Across the United States, small businesses that make up the backbone of the economy. Running any organization is challenging, but many local governments are looking to help these kinds of companies thrive.

A recent article from Inside Indiana Business covered the most recent developments of a piece of legislation that is making its way through the state government. Authored by State Representative Mark Messmer, the bill focuses on young entrepreneurs.

House Bill (HB) 1332 takes several different initiatives and organizations including the Young Entrepreneurs Program, Small Business Development Center and Small Business Ombudsman and combines them into single entity known as the Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (OSBE).

The legislation was passed by the state Senate with a 49-0 vote. Now it sits on the desk of Governor Mike Pence, awaiting his signature to become law.

"The OSBE is another example of how Indiana is working to bring more efficiency to government and focus on the needs of our small businesses," Rep. Messmer told the news source. "Small businesses are the backbone of the Hoosier economy, and this is just one step in our continued efforts to make Indiana the best place in the country to start and grow a business."

He went on to say that the entrepreneurial spirit is one of the most valuable traits that can be encouraged as it teaches organizations to be self-sufficient and build their own success.

As companies start to take advantage of this law, the use of business management software and other systems will become more important.

The state of Indiana is putting its boots to the ground when it comes to drumming up desire to visit the state. Last month, this blog covered the plan by Governor Mike Pence to create billboards around New York and New Jersey during the Super Bowl to attract businesses and tourists from the state to journey down to Indiana and possibly settle there.

Today, the Indiana Office of Tourism Development (IOTD) announced a new brand that embodies the state's well-earned reputation for hospitality and authentic experiences with the new slogan "Honest to Goodness Indiana."

According to the Indianapolis Recorder, tourism is a major component to Indiana's economy. The excluding government, travel, tourism and hospitality industry is the sixth largest industry in the state. On top of that, it is directly responsible for nearly 140,000 jobs and $10 billion in revenue to Indiana businesses.

IOTD executive director Mark Newman spoke with the news source and said this will be a new era for Indiana's travel, tourism and hospitality industry.

"Today's launch is the culmination of nearly a year's worth of research and creative development and many of our industry partners contributed to the development of Indiana's new brand," Newman said. "Honest to Goodness Indiana is reflective of the entire state and for the first time in many years, our consumer brand incorporates all regions of Indiana."

This means businesses in the state could soon be experiencing an increase in customers. With the use of inventory management software, any organization can start taking steps toward improving overall operations.

It is something that we have all been through — trying to figure out what to do during a power outage. If we are at home, a few candles and a book can help pass the time. If you are a business, however, every minute without power can be a lost sale or missed conversation. This is why strong power is critical.

According to a recent press release from Indiana Michigan Power (I&M), an operating unit from American Electric Power, the company has initiated a plan called "Powering Up Northeast Indiana" which will invest $500 million into the state's electricity transmission infrastructure.

The plan includes multiple projects. The goal is to not only improve the process of the current customers, but also help boost the economy. This will be done through the use of reliable power at a comparatively low cost, starting in critical business location and areas of expansion. 

"This investment demonstrates the long-term commitment I&M and AEP have to northeast Indiana," Paul Chodak, I&M President and Chief Operating Officer, said in the release. "Upgrading our transmission system is essential to ensure that we will continue to provide reliable power to households, businesses and industries in our area – not just tomorrow but far into the future."

The project will see the rebuilding and improving of power lines, installation of new transmission lines, building and improving substations and updating equipment. This will take place in and around Fort Wayne.

With the power on and reliable, companies can take steps toward implementing more advanced services like business management software and streamline their operations.

A debate in Indiana has been taken to the next level as it was announced this week that the state Senate has approved a measure by a 35-11 vote that will cut taxes for local businesses.

According to an article from the Associated Press, the new package was approved on January 30 and has two main components. The first will cut property tax for roughly 70 percent of companies across the state. Specifically it affects organizations that have less than $25,000 worth of business equipment. The second part cuts income tax from 6.5 percent to 4.6 percent.

The bill was proposed by Republican Governor Mike Pence and has been debated since last month. Those who are in favor of the measure argued that it will help prevent Indiana businesses from looking for greener pastures, while helping attract businesses from other states that are looking to start anew.

On the other hand, State Democrats who opposed the plan believe that the cut could lead to a reduction in services and aid that hurts the business atmosphere. The estimate is that local government and school districts could be out hundreds of millions of dollars in the long run.

"I think we all see this as the most significant piece of revenue loss coming down the road that local governments have ever seen in the state of Indiana," state Association of Cities and Towns Director Matthew Greller told the news source.

The corporate landscape in Indiana is changing and organizations need to make sure they are optimizing all operations like business management software solutions.

The Indianapolis grocery store market is about to become a little more crowded.

Giant Eagle has announced plans to open the first of six locations, a 125,000-square-foot store, in Carmel, Indiana. This will be the chain's first Indiana location, 95 years after being founded.

Giant Eagle, the 21-largest North American supermarket, is based out of Pittsburgh. While it may be new to Indiana. it already has more than 200 locations across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Ohio.

"Giant Eagle Inc. continually evaluates opportunities to bring our world-class shopping experiences to new customers with a focus on providing fresh foods, value and convenience," according to a statement from the grocery chain.

David J. Livingston, a supermarket analyst, told the Journal that he was skeptical of Giant Eagle's plans to expand into the central Indiana market.

"Indianapolis is a highly competitive market," he said. "And it's not like Indianapolis is some huge growth market."

Giant Eagle's move into Indiana isn't its only current growth opportunity. The supermarket chain has announced plans to expand further into the specialty pharmacy market. Earlier this month, it acquired Rx21 Specialty Pharmacy, a Cleveland-based provider of prescription drugs used by those with organ transplants and hepatitis C.

Any time a company expands either its reach or service offerings, it risks exposing itself to the problems that always arise during the scaling process. If a company doesn't have a business management software system in place, like Microsoft Dynamics NAV, these problems are more likely to become pervasive with each new location that is opened.