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Jay-Z, John Varvatos, the SBA...

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Steven C. Preston, who has run the Small Business Administration since 2006, has been nominated for the post of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. In Preston, President Bush sees "a strong manager" who made the SBA "more accountable, effective, and responsive," a White House spokeswoman says....Peter Senge, author of the 1990 blockbuster The Fifth Discipline, is back as co-author of The Necessary Revolution, a look at how companies think about sustainability. He lauds Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), among others, for investing in alternative energy. "They see that, at some point, computing is going to compete with household lighting for energy, and that we can't run all of this on coal alone," he says....In a deal with concert promoter Live Nation, the rap mogul Jay-Z has obtained $25 million in funding for Roc Nation, a company that will back start-ups....Who knew there could be synergy between PR and payables? Shortly after he complained to the press that Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign owed his events company $607, Jim Phillips of Show Tyme Exhibits in Youngstown, Ohio, received a check dated one day after the first article appeared....Jeffry Timmons, a top scholar of entrepreneurship at Babson College, has died at age 66. His classic book, New Venture Creation, was epic in scale yet filled with practical advice on sales, raising money, and managing a business....Menswear designer John Varvatos has opened a boutique in the New York City building once occupied by the punk rock club CBGB. The venue closed in 2006 after a dispute with its landlord over back rent. "Other than launching my first collection, this is the most exciting thing that's happened to me," says Varvatos, who first set foot in the space for a 1979 Ramones concert.

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Jason Del Rey

Senior reporter Jason Del Rey covers technology, branding, and company culture for Inc. magazine and contributes to the From the Reporters daily blog. Before joining Inc., his work appeared in Newsday, The (Newark) Star-Ledger, and the Staten Island Advance, and on ESPN.com. He lives in New York City.

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