Minority and women entrepreneurship program at UB seeks candidates

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo School of Management's Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) will host an information session for individuals interested in learning more about the 2019 Allstate Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneurs (MWEE) program.

Women and minority business owners are encouraged to attend the open house from 8-10 a.m. on June 20 at the UB Educational Opportunity Center (Conference Room), 555 Ellicott St. in Buffalo.

Edward Tierney, program facilitator, and Alex Cleary Pelc, senior program coordinator, will provide an overview of the program and answer any questions.

To register for the information session, send an email to mgt-cel@buffalo.edu or call 716-885-5715.

The MWEE program is a joint venture by the UB School of Management's Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the UB Center for Urban Studies. The mission of the program is to construct a pathway that enables these entrepreneurs to move their companies to the next stage of development.

"The program is an excellent opportunity for minority and women entrepreneurs to forge relationships, be mentored, network and get technical advice about running their businesses,” says Thomas Ulbrich, CEL executive director. “It also helps them develop clear objectives and business strategies to achieve them.”

Participants in the nine-month, fee-based MWEE program are women and members of recognized minorities whose Buffalo-Niagara region businesses are still in the fledgling stages of growth.

Initiated in 2004, the program is modeled after the CEL’s Core program, which enhances the management abilities of business leaders, the profitability of their firms and the development of business relationships through an expanded network of contacts.

A key feature of the MWEE program is the protégé/mentor collaboration between MWEE participants and CEL Core graduates. This relationship gives MWEE participants the unique opportunity to develop a plan to advance their business and learn related skills in partnership with successful business leaders in the region. It also introduces them to a support network from which they will benefit for years to come.

In addition to the benefits to individual entrepreneurs, by providing opportunities to bolster the development of their companies, the program helps to create viable and sustainable businesses in Western New York, strengthening the economy of the region.

The Allstate Corporation supports the program through The Allstate Foundation, which provides philanthropic grants to nonprofit organizations whose programs fit within specified criteria for community development; tolerance, inclusion and diversity; and economic empowerment.

Established in 1987, the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership in the University at Buffalo School of Management provides participants with individualized and interactive education in entrepreneurship. More than 1,400 CEL alumni employ more than 23,000 Western New Yorkers, and their businesses are worth more than $2.3 billion to the local economy. For more information, visit mgt.buffalo.edu/cel.