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Missouri Business Resource Library:
Other resources/tools

Business directories | Government | Magazines & web centers
Maps | Reference tools | Search engines
Supplier information/directories | Trade associations

Business directories

General
  • AllPages.com - Search the Yellow Pages, business directories. Find people, shopping guides and city guides for your area.
  • AnyWho - Use to find: phone numbers, addresses, maps and directions for businesses and people in the U.S.
  • Superpages - Search using almost any combination of business name, category, street address, city, state, zip or phone number. Also search for businesses within a certain distance from a location that you specify.
  • Switchboard - Internet yellow pages and white pages. Online maps, reverse phone number search and more.
  • WowWorks City and Reference Guide - Links to city/state guides, reference sites, news feeds and major webmail providers.
  • Yahoo! People Search - Part of the Yahoo! web site. Find a person; reverse phone lookup.
  • see also: Industry/company information
Focused:
  • Chamber of Commerce International Directory - Search for Chambers of Commerce or cities-states-provinces around the world.
  • Experts.com - Serves as a "who's who" of experts at the top of their respective fields. Find experts by category, name or company.
  • Hoover's Online - Provides information on companies and industries, money management, career development, business news and business travel.
  • ThomasNet - Buying guide to find manufacturers of industrial products and services. (ThomasRegister and Thomas Regional)

Government

Magazines and web centers

Agriculture magazines and web centers:
  • Agriculture Online - Magazine for farmers and ranchers. Top stories and latest headlines, market and weather updates, weekly newsletters, technology news and classified listings.
  • AgriSurf! -"The farmers search engine" providing a searchable agricultural index with links selected by ag experts
  • AgWeb.com - Provides news and market analysis. Organizes information, products and services into "communities" based on specific interests within the broad field of agriculture.
  • Farm Centre.com - Portal offering market reports, farm management articles/tips and other tools.
  • National Agriculture Library - Part of the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture web site. Serves as the primary source for agricultural information in the United States.
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) - Educational resources, funded projects, calls for proposals, and news relevant to sustainable agricultural production, practices and distribution.
  • World Wide Ag Network - Agriculture market information (crop watches, harvest reports, commodities), variety of news, weather updates plus audio market advice from industry experts

Business (general) magazines and web centers:

