Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Moves to UB Downtown Gateway

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo School of Management’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) has a new home in the UB Downtown Gateway.

The CEL, which promotes business growth through leadership development and experiential learning, has moved from its former location in the Jacobs Executive Development Center (also known as the Butler Mansion) to newly renovated space in the Gateway at 77 Goodell Street in downtown Buffalo.

“This strategic move brings the CEL into the heart of a region where innovation is flourishing,” said Arjang Assad, dean of the UB School of Management. “The Gateway’s proximity to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and UB’s downtown research enterprises will allow easier collaboration between the CEL and the area’s burgeoning life sciences companies.”

The UB Downtown Gateway provides space for community outreach, service and research programs with a public orientation. These include the UB Office of Economic Engagement, UB Department of Family Medicine, the UB Regional Institute, UBMD, the physician practice plan of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and UB’s Millard Fillmore College, which offers continuing education for adults.

Acquired by UB in 2007, the building was home to local clothing manufacturer M. Wile & Co. from 1924 to 1964, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The move is another step in CEL’s plan to expand both the scope and reach of its activities, thanks in part to a $525,000 investment by UB and the School of Management.

“Both the new location and the additional funding are an outstanding opportunity to strengthen the center and take things to the next level for the benefit of the region’s entrepreneurs,” says Tom Ulbrich, executive director of the CEL.

Established in 1987, the CEL provides participants with individualized and interactive education in entrepreneurship. More than 900 CEL alumni employ more than 22,000 Western New Yorkers, and their businesses are worth more than $2 billion to the local economy. For more information, visit mgt.buffalo.edu/cel or contact the CEL at 716-885-5715 or mgt-cel@buffalo.edu.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.