Senator Anna M. Kaplan Kicks-Off Statewide Small Business Roundtable Tour

CARLE PLACE, NY (September 23, 2019) – Today Senator Anna M. Kaplan (D-Great Neck) announced she is taking the New York State Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business on the road for a statewide tour to promote resources available to small businesses and hear from small business owners and entrepreneurs around the state.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities, supporting thousands of local jobs, and helping New York to have a more robust and diversified economy. As Chair of the Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business, I have a solemn duty to ensure that New York State is focused on supporting our small businesses, so they can continue to grow and thrive," said Senator Anna M. Kaplan. "I'm traveling the state so that I can hear from small business owners in every region, so that together, we can develop new strategies to empower and support them. I also want to make sure that small business owners statewide are aware of the great resources available to them through the Entrepreneurship Assistance Centers and Empire State Development."

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “I applaud Senator Anna Kaplan for organizing and undertaking this statewide small business listening tour. As Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business, Senator Kaplan has been at the forefront of helping grow the state economy and ensuring New Yorkers have access to good paying jobs. This tour is part of the new Senate Democratic Majority’s efforts to help grow small businesses and empower New York entrepreneurs.”

"The Entrepreneurship Assistance Centers have helped aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners access needed resources and training to pursue their dreams for over 30 years," said Eric Gertler, Empire State Development Acting Commissioner and President & CEO-designate. "We look forward to working with Senator Kaplan and the Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business to promote the resources Empire State Development offers to help small businesses thrive throughout New York State."

The statewide roundtable tour will include the following stops:

• September 24: Western New York Region Entrepreneurship Assistance Center
• September 24: Finger Lakes Region Entrepreneurship Assistance Center
• September 25: Central NY Region Entrepreneurship Assistance Center
• September 26: North Country Region Entrepreneurship Assistance Center
• September 27: Capital Region Entrepreneurship Assistance Center
• October 2: NYC Region Entrepreneurship Assistance Center
• October 11: Long Island Region Entrepreneurship Assistance Center (Suffolk)
• October 15: Long Island Region Entrepreneurship Assistance Center (Nassau)
• Date to be determined: Westchester Region Entrepreneurship Assistance Center

Stops on the tour will take place in partnership with local Entrepreneurship Assistance Centers (EACs) to highlight the services available to small business owners and entrepreneurs through the Entrepreneurship Assistance Program and Empire State Development. Business owners who have utilized the services of the EACs will join with Senator Kaplan and local Senators and Assemblymembers to have roundtable discussions about their experiences as small business owners in New York State.

ABOUT THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP ASSISTANCE CENTERS (EAC): The Omnibus Economic Development Law of 1987 established the original Entrepreneurial Assistance Program (EAP). In January of 2019, this law was amended in relation to the operation of this program that is newly renamed the Entrepreneurship Assistance Centers program.  The amended law authorizes the Department of Economic Development d/b/a Empire State Development (“ESD”), through the Entrepreneurship Assistance Centers (“EAC” or the “Program”), to issue contracts to not-for-profit corporations, community colleges and boards of cooperative educational services for the development of EAC Centers.

Encouraging the formation and growth of small businesses is an important strategic goal of New York State. Effective EAC programs provide intensive, community-based training, technical assistance and other related services to small business owners or entrepreneurs, particularly minorities and women, to stimulate new business development and to strengthen businesses in the early stages of development (1-5 years). Such assistance is especially important in economically distressed areas where high levels of unemployment and declining infrastructure further limit the ability for these young businesses to develop. Effective programs are built on a working knowledge of the needs and resources of a community and its region. For more info: http://esd.ny.gov/entrepreneurship-assistance-centers