SYRACUSE — The Syracuse district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) honored the latest graduates of its Emerging Leaders program in a graduation ceremony held Nov. 2. The SBA recognized the 17 local entrepreneurs at an event held at the Gateway Center on the campus of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry […]
SYRACUSE — The Syracuse district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) honored the latest graduates of its Emerging Leaders program in a graduation ceremony held Nov. 2.
The SBA recognized the 17 local entrepreneurs at an event held at the Gateway Center on the campus of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse.
The Gateway Center is located east of Syracuse University’s Sadler Hall and across Forestry Drive from the Carrier Dome.
The event’s speakers included Bernard J. Paprocki, director of the SBA Syracuse district office; John Liddy, entrepreneur in residence at the Tech Garden; Nicole Samolis, owner of SKY Armory and graduate of the 2011 Emerging Leaders program; and Chris Belna, owner of A La Cart Business Services and member of the 2016 Emerging Leaders program.
The seven-month, executive-entrepreneurship education series, which the SBA describes as “intense,” provides more than 40 hours of advanced-management training.
The Emerging Leaders program targets small companies that have the “potential for rapid expansion and job creation,” the SBA said.
Now in its sixth year, Syracuse is one of 51 participating Emerging Leaders locations nationwide.
Including the 2016 class, 95 Central New York entrepreneurs have now completed the program since it launched locally.
It’s a collaboration of the SBA Syracuse District Office with CenterState CEO; CNY Technology Development Organization Inc.; City of Syracuse Office of Neighborhood and Business Development; Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc.; Manufacturers Association of Central New York; Onondaga County Office of Economic Development; Onondaga Small Business Development Center; SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; Syracuse SCORE; Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University; Syracuse Technology Garden and the WISE Women’s Business Center, according to the SBA release.
The 17 members of Emerging Leaders Class of 2016 are:
- Chris Belna, president, A La Carte Business Services Inc., Salina
- Richard Bozogian, AJ Medical Products, East Syracuse
- Cathy Comer, Cathy’s Corner Café, Syracuse
- Jesse Daino, owner, Recess Coffee, Syracuse
- Mario DeMarco, Mario and Salvo’s Pizzeria, DeWitt
- Jason Horne, Outdoor Power Equipment, Parts, and Service, LLC, Clay
- Heather Hudson, operations manager, Hudson’s Dairy, Inc., Fulton
- Morgan Marzano, assistant operations manager, China Towne Furniture and Mattress, Solvay
- Jonathan Massett, Valley Auto, Onondaga
- Jennifer Meier, president, Landscaped Interiors, Cazenovia
- David Rice, owner, Critical Link, LLC, DeWitt
- Kathleen Rutishauser, co-owner, Daughter for Hire, LLC, Clinton
- Randy Sabourin, owner, Metro Fitness Club, Syracuse
- Andrew Schuster, principal, Ashley McGraw Architects, Syracuse
- Michael Speach, Jr., owner, Speach Family Candy Shoppe, Inc., Syracuse
- Gregory Steencken, owner, Immediate Care West, Camillus
- Peter Wiles, Mid-Lakes Navigation Co., LTD., Skaneateles
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com