4 Buffalo Business Autumn 2022
Startups
The power of partnerships
Empowering area entrepreneurs is
a key part of the mission of the Center for
Entrepreneurial Leadership. The CEL is
taking that mission even further, thanks to a
number of collaborations with other organi-
zations in the community.
M&T Bank is now the presenting spon-
sor of the center's M&T Bank Minority and
Women Emerging Entrepreneurs program,
which has helped propel more than 360
small businesses to the next stage of devel-
opment since 2004.
The CEL is also collaborating with the
Buffalo Urban League on a new Emerging
Entrepreneur Accelerator—a nine-month
training program for minority and women
entrepreneurs in the pre-launch phase
of starting a business. The accelerator
is supported by Open4, a partnership
of community-based organizations and
funders who work together to connect
entrepreneurs and small businesses with
the resources, support and guidance they
need to thrive.
Finally, through the Reimagine initia-
tive, the CEL has teamed up with UB's
Western New York Incubator Network
to offer entrepreneurship boot camps
and master courses to hundreds of unem-
ployed, laid-off and underemployed
workers in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Olean,
Jamestown and Dunkirk, as well as virtu-
ally, through a two-year grant from Empire
State Development's Division of Science,
Technology and Innovation.
Recognizing
outstanding
career partners
The Career Resource Center, an exclu-
sive resource for nearly 4,000 students in
the School of Management, recognized the
following organizations and individuals at
a celebration on May 5 for their consider-
able impact on student success and career
development:
CRC Alumnus of the Year
Mark Tronconi, BS '82, MBA '85, Tronconi
Segarra & Associates
Recruiting Partner of the Year
Elizabeth Zak, M&T Bank
New Recruiting Organization of the Year
Constellation Brands
Interns and Supervisors of the Year
Jacob Fox, MBA '22
Nita Bhatia, CrowFly
Jordan Storch, MBA '21
Peter D'Errico, MidCity Office Furniture
Outstanding Internship Organization
Northwestern Mutual
New Internship Partner
Life Storage
To learn how you and your company
can engage with the School of Management's
Career Resource Center, visit management.
buffalo.edu/career.
Fox and Bhatia. Photo: Nancy J. Parisi
