Whether you agree or disagree with Washington’s approach to trying to rejuvenate the economy (referring to Recovery Act, stimulus and the like), one thing is clear. When the government is making money available, businesses would be foolish to at least not take a look to see if they could benefit.

The latest entry in that category comes from the Department of Energy (DOE), which last week announced $30 million in funding to help commercialize clean energy technologies. These are really first-time Phase III grants under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. If you’ve worked with the government funds before on clean energy projects, here’s the chance to do more — up to $3 million over three years.

The deadline for submission of applications is August 4. Learn more at the DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy site. Here are the specific areas where the agency wants to invest:

Biomass Technologies

• Harvesting/Dewatering Technology for Algal Biofuels Production.

Buildings Technologies

• Transitional Technology for Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)
• SSL Products made from Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)
• "Core" Technology for Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) 

Fuel Cell Technologies

• Advanced Materials for Fuel Cell Technologies
• Bio-Fueled Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
   

Geothermal Technologies -  High Temperature Tools and Sensors 

• High Temperature Downhole Tools 
• High-Temperature-High-Volume Lifting  
• High Temperature Downhole MWD Tools for Directional Drilling
   

Industrial Technologies

• Sensors and Controls  
• Industrial Membrane Process Systems   
• Advanced Materials 
• Integrated Reaction-Separation using non-thermal processes
• Mitigation of Heat Losses, Fouling, and Scaling in key Manufacturing Unit Operations. 
   

Solar Technologies - Lowering the Cost of Photovoltaics through Innovative Augmentation

• Lightweight, Flexible and Low Cost Multi-junction Solar Cells
• Static Module PV Concentrators
• New Methods of Crystallizing Silicon

Vehicle Technologies

• Technologies to Address Internal Heating in DC Bus Capacitors
• Improved Magnetic Materials for Motors
• Advanced Materials for Lightweight Vehicles
   

Wind Technologies

• Advanced Wind Power Technologies and Systems  
   

Fossil Energy

• Pollution control
• Advanced power systems
• Stationary power fuel cells
• Clean fuels
• Carbon sequestration
• Recovery of oil, natural gas, and methane hydrates
• Advances in materials, sensors, monitors, controls, biotechnology, and computational processes
   

Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability

• Smart Grid Technologies and Systems
• Electric Transmission Technologies
• Superconducting Technology for Power Equipment 
• Advanced Materials for Power Electronics and Energy Storage
   

Nuclear Energy

• Advanced Instrumentation and Control, Radiation Resistant Sensors, and Wireless On-Line Monitoring Systems for Nuclear Power Plant Applications 

Speaking with the media can be tough, especially if you’re not used to doing it. Christina Khoury of PRbreakfastclub.com offers some quality advice for businesses (it’s actually for PR pros to pass on to clients) about how to get your message across effectively in only 5-10 minutes, so you come across a little more like George Clooney, and a little less like Rod Blagojevich or Animal from "The Muppets":

Prepare. Inform your client about the outlet, host, market, and if you’re lucky the questions that will be asked (don’t count on it).  Note: no matter how much you prepare, prepare for the unexpected and plan for possible damage control.

Draft no more than three talking points. If there are more than three, clients feel rushed to make sure every point is discussed and it makes the interview seem less conversational.   Work with the client so that he can discuss the points comfortably with improvisation instead of memorizing them.  This will help create a more genuine interview.  If needed, index cards are beneficial but should only have key words instead of phrases in case your client forgets something.  And if he does,  it’s not the end of the world.  Stay positive, give feedback, and move on to the next one.

This is not an advertisement. Be careful how many times your client mentions his product.  If the audience wanted to watch informericals they would turn on the TV in the middle of the night.  No one wants that during prime time.  My rule of thumb, especially for short interviews, is to mention the product twice.  Once in the beginning and once at the end as a call to action to communicate where or how to purchase/experience said product.

Smile. It’s easy to sound monotone on interviews especially if they are over the phone.  By smiling clients can change the entire tone of their voice and people are more inclined to listen to a voice that is inviting.

Relax, breathe, and have fun. I’ve had clients sing on the radio, tell embarrassing stories, and some hosts have even professed their love for some clients.  Just have fun.  No one wants to listen to anyone that takes themselves too seriously, especially during drive time.

