SU’s South Side Innovation Center expands

SU’s South Side Innovation Center expands September 16, 2008Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Syracuse University’s South Side Innovation Center (SSIC), a community based microenterprise incubator operated by SU’s Whitman School of Management, today announced the expansion of its space to accommodate seven new small businesses, two anchor tenants, and more virtual members. The expansion — made possible in part through support from Assemblywoman Joan Christensen — enables the SSIC to support the creation and growth of more than 25 resident businesses.

Established in 2006, the SSIC currently is home to 16 resident businesses, providing Syracuse-area entrepreneurs with business training and support to improve the economic development in Syracuse’s South Side community. At 10 a.m., the SSIC marked its expansion with a press conference featuring Assemblywoman Christensen and Eric Spina, vice chancellor and provost of Syracuse University. A selection of SSIC tenant businesses also participated and a tour of the expanded space was offered.

“This expansion of the SSIC speaks volumes about the impact that SU and all of its partners in this facility are having on the neighborhood,” says Syracuse University Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor. “Our overall South Side initiative has trained more than 1,600 entrepreneurs and has helped launch 12 new businesses this year alone. Within the SSIC, we’re incubating 31 more new resident and virtual ventures right now-and we’re accelerating by opening up this new space to enable us to cultivate even more home-grown businesses and create more jobs in this neighborhood. None of this would be possible without committed partners like Assemblywoman Joan Christensen, who helped secure funding for this expansion. We’re so grateful for her vision and support in joining with us to help residents transform their lives and strengthen the local economy.”

“The South Side Innovation Center is another resource for small businesses to tap into,” says Assemblywoman Joan Christensen. “It is my goal to aid small businesses as much as I can, both for the character and economic well-being of the community.”

Some of the SSIC’s current resident tenants include:

• Funk N’Waffles, a specialty Belgian waffle cafe;
• Bluetree Studios, a fair trade business that sells fairly and responsibly traded products from abroad;
• BD Trauma Scene Clean – a biological, infectious, and hazardous material abatement and disposal company;
• FYM Logic – an electrical technology services company;
• The Real Estate Society – an online agent referral service for sellers and buyers;
• Luxurious Hair Boutique – a company offering an extensive variety of premium wigs and hair products online;
• Count It All Joy – a company offering custom gifts for newborns, featuring the popular Moses basket;
• and The Stand – a monthly community newspaper for neighbors, businesses, and friends in the South Side of Syracuse.

“With this expansion, the SSIC will have even more opportunities to assist entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses,” says Nola Miyasaki, executive director of the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship in the Whitman School. “We are grateful to the assemblywoman and to all our partners who have consistently rallied behind the SSIC since its inception just a few years ago. Together, we have made the SSIC a vibrant community cornerstone that is helping to affect change in Central New York.”

The SSIC fosters the creation of new ventures and helps existing businesses grow. The program is part of the larger South Side Entrepreneurial Connect Project (SSECP), which seeks to establish a vibrant entrepreneurial culture in the South Side and surrounding communities through the creation of sustainable ventures, infrastructure building, student and faculty engagement through consulting teams, a micro-credit loan fund, training programs for entrepreneurs, and opportunities for minority purchasing.

For more information, contact SU News Services, at (315) 443-3784.