Rocket City Perk is a newsletter that connects small businesses, startups, and those who support local businesses in the Rocket City area. It provides information on local events, interviews local business leaders, and has a classified section. Upcoming events include Alabama Fashion Week, various entrepreneur meetups and workshops, and the Rocket City Launch competition. Vicki Morris of Rocket City HR discusses the common mistakes small businesses make regarding HR compliance and how her company helps clients address these issues. The newsletter aims to foster collaboration and growth among small businesses in the local community.

1. Rocket City Perk
A Newsletter Highlighting the Perks For and By Small Businesses
and Startups in The Rocket City and Surrounding Area.

2. Table of Contents
Positive Motion and Art Acknowledgement 1
Small Business News and Events 2
Business Lead Focus...... 7
Classifieds....................... 12
Contact and Be A Part:
Rocket City Perk is a newsletter to Connect Small Businesses,
Startups and those who want to support local Businesses in
the Rocket City and surrounding Areas.
https://www.facebook.com/rocketcityperk
Editor: MT Bryan contact via Mtbryandesigns@gmail.com
Collier Ward
Jennifer Liddell
Writers: MT Bryan
Contributing Artists: Anthony Cavins
http://anthonyarts.com
Advertisers: Mind Gear Labs
Advertisering and Sponsoring
Classifieds $.50/blurp
1/4 Page $30
1/2 Page $55
3/4 Page $80
Full Page and Sponsor $100

3. “Celebrate the mistakes and failures along
with the victories and milestones when you
can, because they mark the path you’ve tak-
en”
Positive MotionA positive thought, phrase or concept to help shape your approach
from day to day
Anthony Cavins is a local artist working across disicpines. While he is primarily an oil
paint on canvas and panel artist his “Space Age” focus in his own words “is a series
that uses a afrofuturism and retro-futurism to speak on earthling interactions.” Like
many children all over the world he was caught up in the lure of science fiction and
stories of anything that is out of this world.
Coming together in a blend of mixed media and an evolvlng style, he combines retrofu-
turism with a fresh take and differing techniques and mediums. Drawing from a fam-
ily rich in the arts, whether its his grandmother, a painter or one of his many cousins
or uncles who are photographers Anthony makes use of the fundamentals from various
masters including Bob Ross, just as a musician builds off the works of others to create
something unique to themselves.
In the end Anthony Cavins is an artist aiming for the balance between “honest and ob-
vious” and coming from someone who tries to learn from every experience we can only
hope he is able to find the balance and pie that he is looking for.

4. Small Business News and Events,
SBN&E
A calendar and update about Special Events that went on and on the Horizon
This Past Month:
2/2 - ACC: ICE for ESS Event (1:00pm-3:00pm) – Jackson Ctr. - www.fbo.
gov/index2?
2/3 ASMDA Ann. Mbshp. Lunch (11:00am-1:00pm) – VBC-E – LTG
Mann – agm@angiemccarter.com – POSTPONED FROM 22JAN15 The
Day the Music Died (1959)
2/3-6 – Army Avn. Sr. Leaders Conf. – Ft. Rucker
2/9-HACK U -The First of the HACKU series from BizTech was done by
Chris Gardner focused on the importance of Pre-Presentation and plan-
ning when working on your site or web project.
2/10-Rocket City Launch- This meeting for Rocket City Launch had food
from Dicks and was covered by Cathy Hendrickson and Tia . While they
are looking for volunteers for their highschool team competition that starts
in March and put the seeds of inspiration for the competition on April 17-
19th.
2/10 – NAITA/USASAC Industry Day
2/10 – NAITA/USASAC Industry Day – S&RC – www.naita.org
2/11 - CoStarters Orientation 6:30pm At Lowe Mill-Packed with members
from the previous class, mentors and staff. The facilities at Lowe Mill pro-
vide ample space for the new class of 16. All slots sold out with in a week
and the wait list for the next session is forming.