Are you young and rich? ("Sort of" and "No.") Would you like to be?

While I personally subscribe to the "Mo Money, Mo Problems" general life philosophy, I respect that there are many out there who want to have a lot of money. And we here at the Chamber certainly want American and Hoosier businesses to have a lot of it, as well. So here are some tips from the "young and rich" on growing your business acumen, from the web site, Under30CEO.com. (Note: These tips are just about the "rich" part, nothing about reversing the aging process, unfortunately.)

Lessons:
1. Think big, start small. “Before you achieve that first $1 million, you have to get your first dollar.” Phillip Di Bella started a coffee business in 2002, selling coffee to cafes. He would roast his own coffee in a machine that he rented and would then pack it and deliver it himself, doing the books for the business on his girlfriends computer.

Sometimes people can have a romantic idea of what it is to be an entrepreneur, usually these ideals are shattered rather quickly when they realise that it’s not all glamour in the beginning.

Having said that, it can pay off. Phillip Di Bella is now worth $47 million and is still dedicated to delivering a quality product to his loyal customers. “My promise to them, and it’s a very simple principle I’ve kept, is that I’ll do for my customers what others are not prepared to.”

2. Never too young. Trent Davis started his company NetBox when he was 22. This was his third business, after his first two businesses had failed. Learning from the first two businesses, Davis went into NetBox with what he calls a “one foot on the brake approach.”

Now 32, David has built NetBox into a formidable company with annual sales of $30 million and 20 staff. Having started the business at 22, he remembers the sacrifices he had to make in order to get started early. “It was two-and-a-half years before I was taking home a proper wage, which is quite a long time to be living like a university student when you’re not at university anymore.”

3. Be willing to rough it (in the beginning). Peter Mavridis, the founder and Managing Director of a Melbourne IT Services company, S Central is turning over $80 million every year and has a personal net worth of $62 million at the age of 37. Last year when Mavridis was listed in the Young Rich List, his personal wealth was $100m but has come back this year due to the financial climate of the last 12 months.

However, in the beginning Mavridis wasn’t talking millions. He remembers the first office he and his girlfriend leased in Melbourne, “It was one of those offices where you were scared to take the lift, so you’d take the stairs.” Mavridis now owes a lot of his success to the fact that he didn’t spend the money he didn’t have, in the early days.

Note II: Please disregard that the money stack held by the gentleman in today’s stock photo is comprised mostly of $5 bills. Just pretend he symbolizes prosperity. Thanks in advance.

UPDATE: Here’s Part II of the "young and rich" article series.

Quirky Congressional calendars and policy stalemates are nothing new in Washington. For those of that mindset, it appears the rest of 2010 won’t be too upsetting. And with some of the damage Congress has inflicted on businesses of all sizes and their employees over the last few years, maybe that isn’t all bad.

In the House (which doesn’t return until Tuesday), it’s less than three weeks until the August break (starting a week earlier than normal). House members will not be back in Washington until mid-September, with a targeted adjournment date of October 8 in order to hit the campaign trail fulltime in the weeks leading up to the November 2 election. Are we looking at a lame-duck session in November or December — or no action on major items until 2011?

For the Senate, the legislative backlog includes:

• Seeking two votes (Scott Brown and Olympia Snowe are the top targets) to move the financial regulatory reform conference report
• A lending pool/tax incentives increase for small businesses, which was originally seen as an opportunity to address other financial issues — including the expiring Bush tax cuts from 2001 and 2003
• A $75 billion war supplemental that faces a White House veto over issues unrelated to the original intent. The House added $16 billion, including $10 billion to local school districts to help avoid teacher layoffs. Part of the offsets feature recissions in education programs (among them Race to the Top); hence, the White House opposition

CongressDaily reports the following on that bill:

Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye did not include funding for teachers in the measure the Senate approved in May because it was unclear if there was enough support to pass the bill. 

Supporters of the teacher funding will also have to overcome opposition from a group of 13 Democratic senators led by Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., who called the proposed cuts to education programs "unacceptable" in a letter to Inouye earlier this month.

"Choosing between preserving teacher jobs and supporting vital education reforms is a false choice and would set a dangerous precedent," the letter said.

