New York SBDC Research Network

From SUNY Communications The New York Small Business Development Center (SBDC) announced its client honorees of the New York State and National Small Business Week Awards, sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). “We are proud that our clients were recognized by SBA for their extraordinary contributions to small businesses in New York State,” said NY SBDC State Director James King. “Their hard-work and dedication have helped them attain success and accomplish their dreams, while at the same time making a very positive impact on the economy. The NY SBDC is well represented by clients in the SBA’s award categories. This is a reflection of the outstanding clients and staff we have throughout the state, and their steadfast commitment to achieving professional excellence in small business.” For more than 50 years, SBA has recognized the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses for their contributions in their local communities, and to the nati...

We're getting close. Today the movers are back and they're taking away a lot of our packed boxes and desks. Some of us are relocated to an interim location while offices are moved. There are miles of huge bins with all the office materials and Frankie and company are working overtime getting everything ready. The view from my desk is of Tammy's office which is all boxes. Keep this in mind if you need something - that we are limited in what we can do for a couple of days. We should be back up in our new office by the end of the week. Our new details are: Mailing Address: New York Small Business Development Center State University of New York 10 North Pearl Street Albany, NY 12246 Physical / UPS / FEDEX deliveries: New York Small Business Development Center State University of New York 10 North Pearl Street Albany, NY 12207

Albany – State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher and New York Small Business Development Center (SBDC) State Director James King today announced the winners of the Entrepreneurs of the Year Awards, presented annually by the SBDC in recognition of existing businesses and startups achieving assisted success. Through its network of 24 regional centers administered by SUNY across the state since 1984, SBDC has worked with more than 380,000 businesses, helping them to invest more than $5 billion in New York's economy and create or retain nearly 170,000 jobs. “The SBDC is a unique and highly valuable resource for new business owners and entrepreneurs, helping thousands each year to bring their ideas to market,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “SUNY and the SBDC are proud to honor this most recent group of innovators who have each advanced their respective fields while creating jobs and driving regional economies across New York.” “We are pleased to reco...

Using Trade Associations and Expert Consultants in Disaster Planning and Recovery by  Mike Keating  | January 15th, 2014 Manufacturers can rely on trade groups and expert consultants in their disaster planning, says Michael Keating in his latest Expert’s Corner. This is Keating’s seventh article in the series on disaster planning and recovery . His series advises manufacturers what to do in disaster preparation and recovery. Source: http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/2014/01/15/using-trade-associations-and-expert-consultants-in-disaster-planning-and-recovery/ Continue reading below the jump. 

I strolled through the paths of the web wilderness to cull some of my favorite lists of prepare, respond and recover apps for crisis and disaster management….but..you say…but what about...? But What About …No Cell Service? “Anyone that’s been through a   natural disaster   realizes cell service is often times one of the 1st things to go! Sometimes having good cell service is tough enough, so why would you bother downloading apps to your phone if a disaster is going to wipe them out? Well, a lot of these apps once downloaded do not need to be connected to the internet or have cell service to run them. Many are informational apps and will still be able to show you how to do CPR, act as a flashlight, or pull-up important documents as long as they have battery power.” source:  ( http://prepared-housewives.com/emergency-apps-that-might-just-save-your-life/ ) Of course, you can’t count on cellular, Wi-Fi service or power to charge your batteries during a disa...

From the report : The strength of the New York Small Business Development Center and one of the things that sets it apart from other small business service providers is its customized approach to technical assistance. Each entrepreneur or business owner undergoes an individualized assessment with his or her Business Advisor to determine the current situation, issues that need to be addressed, and the desired outcome. They gather information that the entrepreneur uses to make decisions and take steps toward a productive and profitable future.They work together to develop a strategic plan of action. Any resident of New York who wants to start a business – or stabilize and expand an existing one – can make an appointment with an experienced Business Advisor at any SBDC Regional Center. He or she can find an SBDC office by calling a toll-free number or visiting the SBDC website. Potential clients can request counseling via the website, and the service centers throughout the state o...

"Every cell tower in the Long Island community stopped working and representatives from wireless companies were nowhere to be found…Schnirman (Long Beach city manager) said he spent a week after the storm trying to persuade a wireless carrier, which he declined to name, to deploy a portable cell tower -- known as a "cell on wheels" -- to restore service in Long Beach.  “We reached out to the carrier’s customer support to ask about getting a cell on wheels and the voice on phone said ‘You might want to look that up on Internet. I don’t know what that is,’” he recalled. “ Of course, we had no Internet. " (smith 2013) What is your Businesses’ Communications Backup Plan? When disaster strikes, when the coming spring brings floods, tornadoes or the unexpected ice storm, are you prepared? And the power and communication outages that come with it, are your businesses prepared to keep open the lines of communication. Do you have an emergency communications plan? Cons...

