Gathering for a presentation by the Staten Island Small Business Development Center at the College of Staten Island during the 16th Annual SIEDC Business Conference, April 30, in the Hilton Garden Inn, Bloomfield, are, from left, Joseph Bottega, business advisor, SI SBDC; Dean L. Balsamini, director of the SI SBDC and featured speaker; DB Lampman, featured speaker and associate director of Staten Island MakerSpace, a small-business incubator in Stapleton; Scott Van Campen, featured speaker and executive director, Staten Island MakerSpace; Edward J. Piszko, New York State Certified Senior Business Advisor, SI SBDC, and Robert Rose, business advisor, SI SBDC.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (May 2, 2014)  — A seminar presented by the Staten Island Small Business Development Center during the Staten Island Economic Development Corp. business conference on April 30 showcased three programs of importance to the borough’s economic engine: Staten Island MakerSpace, START-UP NY, and the Small Business Development Center at the College of Staten Island (SBDC at CSI).

STATEN ISLAND MAKERSPACE

The workshop, a segment of the daylong conference in the Hilton Garden Inn, Bloomfield, featured representatives of the three programs, including Staten Island MakerSpace, a small-business incubator in Stapleton.

DB Lampman, associate director of Staten Island MakerSpace, joined with Executive Director Scott Van Campen to discuss the many low-cost, business-fostering opportunities available to entrepreneurs and other members of the community at the incubator.

The site includes a fully equipped metalworking studio; woodworking studio; computer lab with a 3D printer; private studio spaces, and much more.

START-UP NY

Dr. Michael Kress, vice president for technology and economic development, and executive director of the City University of New York High Performance Computer Center, College of Staten Island, discusses START-UP NY.

Also of interest to both fledgling and seasoned business owners, was a discussion of START-UP NY presented by Dr. Michael Kress, vice president for technology and economic development, and executive director of the City University of New York High Performance Computer Center at CSI.

START-UP NY, Kress explained, is a groundbreaking New York state initiative designed to provide major incentives for businesses to relocate, start up or significantly expand in New York state through affiliations with public and private universities, colleges and community colleges.

Businesses will have the opportunity to operate with state and local tax-free status on or near academic campuses, and their employees will pay no state or local personal income taxes. In addition, businesses may qualify for additional incentives. On Staten Island, the area slated for inclusion in the program is on the campus of CSI.

SBDC at CSI

The seminar also placed Dean L. Balsamini, director of the SBDC at CSI and moderator of the workshop, at center stage. Balsamini shared an overview of the many ways his organization provides free assistance to aspiring and established entrepreneurs.

The SBDC at CSI is part of the New York State Small Business Development Center, which is administered by the State University of New York.

The center operates as a full-time enterprise during weekday business hours, assisting small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs with a wide array of cost-free confidential guidance and technical assistance.

Since launching in 1993, the experienced advisers of the Staten Island SBDC have worked directly with more than 6,500 businesses, helping them to invest over $146.5 million in the area’s economy, and creating or saving more than 4,500 jobs.

The Staten Island SBDC is located at: The College of Staten Island, 2800 Victory Blvd., Building 3A, Room 105; Staten Island, NY 10314-9806.

The Staten Island SBDC additionally operates two outreach sites: The Small Business Development Center, Bay Ridge Satellite Office, in the Santander Building, 9512 Third Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11209, and the Small Business Development Center, Staten Island Office, in the Empire State Bank Building, 1361 North Railroad Ave., Staten Island, NY 10306.

For information about business counseling on Staten Island, the SBDC at CSI may be reached at 718-982-2560, or via email at Christine.Purelis@csi.cuny.edu. The Brooklyn office may be contacted at 718-619-5603; the Staten Island satellite office may be reached at 718-873-4496.

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