Yet the challenge is how to find, research, track, manage and trade these tax-exempt investment over the ten years of the tax incentive.

The Entrex Capital Market is one of the leaders building state by state Opportunity Zone Trading solutions, typically for the state economic development teams. Working together with local and state representatives, Entrex brings each opportunity zone to the forefront and can even allow investors to perform tax-free 1031 type of exchanges (including qualified bitcoin gains) into qualified assets in each Opportunity Zone, all through regulated market constituents.

One company taking advantage of the new tax "opportunities" is Webco Dental, a Disabled Veteran-qualified small business. Webco has gained significant exposure from building their company in a Pasco County, Florida Opportunity Zone. Christopher Cooley, CEO of Webco, suggests;

"Being in an Opportunity Zone and being a Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, or SDVOSB, allows us to help investors support our veterans, while focusing on the economic and employment growth our communities need - all on a potentially tax-free income and capital gain basis."

Entrex helps to bring exposure to investors by offering the ability not only to buy debt and equity of companies, but also the potential of liquidity. "It's like the eBay or real estate's MLS for private companies," says entrepreneur Craig Rutkai of Florida.

Similar to the way they managed over 200 transactions for companies in 2017 - each reviewed by the regulators - Entrex now offers a variety of alternative investors from real estate, gold and silver commodities, Opportunity Zones, and consumer debt. And potentially is there for government-backed airlines leases.

Stephen H. Watkins, CEO of Entrex, suggests: "Back in 2015, when our Broker/Dealer managed the Overstock.com TIGRcub Bond - we helped manage the first security to ever trade on the Blockchain. Now every trade and interest payment we service can be pushed out."

"It is an exciting time and the beginning of the democratization of private companies."

To learn more about the Entrex Alternative Trading Portal capabilities, technologies and opportunity zone investments, visit www.EntrexCapitalMarket.com.

 

B&Bs "are more intimate, with much more personal attention," says Sharon Scruggs, who operates the Fife and Drum Inn with her husband, Billy. Both are lifetime residents of Williamsburg, Virginia, and provide a unique and in-depth perspective on the history of the area for their guests.

The bed-and-breakfast experience offers many other benefits beyond what travelers find in a chain- hotel setting.

- Location. Many bed and breakfasts are historic properties, often located in the center of scenic areas.

The Fife and Drum Inn has been part of Sharon's family for generations. The building was constructed in 1933 by her grandfather as a combination of stores with apartments above, and is a short walk to the sights and sounds of Colonial Williamsburg, including the holiday Grand Illumination fireworks display.

- Character. Part of the charm of a bed and breakfast is the uniqueness; art, décor, and food are integrated to create a complete experience. For example, the Fife and Drum retains the colonial feel of the area in all its guest rooms. Special features include antique furnishings, elegant four poster beds in some guest rooms, as well folk art and artifacts from the restoration period of the historic area available for guests to enjoy.

- Food. Bed and breakfasts don't shirk the breakfast half of the equation, and the best of them reflect the local cuisine. The Fife and Drum features daily breakfast casseroles based on family recipes to reflect the southern cooking of the area; other items include fresh biscuits, Virginia ham, fruit, and a unique blend of granola to fuel a day of sightseeing.

- Customization. Not only do visitors to a bed and breakfast get a unique perspective on the place they are visiting, they have options for special packages not available in other hotel settings. Bed and breakfasts can partner easily with local businesses for a smoothly organized and highly personalized vacation experience.

The Fife and Drum Inn offers options such as the Historic Triangle Package that includes three nights at the Inn, breakfasts, and admissions to historic Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. Bed and breakfasts also lend themselves to romance. Helpful hosts can design guest packages built around proposals, anniversaries, or just a special getaway.

Visit fifeanddruminn.com for more details about how a bed and breakfast makes for a memorable travel experience.

For instance, while solar panels have long been a way of minimizing one's carbon footprint - be it a homeowner or a company - cost, construction, implementation, and a myriad of other reasons, have made it problematic to utilize these alternative energy sources.

Now however, the evolving technology allows for the use of solar energy on the interior or exterior of buildings and are, once again, gaining in popularity.

As an example, solar panels can be integrated into newly constructed commercial and residential buildings.

To this end, integration can maximize the technology of thin-film solar panels by curbing costs of heating and air conditioning. Solar power can be integrated into either flat or slanted rooftops, as well as interior walls and ceilings.

Similarly, older buildings can become greener with retrofitting and the use of thin-film solar panels. Factories, large residential buildings, and other structures can enjoy the financial and environmental benefits of solar energy while preserving the existing building structure.

Innovations in solar panel technology have resulted in panels that are thin yet durable, and can blend with existing tiles for a more subtle and attractive appearance that is equally functional in terms of energy.

The Hanergy Thin Film Power Group, a pioneering multinational clean energy company, is one example of a company on the cutting edge that has developed a new generation of solar cells for thin-film solar panels.

The new technology is environment-friendly, pollution-free, and cost-effective, averaging a high-power output and offering good performance even in low light.

Some recent innovations include copper indium gallium selenide, GaAs (single junction), GaAs (double junction) and efficient silicon heterostructure technology.

Hanergy has developed curved tiles that can be used for roofs of commercial buildings and residential houses that are unable to hold the weight of conventional solar panels. Hanergy's flexible solar thin-film can also be used on light posts, boats, or other uneven surfaces where solar energy is desired.

