New York SBDC honors Syracuse business owner as NY minority entrepreneur of the year

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The New York State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) on Friday recognized Shawni Davis with its 2023 Minority Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Davis is the owner and operator of Luminary Electrical, a business that operates on the second floor of the Lincoln Building at 109 Otisco St. on Syracuse’s Near Westside.

Sonya Smith, state director of the New York SBDC, presented the award to Davis during a noon-hour ceremony at Luminary Electrical. Davis is a client of the SBDC at Onondaga Community College (OCC).

“With women still being recognized as vastly underrepresented in decision making, whether it’s in politics, business, or communities, this is really important for an award to show the strong leadership … her [staff] and team being here to support her, the community itself, but then also the SBDC and [OCC] and SBA,” Smith said in her remarks before presenting the award.

Luminary Electrical has 15 years of experience performing commercial and industrial electrical work, per an OCC announcement. Luminary Electrical is a minority & women-owned business enterprise certified master licensed contractor, and a member of the National Electric Contractors Association, the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

“I am the face of the company but quite honestly, without my staff … this would not be possible, so I really want to just take the time to appreciate you all for what you do,” Davis said in her remarks. “You make us shine.”

Daniel Rickman, director of the Syracuse-Upstate New York office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), was among the attendees at the event. Bob Griffin, regional director of the SBDC at Onondaga Community College, offered remarks at the start of the ceremony.

The Small Business Development Center at OCC offers no-cost, confidential business-advisement services to people and companies throughout its six-county region.

The New York SBDC is administered by SUNY and funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the State of New York, and host campuses, per the SBDC website.