5. 2/12 – National Prayer Luncheon – details TBD
2/12-HACK U-Bootstrapping at Biztech (5:15pm-7:15pm) The second part
of the HACK U series had people with their laptops out and building sim-
ple and clean boostrap sites using simple and clear tools that are free for
everyone.
2/19- DAU-HSV Winter Acq. Update (8:00am-4:30pm) – DAU-S. Reg.
Campus – Curtis.norris@dau.mil
2/19 MSFC Sm. Bus. Alliance (MSBA) Mtg. – S&RC – details TBD –
Vadis.a.robinson@nasa.gov
2/19 – MSFC Sm. Bus. Alliance Mtg.
2/21- Open Sheds Introduction to Card Weaving (12:00pm – 4:30pm) Mad-
ison Public Library
2/21– PMI-NAC PM Excell. Awds. (5:30pm – 9:30pm) – Westin – shar-
ness2000@hotmail.com
2/23 - Wordpress and Desktop Publishing - Class/ Workshop Event - Biz-
Tech- Postponed and will be updated
2/24 – AMCOM Ind. Days Social (5:00-7:00pm) – The Summit – Sibyl
Johnson 8:42am-10:38am
2/24-Entrepeneur Flash Mob-Lincoln Mills Design Lab-6:00pm Organized
By Alan Derrick, an entrepreneur with decades of experience across var-
ious disciplines was well attended even with the weather. Drawing in 30

6. people, even the catherdric space of the Design Lab was warm with ideas
and networking.
2/24-26 – AMCOM Ind. Days – BJ Audit. – details TBD – Sibyl Johnson
8:42am-10:38am
2/26 515 At 5:15pm Biztech-Postponed
Coming this Month:
3/5-3/7 Alabama Fashion Week (3/5-6:30pm- 3/7-7:30pm) - Lincoln Mills
Design Lab for tickets http://afa.ticketleap.com/
3/7 – Kiwanis Pancake Bkfst. (6:00am-12:00) – HSV High – jhofenloch@
comcast.net
3/8 – Daylight Savings Time Begins
3/9- HACK U-Social Media For Busines 6:30-10:30pm-Biztech
3/10 -Rocket City Launc (5:00pm-8:00pm)-Biztech-
3/11 – AUSA DA Civ. of Yr. Awds. (7:00pm) – VBC – Jerry Hamilton 652-
7437
3/12-Biztech 515@5:15pm Entrepreneur Meetup- Biztech
3/11 – AUSA DA Civ. of Yr. Awards
3/15 – The Ides of March

7. 3/15-HACK U-Graphics 101 (5:00pm-10:30pm)-Biztech
3/17 – St. Patrick’s Day
3/18-19 – AUVSI P’finder Summit – VBC-N – details TBD
3/19 HACK U-Photography for the Web (5:00pm-10:30pm)-Biztech
3/20 – SPRING BEGINS!
3/20 - HOT Coffee (7:45am-9:00am)-UAH Wilson Hall 106
3/23 - HACK U-Intro to Game Design (5:00pm-10:30pm)-Biztech
2/26- 515@515 Entrepreneur Meetup (5:15pm)-Biztech
3/27-3/29 HACK U HEROES (12:00am-11:00pm)-Biztech
3/29 – Palm Sunday
3/29-31 – Quad-A Miss. Solns. Summit – Nashville – www.quad-a.org
3/30 – Team RSA Sm. Bus. Ind. Outreach – Details TBD – nancy.d.small.
civ@mail.mil
3/30 – Tm. RSA Sm. Bus. Industry Outreach
3/31-4/2 – AUSA Winter Prof. Dev. Forum
If there are any events I have left out just send me a mes-
sage and I’ll be glad to add you or put in the last month.

