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News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, September 5, 2023 Contact: Kevin McGoldrick; communications@nysbdc.org, (800) 732-7232 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
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 Adam Ruszowski, PT, DPT It’s not uncommon for lines from popular movies or songs to find their way into the cultural lexicon. “May the Force be with you,” is one such line. “Hasta la vista, baby,” another.
In terms of business start-ups, however, few lines have become as culturally entrenched, often to disastrous effect, as “If you build it, they will come,” (the actual line is “If you build it, he will come,” but pop culture quickly misquoted the phrase.) Week after week, would-be entrepreneurs walk through my door at the Onondaga SBDC convinced, often without a shred of accompanying research, that their start-up idea is a home run, and they merely need some coaching (and not infrequently, grant funding or unsecured financing), to hit the ball out of the park and round the bases. The fantasy of ready-made markets and effortless success, it seems, has found its way into the American Dream, alongside hot dogs, apple pie, and baseball. Occasionally, however, a bona fide athlete-turned-entrepreneur comes through my door. Such is the case with Adam Ruszowski, PT, DPT.  If there is something we have learned collectively over the past 2 years is that uncertainty is somewhat inevitable. Business owners have faced unprecedented challenges, including health and wellness concerns, government compliance issues, labor challenges and a wildly unpredictable economy. From a good news perspective, there are signs that aspects of our lives are progressing to some semblance of pre-COVID normalcy. Unfortunately, news about global economic conditions remains ominous, and the future is shrouded in uncertainty.
 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.  “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.  In late November 2020 Chelsea Lembo, a former public elementary school teacher and certified educator with a specialty in arts-integrated learning, was organized and ready to make an impact. She had already established an entity (LLC) for her start-up and had a space secured in Marcellus where she could provide students with creative workshops.
Before the 2020 pandemic, Chelsea had planned to start her business exclusively as a creative based learning experience. After COVID hit, she decided to pivot her business plan by assessing the immediate needs of her target customer base.  Although there are many casual take-out spots in Syracuse that offer Latin food, there is a noticeable lack of appreciation for dine-in dishes and the culture behind them. That's where Clara Cedeno comes in.
After many years working in the corporate world, Clara decided to pursue her dream of owning her own business. Bringing this dream together with her love of food and Latin culture helped her create her brain child, La Patria Café.  We often ask ourselves where great ideas come from. The answers are many and varied but for Dan Russell of Butt Be Dry the answer was simple.
Russell and his Dad were attending an LPGA Championship event in Rochester a couple of years ago. It had rained heavily the night before and although it had dried out and the ground appeared dry, when Dan sat down to watch the match he found the seat of his pants soaked and covered with mud. He and his Dad had a good laugh, but right then a great idea was formed that just needed some nurturing.  Freelance work is on the rise, and many individuals are working hard to turn self-employment into their full-time job.
While unaffiliated workers are often comfortable in their at-home surroundings, they can easily become socially and professionally disconnected. Deciding to utilize a co-working space can be the risk-free, cost-effective way to get everything you need; a middle ground between comfort, social interaction, and a professional brick-and-mortar to work out of.  It all began in 1991. Dawn and Jeff Zarnowski bought a hill top property in McGraw, NY and started what they then called a 'very serious hobby'.
After 25 years of continuous hard work growing and hybridizing hundreds of walnut and chestnut trees, they decided to turn their hobby into a business. Now, Dawn and Jeff Zarnowski are the owners of Z’s Nutty Ridge LLC, a native nut nursery. |
Empowering Entrepreneurship, Inspiring Success in Central New York.
Cayuga l Cortland l Jefferson l Lewis l Madison l Onondaga l Oswego l Seneca
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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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