Or school districts could utilize any number of other cost reduction methods instead of simply cutting teachers. If only that suggestion would become part of the common practice.

Upon the announcement of its new immigration law a couple of months ago, Arizona incurred a firestorm from opponents, media and protestors that burned hotter than … Arizona in July. But now, the Grand Canyon State is working to rework its image via a new PR campaign partially funded by a hotel trade association. USA Today writes:

Arizona plans to spend $250,000 on a public relations campaign to counter concerns about its controversial, new immigration law and promote itself as "a safe and welcoming destination." The state’s hotel trade group will add another $30,000 to the effort, according to the Associated Press.

The PR campaign is one of the recommendations presented publicly yesterday by a tourism task force appointed by Gov. Jan Brewer to address the state’s tourism industry, the AP reports. The findings came as the ACLU on Wednesday issued "travel alerts" to Arizona visitors in advance of the Fourth of July weekend to inform travelers of their rights if stopped by police.

The task force was charged with finding ways to aid Arizona’s tourism industry as it grapples with fallout from the law that Brewer signed in April, the article says. The law is set to take affect on July 29 barring any legal action. The law has sparked boycotts and outright travel bans from cities large and small, school districts and other municipal bodies at a time when travel is gradually starting to rebound from a two-year downturn.

The state should hire a PR firm "to help manage the existing dialogue and clarify the facts" regarding the immigration law, the AP article says. That effort could include getting into editorials into U.S. newspapers and conducting interviews in key visitor markets.

Brewer two weeks ago approved the recommendations, which paves the way for state agencies and the Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association to carry them out, the story says. The story did not detail what role the Arizona hotel group will play besides making a financial donation.

The recommendations also direct Arizona to "change the tone of the dialogue to reflect the true implications and tangible effects that boycotts have on the lives and families on the most vulnerable tourism employees," the AP reports.

The law requires that police enforce another law to ask people about their immigration status if there is "reasonable suspicion" that the people are in the USA illegally, the story says.

Most of us have heard the term "Christmas in July," usually as part of some overhyped ad campaign. But Christmas trees in July probably haven’t crossed our minds too often. But the Indiana Christmas Tree Growers Association says July is a busy month in preparing trees for the upcoming season.

Here’s a portion of their latest message — to take your mind off the summer heat.

Real tree consumers will be ready to purchase when late November and December come around but few know that June through August are the busiest and most difficult months for the growers. Trees, weeds, and insect and disease pests are all thriving in the warm Indiana weather, thus requiring constant attention if quality trees are to be produced.

All quality Indiana Fresh Brand Christmas Trees require some form of pruning or shearing, as the growers call it. The amount and time of shearing is dependent on the tree species. This process helps to determine whether the tree will be tall and narrow, or shorter and wider at the bottom. The amount of shearing will also determine how full the tree is. One Indiana grower explains that they shear to produce trees full enough that you cannot see the trunk but not so full or dense that the ornaments slide off. Trees from different growers can take on a different appearance due to shearing techniques.

Scotch pine, the most common Indiana grown Christmas tree is usually sheared beginning about the middle of June. White pine is similar to Scotch pine but it is usually sheared beginning about the first of July. Shearing can continue into August but enough time must be allowed for the sheared trees to set buds for the following growing season. The fir species, which are becoming increasingly popular in Indiana, are usually sheared beginning in the middle of July. They are sheared with a knife as well, but some species require hand pruning, particularly the upper portions.

Even before shearing begins, proper weed control is essential. Many growers use the same pre-emergent herbicides that row-crop producers use. These are applied early in the spring and as the season continues, post emergent herbicides are applied. Glycophosphate is a poplar herbicide, but care must be exercised to prevent it from contacting the trees. These herbicides are used sparingly in bands just where the trees are growing. This minimizes herbicide use and prevents erosion in the untreated and more exposed areas between the rows.                            

One thing we can all agree on: entrepreneurship and innovation are the backbones of a thriving society. But in order for success to be achieved, trial and error must always take place. The Huffington Post provides a look at some inventions that never quite took off. See them here.

My favorite is probably the Sun Pod:

Thankfully this 80’s prototype never caught on. In theory it was for those seeking peace and quiet on the beach, but in practice it would basically be a human oven.