  • About.com: Small Business Information - Information on all kinds of small business topics from the widest variety of sources, on and off the Internet.
  • Business Insurance - Informative guide for small business. Topics include managing people, legal resources, managing time, accounting, types of small businesses, business guide for kids, marketing resources, finding grants and economic resources.
  • Buzgate.org - Helps individuals to start, grow and succeed in business by connecting them to free and low-cost small business assistance programs including planning, funding, marketing, technology, counseling, international and more.
  • Bizjournals.com - Provides local business news from over 60 city business journals.
  • Business.com - Resource for finding information on industries, companies, business, people and products.
  • Business.gov - Provides business with one-stop access to federal government information, services and transactions. Web site sponsored by SBA.
  • Business Know-How - Practical strategies for starting, marketing, and managing small and micro-sized businesses.
  • Business Week Online - Electronic version of Business Week magazine.
  • ChooseWhat - Reviews the latest business tools to help you get your business off the ground without breaking the bank or wasting time. Helps small business owners and entrepreneurs make informed decisions on the right tools and products for their business.
  • CNN / Money - Financial news and market information.
  • Entrepreneur.com - Provides business owners with practical information, expert answers from recognized business consultants and a wide range of services designed to solve the challenges of starting, running or growing a successful business.
  • Entrepreneurship.org (formerly eVenturing) - The entrepreneur's trusted guide to high growth. Features articles written by successful entrepreneurs, "how to's" offering practical advice from leading consultants in dealing with some of the toughest issues of managing a business, and tools and templates. From the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration.
  • Fast Company.com - Chronicles how changing companies create and compete, highlights new business practices and showcases the teams and individuals who are inventing the future and reinventing business.
  • HispanicBusiness.com - Information, research, top news stories and business services that address the worldwide Hispanic market.
  • Idea Cafe: A Small Business Gathering Place® - Provides advice, interviews with leading entrepreneurs, interactive self-exams, budget sheets, how-to articles, financing sources and in-depth information on using the web for business communications.
  • Inc.com: Where to start and grow your business - Advice on getting started and growing your business, discussion boards, business services and research information.
  • The Industry Standard - Provides archive of hard research numbers on the Internet economy, information about people and businesses driving the Internet.
  • Kansas City Small Business Monthly - Local business news, information and resources from Kansas City, Missouri.
  • MBNet.com - Resource for the minority/woman-owned business community. Offers minority business forums and discussion groups, links to minority publications and organizations and a free listing in an online minority business directory.
  • Minority Business Development Agency - Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce web site. Provides demographic information on minority-owned business enterprises, lists Federal business opportunities and provides links to online tools and resources.
  • MoreBusiness.com - Business "how to's;" templates for business plans, marketing plans, contracts and agreements; checklists; financial calculators; articles and newsletters.
  • MOSourceLink - Connects a network of nonprofit resource organizations that provide business-building services for established, emerging and start-up small businesses throughout the region.
  • SBA Office of Advocacy: Newsletter - Part of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) web site. Details economic developments and regulatory trends related to small business as well as the latest initiatives of the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy.
  • Small and Home-Based Business Library - Part of the BizOffice.com web site. Easy to use card catalog provides access to numerous business references for small and home based business owners.
  • Springfield Business Journal Online - Local business news, information and resources from Springfield, Missouri.
  • St. Louis Business Journal - Local business news, information and resources from St. Louis, Missouri.
  • Workforce Management - Comprehensive directory of human resource management topics, products, services and tools.
  • WSJ.com: Small Business Marketingl - Content comes from the editorial resources of The Wall Street Journal. Business news and information updated daily. Practical advice and guidance for implementing your business ideas.

Food magazines and web centers:

  • Cake Mag - Provides cake decorating hints and instructions, links to cake decorating sites and supply sources and answers to frequently asked questions.
  • Fresh Cup - Magazine for the specialty coffee and beverage industry. Content and resources for specialty beverage retailers.
  • New Hope Natural Media Online - Identifies consumer and trade publications that promote natural health, natural product conferences and trade shows and links to natural product web sites.
  • Progressive Grocer: The Comprehensive Source for Food Retailers - Provides daily news, reports & analysis, business resources, industry events, and profit guides.
  • Restaurants & Institutions - Industry news, recipes, foodservice events, food safety issues, marketplace links, menu planning and operational concerns.
  • Whole Foods Market - Retailer of natural and organic foods. Library of information about environmental, legislative, food safety and product quality issues. Provides recipe, health and product information.

Home-based business magazines and web centers:

Marketing magazines and web centers:

Manufacturing magazines and web centers:

Retailing magazines and web centers:

  • The Retail Owners Institute - Provides retail management tips, how-to articles, related links and industry-specific information. Site also has retail-specific financial software for sale.

Technology magazines and web centers:

  • AnandTech - Online publication about computers and technology. Reviews hardware and software; reports on current technologies, platforms and operating systems.
  • Magazine Rack for Computers and Internet - Direct link to hundreds of magazines and newspapers on computer and communications technology. Provides a wide range of resources on a variety of topics for students, teachers and parents.
  • NASA Tech Briefs - Official publication of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration. Reports to industry any new, commercially-significant technologies developed in the course of NASA research and development activities.
  • News from NIST - Part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology web site. Current news highlighting NIST activities, research and services. Includes links to "NIST Tech Beat" and "Technology at a Glance."
  • Science and Technology Review - Monthly publication provides information on the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's scientific and technological accomplishments.

Wholesale magazines and web centers:

  • LogisticsWorld - Provides a list of web sites related to the logistic and transportation industries.

