Well, we’re just about through one of the most challenging and uncertain years for business in recent memory — and good riddance!  Here’s to a prosperous 2010.

Although we’ll all be glad to put 2009 behind us, the unfortunate reality is that changing our economic fortunes is not as simple as changing our calendars. Despite some signs that the economy is recovering, many individuals, businesses and industries continue to struggle through the ongoing effects of the recession.

Nevertheless, the new year does provide an opportunity to take a small step back and assess the lessons learned in 2009 and think about how to apply that hard earned knowledge upcoming challenges in 2010.

A common business practice when deciding on a course of action is to perform a S.W.O.T. analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that you expect to face in 2010? Do you plan to make any changes to your business in the coming year in response to the ongoing economic slump? Do you expect to see a strong pick-up in business next year, or more of the same?

Tell us what your crystal ball is telling you by posting a comment below

According to some experts, we’re on the verge of a ‘green revolution’ — a time when environmentally friendly products and practices will not only make good environmental sense, they will also make good business sense.

According to an ongoing series in the New York Times, new software, sensors, materials and information delivery systems are providing the opportunity to build more environmentally friendly (and safer) roads, bridges, buildings and other infrastructure projects.

In one example, the integration of these new technologies could allow governments and power companies to reduce peak loads on power grids by 15 percent, which would reduce the need for 30 large coal-fired power plants over a 20-year period. Similar advances are projected in food distribution systems, shipping, water management and more.

In another interesting example, a small metal foundry in Chester, N.Y. has found that it makes good business sense to ‘go green.’ The company casts architectural hardware using an ‘Eco Brass,’ which uses no lead, and they have developed other practices that allow their entire facility to produce less than half the emissions of a Toyota Camry. And yet, the company’s Eco Brass costs just 20 cents more per pound than standard leaded brass and 40 cents less per pound than brass made using bismuth, a lead alternative.

To be sure, this ‘revolution’ is still in its infancy, however, and there will be many dead-ends as we search for the path to a cleaner planet and a prosperous economy. What is certain, though, is that many of these new efforts will require skilled welders.

What are your thoughts? Do you think there will be a ‘green revolution’ in which our nation’s infrastructure will be overhauled to be more efficient and environmentally friendly? Will there be many new opportunities created for skilled welders? Share your thoughts by posting a comment below.

It’s no secret that jobs in the welding industry are becoming scarce. The latest estimates show the U.S. economy lost 651,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate rose to 8.1 percent. Behind those numbers are real people, many of them skilled welders, facing real struggles to feed their families and pay their bills.

Although it will certainly take longer than anyone would like, the billions of dollars approved for distribution in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will soon funnel down through the federal government into state and local projects that require skilled welders.

The bill calls for $150 billion in government spending on infrastructure projects, including $8.4 billion in spending for public transit projects, such as road and bridge building, rail transportation and more. All but two of the 50 states will be receiving over $10 million for these projects, with many scheduled to receive over $100 million.

What is your take on the recovery act? Will this plan help you personally? Do you think the infrastructure plan will result in more jobs and greater job security in your area? Please share your thoughts by posting a comment below. For more information on the ARRA, visit the Web site www.recovery.gov.

It’s hard to get away from the troubled economy these days.

From the president’s stimulus package to the automakers’ bailout to the effort to reduce home foreclosures, there’s no shortage of worrisome economic news and chattering policy wonks assigning blame and offering gloomy predictions.

But enough with the Washington think tank talking heads and partisan political pundits — they get more than enough time to make their opinions known.

Now it’s your turn. Pretend that you are the president. What would you do to fix the economy? What is the single most important area for the nation to focus on in order to reverse the recession?

The coming year will herald some dramatic political, economic and social changes between and within the world’s nations. How the United States positions itself and reacts to those changes will bear heavily on its role in the world when the recession recedes and prosperity resumes.

Tell us what you would do as the most powerful person on the planet by posting a comment below.