 Don’t lose your business to a power outage, hacker disruption, fire, flood, earthquake or other disaster.  A 2012 survey by Alibaba polled small-business owners to gauge how prepared they were to run their business if a natural disaster struck. The findings were alarming: 74% of American small businesses do not have a disaster preparedness plan; 84% of them are without natural disaster insurance. Preparation, an Active emergency and later, Recovery. Sadly for many businesses, Preparation is the missing component that could have lead to a successful navigation of an active emergency and a graceful navigation of Recovery. More than half of all businesses affected by a disaster level event will not reopen their doors.  In this series we will dive into the three pillars and offer you guidance and routes of assistance to help you plan, prepare and act when the time comes for you to shepherd your business and your employees through an unforeseen (but not an un-planned f...

The September 18, 2013 webinar Business Valuation: Definitions, Multiples, and Resources by Alexis Mokler of the NYS Small Business Development Center is now available on YouTube. Click on video or use this link . (23:29)

WASHINGTON–Long-term assistance for small businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy is being made available through expanded funding to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s resource partners working in conjunction with state and local organizations. “SBA is working to harness the ingenuity of our local communities to make sure that we’re not only rebuilding, but building smarter,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “This funding will provide extensive collaborative services to help small businesses recover and rebuild from Hurricane Sandy, so they can do what they do best, grow the local economy and create jobs.” SBA’s resource partners will issue a total of $13.1 million to collaborative teams, which will integrate local economic recovery efforts and bring distinct delivery of business services. This second phase of funding, part of $19 million in emergency appropriations approved by Congress, will be distributed by SBA’s resource partners -- the Small Business Development ...

The client had extensive experience in the specialty tool and die industry, producing roll dies for radiator and automotive cooling components. After working for over a month without pay, the client was displaced when his former company became insolvent. Given his design and sales background he wanted to pursue this niche manufacturing market. The client needed help determining the feasibility of the proposed project and finding financing. Client was additionally challenged by a credit rating that had been impaired while working without pay – because he and remaining colleagues eventually left, they were initially denied unemployment benefits which further exacerbated the client’s personal credit issues. SBDC assisted client with a feasibility analysis, credit repair, and the development of a business plan. Many financing options were explored due to credit issues. The SBDC facilitated the client’s application process to local public loan funds. Other assistance included job cost...

The idea for Slick Text was born in 2012 when founder Matt Baglia worked for a company that was considering adding text messaging to its marketing mix. After reviewing several providers Matt recognized some common flaws among all of them. Each platform was fairly difficult to understand and use. None of them placed emphasis on educating their customers on how to be successful with their product, and all lacked personal customer service. Matt and his partner Ryan Kinal realized that if they could create a service without those flaws, there would be an excellent opportunity for a piece of the industry’s pie. “When Slick Text first launched, the platform had very few features. It was intended to be a minimum viable product so we could get it in front of customers and start covering our costs. Even though it was relatively basic, we stuck tight to the core ideology of simplicity and it really resonated with the early adopters,” commented Matt Baglia. “Over the past year, new customers...

Black Willow joined the Niagara Wine Trail in January of 2011. This fulfilled a longtime dream for the owners. They converted a 35-year-old pole barn into their tasting room and production area. They hired a local winemaker as a consultant to ensure the quality of their wines. Black Willow is open seven days a week and currently offers nine wines. They have several new varieties in development. In addition, they have 500 peach trees and 30 cherry trees. Black Willow has product in the SBDC Wine outlet in China. Cindy joined Jinshui Zhang of the NYS SBDC, and Empire State Development on a trade trip to China in the fall of 2012. She has shared what she has learned with others on the wine trail. The Niagara SBDC (Maureen Henderson) helped the clients put together their loan package/business plan to obtain their start-up funding. Additional assistance included aiding the development of their marketing strategy including a comprehensive branding approach and helping them connect with ...

Red Castle Bakeries was founded in 1996 by Marco and Lucille Minuto. The Minutos started this business after Marco was laid off from a 15 year sales and marketing career with a beef patty company located in NYC. The two decided to start their own manufacturing and distributing company delivering beef patties throughout the Long Island and NYC region. They moved their growing business to their own building in Bayshore in 2007 and grew to employing 25 local residence. Shortly after the expansion, Mrs. Minuto was left a widow. She was faced with selling the business or to continue as the new President and running the operations with her sons. She felt compelled to stay as so many employees and her own children were so vested in the business. She and her son Marco continued to operate and work hard to preserve what had been created. Mrs. Minuto came to the Small Business Development Center in Farmingdale on November 14, just 15 days after Super Storm Sandy devastated so many...

