Barbara Schindler, President and Chief Operating Officer of Golden Artist Colors talks about the company with (from left) Pamela Lankford from Building Bridges 2 Careers, Denny Hummer, Assistant Director, Business Incubation at Bucknell University, and Martha Ryan, Public and School Liaison at DCMO BOCES. (Submitted photo)


NORWICH – An entrepreneurship project delegation visited Chenango County on May 14 and 15 to explore the feasibility of including the area in a multi-state network of entrepreneurial hubs.

The visit was arranged by Martha Ryan, DCMO BOCES Public and School Liaison, who co-wrote the grant supporting the initial phase of the project.

The $189,720 grant from ARISE (Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies) seeks to lay the groundwork for developing a network of community-based small business incubators to provide resources to support and grow small businesses in rural areas of six Appalachian states, including New York. “My goal for this effort is to develop a stronger network to connect our DCMO BOCES CTE students to careers as business owners,” according to Ryan.

The team was in Chenango County to conduct interviews, focus groups, and tours to identify resources and opportunities that could be included in this initiative. Pamela Lankford, from Building Bridges 2 Careers, an economic development organization based in Marietta, Ohio, and Denny Hummer, Assistant Director, Business Incubation at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, toured local businesses including Chobani and Golden Artist Colors in Columbus, Rentals To Go (RTG) in Norwich, and also met with Chris Hayes, an owner of multiple businesses in Norwich.

“It was a fun and insightful day getting to tour local businesses, learning about all the ways Chobani gives back and the history of Golden Artist Paints,” Lankford said. “But the highlight for me was learning about RTG and their  evolution, and most importantly getting to see the longhorns,” she added, referring to the distinctive cattle raised on the RTG property. “I'm still amazed at the size of their horns!”

They also met at the DCMO BOCES Support Services Center with a group of government, business and non-profit agency leaders, including Jen Gregory, Executive Director of Southern Tier 8; Brendan Hannan, Senior Business Banking Officer at NBT Bank; Chris Hulbert, Sidney Federal Credit Union Chief of Staff; Hillary Wilcox, Visions Federal Credit Union Branch Manager; Shane Butler, Chenango County Director of Planning; manufacturing consultant Steve Palmatier; Simona David from Western Catskills Community Revitalization Council Inc.; Commerce Chenango President and CEO Salvatore Testani; and DCMO BOCES District Superintendent Michael Rullo, Deputy Superintendent Patti Gallaher, Alan D. Pole Campus Principal Ryan DeMars, and Public and School Liaison Martha Ryan.

“There is certainly no doubt that community leaders want to make sure entrepreneurs have all of the resources and support they need to be successful,” Lankford said.

After their busy two days in Chenango County, the team returned to their home states to continue work on this phase of the initiative. “We are very excited to finish up our visits so that we can begin compiling the data and information and find similarities and ways these rural communities can help each other build their base of entrepreneurship,” Lankford said.

DCMO BOCES is a regional provider of educational services, working with component districts, communities, business partners, and other stakeholders to build strong relationships, achieve excellence, and support regional initiatives. They operate educational campuses in Sidney Center and Norwich. To learn more about the different services and programs at DCMO BOCES, visit the website at www.dcmoboces.com.

- Scott Jensen, Public Information Specialist DCMO BOCES