Monday, September 28, 2015

SBA Syracuse September Newsletter

September 28, 2015

It's Your Business
Syracuse District Office
September Newsletter

Brought to you by the U.S. Small Business Administration
AEDC Executive Director Jim Murphy, Origin Coffee Co. owner Jecinda Hughes, and SBA Syracuse DD Bernard J. Paprocki.

SBA Presents $525,000 in New Funds to Microlender AEDC

SBA Syracuse District Director Bernard J. Paprocki presented $525,000 in new funds for startup and existing entrepreneurs in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, Oswego, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties to Adirondack Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) on September 15th. The presentation was made at Origin Coffee Co. in Saranac Lake, NY. Origin’s owners Jecinda Hughes and Josh Wilson were able to start their business with the help of an SBA microloan through AEDC earlier this year.
SBA’s microloan program funds are used by intermediaries such as AEDC to make small loans from under $500 up to $50,000 for typical business purposes. The microloan program also provides business-based training and technical assistance to microborrowers to help them be successful at starting or growing their businesses.

Bill Ritter, Lynn Stearns, Janet Zane, and Bernard J. Paprocki

Syracuse SCORE Chapter 98 Celebrates Platinum Award at Annual Event

SBA Syracuse District Director Bernard J. Paprocki and SCORE District Director Bill Ritter presented the Platinum Award to chapter outgoing president Janet Zane and chapter incoming president Lynn Hughes at the Syracuse SCORE Chapter's annual luncheon meeting in Liverpool, NY on September 22. The Platinum Award is the highest National SCORE award given for management and performance; less than 10 percent of all SCORE Chapters nationwide are selected. This is the third time Syracuse SCORE has been honored with the award.
SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small businesses start, grow, and succeed nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and has been mentoring small business owners for more than forty years.
The Syracuse chapter of SCORE presently consists of over 45 active members. Members are available to counsel and mentor small business clients. Syracuse SCORE offers specialized services, such as workshops, seminar presentations, computer and website assistance.
Arianna Blossom, Director of the Entrepreneurship at the REV (center), Cathy Pokines DDD (on her left) and Dan Rickman EDS (on her right)

SBA Awards $50,000 Growth Accelerator Prize for Women Entrepreneurs Program in Ithaca

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today announced the 80 winners of the second annual Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. The recipients represent 39 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The Passenger to Pilot: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs program created by REV Ithaca StartupWorks was the only Upstate New York winner selected by SBA.
Women entrepreneurs joined Arianna Blossom, Director of the Entrepreneurship at the REV (center of photo), Cathy Pokines, SBA Syracuse Deputy District Director (on her left), and Dan Rickman, SBA Syracuse Economic Development Specialist (on her right), for the Growth Accelerator Fund check presentation on September 8th in Ithaca, NY.
David Lerman, Janine Szczepanski, Walter Szczepanski, Roxanne Mutchler

SUCCESS STORY: SBA Helps Rome Tech Company Get On Uncle Sam’s Radar

Radar is involved in many different parts of our daily lives, such as the Doppler radar used to forecast weather or automatic position sensing in automobiles. An acronym for RAdio Detection And Ranging, radar describes the energy that detects a target’s range and motion. One small business in Rome, New York, Helios Remote Sensing Systems, Inc., is taking radar technology to new heights and keeping our nation’s military and intelligence forces the best equipped in the world.
In 2007, Walter Szczepanski was ready to start his technology company after a career with GE Aerospace in Utica, NY and Lockheed Martin in Syracuse, NY working on airborne sensors. Helios initially employed just Szczepanski and his business-savvy daughter, Janine, but then quickly grew to include more employees in the following years. Walter and Janine turned to business advisor David Lerman at the Mohawk Valley Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for help with a business plan to launch Helios Remote Sensing Systems. Janine worked with Roxanne Mutchler, the statewide SBDC government contracting expert, to access BIDLinx, a free SBDC program which sends customized listings of contracting opportunities right to her email address.
In addition to the company’s success with BIDLinx, Helios grew strategically with winning proposals in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. With 18 awards totaling $5.5 million over the past eight years, both programs have helped Helios fund the research and development of innovative technology for use by many federal agencies. In April, 2015, the NYS SBDC honored Helios as the 2015 Small Technology Business of Year for New York State.
“Helios provides innovative solutions with applied research and development for real-world problems and our primary customer is the U.S. government, such as the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and various national intelligence agencies,” explains company founder Walter Szczepanski. “We do a lot of advanced radar design and development. Our other lines of business include...Read more here 
Connect with us for news and resources

CONTRACTING NEWS

SBA Announces Sole-Source Authority for Women-Owned Small Businesses

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)  issued a final rule authorizing federal agencies to award sole-source contracts to women-owned small businesses eligible for the Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract Program. Effective October 14, 2015, the rule levels the playing field for women-owned small businesses across the federal contracting marketplace.
“Women-owned businesses are growing three times faster than their counterparts, yet the federal government has not achieved its goal of awarding 5 percent of federal contracts to women.  By granting contracting officers this new authority to award sole-source contracts to women-owned businesses, SBA is taking a major step forward in leveling the playing field and supporting our country’s dynamic female entrepreneurs,” said SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet.

