Approximately 40 percent of the employees in America work in small businesses, but during the economic recovery small businesses have accounted for two-thirds of the net new jobs created. That's why the staff in Onondaga Community College's Small Business Development Center spent National Small Business Week criss crossing the 8-county region its serves by recognizing one business in each of those counties as "Small Business of the Year."
The highlight of the week was Friday, May 3 when Vetted Tech Inc. was presented with the 2024 Upstate New York Veteran Owned Small Business of the Year Award. The award covers a 34-county region. Vetted Tech is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned manufacturer located on Court Street Road in Syracuse. It utilizes 3-D printing to make high performance components in metal and polymer composite materials. Vetted Tech's President and Owner is Mike Mowins. He's a graduate of Baldwinsville High School and the United States Naval Academy.
The 2024 county-by-county Small Business of the Year honorees were:
- Cayuga County - Combgrown Mead in Auburn
- Cortland County - Le Puppet Regime in Marathon
- Jefferson County - Upstate Oral Surgeon and Dental Implants in Watertown
- Lewis County - The Tack Shack in Glenfield
- Madison County - Flour & Salt in Hamilton
- Onondaga County - Clean & Glo Cleaning Services in Syracuse
- Oswego County - Broadwell Hospitality Group in Oswego
- Seneca County - Finger Lakes Laser in Ovid
Also, the Regional Small Business Lender Partner of the Year was the Greater Syracuse Business Development Corporation.
OCC's SBDC is led by Regional Director Robert Griffin, CEPA. It provides no-cost, confidential business advisement services to individuals and companies. The advisor team provides customized solutions through advisement, education, research and advocacy for entrepreneurs, innovators, and small & medium enterprise community. The SBDC is funded by a grant from the US Small Business Administration and the state of New York.
