New York SBDC Research Network

Each year the  New York Small Business Development Center  recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the  Farmingdale SBDC  appears in our  2016 Annual Report .  Michael D'Antoni Versa-Tel T.S., Inc.   Farmingdale SBDC Retiring from the U.S. Air Force in 2004 with more than 20 years of honorable service, Technical Sergeant Michael D’Antoni has stated that with his military experience; “there is no telecommunication or fiber optics scenario he can’t handle.” Today, the owner of Versa-Tel T.S. Incorporated, a leader in telecommunications, boasts a successful history for performing installations across Long Island to include Long Island MacArthur Airport, US Armed Forces Command Center in Amityville, NYS INFORM traffic control signal / information systems, Theodore Roosevelt Executive Building in Nassau County, SUNY Stony Brook MART/Tower, SUNY Farmingdale as well as public schools, libraries, a...

The New York Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is pleased to announce Christina Loggia , Business Advisor with the Farmingdale State College SBDC, has been awarded the 2016 State Star for New York. The State Star designation recognizes outstanding achievement in high-quality business counseling and distinguished, long-term service in terms of economic development. Loggia was recently honored during the America’s SBDC Annual Conference in Orlando. Loggia joined the SBDC in 2013 as an advisor helping Hurricane Sandy victims with NY Rising grant applications, and in 2015 started counseling non-disaster clients. To date, she has assisted more than 300 small business owners and entrepreneurs and has succeeded in helping them obtain more than $6.8 million dollars in small business grants and or loans. Loggia brings more than 30 years of business experience in the areas of retail, purchasing, human resources, marketing and education to the small business community.

Kim DiLeo grew up in a construction family and learned about small business issues at an early age. After her first corporate job out of college, she soon realized she preferred small business. In 2011 Kim founded Kimco Group,  Inc. a mechanical construction company that specializes in plan and specification work both in the public and private sector. Over the past five years, Kim has expanded her one-employee business to an average of 5-10 employees, depending on contracts in process. Since 2011, Kim has applied for and received certification as a DBE, WBE and EDWOSB. She first consulted the SBDC in January 2013 to learn about Federal and NY State procurement opportunities. The company has grown substantially over the last few years from completed projects of less than $10,000 in 2012 to more than $3.5 million in completed projects by the end of 2015. In 2014, KIMCO became a union signatory in order to expand opportunities in the NY market. She also cond...

Each year the New York Small Business Development Center recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways.  This Success Story from the  Farmingdale SBDC  appears in our  2015 Annual Report .  Allison Ulin Harmony Early Learning Farmingdale SBDC Allison Ulin, the owner of Harmony Early Learning, started her career in the child care industry by entertaining at children’s parties, writing children’s music and teaching Music Together classes. She held on to the dream of owning her own child care center that would give parents a sense of peace that their children are being cared for in a safe and fun environment. In 2012, Allison visited the Farmingdale SBDC looking for guidance with starting her business and working through permitting issues. With the help of SBDC Advisor Erica Chase-Gregory, Allison finished her business plan and developed financial projections. She secured a private loan in the amount of $550,000.  Harmony, which o...

The winner of the 2013 Veterans Business Outreach Center Excellence in Service Award is John A. Narciso, small business adviser at the New York State Veterans Business Outreach Center through The Research Foundation of the State University of New York. Narciso, who works out of the Farmingdale SBDC office, has had a 30-year career as a talented and successful U.S. Naval officer and decorated combat veteran, followed by two decades advising veterans in entrepreneurship. This was announced last week the during National Small Business Week in the Entrepreneurial Development category.

from the Farmingdale SBDC While sailing aboard oil tankers in the United States Merchant Marines, Melissa Wawrzonek began planning for a career after she retired from the sea. She decided to translate her love of tea and passion for traveling into a business. To prepare herself, Melissa studied all she could about tea and visited tea producing countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, China and Japan. She completed a 3-year certification course through the Specialty Tea Institute (STI), which certified her as a Tea Specialist and Tea Educator & Speaker. In 2010, with certifications in hand and start-up funds in the bank, Melissa retired from the Merchant Marines. During the summer of 2010, she consulted the Farmingdale SBDC for assistance in finalizing a business plan and leased a 1200 square foot retail space in Northport Village. Melissa and her family completed a restoration of the 110 year commercial space, with original tin ceilings and tin walls, a hotel concierge de...