New York SBDC Research Network

If you are a business in the renewable energy industry or your business has been looking for renewable energy company, then I suggest you bookmark The Source for Renewable Energy , "a comprehensive buyers guide and business directory to more than 16,000 renewable energy businesses and organizations worldwide". There are many different types of renewable energy businesses that have no clear NAICS or SIC code yet. With no clear classification code, it is difficult to create business lists using our business directory databases. The Source for Renewable Energy allows searchers to "locate renewable energy businesses by geographic location, by product type, by business type and by name, or search for renewable energy businesses using keywords". For example, I could create a list of US Electric Vehicle Battery Manufacturers, a list of US Renewable Energy Trade Associations by Business Name, or a list of Ocean Energy System Component Businesses in the World. As yet, I have...

Last Thursday, Governor Paterson and the Governor's Small Business Task Force released the NYS Directory of Small Business Programs . According to the Albany Business Review, the handbook is a result of the work conducted by the Governor’s Small Business Task Force. The task force was made up of business leaders from across the state. The directory describes 143 state programs from 28 agencies aimed at helping New Yorkers start and grow their businesses. Categories include: Funding sources, technical assistance; and work force recruitment. “This directory will create a more open and helpful environment in which local businesses can grow and prosper, providing business owners and entrepreneurs with information on financing, tax breaks, and dozens of other topics,” Paterson said. Mike Elmendorf, New York director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses called the director “an important tool for small employers who currently struggle to navigate the maze of state resource...

We have a print directory in our collection that provides contact information for nonprofit organizations around the U.S. It would be an ideal resource if it were only available online somewhere. Its layout makes identifying nonprofits in a given area a very cumbersome task. There are websites that provide this information, though they have their limitations, too. I recently suggested to an advisor that his client check out what I consider to be the best of this bunch: http://www.idealist.org/if/as/Org/npo As you'll see, the search feature gives you the option of searching by state/province, city/town, postal code, and "area of focus". Use of any or all of these fields can be used to create a pretty targeted list of NFPs in a given geographic area. Once you get your results, the name of each NFP is hyperlinked to a page with more complete contact information. Precision searching is a priority here. For example, I did a search of all NFPs in New York, and found 5,56...

Here's a site that's been around since the mid-1990s, in one form or another. I can't believe that I'd never blogged about it before, but it's been in my bookmark collection since I was in my late 20s - a loooooong time ago, apparently. You can search for websites for trade associations through a portal provided by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE): http://www.asaecenter.org/Directories/AssociationSearch.cfm It's come a long way, as you can now search by numerous methods (like "Association name contains," which is particularly handy). If you need it, you can also search for trade groups based outside of the U.S. Note that there's also a State field. If you're looking for trade groups with a headquarters in New York State, then this is the field to use. However, I'm assuming that most of these associations will have national or international scope. The National Restaurant Association is based in Virginia, but would s...

I've posted about web-based directories for angel investors before, but here's yet another site that your clients can use. This one focuses squarely on angel groups by region within New York State, so it's right up our alley: "Angel investor groups across New York State" http://bianys.com/node/76 (Thanks [again] to the Business Incubator Association of NYS for pointing this out to me.)