Hotspot Cafe owner Hector Alverio recognized by Small Business Association and SBDC JCC (May 1, 2023)

Several local small businesses, including Hotspot Cafe, were recognized as part of Small Business Awareness Week by officials in Fredonia.

Congressman Nick Langworthy said small businesses should be celebrated every day, “More than half of Americans either work for or own a small business. Small businesses create about two out of every three new jobs in America. I mean, think of that. They aren’t the backbone, they’re the whole body. And our nation’s success is dependent upon new businesses. And it’s so incumbent upon us as leaders to create the landscape upon which small businesses can be conceived and thrive.”

According to a proclamation by Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel, there were 367 new start-ups and small business certificates issued in 2022 in the county.

At the ceremony Monday, DFT Communications was recognized for their 125 years of operation in the county. DFT President Kris Maytum said the company started in 1898 when a telephone was installed at the family’s grocery store. Arthur Maytum then created Dunkirk & Fredonia Telephone Company and became its first customer.

The Small Business Development Center at Jamestown Community College and the Small Business Association also presented an award to Hotspot Cafe owner Hector Alverio, who was recognized as Western New York District Minority Small Business Person of the Year.

The local SBDC Entrepreneur of the Year awards were presented to the owners of Portage Pie in Westfield and to Lumi Cafe in Chautauqua Insitution.

The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce will present an online Tuesday Talks panel discussion at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 21.

Guest panelists are County Economic Development Coordinator Nate Aldrich, Chautauqua Works’ Katie Geise, Jamestown Community College Workforce Development’s Brian Lebarron, and JCC’s Career Services’ Julie Page. Panelists will touch on the overall job market and workforce status including broad efforts to recruit and retain employees across Chautauqua County.

Tuesday Talks is a one-hour, online-only forum to provide tips and guidance for local business people. All attendees must register through the Chamber’s web calendar at www.chautauquachamber.org/events to get the Zoom link. Tuesday Talks is free and open to all local businesses, whether they are Chamber members or not.

The Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau will hold a free Spring Tourism Workshop from 8:30 a.m. to noon, Thursday, March 23 in the Carnahan Center at Jamestown Community College. The topic will be “Ramping Up for Seasonal Hiring.”

Speakers for this morning-long in person event will be Cabana Sam’s/Sunset Bay Beach Club owner Kelly Borrello, Chautauqua Harbor Hotel Sales Manager William Hart Frantz, and a panel from Chautauqua Works led by Executive Director Katie Geise and including representatives from the New York State Department of Labor.

To register for the CCVB workshop visit them online at www.tourchautauqua.com/spring-2023-tourism-workshop.

Both the Chamber and CCVB events are being held in conjunction with the Small Business Development Center at JCC.

The Irish Brothers present their request for downtown event funding to the Jamestown Local Development Corporation (February 15, 2023)

Over $105,000 in grants and loans have been approved for four downtown events.

The Jamestown Local Development Corporation heard presentations from five organizations, tabling one at its monthly meeting Wednesday.

Funding approved includes:

– $9,500 for the Irish Brothers to appear at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on March 15,
– $10,000 for Roger Tory Peterson Institute‘s two-day presentation of the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts in April
– $49,970 for the 2023 Whirlybird Festival in July that includes $24,900 in grants and a $25,000 loan
– and $35,700 for four Earlybird concerts that includes $10,700 in grants and a $25,000 loan.

A $42,500 request from St. Susan Center to bring in CashCab’s Ben Bailey for a Trivia Night fundraiser was tabled, with JLDC members requesting additional information about the space for the event.

The JLDC Board also approved funding eight businesses under the Business Expansion and Building Acquisition (BEBA) Grant program. City Council allocated $750,000 in American Rescue Plan monies for the program with $749,980 in requests received.

Department of Development Grant Manager Tim O’Dell said the businesses receiving funds have promised to create 40 full time jobs and 18 part-time positions, “To mention as well, the contracts, if approved they would be signing as structured as a 50% grant and 50% forgivable loan. The forgivable loan portion comes into as they will need to meet their employment goal. And if not, they will have until December 31, 2026 in order to obtain that goal. And if they weren’t to obtain that goal, they would pay half of it that was the loan portion if the jobs were not met.”

