AUBURN - A cooperative project between two local organizations to infuse the entrepreneurial spirit into the hearts and minds of business-savvy people in Auburn and Cayuga County is just weeks away from becoming operational.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Scott Knasick installs an awning on the exterior of the Stardust Entrepreneurial Institute Tuesday morning. Workers are putting finishing touches on the State Street, Auburn, building, which will have its official opening Aug. 20.
Scott Knasick installs an awning on the exterior of the Stardust Entrepreneurial Institute Tuesday morning. Workers are putting finishing touches on the State Street, Auburn, building, which will have its official opening Aug. 20.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 20 to officially welcome the Stardust Entrepreneurial Institute - a product of Cayuga Community College and the Stardust Foundation of Central New York - into the Auburn community. In attendance will be SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and state Sen. Michael Nozzolio.
It's taken nearly three years to get to this point, and those deeply entwined are eager to see the institute initiated and the social and economic development that is expected to occur as a result.
“It has been several years in the making,” CCC professor and Fred L. Emerson Endowed Chair in Innovation and Enterprise Thomas Paczkowski said, “and to finally see this vision coming to life is exciting for what it can mean for the community.”
The institute will be located at 2 State St., at the newly named First Niagara Center. Extensive renovations to the building began in November, with project managers from the Syracuse development firm Pioneer Cos. and construction workers gutting the entire space and starting from scratch, Stardust Foundation Executive Director Guy Cosentino said.
While the renovations took longer than anticipated, now all but the finishing touches are complete. The walls are colored in yellow and blue, motion detectors on overhead lights are installed throughout, and an unsecured wireless Internet connection is accessible not just in the building, but across the entire State Street block - the Creative Corridor.
Upon entrance to the building, five low-cost business incubator spaces can be found on the first floor on the left side of the building. These incubators will serve as a place for fresh businesses or start-ups to build their businesses and customer bases while having access to fax machines, copiers and other basics.
People accepted into the institute will be required to put together a business plan, take courses and meet with a group of advisors - broadly conceptualized as a group of professionals including bankers, certified public accountants or accountants, real estate agents and lawyers - to ensure new businesses have the nurturing that will inspire growth, Cosentino said.
An interactive classroom, also located on the first floor, with a projector, television, video conferencing capabilities and more will act as a meeting space for the budding entrepreneurs, a learning space, and can also be leased out by community organizations.
Both the interactive classroom and the incubators are funded by state money secured by Nozzolio, $100,000 and $56,000, respectively.
A trip on a newly installed elevator will bring entrepreneurs to the second floor of the building, the main offices of the Stardust Foundation, a space for grant writing and a grant library.
The third floor to the building is still a shell, untouched from the recent renovations. But Cosentino has a vision of eventually turning that space into classrooms to provide for additional learning.
“Our goal,” he said, “is to create the next generation of entrepreneurs for Cayuga County.”
Now that the physical building is nearly complete, those involved are turning their attention to the programmatic side of institute, to ensure that goal is achieved.
That's where CCC comes in, with Paczkowski, a member on the institute's board of directors, and Dean of Community Education and Work Force Development Carla DeShaw each working on developing curricula for both the entrepreneurs at the institute and future leaders at the college.
“We know that with work force development and economic development,” CCC President Daniel Larson said, “the college plays a crucial role because we provide the programs of study - whether credit or non-credit, it doesn't make any difference to us - that will help to support the activities down there.”
While DeShaw will be responsible for the non-credit-bearing courses at the Institute, Paczkowki spent the last several months developing three credit-bearing courses that, if all taken, will provide students with a concentration in entrepreneurship in any degree program.
The first course, Entrepreneurship 200: The Entrepreneurial Process will be offered for the first time this fall, with the second course in the sequence, Entrepreneurship 202: Innovation and Creativity offered in the spring. The third course, if all goes well, will also be offered next spring, titled Entrepreneurship 204: Social Entrepreneurship and Non-profit Management.
Additionally, Paczkowski developed a credit-free program financed through the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a national organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship. The program, an online course in entrepreneurship and small business management, was conceived as a collaboration between Paczkowski, two other CCC employees and Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Terri Bridenbecker. But the course became delayed due to Bridenbecker's unexpected death.
That course will now be offered this fall, and the college is prepared to provide scholarships to some participants, with preferential treatment given to county residents.
How does this connect with the institute?
“It certainly is entirely possible that there will be courses or seminars or workshops offered at the institute,” he said.
Larson, vice president of the institute's board, said social and economic development of downtown Auburn is one of the many eventualities of the institute. The redevelopment of State Street, he said, will have positive repercussions “we believe will help generate other development down there.
“It's not just about State Street,” he added. “It's about all of downtown Auburn from a physical re-development vantage point.”
Not only that, but CCC hasn't been in downtown Auburn for several decades, and Larson believes this project will give the college a greater presence in that area.
But ultimately, the primary expectations of the institute is truly focused on Auburn.
“I think as the community begins to see activity in downtown Auburn, then there is a sense that attitudes will start to change,” he said. People will see it is a possibility to do some other things, think outside the box, be creative and innovative.
