Business Development

Cortland County has the benefit of technical assistance for start-up and existing businesses through the Onondaga Small Business Development Center (SBDC), based at Onondaga Community College (OCC) in nearby Syracuse.The Cortland County Business Development Center (BDC), at 37 Church Street in the City of Cortland, will become a new outreach center for the Onondaga SBDC.

New York State Small Business Development Center 

The New York State (NYS) SBDC is administered by the State University of New York and funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the State of New York, and host campuses.
NYS Small Business Development Center Logo
Through 23 campus-based regional centers, the NYS SBDC applies the resources of university, private sector, and government to solve business problems and foster entrepreneurship. The SBDC advances the job development, investment, and economic growth priorities of New York State, through counseling and training services for start-up, and small and growing businesses. It also provides targeted programs for women, veterans, people with special needs, and minority clients.

Services

The Onondaga SBDC offers free, confidential, one-on-one counseling, including start-up assistance, business plan development, market research and marketing, and advice finding financial resources. It also specializes in technical grant programs.

Business Assistance Days

The Onondaga SBDC will station a business advisor at Cortland BDC for monthly "Business Assistance Days," which will be held at the BDC conference room at 37 Church Street in the City of Cortland. The first session will be March 22. Appointments may be scheduled by calling the BDC at 607-756-5005.

Senior Business Advisor

Joan Powers will be the SBDC representative for Cortland County. Powers is a senior business advisor with the New York State Small Business Development Center. In her role as business advisor, she assists clients in the preparation of business plans and financial projections, funding packages, financial analysis and marketing plans. She also can provide guidance in regulatory requirements for starting a business, as well as government reporting.