Power of SUNY

Small-business Advisers at SUNY Oswego & Jefferson Community College Share in National SBA Award

Small-business advisers based at SUNY Oswego and Jefferson Community College, who advise hundreds of entrepreneurs a year on starting, expanding or keeping small businesses, have won a national award from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The SUNY Oswego Small Business Development Center, as part of the Watertown Regional SBDC, received the Service Excellence and Innovation Award in May 2010, in Washington, D.C.

SBDC’s range of free services includes counseling, assistance with preparation of and changes to business plans, micro-enterprise courses and workshops, and collecting data to help businesses make informed decisions. The Oswego unit has led to numerous SUNY Oswego and SBDC synergies.

In the 10 years since the Oswego unit of the Watertown Regional SBDC opened, the office has created or saved 1,584 jobs and helped business people find $59.1 million in funding—usually market-rate loans, but sometimes low-interest ones subsidized by state or federal programs, and occasionally grants.