“I think there is a great potential to reinvent what Auburn needs to be in the 21st century,” he added. “The question is, what happens next? What is Auburn going to do and be and evolve into to sustain itself? I think that the Stardust Institute has a role to play in that.”
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
If You Go
What: Stardust Entrepreneurial Institute ribbon-cutting ceremony
When: 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20
Where: First Niagara Center, 2 State St., Auburn
Organizers request people to RSVP no later than Aug. 14 to jsullivan@stardustfoundationcny.org
It's taken nearly three years to get to this point, and those deeply entwined are eager to see the institute initiated and the social and economic development that is expected to occur as a result.
“It has been several years in the making,” CCC professor and Fred L. Emerson Endowed Chair in Innovation and Enterprise Thomas Paczkowski said, “and to finally see this vision coming to life is exciting for what it can mean for the community.”
The institute will be located at 2 State St., at the newly named First Niagara Center. Extensive renovations to the building began in November, with project managers from the Syracuse development firm Pioneer Cos. and construction workers gutting the entire space and starting from scratch, Stardust Foundation Executive Director Guy Cosentino said.
While the renovations took longer than anticipated, now all but the finishing touches are complete. The walls are colored in yellow and blue, motion detectors on overhead lights are installed throughout, and an unsecured wireless Internet connection is accessible not just in the building, but across the entire State Street block - the Creative Corridor.
Upon entrance to the building, five low-cost business incubator spaces can be found on the first floor on the left side of the building. These incubators will serve as a place for fresh businesses or start-ups to build their businesses and customer bases while having access to fax machines, copiers and other basics.
People accepted into the institute will be required to put together a business plan, take courses and meet with a group of advisors - broadly conceptualized as a group of professionals including bankers, certified public accountants or accountants, real estate agents and lawyers - to ensure new businesses have the nurturing that will inspire growth, Cosentino said.
An interactive classroom, also located on the first floor, with a projector, television, video conferencing capabilities and more will act as a meeting space for the budding entrepreneurs, a learning space, and can also be leased out by community organizations.
Both the interactive classroom and the incubators are funded by state money secured by Nozzolio, $100,000 and $56,000, respectively.
A trip on a newly installed elevator will bring entrepreneurs to the second floor of the building, the main offices of the Stardust Foundation, a space for grant writing and a grant library.
The third floor to the building is still a shell, untouched from the recent renovations. But Cosentino has a vision of eventually turning that space into classrooms to provide for additional learning.
“Our goal,” he said, “is to create the next generation of entrepreneurs for Cayuga County.”
Now that the physical building is nearly complete, those involved are turning their attention to the programmatic side of institute, to ensure that goal is achieved.
That's where CCC comes in, with Paczkowski, a member on the institute's board of directors, and Dean of Community Education and Work Force Development Carla DeShaw each working on developing curricula for both the entrepreneurs at the institute and future leaders at the college.
“We know that with work force development and economic development,” CCC President Daniel Larson said, “the college plays a crucial role because we provide the programs of study - whether credit or non-credit, it doesn't make any difference to us - that will help to support the activities down there.”
While DeShaw will be responsible for the non-credit-bearing courses at the Institute, Paczkowki spent the last several months developing three credit-bearing courses that, if all taken, will provide students with a concentration in entrepreneurship in any degree program.
The first course, Entrepreneurship 200: The Entrepreneurial Process will be offered for the first time this fall, with the second course in the sequence, Entrepreneurship 202: Innovation and Creativity offered in the spring. The third course, if all goes well, will also be offered next spring, titled Entrepreneurship 204: Social Entrepreneurship and Non-profit Management.
Additionally, Paczkowski developed a credit-free program financed through the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a national organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship. The program, an online course in entrepreneurship and small business management, was conceived as a collaboration between Paczkowski, two other CCC employees and Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Terri Bridenbecker. But the course became delayed due to Bridenbecker's unexpected death.
That course will now be offered this fall, and the college is prepared to provide scholarships to some participants, with preferential treatment given to county residents.
How does this connect with the institute?
“It certainly is entirely possible that there will be courses or seminars or workshops offered at the institute,” he said.
Larson, vice president of the institute's board, said social and economic development of downtown Auburn is one of the many eventualities of the institute. The redevelopment of State Street, he said, will have positive repercussions “we believe will help generate other development down there.
“It's not just about State Street,” he added. “It's about all of downtown Auburn from a physical re-development vantage point.”
Not only that, but CCC hasn't been in downtown Auburn for several decades, and Larson believes this project will give the college a greater presence in that area.
But ultimately, the primary expectations of the institute is truly focused on Auburn.
“I think as the community begins to see activity in downtown Auburn, then there is a sense that attitudes will start to change,” he said. People will see it is a possibility to do some other things, think outside the box, be creative and innovative.
“I think there is a great potential to reinvent what Auburn needs to be in the 21st century,” he added. “The question is, what happens next? What is Auburn going to do and be and evolve into to sustain itself? I think that the Stardust Institute has a role to play in that.”
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
If You Go
What: Stardust Entrepreneurial Institute ribbon-cutting ceremony
When: 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20
Where: First Niagara Center, 2 State St., Auburn
Organizers request people to RSVP no later than Aug. 14 to jsullivan@stardustfoundationcny.org
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