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Small Business Development Center director outlines services and growth in Cayuga County
Summary
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) presented to the legislature on the center’s no-cost advising, regional coverage, client volume and recent local successes, highlighting a local advisor stationed four days per week in Auburn.
Robert Griffin, regional director for government, business and economic development with the Upstate New York Small Business Development Center, told the Cayuga County Legislature that the center provides no-cost, confidential advising to entrepreneurs and small-business owners across its eight-county region.
Griffin said the SBDC is grant-funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration, delivered through the SUNY Research Foundation, and operated locally by Onondaga Community College in partnership with Jefferson Community College. He said the center serves roughly 1,600–1,700 clients a year across the region and that the Cayuga County office has more than tripled local clients served since 2022; this year the local office expected to serve more than 110–120 clients in the county and to log more than 1,000 advising hours across the region.
Griffin described the SBDC’s services — business planning, lender readiness, access to capital, market and industry research, procurement guidance and financial modeling — and noted the center’s Research Network and government-technology procurement assistance. He said about 60–75% of the SBDC’s Cayuga County clients are located in the city of Auburn and that an advisor is available in Auburn four days a week at an office provided by the Chamber of Commerce at 2 State Street.
Griffin highlighted two local success stories: Simple Rose Coffee (named SBA Upstate New York District rural small business of the year) and Robin Long (named Cayuga County small business of the year by the center). He encouraged legislators to share the free services with constituents who are starting or expanding small businesses and noted the center documents economic impact — he cited last year’s figure of roughly $22 million in local investment leveraged by clients in the region.
The presentation was received with thanks from the chair and legislators and followed by routine committee business.
