Events and seminars
Meeting addresses
patent searches
The Williamsport Inventor’s Club will address “Doing Preliminary Patent Searches” at its meeting at 5:15 p.m., Wednesday.
Dr. Mark Ciavarella, assistant professor of management at Pennsylvania College of Technology, will be discussing issues related to obtaining a patent and demonstrating methods you can use to discover if an idea already has been patented using patent search websites. These are free methods an inventor can use before going through the expense of hiring a patent attorney to do a full patent search.
At Pennsylvania College of Technology, Ciavarella teaches courses in small business management, entrepreneurship and business planning and operations. He is a former small business owner and counselor with North Carolina’s Small Business and Technology Development Center. He has published in the Journal of Business Venturing, Human Resource Management Journal, Journal of Business Ethics and Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice. He received a bachelors degree from Shippensburg University, an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.
The Inventor’s Club is designed to educate, foster collaboration and networking and give attendees the tools, resources and knowledge they need to move their inventions forward.
The Innovative Manufacturers’ Center is host to the Williamsport/Lycoming Keystone Innovation Zone, which has provided program support to the Williamsport Inventor’s Club since its founding in 2007. Meetings take place on the fourth Wednesday of most months and are open to the public. All attendees are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement prior to the start of each meeting to protect the inventors and information exchanged.
Attendance is free and open to the public; however, registration is required for this meeting.
To register visit http://www.imcpa.com/events/.
Event aids with
preventing fraud
IMC will cosponsor a free event from 11 a.m. to noon Thursday with the Central Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce.
Leading accountant Bethany Novis, who specializes in fraud investigation, will help companies understand the proper procedures and accounting protocols that all companies should follow. She will walk you through basic steps to both identify potential fraud, and to prevent it:
The “red flags” that indicate to a company’s management team and board of directors that they may have a potential financial fraud or employee theft problem.
The minimum fraud and forensic accounting protocols all companies, regardless of size, should have in place that will help in early detection and prevention. There are significant internal controls that should be followed. Examples include: ensuring that more than one person is handling the entire money transaction from beginning to end; and having your board of directors provide oversight management of the organization, as well as approve policies dealing with fraud and ethics.
What to do should a company suspect financial fraud — how to properly investigate.
Best practices your company should consider that go beyond the minimum requirements.
For additional information and to register, visit the website http://www.imcpa.com/events/.
Auditor training
offered in January
IMC presents ISO 9001:2015 internal auditor training on Jan. 30 and 31.
ISO requires that you conduct internal audits of your own management system. Your registrar expects your internal auditors to be qualified to conduct internal audits. This internal auditor training class is designed to train your personnel to become qualified to conduct internal audits in a positive, constructive, auditee-friendly manner. This two-day class teaches the fundamentals of the audit process and a comprehensive understanding of the ISO standard. Participants can use their freshly gained knowledge during practical exercises and case studies.
The course also is recommended for anyone desiring an in-depth understanding of the auditing process and the requirements for a successful registration audit.
Participants will receive training materials and a certificate after successful completion.
To register visit http://www.imcpa.com/events/.
Workshop looks at
intellectual property
IMC and Williamsport Inventor’s Club are sponsoring Intellectual Property Basics from 8 to 10 a.m. on Feb. 15.
The phrase “Intellectual Property” refers generally to: patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.
While people sometimes use these four categories interchangeably, they protect very different things.
Failure to have at least a basic understanding of each of these categories and how to use them can result in the loss of significant business assets and loss of competitive advantage. For example, some intellectual property rights require registration to provide legal protection, while others do not. Similarly, keeping secrets is imperative with some forms of protection, while other types of intellectual property can be lost through a lack of public use.
Register at http://www.imcpa.com/events/ or call 570-329-3200 ext. 8085 to learn more about Intellectual Property and how to protect your business or idea.
Seminar presented by Shawn Leppo, McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC.
Seminar examines
trade finance
A free trade finance and letters of credit webinar will be held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 16.
The most important aspect of any transaction from the point of view of the seller is getting paid. When trading in the global market this can be complex.
It is important that both sellers and buyers be aware of the options, special concerns and precautions that relate to payment terms of international transactions.
This program will provide an in-depth understanding of international payment terms with a special focus on letters of credit.
Visit the website http://www.imcpa.com/events/ or call 570-329-3200 ext. 8085 to register.