EXPORTING NEWS

SBA Announces Funding to Boost Export Opportunities for New York State Small Businesses
SBA announced an award of  $663,893 to New York State Department of Economic Development from the agency’s State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) program  to support activities to increase exporting by small businesses.
The State of New York will use STEP award funds to support eligible small business concerns’ (ESBC) participation in export activities and services to include export tradeshows, trade missions, export training, website translations, and subscriptions to U.S. Department of Commerce Services. New York State will collaborate with multiple Federal and state agency partners to help ESBCs become new exporters and expand their export markets.

SBDC Turns 35

SBA Congratulates the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) program on its 35th anniversary! The SBDC program is the largest SBA-supported counseling and training network. In fiscal year 2014, the SBDC program counseled and trained nearly 500,000 small business clients nationwide.

Find out more by visiting an SBDC near you in Upstate NY:                  
                                           

- Albany SBDC
- Binghamton SBDC
- Canton SBDC
- Corning SBDC
- Mohawk Valley SBDC
- North Country SBDC
- Onondaga SBDC
- Oswego SBDC
- Watertown SBDC                               

SBA: Migration to EMV Chip Card Technology | Drones: A Few Things to Think About Before Deploying Them

SBA logo
EMV Oct 1

Migration to EMV Chip Card Technology and Your Small Business

U.S. credit card companies are making the transition from magnetic stripe technology to cards with chips. Chip cards are payment cards that have an embedded chip, offering increased security when your customers use the chip to pay in store. 

The SBA is committed to making sure small business owners understand what this transition means for you, your business, and your customers through webinars, online resources, and in-person events.  


Kauffman Square

How to Market Your Startup

September 29, 2015 at 12:00 P.M. CDT

Join Kauffman Founders School and the U.S. Small Business Administration on Twitter as we discuss creative ways Millennial entrepreneurs can market their startups.
   
Questions will be tweeted out from @SBAgov and retweeted by @KauffmanFS. Participate in the chat by following @KauffmanFS@SBAgov and the hashtag #MillennialTreps on Twitter.

National Preparedness Month 2015 Programming

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity can be an overwhelming subject. But it doesn’t have to be. By focusing on foundational elements, you can put together a rock solid recovery plan.
  
If You Do Nothing Else This Year…

Wednesday, September 30, 2015 | 2:00 - 2:30 PM ET
With so much on the line, business owners can’t afford to overlook the risk disasters pose to their organizations and daily operations. Starting a disaster recovery plan can seem overwhelming at first. During this session, we will address some simple ways to build your resilience as an organization today with minimal commitment of time and resources. 


EMV 101: What Small Businesses Need to Know About The Switch to Chip Card Technology

Wednesday, October 14, 2015 | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET

Join SBA and Square for a free webinar presentation: “EMV 101: What Small Businesses Need to Know About the Switch to Chip Card Technology”.

Participants will learn:
  • What the transition to EMV chip card technology means for small businesses
  • What EMV chip card technology is and why it’s more secure
  • What the new fraud liability rules that take effect October 1st mean for merchants

Conference Call | What You Need to Know About Exporting to Cuba

The Bureau of Industry (BIS) under the U.S. Department of Commerce has scheduled monthly call-in programs to field questions from the exporting community concerning the Cuba rule published on January 16, 2015. The calls are scheduled at 2:00 pm ET on the following days: 
  • October 13
  • November 10 
  • December 8
Toll Free Number: 1-888-889-0538
Participant passcode: CUBA


The Affordable Care Act 101 Webinar Series 

Find out how to navigate the opportunities in health care through the Affordable Care Act 101 webinar series. Registration is free, but required.   

The webinar takes place every other Thursday at 2 PM ET
The Affordable Care Act 101 in Spanish takes place once monthly on Tuesdays at 4 pm ET/1 pm PT. 
For more information on what the health care law means for small businesses, check out www.sba.gov/healthcare

ChallengeHER

Matchmaking Opportunities for Women in Federal Contracting

The ChallengeHER campaign leverages the resources of the SBA, WIPP and American Express OPEN to connect women-owned businesses with decision makers and procurement officials at federal agencies and prime contractors to receive guidance on how best to sell their goods and services to them. This program is focused on the Woman Owned Small Business set aside program providing you with insight and tools on how to market to the government. Registration is required to attend.

ChallengeHER Santa Ana
Thursday, October 8, 2015 | 9:00am - 12:30pm

Blog | 10 Quick Tips on Business Plan Summaries

In this instant-update world we live in, life in 140-character bursts, it’s just a fact of modern life: you have to communicate faster. The whole world has attention deficit syndrome. So that’s as true for business planning as for most other things in business.  Here are 10 lessons I’ve learned about business plan summaries.

