FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“municibid is changing how the government sells surplus goods.”

PHILADELPHIA, PA, July 27, 2010 — municibid.com, the online government auctions website designed specifically for the government is changing how government agencies sell surplus goods and is increasing the local tax base in many towns in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Massachusetts. municibid announced today that its newly launched web 2.0 platform is bringing great exposure to the seller’s (government’s) auction items at no charge.

Founder & CEO, Greg Berry said, “Taxpayer demand and tightened budgets require government agencies to look for new ways of increasing non-tax revenue, municibid is an easy way to earn more money for surplus at no cost to the agency.” municibid.com does not charge the seller a commission, listing fee or any other charges. “That is not the only reason why government agencies should be using municibid.” Berry said, adding “Auction items will reach a much broader, national and global audience of competing bidders.”

In one example, two Massachusetts towns including the City of Boston used municibid.com to sell vehicles instead of their usual method of selling surplus items. “Listing locally, the city of Salem would have made $100 or $200 for each of the eight vehicles listed,” said Tom Watkins, acting purchasing agent. “Instead, $5,967 was generated on municibid.com for the general fund.” “It’s a good way to get better pricing, because we’re reaching a much broader audience,’’ Watkins explained, adding that bids came from as far away as Pennsylvania.

The Pottstown, Pennsylvania based municibid.com is different from other government auction websites because it lists items all over the social web to target bidders of specific items. It integrates into the social media world via facebook, twitter, YouTube, Linkedin and more.

Government merchandise is now a click away from a huge online audience, resulting in more bids and more money. The selling process is fast and the service is easy to use.

In 2007, Berry, as a member of a town council, launched the site after seeing firsthand the burdensome process of selling borough merchandise for little money using the sealed bid process.

“Some government agencies are slow to adopt technology to solve problems, but this is a no brainer, they earn much more for their items, it’s easy to use and it’s free,” said Berry, “it just works,” he added.

About municibid.com
municibid.com is an online government auction platform designed for government agencies at all levels to more effectively sell surplus, forfeitures and other no longer needed items. municibid.com gives the general public a more convenient and much less intimidating platform to bid on government surplus. If you’re with a government agency and would like more information on using municibid.com, please contact Greg Berry at greg.berry@municibid.com or 800.531.6074 x703.

###
Media Contacts
Jennifer Sherlock/609-369-3482/jsherlock@jennacommunications.com

THE LOFTS at Valley Forge

LUXURY RIVERFRONT APARTMENTS IN VALLEY FORGE

1976 Minutemen Lane, West Norriton, PA 19403

Tel: 888.257.5218 Fax: 610.630.1295

Destination Philadelphia Fashion Week Happy Hour.
Enjoy a live fashion show from SA VA summer collection.

You must RSVP to attend | Limited Availability | Contact Jenna at jxrobinson@oneillproperties.com

by KYW’s Brad Segall

A Chester County man is turning dreams into reality for budding entrepreneurs from around the country and he’s doing it from the offices of his new company in West Philadelphia.

Steve Welch built his first company at 23, sold it for a nice sum at 29, and now through Dream-It Ventures, helps others find success in the business world. Welch says budding entrepreneurs get a mentor and donated legal and accounting help and office space — even up to $20,000 in seed money to find out if they have what it takes:

“We’re looking for a commitment for a three-month period to really put everything they have into the business, to try to make sure that in that short period of time, they can figure out whether it’s a viable business or not.”

He says there’s strong evidence that shows job creation comes from early stage companies, especially tech-related companies that increase the efficiency of the country. Dream-It takes six percent equity in the companies. Google just gave $4 million to Scavenger, started by a 17-year-old Princeton student who went through the program.

Click above to Listen to Steve’s interview with KYW Newsradio that was aired on July 6th, 2010.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fairmount Park Has A New Fitness Center

“Eat, Train & Run at The Cedars House.”

PHILADELPHIA, PA, June 21, 2010 — TheCedarsHouse.com is a new café and fitness spot located in Fairmount Park. Today, organizers announced its grand opening is this Friday June 25^th. Come celebrate The Cedars House opening with a 5k evening run! A portion of the proceeds will support Friends of the Wissahickon, the oldest and largest non-profit volunteer group in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park System.

The Cedars House will serve breakfast, lunch, and snacks from Wednesday through Saturday from 7:00 am to 5pm and Sundays from 8 am to 3pm. Owner, Ricki Gever Eisenstein said, “If you love to run competitively or recreationally or if you simply love a nice stroll in the park, The Cedars House is the spot for you to join us on June 25^th for the opening race!” She added that there would be a kids yoga class, free sports massage, and celebration and bonfire following the race!

People can register here to participate: http://tinyurl.com/35aofah. The race begins at 7pm, and people can register live at the event at 6pm.

The Cedars House formerly was a simple frame and stucco building that was built in the late nineteenth century as a residence for the famous Andorra Nursery.