The eight businesses who were approved funding are:
– The Beer Snob – $60,000
– BW Wholesale Florist – $83,335
– Falcon Acquisitions – $93,480
– Fringe Hair Salon – $58,500
– It’s Your Day – $64,000
– Labyrinth Press Company – $114,855
– Panache – $167,105
– and Summit Wealth Management – $108,705

Building Acquisition & Business Expansion Grant funded Companies

Jamestown Economic Development Coordinator Stephanie Wright shared that 54 businesses were notified directly about the grant program with 19 declining to apply.

O’Dell said they heard from the Small Business Development Center that often businesses don’t have the time to invest in the application process, “And they don’t want to go to a commitment like that, as it’s a very long project in when the American Rescue Plan ends. And we’ve also run into instances where either they’re just not interested, they do not want to participate, as well as some businesses do not want to get involved in government programs.”

O’Dell said the Department is working with SBDC and the Chamber of Commerce on getting out the word on the next set of business grant programs. He said SBDC also will help businesses complete the grant applications.

The grant applications for Labyrinth, Panache, and Summit Wealth Management will now appear under new business on City Council’s voting agenda on Monday, February 27. Any grant that exceeds $100,000 must also receive council approval to move forward.

The monthly program is for female business owners and women working in the business sector.

The program on Thursday, February 9 features speaker Joy Reiss who has a diploma from the Sound Healing Academy in Cornwall, England. According to Joy, sound and energy healing creates a deeper connection to self and worlds of knowledge that can expand awareness. New discoveries have shown how effective the frequencies and vibrations in sound are relieving stress.

The cost to attend the lunch in person is $15 with check or credit card. It will take place at Jamestown Community College’s Carnahan Building in Room 120. To make a reservation, or for more information, contact the SBDC at 716-338-1024 or visit www.sbdcjcc.org.

The day, held the Saturday after Thanksgiving, is meant to promote people shopping at locally-owned businesses during the holiday season.

The Small Business Development Center at JCC said when people shop locally, it helps an estimated 67-cents out of every dollar stay in the community. By comparison, they said shopping at big box stores keeps roughly 38-cents in the community, with online shopping having the smallest impact on the local economy.

The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce is holding a contest where those who shop local can enter to win ShopLocalCHQ Gift Cards. People who want to participate only need to post a photo and check-in at a small, locally-owned business on Facebook or Instagram and add #ShopSmallCHQ to your post. By posting, you will be automatically entered to win up to $500 in ShopLocalCHQ Gift Cards.

The business does not have to be a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and no purchase is required for your entry. The more times you check in and use the hashtag, the more entries you will get. Winners will be selected on Monday, November 28. Entries will be counted for Small Business Saturday, November 26 only.

On Cyber Monday, November 28, the Chamber is also offering a discount on products through ShopLocalCHQ.com.

Visit https://www.chautauquachamber.org/ for more information.

Also, the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, who is the parent organization of WRFA, will be offering a deal starting Saturday through December. When you buy a $50 gift card, you will receive a free movie ticket good for use for movies at the Reg.

Visit reglenna.com for more.

MHA Executive Director Steven Cobb, Small Business Development Center at JCC staff, and Tom Benson

The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce will recognize local leaders and organizations at its Annual Awards Banquet on Thursday, October 6.

Steven Cobb will be honored as Person of the Year. Cobb is the Executive Director of the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County. He is lauded in the nomination letter for his work with the agency.

Under his direction, the MHA has expanded services by opening an office in Dunkirk and grown the agency’s annual budget by $1 million, with 22 staff members.

The Chamber’s annual Economic Development Award will be presented to the Small Business Development Center at Jamestown Community College. With a staff of five full time certified business advisors and two part time advisors, the staff at the SBDC has seen a bulge in its request for services in the past four years. While it once served 350 small businesses a year, that number is now close to 800 annually.

The SBDC was instrumental in assisting small businesses through COVID relief programs at the federal and state level. Since March of 2020, over $33.5 million was received by area businesses to help with the economic regrowth of the region, and the team at SBDC helped those small businesses create and retain over 2,400 jobs.

Each of the six community Chambers of Commerce will present a Community Service Award during the Chamber Banquet.