Other products include building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) or HanWall which could light up the buildings with its unique glass wall design and is availabile in different colors and various sizes allowing the building designers to utilize their creative ability to build new eco landmarks.

In addition, Hanergy has developed solar charging products to harness solar power for phones or other devices while outdoors, including a solar umbrella.

For more information, visit Hanergy.com and hanergyamerica.com.

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In fact, if you asked the average consumer to recall a banner ad from the last website they visited, don't expect much. Why? Banner ads are notoriously tuned out by consumers because they don't engage their attention and emotions.

In addition, it's much easier now for consumers to avoid these ads with blockers and DVRs.

What does capture consumers' attention? A good story.

And savvy marketers are exploring new ways to use storytelling to attract and hold consumers' interest and influence their behavior.

This is more than a hunch. Science supports the power of emotions and stories to engage an audience.

With this in mind, Pressboard, an online content marketing platform, believes that stories are the most powerful way for brands to communicate with consumers.

When an individual hears, reads, or views a story, for example, it prompts an emotional connection. The brain releases oxytocin, the "feel-good" hormone associated with, among other things, sex and childbirth, that promotes a feeling of bonding and connection. Psychological research suggests that stories can influence an individual's actions and inspire them to make choices and change a behavior in response to a story.

Underscoring this concept, Pressboard launched an experimental website, titled iwantmorecats.com, that offered users the chance to see pictures and videos of cats instead of banner ads. Not surprisingly, it proved popular, according to Pressboard CEO and co-founder Jerrid Grimm.

"Our not-so-secret goal is to help all companies market themselves through stories and in doing so, slowly rid the world of banner ads," says Grimm in an interview with Adweek.

"People just don't like ads, not advertisers, not publishers and definitely not consumers," he notes.

Meaningful content beats banner ads for communicating with consumers, according to Pressboard.

To this end, companies such as Pressboard provide a platform to link brands with media publishers and track what stories resonate.

Some tips for smart storytelling include:

* Engaging emotions with a personal story, such as a triumph over adversity;

* Developing a relationship with your audience by highlighting real people in your content, whether that's employees or customers;

* Using visuals that support the story and catch the reader's eye;

* Allowing yourself to be vulnerable and open with your audience, making your brand more relatable;

* Influencing public opinion of your brand by sharing the story on social media where discussion can happen.

In the end, changing behavior is the Holy Grail for marketers; but equally important is the ability to forge emotional connections with readers.

In this way, marketing companies can create a connection with their audience and turn them from interested parties to lifelong customers, in a way that no banner ad can match.

For more information about harnessing the power of stories to make a brand memorable, visit pressboardmedia.com.

 

Faithbox is a subscription box that meets this need by providing ongoing spiritual support and inspiration, as well as a way to do good works.

Here are a few of its benefits:

Good works: Its charitable focus allows you to do good and affect positive change. Faithbox is a company making a difference to people who want to make a difference. Products in each box are sourced from companies and organizations that don't exploit people or nature. Rather, they support and empower eco-friendly, humane and sustainable organizations.

Consistency: Fresh, thought-provoking tools promote daily practice, which in turn promotes growth, change and improvement in any area of your life. That includes both your spiritual and emotional health.

Convenience: At-home delivery makes it easy to have regular, ongoing access to new and uplifting devotional materials and unique products that embody good works. This convenience is especially helpful for anyone who wants to find new, faith-based products, or who lives in a remote area where they might not be readily available.

For many people, a regular dose of inspiration, along with the anticipation of something positive and new every month, is a strong way to supplement their spiritual journeys. Faithbox's devotional materials and products are built around a monthly theme, such as Leadership, Journey, Grief, Connection, Transformation and others. Each product in Faithbox is mindfully and conscientiously curated based on the month's theme. Faithbox has several subscription options, including monthly, three-month and one year.

Visit Faithbox.com for inspiration and more information.

 

The InnoSTARS Competition provides an opportunity for innovative United States companies to connect with potential investors and partners from China.

The semi-finalists will have the opportunity to make regional contacts in Chinese technology hubs and obtain valuable global perspective and feedback on their products.

DigiTrax Entertainment CEO Joseph Vangieri and CTO Marcus Matusiak made the winning presentation at the InnoSTARS competition, which earned DigiTrax the unique business opportunity to travel to China later in 2018.

The DigiTrax team will present the company to potential investors in the areas of artificial intelligence and music creation and production.

The InnoSTARS participants will visit 19 Chinese cities with established business climates conducive to innovation and technology.

"That the Association of Chinese Professionals of Atlanta and the US China Innovation Alliance have honored DigiTrax with this win represents an important step forward for us," Mr. Vangieri says.

The opportunity to visit China allows the company to expand its pool of potential investors and explain how "its unique approach to artificial intelligence in the music field is both effective and potentially highly lucrative," Mr. Vangieri says.

Accredited investors seeking more information about the company can visit Digitrax's SeedInvest portal at https://goo.gl/o7u61w.

What sets DigiTrax apart is its unique use of artificial intelligence to simultaneously address the major challenges facing the music production industry: time, money, and personnel.

Music Builder, the DigiTrax flagship musical technology platform, allows users to create, produce, and distribute music efficiently and cost-effectively, without the need for an extensive team of production specialists.

In addition, DigiTrax uses AI technology to help musicians easily compare songs and parts of songs to determine whether their original work has been plagiarized.

The Knoxville, Tennessee-based company owns seven patents in music artificial intelligence and machine learning, and boasts an extensive catalog of musical content.

For more information, visit themusicbuilder.com.