Buffalo, NY – Mayor Byron W. Brown today was joined by Franklin J. Sciortino, District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Buffalo office, as he proclaimed May 5-11, 2019 Small Business Week in the City of Buffalo.
“Since 2006, my Administration has fostered an economic development strategy that spurs the growth of a diverse economy, creates quality jobs, and encourages equal access to economic prosperity,” Mayor Brown said. “As we mark Small Business Week in the City of Buffalo, I am proud to say our City has seen more than $6.7 billion in economic development since 2012, and our small business and entrepreneur community is growing as a result of Buffalo’s continued economic renaissance.”
Mayor Brown presented a proclamation marking Small Business Week in Buffalo to SBA District Director Sciortino. Mayor Brown also recognized two individuals and an organization being honored by the SBA this for their work to support and foster small business growth in Buffalo and Western New York.
“Small businesses don’t just support families and make our communities vibrant places to live, they contribute to our economic prosperity,” Mr. Sciortino said. “For more than 50 years, the SBA’s Small Business Week has recognized outstanding small business owners for their contributions to the nation’s economy and for their personal achievements. Since 1963, every President has declared National Small Business Week to formally recognize the important role of America’s small business community.”
The SBA’s Financial Services Champion of the Year is Richard Ball, the Senior Director of Industry Development and Foreign Trade for the Empire State Development Corporation. Ball refers small businesses to SBA resource partners, and has forged many successful relationships with various financing outlets to aid start-ups and help established small businesses to expand.
The Veteran Small Business Award winner is Joseph F. Saeli, an attorney with Colligan Law, who is being honored for his work with Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a U.S. Department of Defense program that develops and promotes supportive work environments for service members. The program also includes employment conflict resolution.
The SBA District Director’s Award winner is SCORE Buffalo Niagara. The local SCORE chapter has stepped in to manage the SBA’s Straight Talk event that past two years, when SBA staff were on furlough due to partial federal government shutdowns.
The SBA’s annual Small Business Week Awards Luncheon, at which a total of 33 individuals, businesses and organizations will be honored for their contributions to the region’s small business community, will be held on May 10th.