SBA Syracuse district office announces new branch manager

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) on Monday announced that Jeffrey Boyce is serving as its new branch manager for the SBA Syracuse district office.

Boyce joins SBA District Director Bernard J. Paprocki and Deputy District Director Dan Rickman on the district’s leadership team.

He was sworn into his new federal service position on March 16 at the SBA Syracuse district office, located on Harrison Street.

“We are happy to welcome Jeffrey Boyce to the SBA Syracuse district office team during this vital time,” Paprocki said. “Jeff will be one of our agency’s main points of contact for the small-business community. His strong leadership qualities and familiarity with upstate New York and its main streets will assist small businesses in their COVID-19 recovery.”

As branch manager, Boyce will help manage parts of the office’s 34-county, district coverage areas, including the Capital Region, Hudson Valley, North Country, and Southern Tier. He will collaborate with public and private-sector agencies, organizations, and individuals to promote SBA capital-access programs in addition to other SBA federal resources that assist small-business owners and entrepreneurs.

These responsibilities include the SBA’s contracting and small-business counseling services, in addition to providing financial aid through the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and. Economic Security (CARES) Act.”

Boyce is a New York native with “extensive experience” in economic development, the SBA said. Most recently, he served as director of economic development at the SUNY Research Foundation, leading programs including SUNY’s systemwide START-UP NY tax-free zone program.

The initiative launched “hundreds” of small-business partnerships with SUNY’s 64 campuses, “creating new jobs, investment and experiential learning opportunities for students.”

Previously, Boyce also worked for Empire State Development (ESD) in roles that included director of ESD’s division for small business, assistant deputy commissioner for manufacturing services, and deputy commissioner for small business services.