20 local entrepreneurs graduate from SBA Syracuse Emerging Leaders Program
The U.S. Small Business Administration honored the owners of 20 participating companies in its Emerging Leaders program at a graduation ceremony in Syracuse Oct. 29, 2019. Among them are Abbey Woodcock, Oneida Freelance Co-Op, and Anne Wadsworth, Bagel Grove Inc., of Utica.
“Our graduates have just spent months analyzing their business financials, identifying sales trends, leveraging resources, learning new management skills, and planning how to sustainably expand their business. I am positive that each graduate stands better prepared to face new challenges and opportunities for their small business,” said Bernard J. Paprocki, SBA Syracuse District director, at the graduation ceremony.
Emerging Leaders Initiative provides free entrepreneurship education and training for executives of small, poised-for-growth companies that are potential job creators. This intensive executive entrepreneurship series includes nearly 100 hours of classroom time. It also provides opportunities for small business owners to work with experienced coaches and mentors, attend workshops, and develop connections with their peers, local leaders, and the financial community.
The SBA program is made possible through support from local cosponsors including Blackstone LaunchPad, CenterState CEO, CNY TDO, City of Syracuse Office of Neighborhood and Business Development, Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship, MACNY, Onondaga County, Onondaga Small Business Development Center, SUNY ESF, Syracuse SCORE Chapter, The Downtown Committee, The Tech Garden and the WISE Women’s Business Center.
Since its inception in 2008, the SBA’s Emerging Leaders Initiative has trained over 5,000 small business owners, creating over 6,500 jobs, generating over $300 million in new financing, and securing over $3.16 billion in government contracts. Now in its ninth year, Syracuse is one of dozens of participating Emerging Leaders locations nationwide. With the 2019 class, 165 Central New York entrepreneurs have completed the program since it launched in Syracuse.