The Jamestown Community Chamber of Commerce will present its Community Service Award to Tom Benson. He will be recognized for his part in the revitalization of downtown Jamestown, including his work in recent years with the National Comedy Center.

The Chamber’s Annual Awards Banquet will be held in person at the Williams Center on the campus of the SUNY Fredonia. Advance registration is required and can be done online at www.chamberrsvp.org.

The workshop will be held Friday, May 20, at the Carnahan Center Theatre at JCC.

MWBE certification yields benefits for minority and women business owners including contracting opportunities with state agencies, lending and bonding programs available only to certified MWBEs, and access to services and support, including business development workshops and webinars.

While the workshop is free, registration is required. Call JCC’s Small Business Development Center at: 716-338-1024.

Small Business Development Center at Jamestown Community College Executive Director Courtney Curatolo and CCIDA CEO Mark Geise

The Small Business Development Center at Jamestown Community College has recognized Mark Geise with the U.S. Small Business Administration Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery.

JCC SBDC said that Geise, as the Deputy County Executive for Economic Development and CEO of the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA), helped many small businesses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

They cited his ability to secure funding in loans and grants for businesses in diverse industries, how he helped manufacturers develop PPE to give to other businesses throughout the region, assisted businesses through employment issues, and showed his commitment to the community with the investment of his time and energy.

The award was announced by SBDC as part of National Small Business Week.

Jamestown City Council (April 25, 2022)

Jamestown City Council passed over $5 million in American Rescue Plan funded projects, with four resolutions for economic development related initiatives failing to pass.

Council members Marie Carrubba, Andrew Faulkner, Kim Ecklund, and Randy Daversa voted no on three resolutions related to giving funding to the Small Business Development Center for a business marketing program, a branding and marketing program for the city, and a program to provide marketing funding to businesses. Brent Sheldon was absent at Monday’s meeting, so the resolutions failed on a tie vote. The fourth program that failed was a resolution to contract with the Jamestown Local Development Corporation for $500,000 to administer the ARPA program.

Council member Faulkner said he voted no because he felt some of the proposed programs were duplicates. He also said other communities have used an average of 11.1% of ARPA funds toward economic development and workforce development, “If we were to allocate the full $7.5 million tonight, that would have been 27% of our entire ARPA funding. From the start, I thought we were pushing too much money toward the economic when we have other issues that need to be dealt with. So seeing those statistics of how we are almost three times higher than what everyone else is doing kind of reassured me of that.”

Faulkner said he wants to see funding more focused on public safety and housing initiatives.

Two programs for business building and infrastructure improvements and equipment and machinery upgrades had funding reduced from $1 million to $500-thousand each under an amendment proposed by Faulkner that council approved. Faulkner said if the programs run out of the money, then the Department of Development can always request additional funds be added.

Council President Tony Dolce said he was surprised that the four resolutions failed. He said one concern some council members had was having enough oversight of how the money was allocated under the proposal to contract to the JLDC for administration, “We have three members on the JLDC board – myself, Councilwoman Ecklund and Councilman Russell, as well as JURA, we have representation. So anything over the $100,000 threshold would have come back to the City Council anyways for a vote. So I’m not so sure.. I mean the whole purpose of having council representation on any board or commissions is to have some oversight and a direct link to the City Council.”

In other business, a request home rule legislation from the state to put speed zone cameras in school zones will move forward.

An ordinance to establish a Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, and Return (TNVR) program for feral cats in the city was approved in addition to a contract with the Chautauqua County Humane Society for $5,000 to run that program.

Council also approved a resolution to purchase 12 mobile data terminals for $40,000 for police vehicles and to purchase 75 service duty pistols for $9,643 using American Rescue Plan funds.

The Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency, Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Development Center at Jamestown Community College, and Insyte Consulting will offer grant funding to small businesses of 50 employees or less to help them with their marketing efforts.

Businesses will have the opportunity to receive up to $10,000 in reimbursable marketing funds to implement upgrades to their website, social media, branding, and other marketing-related initiatives. In addition, qualified manufacturers of less than 500 employees can opt to work with Insyte Consulting to improve their company culture by implementing Environmental, Social, and Governance programs and initiatives.

In order to apply for either program, contact the Small Business Development Center at 716-338-1024 to schedule an appointment with an advisor, or by going to the SBDC website at sbdcjcc.org