About The Cedars House

The Cedars House is a center for competitive and recreational runners who are looking to meet with others who share their passion for the trails. A menu of services is available for beginning and expert runners alike including group classes, workshops, personal training, pacing, and private coaching. A small retail corner features runners’ and park users’ essentials. Fitness is the focus of activities at the Cedars House. Indoor and outdoor (as weather permits) group classes are offered throughout the week and personal training in yoga, pilates, and general conditioning are available. The upstairs hosts a massage therapist who takes care of our athletic patrons. Children’s activities include story time, craft time, and, of course, fitness classes!

###

Media Contacts Jennifer Sherlock, 609-369-3482, jsherlock@jennacommunications.com

The Memorial Day holiday just last week signals the beginning of the summer. And if you’re looking for a gym to get yourself in shape, you need to look no further than City Fitness, recently awarded by the Philadelphia Weekly Image Awards as the number one gym in Philadelphia.

The owner and president of City Fitness is Ken Davies. Although a self-expressed fitness fan, Davies had another career long before City Fitness launched into the stratosphere.

“I was in the commercial real estate business. After investing in a few properties, I decided that it would be better to live in the city so that I could keep a better finger on the pulse of investment opportunities,” says Davies. “After finding a place to live, I started to look around for a gym to join. I was surprised by how limited my options where for a city with so much to offer in other areas such as culture, restaurants and night life. After spending all day going from club to club and not finding one that I said to myself ‘Yes, I can see myself being a member here for a long time.’”

Although Davies may seem like an overnight success story, getting City Fitness off the ground was anything but an easy task.

“The process of getting City Fitness off the ground was a very long and tedious one,” recalls Davies. “I had no idea how hard it would be. The first step was finding a place in an area that really needed a fitness club. The location at 2nd and Spring Garden street offered a great opportunity to bring a state of the art facility, not only to the Northern Liberties area, but to many of the surrounding areas because of the convenient location to the EL, SEPTA, Columbus Blvd, 676 and 95.”

“The first time I started to question my ability to get this off the ground was with the banks and investors. This was the time of the real estate boom, so investors wanted their pound of flesh and then some to invest in something, as they called ’so risky.’ Knowing that is was going to take much more then a great business plan, I would need to invest more money then I wanted to to show that I had enough skin in the game. The only way to do that is to start selling memberships. I invested more money into the business and started off with 300 pre-sold memberships. After going through this process, which took about three months, I got the loan and construction began. After several delays we opened on August 27, 2007.”

Davies’ blood sweat and tears finally seemed to have paid off, and his gym is getting more recognition with each passing day.

“City Fitness offers a state-of-the-art fitness club at very reasonable pricing. We pride ourselves in being a very spacious, clean and friendly facility and also how friendly our staff and members are. People love that we have plenty of great equipment so there is no or very little wait to use something. Our four group classrooms allows us to offer a diverse and fun schedule of group classes (Spin, Yoga, Butts and Guts, Boot Camp and Zumba) to name a few. No matter if you are a fitness enthusiast or a beginner, you will truly have something for everyone!”

“We offer our standard membership, which provides use of the the fitness facility and is only $19.99/mth and no contract (other services, such as, unlimited classes, unlimited tanning and towel service can be added on for a nominal monthly charge). We also offer a Deluxe membership includes the standard membership and all the add on’s for $29.99/ per month and our NEW City FitPak, which includes the following: Standard Membership, Unlimited Classes, Unlimited Tanning, Towel Service, DotFIT (a on-line weight loss and nutrition tool), Three personal training sessions, 20% off any supplement purchases and monthly body fat tests for only $34.99/per month. We do ask for a one-year agreement on our deluxe and City FitPak’s. We want the member to really use what we are offering so we can help them reach their health and fitness goals.”

Despite the success of City Fitness however, Davies has never been one to rest on his laurels.

“We have been approached by a few developers and property owners to look into opening another City Fitness,” mentions Davies. “I look at all opportunities, but I am not sure where the next one will be yet. When I do, you guys will be the first to know!”

Contact Joe Vallee at jvallee@philly2philly.com

For more info, go to info@cityfitnessphilly.com

Photo: Aileen Bannon

The Gatehouse Cafe, located in East Falls recently celebrated its grand opening on Tuesday, June 1, 2010. Surely to become a neighborhood favorite, the Gatehouse Café located on 3300 Henry Avenue will be the new “hot spot” for fast casual dining.

Two local female entrepreneurs, Gina Bostic and Adrienne Williams are the owners of the Café. Both have devoted themselves to serve the needs of The Falls Center and local community by providing high quality, delectable food at affordable prices. The restaurant features free Wi-Fi for nearby students – adding a modern edge to old-fashioned charm.

Bostic says she’s ecstatic about the upcoming opening. “This café is a piece of history in our own backyard. With 18,000 cars driving by here everyday- we are sure this café will be a gem in the community,” she said.

Williams added, “This isn’t just any normal café. We kept the exposed roof beams and natural stonewalls, but transformed it with present day appeal.”

