$86,000 grant to aid entrepreneurs in two CEL programs

By Matthew Biddle

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- In 2015, the University at Buffalo School of Management’s Center for Entrepreneurship (CEL) will continue to support and train business owners in Buffalo’s Kensington-Bailey district and minority and women entrepreneurs across the area, thanks to an $86,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation.

The grant marks the 11th consecutive year The Allstate Foundation has helped fund the Allstate Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneurs program (MWEE), a joint venture between the CEL and UB’s Center for Urban Studies.

In addition, a portion of the grant will fund the Allstate Entrepreneur Support program, an initiative modeled after the MWEE program that was launched last year to assist business owners in Buffalo’s Kensington-Bailey business district. The CEL runs the program in partnership with the Bailey Avenue Business Association and UB’s Office of Government and Community Relations.

“Both programs help our participants develop valuable skills and relationships with other entrepreneurs,” says Thomas Ulbrich, assistant dean and executive director of the CEL. “The generous support of The Allstate Foundation has enabled more than 180 graduates to become more focused, strategic and successful in their businesses, thereby helping to strengthen the Western New York economy.”

The MWEE program is designed to help participants move their companies to the next stage of development by forging relationships with successful business owners, setting objectives and outcomes for business plans, connecting with existing resources and more. Twenty-nine participants are enrolled as protégés for the 2014-15 program.

While the MWEE program hosts seminars at the CEL, the Entrepreneur Support program hosts meetings at the Gerard Place education building, centrally located in the Kensington-Bailey business district. Participants benefit from seminars, networking, mentoring and additional resources to help grow their businesses. The 2015 program kicks off in January.

For more information on the MWEE and Entrepreneur Support programs, contact the CEL at 716-885-5715 or mgt-cel@buffalo.edu.

The Allstate Foundation, a charitable organization funded by subsidiaries of Allstate Insurance Corp., provides philanthropic grants to nonprofit organizations. With a focus on teen safe driving and building financial independence for domestic violence survivors, The Allstate Foundation also promotes safe and vital communities; tolerance, inclusion, and diversity; and economic empowerment.

Established in 1987, the CEL provides participants with individualized and interactive education in entrepreneurship. More than 1,200 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.

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 also has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report 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, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York. UB’s nearly 30,000 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.