Watertown and Onondaga Small Business Development Centers Combine To Form a Larger Regional Team Serving Central New York

Larger Team of Small Business Advisors with over 250 years of combined business and industry experience will primarily serve Jefferson, Lewis, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego, and Seneca Counties.

Albany, NY – To increase shared resources and opportunities for small businesses in the Central New York region, the Onondaga Small Business Development team has joined forces with the Watertown Small Business Development Center as part of a pilot program. This partnership and the combined regional center team leverage the collective expertise of both advisory teams to enhance support for small business clients throughout the region.

While the locations and service footprint for each of the Watertown and Onondaga locations, as well as outreach centers and satellite locations, will remain the same, the combined team of advisors will be helmed under the leadership of Robert Griffin, the Director of the Onondaga SBDC.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to help lead this effort and drive new opportunities, programming, and possibilities for small business owners across the Central New York region. The combined team of advisors from Watertown to Onondaga bring an incredible wealth of experience to the table,” said Griffin.

Both the Watertown and Onondaga Small Business Development Centers started in 1986 and, with their combined experience, have served over 70,000 businesses across the region, helping them invest over $935,000,000 in the area’s economy and creating or saving over 34,000 jobs. The combined advisory team combines more than 250 years of collective business ownership and management experience into one cohesive unit, with backgrounds ranging from agriculture, manufacturing, human resources, marketing, international trade, energy, retail, and hospitality, among others.

Sonya Smith, State Director of the New York Small Business Development Center, said: “At the SBDC, we believe that shared resources and team-wide collaboration form an ecosystem of expertise to provide more small business services and offerings. We are excited about this effort that brings together the teams at the Watertown and Onondaga SBDCs and increases our presence in the region. We always strive to improve our clients’ experience and services and build bridges between communities. We see this as that opportunity.”

Dr. Daniel Dupee, President of Jefferson Community College, said: “The partnership between Onondaga Community College and Jefferson Community College exemplifies the power of collaboration. With increased resources and a wider range of expertise, we will improve services to our clients. Together, we will better support the entrepreneurial endeavors of our community members, fueling local economic growth.”

Dr. Warren Hilton, President of Onondaga Community College, said: “Onondaga SBDC Regional Director Bob Griffin and his team have done an outstanding job serving existing small businesses while simultaneously helping people fulfill their dreams of starting their own small business. We are excited about the opportunity to expand our service area and provide seamless assistance to even more entrepreneurs. Small business is the business of America, and the Onondaga SBDC is prepared to keep fueling the economic engine of Central and Northern New York.”

About the New York Small Business Development Center (NYSBDC)

The NYSBDC works closely with other state economic development agencies, host institution faculty and students, and private industry and business representatives to focus resources on helping small businesses and entrepreneurs. The NYSBDC emphasizes counseling and training services for women, veterans, people with special needs, and minority clients. Its work also includes connecting potential employers with job placement offices on SUNY campuses. This effort links SUNY students and alums to jobs in the community.

The NYSBDC’s full-time professional business advisors undergo rigorous professional certification to keep their business knowledge up-to-date and their counseling skills sharp. The services of the New York SBDC Research Network—one of the country’s most advanced business information resources—augment advisors’ skills. The Research Network, located in Albany, New York, provides NYSBDC business advisors with the latest economic, demographic, regulatory, and other data that impacts small business success.

Established in 1984, the NYSBDC has worked with more than 575,000 businesses, helping them to invest $8.4 billion in the state economy and create more than 262,000 jobs.

To learn more about the NYSBDC, visit nysbdc.org.