Maps (and more)

  • Bali & Indonesia On The Net: How Far Is It? - Uses data from the U.S. Census and a supplementary list of cities around the world to find the latitude and longitude of two places, and then calculates the distance between them. Also provides information on currency exchange and weather around the world.
  • Cedar National Address Server - Given a valid U.S. postal address, this web site rewrites the address in the proper Post Office format along with the ZIP+4 code. It will also print the address and barcode on an envelope and provide a street map of address.
  • Google Earth - Application that puts the earth's imagery and geographic information on your desktop.
  • Google Maps - New mapping services that provides directions, zooming and dragging of maps and satellite views
  • MSN Maps and Directions - Provides users with interactive maps and driving directions, as well as extensive information on services and products near a user's address or travel route.
  • MapQuest: where to go how to get there! - Maps, driving directions and road trip planner.
  • The World Factbook - Part of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) web site. Guide to country profiles.
  • U.S. Gazetteer - Part of the U.S. Census Bureau web site. Enter the name of the place you want to look up and get latitude, longitude, elevation, population and zip code.
  • Yahoo Maps - Driving directions and maps.

Reference tools

Find books:

  • Amazon.com - Find and discover anything you want to buy online. Products include free electronic greeting cards, online auctions, books, CDs, videos, DVDs, toys, games and electronics.
  • Library of Congress - Official web site of The Library of Congress. Online catalog provides a database of records that represent and describe the nearly 121 million items held by the Library. Search by name, title, subject and call number.

Calculators/tools:

  • Bankrate Small Business Calculators - Bankrate.com's small business calculators, including loan, ratio, profit margin, etc.
  • CalculatorPlus.com - Comprehensive source of free online business and financial calculators, including break even, cash flow, mortgage, credit card, retirement and more.

Find information:

  • ChooseWhat - Reviews the latest business tools to help you get your business off the ground without breaking the bank or wasting time. Helps small business owners and entrepreneurs make informed decisions on the right tools and products for their business.
  • iTools! - Internet search tools for language, research and find-it.
  • Refdesk.com: Facts Subject Index - Sorts Internet sites by subject and assists in navigating them.
  • SBDCNet: Small Business Development Center National Information Clearinghouse - Resource for research, web-based information and training available to SBDC counselors and their small business clients.
  • The Entrepreneur's Reference Guide to Small Business Information - Part of the Library of Congress' web site. List of printed library resources to help beginners (and established business owners who keep meeting new problems) find sources that can guide them to the right questions and the best answers.
  • The WWW Virtual Library - Alphabetical index of web sites by topic.
  • whatis? - Encyclopedic tool including thousands of IT and computer topics and definitions.
  • Wikipedia - Free online encyclopedia written collaboratively by people worldwide.

Find magazines:

Find words:

Weather extremes and emergency planning:

  • Community Emergency Management - MU Extension collection of emergency management Web sites and publication.
  • Disaster Assistance - Part of the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Web site. Provides disaster preparedness information, tips, fact sheets, loan and application documents.
  • DisasterAssistance.gov - Government site providing access to disaster help and assistance
  • Drought - Section of MU Extension site with drought resources specific to Missouri-based businesses and individuals
  • Emergency Management Guide For Business & Industry - Part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Web site. A step-by-step approach to emergency planning, response and recovery for companies of all sizes.
  • Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) - From food safety to field safety, from the physical to the psychological, and from governmental process to community development, shared timely resources to reduce the impact of disasters.
  • FEMA: Are You Ready? - FEMA's in-depth guide to citizen preparedness covering a variety of natural disasters, technological hazards and terrorism
  • Floods - Section of MU Extension site with flood response guides for Missourians, farms and businesses
  • MU Alert - Mizzou's online emergency information center
  • Preparing Makes Sense. Get Ready Now. - Homeland Security's guide to preparing an emergency plan (including communications plan and supplies).
  • Severe Storms - Section of MU Extension site with resources for storm and tornado emergency management

Search engines

  • Alta Vista - Search services and information marketplace.
  • Dogpile - Collects results directly from other search engines.
  • Excite - Search services and information marketplace.
  • Google - Find information on the Internet.
  • Hot Bot - Offers users "snapshots" of the Web.
  • Ixquick - Searches 12 search engines simultaneously.
  • MetaCrawler - A metasearch engine; it operates entirely by querying other search engines.
  • Yahoo! - Offers a broad and deep array of communications, commerce and content services.

