The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Colleges, business center join forces
UTICA, N.Y. >> Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC), SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly), and the New York State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) have announced that the Mohawk Valley SBDC is locating its operations at MVCC’s thINCubator at 326 Broad St. in Utica.
At its new location, the Mohawk Valley SBDC will be even closer to community members being served by the organization, and it will be able to build upon its strong foundation that results from the multi-year support it received from SUNY Poly.
The joint announcement was made by MVCC President Dr. Randall J. Van-Wagoner, SUNY Poly Interim President Dr. Grace Wang, and Small Business Association Syracuse District Director Bernard Paprocki.
“This move is another step toward fulfillment of the entrepreneurship pledge made by MVCC in August 2018 to increase the College’s focus on entrepreneurship,” VanWagoner said. “We are thrilled to have the Mohawk Valley SBDC join with us in our entrepreneurship ini- tiatives to foster economic growth in our community.”
The Mohawk Valley SBDC was established in 1986 to provide small business owners and entrepreneurs in Oneida, Madison, Herkimer, and Lewis counties with the highest quality confidential business counseling, training, and business research at no cost. As one of 22 regional centers around the state, the Mohawk Valley SBDC has worked directly with 13,549 businesses, helping them to invest $255.28 million in the area’s economy, and it has created or saved 7,620 jobs to-date. The Mohawk Valley SBDC has three business advisors and a government contracting coordinator.
“SUNY Polytechnic Institute is proud of our history of supporting the Mohawk Valley Small Business Development Center. We are excited to work collaboratively with the New York State SBDC and MVCC to enable the Mohawk Valley SBDC to more efficiently achieve its important mission and provide community members with even greater access to its business services,” said Wang. “We are thrilled to continue our strong part- nership with MVCC as we find the best ways to serve the needs of the Mohawk Valley, and we look forward to the Mohawk Valley SBDC’s continued success.”
“I have seen first-hand MVCC’s and SUNY Poly’s dedication to entrepreneurship, and when I was approached earlier this year with this plan, it soon became evident that this would be a win-win for the community and SBDC,” said SBDC State Director Brian Goldstein.
“Bringing MVCC’s thINCubator and the SBDC under one roof will centralize entrepreneurship services and provide a “one-stop shop” of entrepreneurial assistance for our region’s entrepreneurs, students, and business owners looking to create opportunities for economic growth and creativity,” said Frank DuRoss, vice president of Community Development and executive director of MVCC Foundation.
An open house was held Friday, Feb. 15. Members of the community who may be interested in the Mohawk Valley SBDC’s services are encouraged to visit the organization’s new location, or contact sbdc@mvcc.edu for more information.