 Take two creatively talented people, add a historic abandoned site with equal portions of imagination and vision, et voila: the answer to ‘where will we hold it?’ ‘where will we find the right ambience?’ ‘who makes stuff like that?’
When Katie Peck visited the SBDC at Onondaga Community College, she had a cornucopia of thoughts running through her mind.
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 The US Small Business Administration has celebrated America’s small businesses through this celebration for more than 50 years.
In conjunction with that, the Small Business Development Center at Onondaga Community College is taking the time to recognize outstanding small businesses from each of the six counties served by the agency. Each business has at some time leveraged the no-cost assistance provided by the team of business advisors to start or grow their small businesses.  This is a story about opportunity, stepping up to challenges and persevering in the face of adversity. The year was 1972. Al Barbagallo and his brothers had been picking vegetables and tomatoes on his father’s farm for several summers, even into their adult years.
 Since 1980 The Skaneateles Festival-world class music by the lake, has brought classical music to the Finger Lakes region. Renowned talent has drawn audiences from the far reaches of the area. Venues have varied, with each providing just the right ambience. Whether in a barn, a library hall, an open field, or a vineyard, audiences have been treated to the uppermost levels of entertainment.
 Up until now, Stephanie McCall has created custom quilts as a one woman show. However, COVID shutdowns made her re-imagine her customers’ experience.
While the part of Stephanie’s business that required in-person consultations suffered very early on in the pandemic, she was able to adapt by changing her procedures. She re-organized her processes and notified her customers so that they would be aware that she was doing the very best she could to keep their product(s) safe.  What do you do when the Covid-19 pandemic literally shuts down your whole operation?
You get creative and pivot to an operation where you are staying relevant while fulfilling your mission. This is the situation faced by the Center for the Arts of Homer - and the approach they took to deal with that trying business period.  The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has awarded more than $7.5 billion dollars through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program to live venue operators, promoters, arts organizations, talent representatives, motion picture theater operators, museums, and theatrical producers.
Over 10,000 live entertainment venues, small businesses and not-for-profit agencies have received funding through this program out of nearly 15,500 SVOG applicants.  During the peak of the COVID pandemic last holiday season, Skaneateles Artisans owner Teresa Vitale found herself in a similar position to many other retail brick & mortar businesses – revenue waning due to a lack of customers who were appropriately social distancing at home and either reducing their purchasing or relying on e-commerce outlets.
 At 6:30 in the morning, when most of us are asleep or enjoying our first cup of coffee, Drew D’Angelo arrives at Mazzye’s Meats to begin preparing the store.
He sanitizes the store, fills the cases and prepares the meat for the day. While there’s much work to be done, his favorite part of the day is just 90 minutes away when he’ll begin interacting with the customers. That’s when his passion for meat and food preparation becomes apparent. Not only does he enjoy talking with his customers about specific meats and various cuts of meat, he loves to help them understand the best way to prepare them.  In the small business community, we always talk about networking, connections, and working with trusted partners. That has never been truer than when it comes to working with a lender, especially during the current climate.
When you are starting or expanding a business, having a good relationship with your lender can make or break a deal. Those lenders that are local where you can put a name to a face, where he or she is a part of your community and you can see the person at the grocery store, really is an important piece to your puzzle. |
PLEASE NOTE: We are NOT accepting walk-ins at this time. We are currently offering clients the option to have appointments virtually, by phone, or in person BY APPOINTMENT ONLY (following OCC COVID-19 Safety Plan and Procedures and CDC Guidelines).
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Email: sbdc@sunyocc.edu
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Phone: 315-498-6070
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Onondaga Small Business Development Center. Partnership Program with the SBA, administered by the State University of New York. Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. All SBA funded programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
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