Supplier information and directories

  • Arts/Crafts Business - "About" guide to more than 700 craft-related web sites.
  • Buyer Zone - Offers comprehensive, supplier-neutral purchasing information. Connects buyers to suppliers of more than 150 product and service categories; offers Request for Quotes service; prepares you for your purchasing decision with buyer's guides and other articles to make informed purchasing decisions.
  • CNET Shopper - Where to buy online.
  • Food & Beverage Marketplace - Buying guide to locate food industry suppliers.
  • Hometown Business: Let's Make a Deal: Vendor Relations - Evaluating vendors (University of Missouri Extension guidesheet)
  • Hometown Business: Plan and Control Your Inventory - Details methods for determining how much money should be spent on various categories of merchandise. Examples provide a guide for developing a plan to assist in controlling inventory (University of Missouri Extension guidesheet)
  • InterShipper - Service that compares rates among multiple shipping carriers. Provides tracking, drop-off locating, pickup scheduling, ZIP code lookups and more. 30-day free trial.
  • MANAonline.org - Manufacturers' Agents National Association. Promotes profitable relationships and ethical standards among multi-line professional sales representatives, their principals and their joint customers.
  • Institute of Packaging Professionals - Global resource for information about packaging.
  • PriceWatch - Find street prices on new and used computer hardware.
  • ThomasNet Register of American Manufacturers - Buying guide to find manufacturers of industrial products and services.

Trade associations

Food:
  • Grocery Manufacturers of America - Association of food, beverage and consumer products companies. Speaks on legislative and regulatory issues and leads efforts to increase productivity, efficiency and growth in the food, beverage and consumer products industry.
  • National Restaurant Association - Promotes a pro-restaurant agenda on critical restaurant issues like the minimum wage, food safety and IRS tip audits.
Home-based business associations:
  • American Home Business Association - Provides access to benefits, resources, tools, products, information and knowledge to help you conduct a viable home or small business. Access to most content requires membership.
  • Center for Women's Business Research - Source of information on women business owners and their enterprises worldwide.
  • IHA: Independent Homeworkers Alliance - Membership organization dedicated to serving people who work in a home workplace environment. Resource for jobs, consumer product discounts, services, information and networking.
  • National Business Association - Assists the self-employed and small business community in achieving their professional goals. Provides members with support programs, cost and time saving products, and services in the areas of health, business education and lifestyle.
  • SOHO America: Small Office Home Office - Provides small-office/home-office professionals with reference tools, technical support, news, access to expert advice and a forum network with peers, exchange ideas, and give and receive moral support.
  • The U.S.A. Home Based Business: Information Superhighway - Helps home managed businesses obtain business, trade, management and direct and network marketing
Manufacturing associations:

    General manufacturing:
  • AME: The Association for Manufacturing Excellence - Provides resources and tools to improve manufacturing competitiveness among members.
  • AMTOnline: The Association For Manufacturing Technology - Provides information to members on technical developments, training methods, economic issues and trade and marketing opportunities. Promotes technological advancements and improvements in the design, manufacture and sale of members' products. Acts as industry spokesman on trade matters to governments and trade organizations throughout the world.
  • ISO: International Organization for Standardization - Official web site for ISO information.
  • National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) - Serves manufacturers and employees in every industrial sector and all 50 states.
  • NCMS: National Center for Manufacturing Sciences - Cross-industry collaborative research and development consortium devoted to manufacturing technologies, processes and practices.

