Dilbert, the cartoon creation of Scott Adams, has for years represented the humorous face of business - and now you can enjoy it animated. Through an exclusive agreement with United Media, RingTales has signed an agreement to distribute daily animated versions of Dilbert. The first animations were produced on Dilbert.com and MSN, but starting today, you can see the animates on YouTube and on iTunes podcast.

Appreciation to: The DailyCartoonist.

The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce bestowed upon Dr. R. Grant Tate its 2008 Chamber Small Business Person of the Year award at a luncheon on Thursday, May 29. Dr. Tate, who grew up in Orange, Virginia and now lives in Fluvanna County, is CEO of The Bridge LTD, a management development consulting firm. In addition Dr. Tate was recognized for his civic involvement. He is chair of the Fluvanna County Economic Development Commission, a member and past chair of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, co-editor of Capital Talk and EntreNews and was a Director of the Charlottesville Venture Group, which is now incorporated into the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council.

“Experience is one competitive edge,” said Dr. Tate. “(At The Bridge LTD,) we have the MBAs and we know the theories, but we’ve found over the years of doing this, that there is no substitute for real-world experience.”

The luncheon keynote address was given by Dr. William Bosher, outlining the challenges of enhancing education in the nation, Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Greater Charlottesville communities. Charlottesville Tomorrow has a podcast of Dr. Bosher’s speech.

The New York Times reports:

This deterioration is jeopardizing what many experts consider a crucial beginning stage of working life, one that gives young people experience and confidence along with pocket money.

Little more than one-third of the 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States are likely to be employed this summer, the smallest share since the government began tracking teenage work in 1948, according to a research paper published by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston. That is a sharp drop from the 45 percent level of teenage employment reached in 2000.

The rates among minority young people have been particularly low, with only 21 percent of African-Americans and 31 percent of Hispanics from the ages of 16 to 19 employed last summer, according to the Labor Department.

Retailers, a major source of summer jobs, are grappling with a loss of American spending power, causing some to pull back in hiring. Restaurants, also big employers of teenagers, are adding jobs at a slower pace than in previous summers, said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president for research at the National Restaurant Association in Washington.

This American Life, out of Chicago Public Radio, in partnership with NPR News, explains the debt crisis in pretty clear, straight-forward terms.

Appreciation to: Jeff Jarvis

The Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center (CATEC), at a luncheon on Friday, May 16, inducted four inaugural members into the CATEC Wall of Fame. All four were recognized posthumously. Family members were in attendance to receive the honor:

• Joseph Moore-longtime supporter of CATEC, adult instructor and member of Central Virginia Apprenticeship Council;
• Allen Miller-Albemarle County and CATEC Special Education instructor who worked at CATEC from 1990-2003;
• Robert Barrett-former Electricity instructor who worked at CATEC from 1975 to 1990; and
• Lance Van de Castle-began teaching adult courses in 1993. Served on CVAC Board and was President of CATEC Foundation Board.

” … Their legacies will certainly live on with all those that they have touched,” said Darah Bonham, CATEC Director.

As explained in the CATEC news release, the “Wall of Fame” is a visual representation of CATEC and shares the untold story of some important individuals in its history. It showcases the legacy of students who enhanced their skills at CATEC, employees who faithfully served CATEC and contributed to the success of the students and the school, and generous supporters of CATEC who gave of their talents and time.

In addition to the four inductees, at the luncheon CATEC recognized Charles Hendricks from the Gaines Group as the 2008 Contributor of the Year for his work on the design and construction of the Hinge House being built at CATEC.

Entrepreneur magazine in May features its 14th annual ranking of the fastest-growing entrepreneurial companies, the “Hot 100.” Qualifications include the following: the company should be founded between 1999 and 2003; its sales figure should be no less than $100,000 in 2003 and not to exceed 1 billion in 2007; the company should show a positive job growth. It is an extremely diverse list. Recognized businesses range from self-storage operations to mortgage banking, natural gas distribution, and medical products. Edible Arrangements made the cut. They’ve had a successful, independently owned and operated, presence in Charlottesville for a few years now.

The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce has a full agenda lined-up for its 2008 Chamber Spring Business Luncheon to be held Thursday, May 29th at Farmington Country Club. Chamber leadership will award the 2008 Chamber Small Businessperson of the Year; will recognize this year’s graduating class of the Chamber’s Leadership Charlottesville program as well as recent recipients of the Charlottesville Community Scholarships; and will feature an address by William C. Bosher, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Public Policy & Education, Executive Director of the Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute in the School of Education at the Wilder School of Government & Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Find information and RSVP here.

This workshop will “explore what it means to be ethical, how to make ethical decisions, and how to muster the moral courage to do the right thing. Participants will also examine why good leaders sometimes end up doing bad things, and how good leaders can create good organizations - those with a healthy ethical climate … Participants will leave with a toolkit for enhancing ethics in their own work and organization,” so says U.Va. School of Continuing and Professional Studies about their May 13th, 2008 workshop, Ethics in Organizations: How to Lead and Live in a Workplace You Admire. Sounds good to me.

May 13, Zehmer Hall Conference Center, U.Va. School of Continuing and Professional Studies: 9am-4pm. $125 (includes box lunch).

Information and registration page or call (434) 982- 2779.

Charlottesville-based architectural visionary, Time magazine’s “Hero of the Environment,” “the face of sustainable design,” Mr. William A. McDonough, will be the featured speaker at The Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (CBIC) Innovation Awards 2008 Dinner on May 22 at Farmington Country Club.

The 10th Annual Innovation Awards honor individuals and organizations that have made noteworthy contributions to the marketplace and community in the past year through entrepreneurship and the creation, commercialization, or application of technology. McDonough’s address is entitled “Cradle to Cradle: Design for the Next Century.”

For more information about the Charlottesville Innovation Awards or to reserve a sport, visit CvilleBIC.org or call 434-817-6300.

Follow-up, April 28: Charlottesville Tomorrow has a fine write-up on the April 23rd NCBC session. No surprises, representatives from Lynchburg and Danville want the 29N bypass — and they want it yesterday.

Laurie Moran, President of the Danville/Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce and Rex Hammond, President of the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce will be joining a discussion at an open forum luncheon April 23rd hosted by the North Charlottesville Business Council (NCBC) of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce. The discussion will focus on US29 including the ongoing Places 29 study being undertaken by Albemarle County [see C-VILLE Weekly past coverage of Paces29]. US29 runs North-South through Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and Danville.

This open forum will be held at the Holiday Inn University Area in Charlottesville and run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with lunch beginning at noon. Seating is limited. The cost is $15.00 for members of NCBC and $20.00 for non-members. To reserve your seat, please contact Ms. Doran Tremblay at the Chamber offices at 434-295-3141 or desk@cvillechamber.com no later than Friday April 18th.