Blog | SBA Seeks Nominations for the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) seeks nominations from four veteran service or military organizations to serve on the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development Task Force.

Blog | Drones: A Few Things to Think About Before Deploying Them 

There’s no doubt about it: drones are trendy today.  Consumer enthusiasm is growing, as drone communities such as DIYDrones pop up online. To support the public’s drone interest, there’s a whole ecosystem of drone manufacturers, pilot training programs, conventions and other startup businesses popping up.

Monday, September 14, 2015

AM&T September 2015 Newsletter

contact usvisit our websitecheck out our e-news archiveAlliance for Manufacturing & Technology

September 2015 Newsletter


Facts About Manufacturing
In the most recent data, manufacturers contributed $2.09 trillion to the economy. This figure has steadily risen since 2009 when manufacturers contributed $1.73 trillion. The sector accounts for 12.0 percent of GDP. For every $1.00 spent in manufacturing, another $1.37 is added to the economy, the highest multiplier effect of any economic sector. Read five more facts about manufacturing that may surprise you.

Five Leadership Behaviors to Move Up on Your List
Many leaders drive others harder than they need to. What results is a constant push for their team to achieve goals. Meetings consist of checking the lists of things to be fixed and get done now. Read about some leaders who recognized that building the skills required to improve relationships could improve their leadership effectiveness.

Helping Small Manufacturers
Understand the Lean Message
Small manufacturers (and just about everybody else) have been sold on the idea that lean tools are primarily for cost cutting. The result is that many managers employ lean tools expecting big savings that may not be forthcoming, given that many of them are already practiced at keeping costs as close to the bone as possible. Learn why the value of lean tools for small manufacturers lies not so much in their cost cutting potential as in their potential for creating agility.

Thoughts About Vision
Move forward, grow, expand, evolve, re-invent, innovate: these kinds of actions are essential to preventing stagnation, and they all require that someone lead the way with a Vision.  Read what Winston Churchill, Michelangelo, and eight other visionaries had to say about Vision.

The F-16 Flyby
Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near the base wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall. Read the stinging response that was written by a lieutenant colonel from the base.

ISO Certification, Strategy and Growth
Some manufacturing managers think, "If I get certified to this standard, great things will suddenly happen for my business." However, certifications alone are not magic bullets. Read more to understand how tying quality standards certification to your strategy can help you make your company better at what it does, forge it into a more attractive business partner, and help it reach its overall strategic goals.

AM&T Associates' Corner
Learn more about regional companies that
might become your supplier or customer.
Applied Technology Manufacturing Corporation
ATM was founded in 1927 as Moore & Steele Corporation, which designed and manufactured railroad track appliances such as rail anchors, rail oilers and rail lubricators. In 1995 the Owego company changed its name to reflect a broadening of the business into component manufacturing for other companies. Learn more about ATM.
Audiosears
Audiosears is a premier manufacturer and supplier of handsets, headsets, and components for the telecommunications industry, including handsets, cradles, handheld microphones, acoustic elements and a variety of components including cordsets, switches and custom circuitry. Learn more about the 62-employee company located in the village of Stamford.


EventsRegional Events

Sep 15 - Get Retirement Ready - Elmira
Sep 16 - After Hours Mixer - Watkins Glen
Sep 16 - After Hours Mixer - Watkins Glen
Sep 16 - Southern Tier Startup Alliance - Watkins Glen
Sep 17 - Greater Binghamton Business Expo - Binghamton
Sep 17 - Networking at Noon - Ithaca
Sep 22 - Retirement Income Planning - Elmira
Sep 24 - Business After Hours - Elmira
Sep 24 - Business After Hours - Corning
Sep 30 - Chamber Business Academy - Watkins Glen
Oct 07 - Chamber Business Academy - Watkins Glen
Oct 07 - Commercial Energy Efficiency Collaborative - Ithaca
Oct 07 - Attracting & Retaining Skilled Employees - Corning
Oct 08 - Annual Chamber Business Show - Owego
Oct 08 - Business After Hours - Corning
Oct 15 - Business After Hours - Elmira
Oct 20 - Annual Labor & Employment Law - Binghamton
Oct 20 - Tools for Communication (Day 1) - Ithaca
Oct 21 - After Hours Mixer - Watkins Glen
Oct 22 - Business After Hours - Elmira
Oct 25 - Economic Impact of Health Care Jobs - Binghamton
Oct 27 - Tools for Communication (Day 2) - Ithaca
Oct 28 - Chamber Business Academy - Watkins Glen


CONNECT WITH US:
follow us on Facebookfollow us on YouTubefolllow us on twitterAlliance for Manufacturing & Technology Social Media






MEP Logo



Contact Us:
607-774-0022

Visit our Website: