Farmingdale biz center wins SBA award

The Small Business Development Center at Farmingdale State College has won a top award as part of National Small Business Week, which began Monday.

The local operation won the Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award for Region II of the federal Small Business Administration. The region encompasses New York State, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Established at Farmingdale State in 1985, the center was lauded for starting programs to address the needs of entrepreneurs in Nassau County and western portions of Suffolk County. A similar center at Stony Brook University serves eastern Suffolk.

"Through the years, the Farmingdale Small Business Development Center has been a leader in assistance to veterans, child-care providers and energy-efficient businesses, as well as in the arenas of procurement training and assistance," said Region II administrator Jorge Silva-Puras. "Its pioneering initiatives have been emulated by others throughout New York State."

The center has never won the award before, though some of its 10 employees have been recognized with national and regional honors.

Center director Lucille Wesnofske said she and staff members attempt to design programs that meet local needs, such as training for entrepreneurs interested in tapping into redevelopment projects in Huntington Station and Wyandanch, a computer software program for business plans for day-care centers and linking government procurement officers with potential suppliers.

"We try to keep our finger on the pulse," Wesnofske said.

The center has satellite offices on Fulton Avenue in Hempstead Village and on the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville.

Since its inception, the center has helped more than 25,000 people and created and/or preserved 12,000 jobs, Wesnofske said. The companies receiving assistance have attracted $280 million in investment from owners, banks and other lenders.

The center was nominated for the SBA award by Lorraine Greenwald, dean of Farmingdale State's business school.

College president Hubert Keen praised Wesnofske's "tenacity," saying, "The award says a lot about the importance of Small Business Development Centers and the role of SUNY institutions in providing economic development."

Separately, the SBA has named Raj Thakkar its small business person of the year for the metropolitan area.

Thakkar, a Hofstra University graduate, founded Charter School Business Management Inc.

The Manhattan-based company helps charter schools improve their financial operations.