Currently in the last phases of extensive renovation, Gatehouse Café is located in an existing, historical building on the grounds of the Falls Center. Originally built in the 1900’s as a horse barn and later converted in the 1930’s as a tea house named, “The Inn,” this notable building was a place where students and faculty would gather and socialize on the college grounds of the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania.

Capturing an open, airy and stylishly rustic atmosphere, Gatehouse Café adds an elegant touch while still maintaining the historical feel of the past. With plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, Gatehouse Café is a cool, relaxed and historically significant place where the same idea applies from the past; to socialize with friends, unwind over lunch with co-workers, hold mini-conferences or just take a few minutes out of your busy day to decompress and enjoy a delicious meal.

The Gatehouse Café is open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday from
7:00 a.m. to 3 p.m.

No reservations are required, but if you have a special request, please call us and we’ll be happy to arrange for your group.

Free on-site parking

GateHouse Cafe

3300 Henry Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19129

Open Mon – Fri, 7:00 a.m.-3 p.m.

Ph: 267-297-8234
Fax: 267-297-8239
Email: info@gatehousecafe.net

We Are All Born Entrepreneurs (WAABE) explains why so many of us have a passion to be entrepreneurs. WAABE focuses on real life people who have tapped into their inner entrepreneur and succeeded in the face of adversity. The book is written by Steve Welch, a successful entrepreneur in the biotech field who sold his first company and started a ground breaking venture capital firm by the age of 29, WAABE demonstrates that there is no single path to achieve one’s dreams — and in fact every path is different.

Philly2Philly’s Jen Sherlock interviewed Welch on the Philly2Philly flip cam. Check out what he had to say about his new book:

Buy the book on Amazon HERE:

Keep checking the website www.weareallbornentrepreneurs.com for more information on an upcoming contest where you can win money for sharing your most entertaining startup story.

Turns out we have a celebrity in our midst at Philly2Philly.com And no, not you Steve Olenski!!

The crew at P2P is extremely proud to have our own Chenoa Greene (Miss New Jersey 2010) as a finalist for Miss USA 2010!

The pageant will be broadcast live from the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 16th at 7pm ET. on NBC.

Before she left for Vegas, Chenoa sat down with our own Jen Sherlock to discuss the pageant as well as her future endeavors.

You can follow Chenoa on Twitter @MissNJUSA2010

Also, VOTE for her to win Miss Photogenic at www.MissUSA.com

Learn more about Ms. Cheno Green

So now that I am fully recovered from the run, I can fully explain in detail what it was like this past Sunday.

First, let me just say it was hot as hell. (Excuse my language.) But this was my sixth year running, and I’ve only gotten better as far as my personal record every year, so what could possibly ruin my training this year? Well you guessed it- the heat! It was the hottest year that I’ve ever run it with temperatures reaching in the 80’s during the run. I knew it was going to be brutal around mile three when I looked at my friend Morgan. I never struggle at mile three, but the heat was exhausting with the sun beating down. But I wasn’t about to give up trying to beat my best personal record yet! My goal was 1:20.

Last year, I ran the race in 1:24, and I knew I could do it! The race organizers warned the runners of the heat and opened every fire hydrant along Broad Street as a pseudo-sprinkler. And you better believe I hit every one! I literally zig zagged across Broad Street in order to hit every little drop of water sprayed on me that I could get. I didn’t want to overheat. I was remembering a time in high school when I ran track and I over heated so badly that I felt nauseous and got the chills, and felt so cold during a hot day. I didn’t want that to happen, so I also drank water and Gatorade along the way as well. At times, I was psyching myself out, but I knew I had to do it. I wasn’t about to ever give up, even though the thought had crossed my mind.

On top of the race to the finish line, my iPod kept going out one speaker at a time. The fire hydrant sprinkler system was getting the best of it. And although I love to run to music, I didn’t care. At around mile seven I was still on par for a 1:20 finish, but around mile eight, I saw one man being carried away on a stretcher and that scared me to push myself to the max even though I was still going hard. But I have to say it was getting tougher and tougher, so at this point I just wanted the finish line and I knew I wasn’t making my personal best.

Once I reached closer to the Navy Yard where they took our photos, I knew I didn’t have too much to go. The end was in sight like a person in the desert hunting for water! I just kept thinking, “Where is the finish, it seems farther down than last year?!” But there it was, and at this point, I was probably going slower than usual. Most runners push themselves faster at the end, but I just wanted it over! Even though I finished at 1:25 and 5 minutes off what I had wanted, I was still extremely happy with my time despite the blazing conditions.

At the end, I was in such a zone, I immediately just wanted the shade and somewhere to sit and zone out and gain my momentum back. Once I did, I went on the search to find my sister, brother, brother-in-law and friends. We were all very proud and happy we defeated Broad Street once again!

Jen Sherlock is the President of Jenna Communications, LLC. You can contact Jen at jsherlock@jennacommunications.com