Think business planning isn't for nonprofits? Think again.

In May the nonprofit Work Resource Center will open a money-making wing, adding to its mission of providing work opportunities for people with disabilities and disadvantages. The center, called Building Value LLC, will open at 2901 Gilbert Ave. in Walnut Hills selling used building materials.

For its $500,000 investment, the Work Resource Center unit expects to start to see profits within 18 months and reach $1 million in annual sales within three years, said Lisa FitzGibbon, chief executive officer of the Work Resource Center.

"It's what we consider to be a dual bottom line," she said. "We expect it to be profitable, but we also expect it to provide training opportunities."

Government sources provide nearly three-quarters of the Work Resource Center's $7 million annual budget. Last year, it served about 16,000 people.

The center is one of two local nonprofits that are finalists for a $100,000 national business-plan award sponsored by the Yale School of Management and the Goldman Sachs Foundation. The other is Dress for Success, which operates the 4th Street Boutique downtown to support its mission of helping low-income women enter the work force.

He's back

Paul Darwish, who resigned last summer as president of high-end furniture store Closson's, has resurfaced at high-end jewelry store James Free Jewelers in Dayton, Ohio.

Darwish doesn't have a job title - "It's kind of a COO role," he said - but his task clearly is to expand James Free Jewelers in both Dayton and Cincinnati and to appeal to younger customers. It's similar to his position at Closson's.

"One of the reasons I joined them ... is the growth potential," he said. "There's still opportunity in Dayton and especially in Cincinnati."

James Free operates two stores - in Dayton and on Main Street in Montgomery.

Darwish tried to rescue Closson's downtown store before it closed early last year, and he expressed interest in joining the new Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. He's still concerned about the direction of Cincinnati's downtown.

"What they need are people who care about the city," he said. "It's not about just simple development."

All aboard

The Fine Arts Fund will recruit volunteers this summer for a new program to help local arts groups where the decisions are made - the board of trustees.

Business on Board is the latest program from the fund's Arts Services Office. Thirteen arts groups will undergo training this spring and will start training up to 20 potential board members in the fall.

The program will cost about $150 for arts groups. Board volunteers - or their employers - will pay $500 for up to 20 hours of training and will commit a similar donation to the arts groups where they are matched.

It's the third major program for the Arts Services Office, which was formed in 1997. The first program, called Business Volunteers for the Arts, provides people to work on specific projects, such as new accounting systems or software programs. And the National Arts Marketing Project provides help for small arts groups.

E-mail cpeale@enquirer.com