    • Industry-specific manufacturing associations:
  • ACFA: American Composites Manufacturers Association - Provides education and support for composites fabricators in the following areas: regulatory compliance, formulation, training, management and market expansion.
  • AFS: American Foundry Society - Provides knowledge and services that strengthen the metalcasting industry.
  • AIMCAL: Association of Industrial Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators - Serves as a global forum for sharing resources, services and information to increase industry knowledge.
  • AMBA: American Mold Builders Association - Business card information found on PlasticsNet.com web site.
  • AMC: The American Metalcasting Consortium - Consists of four key metalcasting technical societies. Consortium demonstrates how castings can serve an organization by successfully producing designs, prototypes and production for companies.
  • American Chemistry Council - Represents the chemical industry on public policy issues, coordinates the industry's research and testing programs and administers the industry's environmental, health and safety performance improvement initiative known as "Responsible Care."
  • American Welding Society - Supports welding education and technology development.
  • Cast Metals Institute - Provides continuing education for foundry personnel.
  • CSIA: Casting Industry Suppliers Association - Represents companies which supply equipment, materials and services to the metalcasting industry. Provides information, education and business opportunities.
  • CSPA: Consumer Specialty Products Association - Represents the interests of the consumer specialty products industry. Includes companies engaged in the manufacture, formulation, distribution and sale of consumer specialty products for household, institutional and industrial use.
  • EWi: Edison Welding Intitutute - Provides materials joining assistance, contract research, consulting services and training to member companies on materials that involve welding, brazing, soldering and adhesive bonding of metals, ceramics, plastics and composites.
  • EIA: Electronic Industries Alliance - A federation of associations and sectors working with telecom, space, defense, governments, consumer, assemblies, components, semiconductors, electronic data interchange. Focus includes export controls, the environment, taxes, e-commerce, globalization, encryption, FCC reform and the workforce.
  • FIA: Forging Industry Association - Offers process-specific information. Provides statistical, training, educational and technical services. Serves as a common voice on legislative and regulatory issues.
  • Finishing.com - Provides information on anodizing, plating, powder coating and the related surface finishing arts.
  • FPA: Flexible Packaging Association - Find industry news and publications for manufacturers of bags, labels, lidding, seals, pouches, shrink/stretch films and wrappers.
  • ICI: Investment Casting Institute - Announces quality standards, collects and disseminates information and provides education opportunities.
  • ICPA: International Cast Polymer Association - Represents manufacturers, suppliers, fabricators and installers of cultured marble, cultured granite, cultured onyx and solid surface kitchen and bath products.
  • ILMA: Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association - Provides a forum for interaction among members and addresses issues in the economic, political and technical environments.
  • MORA: Missouri Recycling Association - Supports waste reduction and recycling efforts in Missouri by providing information, educational opportunities and technical support in partnerships with state, national and regional organizations.
  • NADCA: The North American Die Casting Association - Promotes research and development, education, government affairs, globalization and marketing for the die casting industry.
  • NAMF: National Association of Metal Finishers - Represents custom and job shop surface finishers and their suppliers.
  • National Association for Surface Finishing - Provides information on the science of surface finishing.
  • NGA: National Glass Association - Represents the flat (architectural and automotive) glass industry.
  • NMFRC: National Metal Finishing Resource Center - Provides environmental, technical and pollution prevention information for the metal finishing industry. Center jointly funded by the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers Society (AESF), the National Association of Metal Finishers (NAMF) and the Metal Finishing Suppliers Association (MFSA).
  • NPCA: National Paint and Coatings Association - Represents paint and coatings manufacturers, raw materials suppliers and distributors on legislative, regulatory and judicial issues at the federal, state and local levels.
  • NTMA: National Tooling and Machining Association - Represents the precision custom manufacturing industry that designs and manufactures special tools, dies, molds, jogs, fixtures, gages, special machines and precision machined parts.
  • Open Channel Foundation - Provides open source software from academic and research institutions.
