SBDC Connecting Entrepreneurs with Anchor Institutions, Prime Contractors

Buffalo State’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is welcoming local entrepreneurs and business leaders to campus for the “Big Opportunities for Small Business: Doing Business with the Governments, the Primes, and the Anchor Institutions” conference, Friday, September 29. It will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Burchfield Penney Art Center and costs $25 for the general public.

The conference is designed to help participants find effective strategies for showcasing their small business and accessing contracts from the government, prime contractors, and anchor institutions, including Buffalo State.

“It’s incredibly important for the economy that large, local institutions thoughtfully and progressively engage with small businesses,” said SBDC Director Susan McCartney. “If you really desire to participate in the region’s economic development, you have to be willing to do smaller contracts.”

This conference will provide the perfect opportunity for local entrepreneurs to meet with representatives of colleges, hospitals, and the city of Buffalo, as well as with prime contractors.

Jim Mayrose, interim CIO and vice president for enrollment, marketing, and communications, will give welcoming remarks. Howard Zemsky, chief executive officer of Empire State Development, will provide the opening keynote address, and New York State Assemblyman Robin Schimminger will provide the lunch address. John Siskar, director of the college’s Center for Excellence in Urban and Rural Education (CEURE), will discuss Buffalo State’s role as an anchor institution, and Matt Sikora, project manager for Turner Construction, will provide insight on working with prime contractors.

The $25 registration fee includes coffee service, lunch, and materials. A check or money order may be made payable to the Research Foundation. The fee is waived for Buffalo State students, faculty, staff, alumni, and U.S. military veterans. Parking is free in the Burchfield Penney Lot R-2 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

For more information, contact McCartney at (716) 878-4030.