays.
All orders will be now be picked up outside.
When you start planning for retirement, the hope is that you will set aside money and it will grow until you leave the working world to spend your time on things other than working at a job.
However, life happens. There are going to be times when you will need money to pay for things that pop up. It is at times like these that you will want to pull money out of your IRA.
However, you do need to be careful. If you pull money out before you reach age 59-and-a-half, you will face a 10% penalty for early withdraw. This would apply if you were pulling money out of either a Roth or Traditional IRAs.
However, it only applies to the amount of the distribution that is included in gross income. Therefore, it does not apply to the part of your distribution that is a return of your contributions.
However, this is not a hard and fast rule. There are certain instances where you will not be subject to the 59 and-a-half rule. When you receive your 1099-R that shows the amount you received, Box 7 will have a code in it that will signify what type of distribution it is.
Let’s take a look at these codes and what they mean.
If you see Code 1 in box seven, you have had a separation of service.
- This means you received the distribution in the year you turned 55 or 50 if you are a qualified public safety employee.
- A public safety employee is someone from any level of government (federal, state or local) who is a police officer, firefighter, customs official, border patrol agent, air traffic controller, or provides emergency medical services.
- Keep in mind that this code does not apply to IRAs.
Code 2 in box seven means that you have received a distribution that is part of a series of substantially equal periodic payments.
- Unless the payment schedule is modified before you reach age 59 and-a-half.
If you have a total and permanent disability, you should see a three in box seven, indicating that the payments you receive are due to a disability.
Code 4 in box seven means that you are receiving the payment as a beneficiary of the participant in the plan, who has died.
If you have received a distribution from the retirement plan to pay for unreimbursed medical costs, box seven will have a five in it.
If you underwent a divorce, and as part of qualified domestic relations order fund were distributed from a retirement plan (other than an IRA), box seven with having a six written in it.
If you have left a job and have been receiving unemployment compensation for 12 consecutive weeks, you can receive money from a retirement plan to pay for unemployment health insurance.
- If that is the case, you should see a seven in Box 7 of your 1099-R.
You can make withdraws from an IRA to pay for education costs, including tuition, supplies, books, and room and board for someone who is a half-time student.
- This withdrawal would be indicated by an eight in Box 7.
First-time homebuyers are allowed to withdraw up to $10,000 from an IRA to purchase a home.
- The $10,000 is a lifetime limit, and you must not have owned a home for at least two years. If you are married, both you and your spouse are entitled to a $10,000 lifetime withdraw.
- The number nine will show in Box 7 if you have made this type of withdrawal.
Code 10 in Box 7 indicates that a distribution was made from a retirement plan to pay an IRS levy.
If you are a reservist called to active duty for a period of 180 days or more, or for an indefinite period, if number 11 appears in in Box 7 indicates that you have received a qualified reservist deferral.
Need some help with understanding your options when it comes to early retirement distributions?
Drop me a line at [email protected] and we can discuss your situation and how best to take advantage of the deductions and credits available to you.
In accordance with Circular 230 Treasury Department Regulations, we are required to advise you that any tax advice contained in this article may not be relied upon to avoid penalties under the Internal Revenue Code.
If you are interested in a written opinion that can be relied upon to prevent the imposition of tax-related penalties, please contact the author.
Potomac Local News: Today we’re going to talk about hiring your children. This is something that business owners can take advantage of, and, “hiring” is not such a dirty word when it comes to your children, correct?
You can actually hire your kids and set them up for success in the future. What is this all about?
Chris Peden: Well, first of all, people see that and they say, “wow, you know, I can pay them and deduct them for doing chores.”
Well, no, actually, they work they do has to do with your business. So if you have a payroll set up with a payroll company, you can actually put them on payroll and have to do taxes.
- As long as the work related to your business, has a business purpose, and they’re capable of actually doing those tasks, you pay them like you regularly would or you’d make a payment to, say, a Roth I.R.A., or to an educational fund to fund your college education or the retirement fund.
What can my child do for my business?
Potomac Local News: I imagine that this type of thing would work for for for certain businesses, like office locations, and home-based businesses. Can you give us an example of some of the tasks that a business owner may have their child do?
Chris Peden: Yes. Well, I actually have a friend out in California. I work a lot with him about dealing with tax plans and tax savings, and he puts together a little binder. And what he does, he has a son sit down and put the pages in the binder to organize it.
- Or you may have a child in high school who’s into graphic art or graphic arts and likes working with their computer to create images for marketing brochures for your business.
- These tasks are examples of what you can pay your child to do for rather than sending that work out-of-house. Maybe your children have a great knowledge of social media and can help your business in that respect.
- With this approach, you can have a little more control because it’s your child sitting there and you can help them. And this teaches them to learn to work in a business and then feeds their passion for what they’re doing.
Potomac Local News: A few of the questions that could lead to fear is, when it when I get my kid in the business, what about all of the paperwork involved?. Is the IRS going to look down on me for hiring my child? On paper, does it make me look like I am forcing them to do something they don’t want to do?
Walk us through the set-up process? What’s the paperwork? And then what’s the legality of it all?
The paperwork is easy
Chris Peden: The paperwork is basically setting up an employee on your program, on your payroll. I would recommend working with a great payroll company such as Paychex, which will walk you through the legal ramifications.
- When it comes to the amount of pay, make sure that the work you’re paying them a market rate for it. Ask yourself, “What would I pay a normal if someone outside my family to do this work?”
- And you want to pay them a market rate, be sure they do the work. Is the job you’ve hired them for at their skill level? Are you only going to pay someone to do quantum mechanics unless they’re really, really smart, like young Sheldon Cooper?
Potomac Local News: And finally, once you have your kids working in your business, is the work you’re paying them to do “busy” work designed to keep them entertained and out of your hair? Or, are you actually helping to set them up for success and giving them real-world experience?
Chris Peden: Absolutely. If they’re coming, they’re working for you, they’ve worked for you as an employee in your company.
- They can list that experience on a LinkedIn profile. They can put on a resume that they’ve actually done this work and they have experience.
- And if they do things as we’ve mentioned, graphic arts, social media posts, they have samples that have actually been used in a business that could lead them to find a job somewhere else or starting their own company.
- It helps them build a portfolio that they can go out and be working for other outlets for someone else or get clients on their own.
Chris Peden is the principal owner of Peden Accounting Services in Manassas. Contact him today for all of your business accounting needs by calling 703-967-1948.
The Fauquier Bank has continued its “Charity of Choice” program for 2020.
For every new account opened, the bank will donate $25 to a Charity of Choice and for every “Tell-A-Friend” coupon redeemed, the bank will donate $10 to the selected charity.
A total of 10 charities have been selected for the program, which focuses 80% on local charities and 20% on larger charities that the bank believes are important to the community.
This week, we’re highlighting the Charity of Choice Semper K9.
Semper K9 provides service dogs to critically wounded or ill veterans to enhance their quality of life. The nonprofit provides dogs with the veterans free of charge. The dogs are rescued and donated to Semper K9 to provide to the veterans.
The organization was established in 2014 by veteran Christopher Baity and his wife Amanda. In addition to providing service dogs for veterans, Semper K9 educates the community on service dog laws, resources, and disability awareness.
There are many ways to get involved with Semper K9, including hosting an event, monetary donations, volunteering, and sponsorship.
The Bank’s goal is to donate $80,000 to charities in 2020.