  • PCI: Powder Coating Institute - Promotes powder coating technology and communicates the benefits of powder coating to manufacturers, consumers and government.
  • PFA: Polyurethane Foam Association - Provides information on environmental, health and safety issues related to polyurethane foam.
  • PMA: Polyurethane Manufacturers Association - Represents the cast polyurethane processing industry. Exchanges and disseminates information on standards, materials, processes and technical matters, in addition to monitoring regulatory and legislative activity.
  • PMA: Precision Metalforming Association - Represents companies that create precision metal products using stamping, fabricating and other value-added processes. Also represents suppliers of equipment, materials and services to the industry.
  • PMPA: Precision Machined Products Association - Provides newsletter, resource materials, career opportunities, industry buying guide, engineering and design guides and list of member companies with web sites.
  • RMA: Rubber Manufacturers Association - Represents the finished rubber products industry which includes both general products and tires. Coordinates industry positions relative to governmental rulemakings and specifications and provides member companies with industry news, research and business reports.
  • RPA: Retail Packaging Association - Represents manufacturers, distributors and manufacturer representatives of retail packaging products. Offers retail packaging training manual, trade show information, educational programs and a product selection directory for bags, boxes, tissue, gift wrap, ribbons, bows and labels.
  • SPI: The Society of the Plastics Industry - Serves processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw material suppliers. Provides technical expertise, statistical information and regulatory compliance assistance.
  • SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings - Serves members that use coatings to protect industrial steel structures by promoting standards, regulatory advocacy, education and information exchange.
  • SVC: Society of Vacuum Coaters - Disseminates knowledge, experience and techniques to the vacuum coating industry.
  • The Aluminum Association - Trade association for producers of primary aluminum, recyclers and semi-fabricated aluminum products.
  • TMA: Tooling and Manufacturing Association - Represents precision metalworking, plastic molding and supplier companies.
  • WireNet.org - Wire Association International (WAI). Provides access to technical, manufacturing and general business information and trends pertinent to the ferrous, nonferrous, electrical, fiber optic and fastener wire and cable industry.
Marketing associations:
  • AMA: American Marketing Association - Promotes education and assists in the personal and professional career development of marketing professionals. Seeks to advance the science and ethical practice of marketing disciplines.
  • DMA Interactive: Direct Marketing Association, Inc. - Provides customized information, legislative representative and specialized education for users and suppliers in the direct, database and interactive marketing field.
Retailing associations:
  • NRF: National Retail Federation - Provides programs and services in research, education, training, information technology and government affairs for the retail industry.
Technology associations:
  • FLC: Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer - Promotes and strengthens technology transfer nation-wide through more than 700 major federal laboratories and centers. Technology transfer officers help initiate person-to-person contacts and technology transfer arrangements between potential users and specific laboratories.
  • MOBIO: Missouri Biotechnology Association - Nonprofit trade association dedicated to the development and growth of the Missouri biotechnology and biomedical industry.
Other associations:
  • AH&LA: American Hotel & Lodging Association - Provides members with assistance in operations, education, and communications. Helpful publications include Lodging Industry Profile and other statistics. Individual state associations provide representation at the state level.
  • ANLA: American Nursery & Landscape Association - Provides education, research, industry statistics on consumer spending, fact sheets, plant patent information, public relations and representation services to members. Manuals on garden center management, an estimator's guide, and business forms are available for a fee.
  • PSI: Pet Sitters International - Promotes the welfare of animals and secure in-home pet care by professional pet sitters. Provides members with education, networking, mentoring, and discounts on insurance and bonding. Accredited Pet Sitter Certification program available.
  • PLANET: Professional Landcare Network - International association serving interior plantscapers, lawn care professionals, exterior maintenance professionals, and design/build/installation professionals. Clearinghouse for information on educational events, legislative issues, membership, certification, and industry publications for green industry professionals.
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Updated: 12/10/12