9. Business Lead Focus
An Interview on a Company or Event thats helping to Shape the Small Business
Environment
With Spring right around the corner, and even with Old Man Winter’s drunken
and messy exit, we are heading into a period of greater physical activity and the
thoughts of getting fit are on people’s minds. Just as you wouldn’t jump into a
new gym routine without help getting the right people and tools for your busi-
ness is important too. That brings us to Vicki Morris and her team at Rocket
City HR. Yet even I wasn’t immune to the craziness of the storms, so the inter-
view was done a bit asynchronously.
Question1 : What made you want to be part of Rocket City HR?
Response: I enjoy helping people and businesses get organized. Everything
operates better with a clear path and direction for success. Working in HR helps
provide structure and consistency in the way an organization conducts busi-
ness. Rocket City HR was a company already functioning in the outsourced HR
space and they were very successful. I wanted to align myself with a company
that shares my desire to help others become organized, compliant and success-
ful.”
Question 2: What did you do before joining Rocket City HR?
Response: Before I joined the Vicki worked in the healthcare industry for
locally owned home medical equipment corporations. I handled medical bill-
ing compliance issues for military, commercial, and federal insurances. I also
managed the sales territory for the Madison, Athens, and Decatur area for the
sale of Durable Medical Equipment for facility healthcare needs, and equipment
prescriptions from medical specialist.
Question 3: What was your proudest moment since joining Rocket CIty HR?
Response: My proudest moment with Rocket City HR has truly yet to come.
Each day I come to work is exciting and fulfilling. There are numerous mile-
stones that I reach with each meeting or presentation I attend. I work with a

10. phenomenal team and I learn so much from each person on the team. I have
the opportunity to fine tune my craft, and teach business owners new ways to
secure the business they have worked so hard to bring to reality. Helping my
fellow human being fills each and every day with pride and excitement. Al-
though if I have to choose one, it’s when a client’s eyes are opened to the need
they truly have for HR, and the realization that they should have called us
months ago!”
Question 4: What’s your biggest Challenge?
Response: Convincing clients they need HR support. Many small business own-
ers have very tight budgets and therefore decide to do as much of the day-to-
day work associated with operating a business themselves in order to save mon-
ey. That owner can research all the HR specifics for operating that business. But
are you really sure you covered all the bases? There are always things you don’t
know that you don’t know. This is our entire business model, to know all the
employment and labor related state and federal compliance requirements. We
also are very good at making sure all of your policies and procedures are clearly
defined and communicated to the workforce.”
Question 5: What the biggest problem you see for small businesses, startups
and businesses of all sizes?
Response: So, what about the biggest problem? “The biggest problem for busi-
nesses-on the HR side, we’ve identified 10 common mistakes, but if I had to
pick one, it would be: they tend to mis-classify team members. This can put
them afoul of the IRS or Department of Labor. Specifically, using independent
contractors instead of part time employees and categorizing too many employ-
ees as salary (exempt from overtime.)”
Question 6: I know you have your Lunch and Learn series, do you have any
more special planned or other events like it planned?
Response: We are considering adding more Lunch and Learn sessions. I think
doing one on Employee Handbooks would be great--and would lead to some

11. increased Handbook clients. Right now our focus is teaching business owners
about the needs of HR. And our best vehicle for that is the Lunch and Learn
Series. We will typically volunteer to assist NASHRM and Still Serving Veterans
with some resume preparation services and mock interview sessions to support
local veterans in the job market.
Question 7: What do you have planned for the short-term/long-term?
Response: Our short term goals are basically to grow the business steadily and
develop HR processes that are customizable and easily implemented for our
clients.
Our long term goal is to expand both geographically and in business scope, we
want to start targeting larger clients!
Question 8: If someone realizes that they might need your help, what do you
recommend they start?
Response: When a client first realizes they need HR assistance I like to ask if
they have a handbook. Once we have begun discussions about the handbook,
many other issues are uncovered. Another excellent place to start is an HR
Compliance Audit. In a few short hours we can review HR practices, policies,
and personnel files. We can point out compliance issues and make targeted rec-
ommendations specific to the client.
Question 9: If you could give a word of advice to some with a small business or
start-up who wants to get started, what would it be?
Response: Best advice--find experts that you can trust to guide you (as a con-
sultant) in specific areas that are outside of your area of expertise. Key words—
delegate and outsource.

12. Classifieds
At $.50 a blurb Small Businesses and Startups can advertise their
openings and needs to one another.