When he was in the Air Force, while traveling extensively throughout Asia, Europe, Middle East, and the United States, Peter DelCotto developed a wealth of knowledge about food and exotic cultures. He came to believe that food tells a certain story about the people and their environment. He decided to become a chef to share his experiences in other cuisines by highlighting the most popular dishes of each respective culture. In 2011, Peter expressed his passion for cooking in an essay submitted to a ChefUniforms.com contest and won a trip to the National Restaurant Association conference. After earning a degree in Hospitality Management from the Russell J. Salvatore School of Hospitality and Business at Trocaire College in Buffalo, Peter consulted the SBDC for assistance in refining his business plan and financing. With the help of Business Advisor John McKeone, he got funding and founded The Woodshed , a family owned and operated restaurant that serves up traditional Southern style ...

In 2011, Jason DiBenedetto and Leo Rentzis, friends with a shared vision, started Noble Wood Shavings (NWS). NWS is Central New York’s only manufacturing facility dedicated to producing the absolute best quality bedding for horses. They use an exclusive recipe of soft wood species to ensure a top quality product that is consistent, super absorbent, and rot free. The product is super-heated during the drying process to kill bacteria, fungus, and molds. Business Advisor David Lerman worked extensively with the partners to draft a solid business plan and projections. The business plan included several letters of interest from prospective customers, which proved to be key to the successful funding of the project. Locating the business in Sherrill Manufacturing Park with low cost power and overhead helped keep NWS’ operating costs competitive, as did an abundance of local low cost raw material. NWS opened for business with financing from Alliance Bank (an SBA guaranteed loan), Mohawk V...

"A lot (of our business) we found out is word of mouth and repeat customers," Lynn Burkdorf said, but she's hoping participating in Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Week May 19-25 will draw new customers to her establishment, which opened late last year. Throughout the state and the nation, chambers of commerce and business organizations celebrate, honor and promote small businesses through small business weeks or days. During last year's Small Business Saturday - which began in 2010 and takes place the Saturday after Thanksgiving - U.S. consumers spent $5.5 billion at small businesses, American Express spokesman Scott Krugman said. He said no statistics were kept in the two prior years. Of the tens of millions of Americans familiar with the event, 67 percent planned to “shop small” last year, according to the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey. About 44 percent of those surveyed said they shopped small in 2011... At the ...

Graduate of Monroe Community College, Rochester Institute of Technology and St. John Fisher College, Kaye holds an A.S. degree in Computer Science, a B.S. degree in Computational Mathematics and an M.B.A. In 2011 Kaye retired from a 25-year career at Xerox Corporation where she spent several years as a senior executive in their North American Service organization. In late 2011, she and her husband Ross formed Stone Goose Enterprises, Inc. and in February 2012, Stone Goose Enterprise, Inc. purchased Smith’s Gravel Pit in Sodus, New York . Kaye is currently the President / CEO of Stone Goose Enterprises, Inc. and President / Owner of Smith’s Gravel Pit. In her roles she runs the day-to-day operations of Smith’s Gravel Pit, an aggregate mining facility; which also provides trucking and excavation services and works strategic development / business expansion for Stone Goose Enterprises, Inc. Kaye was one of the Rochester Business Journal 40 under Forty recipients in 2004 and in 20...

Founded in 1986 by Roger and Shelley Gray, Center Line Studios (CLS) builds scenery for Broadway shows, opera, and television. After 9/11, the industry went into a recession. They downsized and moved to a smaller location. They were limited by physical space constraints and were unable to accept projects that would enable the company to grow. In March 2011, they purchased a large building. Vacant for many years, it needed substantial work. They spent the summer cleaning and doing construction. In August 2011, with Hurricane Irene, the creek flooded by taking the most direct path, through the building, delaying their move. In January 2012, their small shop caught on fire. They moved the office to their dining room table. The shop continued to function in the area where the fire damage wasn’t as bad. In February 2012, they met with Mid-Hudson SBDC adviser Myriam Bouchard with the goal of securing a loan to finish the renovations. A few months later, they moved the office out ...

From the Business Review : John Skrobela, a business adviser with the Small Business Development Center at the University at Albany, is the New York winner of the Association of Small Business Development Centers’ State Star Award.