ITHACA, N.Y. — The Finger Lakes Regional Prosperity Network (FLRPnet) and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County announced that Amina Omari has been appointed the founding director of the Food Processing Business Incubation Program (FoodBIP).
FoodBIP is a technical-support program for the Finger Lakes food and beverage manufacturing sector. Funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Tompkins County Development Corporation will provide initial support for the FoodBIP program to serve Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, and Tompkins counties, according to a news release from Tompkins County Area Development.
FoodBIP is a project of the FLRPnet, a nonprofit organization working to improve the region’s economy by connecting regional partners to advance entrepreneurship, workforce development, industry resources, and the Finger Lakes brand.
The program will provide technical assistance, develop the food sector’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, and implement a web-based information portal for growing food businesses. After the first-year pilot, the program is set to be expanded to serve a 12-county Finger Lakes region.
“Following several years of careful planning, we are excited to launch the Food Processing Business Incubation Program and to have Amina Omari bring her knowledge and skills to lead the program,” Janet Hawkes, co-chair of the Finger Lakes Regional Prosperity Network said in the release. “FoodBIP will stimulate the growth of the Finger Lakes region’s nascent local-foods industry. We are excited to work with farm-based processors and other food manufacturers. These food and beverage entrepreneurs are eager for additional support to help them connect to their markets and grow jobs in the region.”
Omari has more than18 years of experience in the Finger Lakes food and beverage sector. Most recently, she was COO of Gimme! Coffee, a growing business that includes a chain of cafés, a coffee roastery/wholesaler, and a bakery. Omari has extensive experience in marketing, sales, HR, finance, regulatory compliance, product development, and business development, the release stated. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and resides in Ithaca.
“The Finger Lakes region is becoming a regional food and beverage powerhouse. I am thrilled to use the skills and experience I’ve developed to help this vision become a reality on a larger scale,” Omari said
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Photo credit: Tompkins County Area Development