In the back row (from left to right): Steve Bulger, SBA region II administrator; Doug Arena, partner and project manager at Bell & Spina Architects; Nick Ryan, co-owner of Strong Hearts Café, LLC of Syracuse; Nick Mir, co-owner of Snow Ridge Resort, LLC in Turin; Thaddeus Lovett, president of Lovett Mechanical Contractors Inc. of Syracuse; Pat Pfohl, president of National Carpet Outlet Inc. of Syracuse; Chris Keevil, president of the Copy Centers of Syracuse; Paul Kocur, VP of government sales at Oneida Business Enterprises, Inc.; James Thew, principal with Canton–based Thew Associates PE; Matt Notaro, president of Sun Environmental Corp. of Clay; John Liddy, Emerging Leaders instructor; and Tom Brown, a partner in Blue Water Capital Management, LLC of Syracuse.
Two participants not pictured in the photo include Kathryn Glynn of Integrated Voice and Data, Inc. of Watertown and Scott Colbert, Paul Davis Restoration of Hastings, the SBA said.
The participants work in sectors that include manufacturing, food service, and technology.
About the program
Led by returning instructor John Liddy, the Emerging Leaders program began on April 11 with the first class and will continue through November. Over a period of seven months and 13 training classes, participants will work with mentors and develop connections with other business owners and community leaders.
Upon graduation, participants will leave the program with a “strategic growth plan for their business, developed using the knowledge, skills, and techniques honed in the class,” according to the SBA release.
The “intense” program, which provides more than 40 hours of advanced-management training, has been a collaboration of several organizations, the agency added.
They include the SBA Syracuse district office; the Blackstone LaunchPad; CenterState CEO; CNY TDO; City of Syracuse Office of Neighborhood and Business Development; Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship; the Manufacturers Association of Central New York; Onondaga County; Onondaga Small Business Development Center; SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; Syracuse SCORE chapter; the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc.; the Syracuse Technology Garden; and the WISE Women’s Business Center, the SBA said.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com