Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Recognized for Influence

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo School of Management’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) received an honorable mention as a 2012 Small Business Influencer by Small Business Trends.

The Small Business Influencer Awards, now in their second year, honor those who are influential to small businesses in North America, through the products, services, knowledge, information or support they provide to the small business market.

Thomas Ulbrich, CEL executive director, plans to represent the CEL at the official Awards Gala on Oct. 17 in New York City.

The CEL is being recognized for promoting business growth through leadership development and experiential learning, enhancing the management abilities of business leaders and building new business relationships through an expanded network of contacts.

In 2011, the CEL was named to the Top 100 list of Small Business Influencers.

“We are very pleased to once again be recognized for our work promoting and helping small businesses succeed,” Ulbrich says.

Other notable 2012 Small Business Influencer honorable mentions include Dell, Paychex and UPS.

The Small Business Influencer Awards initiative is produced by Small Business Trends, an award-winning online publication, serving more than 4,000,000 small business owners, stakeholders and entrepreneurs annually, and SmallBizTechnology.com, a media company that produces online content and live events educating small and mid-sized companies on how to strategically use technology as a tool to grow their businesses. The awards are sponsored by BlackBerry.

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 the CEL website 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.