There will always be firsts as long as there is change, and Shawni Davis of Luminary Electrical Contractor, LLC is proving that by being the first black woman LGBT-owned MWBE Certified Master Licensed electrical contractor in Syracuse, NY. Luminary performs both commercial and industrial electrical work and brings 15 years of electrical experience to the field.
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“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” – Martial artist, actor and philosopher Bruce Lee. When Luke Nicolette approached the Onondaga Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Onondaga Community College close to two years ago, one thing was apparent. Like many successful people, Luke is a young man with a singular, laser-like focus on the task at hand. He had a concept for a new business in Central New York and our job at the SBDC was to clear away the “speed bumps” and help him get his business from point A to point B. With Luke’s focus and work ethic, and with the help of the SBDC, he was able to open Syracuse’s first and only Acai shop offering healthy bowls, smoothies, juices and salads. 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. When Matthew Cullipher opened the Hope Café and Tea House in 2017, he had two missions that he was trying to accomplish. The first mission was to provide a variety of delicious food and beverages that replicated the taste and feel of countries such as Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, and Italy. That mission has been easily accomplished with more to come on that. But as a non-profit entity, the second mission of the Hope Café was to help children and adults living in extreme poverty. While that mission may never be fully realized, Cullipher and his organization have made a significant improvement in the lives of people less fortunate than many of us. 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. Over the past year, what is it that we have all yearned for and ordered as take out so many times to bring comfort to us in times when we were too tired and too stressed? What have we bought gift cards for, ordered or donated to give to those on the front lines taking care of us all? What industry has been one of the hardest hit, yet still are persevering in anyway possible due to the dedication of their repeat customers and their passion for what they do. Where is it that we can’t wait to go visit again and partake in their passion to bring comfort and joy to us all after such an unprecedented year? |
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