Business Incubator Expanding Its Programs

Since its launch in May, 2007, the
Adirondack Regional Business Incubator (ARBI) has worked to foster entrepreneurial growth in Warren County and beyond. While the final property location of the incubator is still to be determined, ARBI is actively supporting business growth in our area in its work with affiliate members, in a well-attended, three-month leadership development program, and through its thought-provoking Speaker Series.

With the summer baseball season just around the corner, the Glens Falls Golden Eagles baseball team franchise, part of the New York Collegiate Baseball League, has been working with ARBI Executive Director Jeff Farley on developing and executing a 2008 business plan. The team hopes to attract everything from funding for East Field upgrades to increased business sponsors and higher public attendance. The baseball team is an Affiliate Member of ARBI, a membership category for local businesses that have a physical location, but still want to take advantage of ARBI’s coaching and business development expertise.

Another ARBI affiliate member, Trinity Eldercare Consulting and Management has experienced positive outcomes from its weekly business planning sessions with ARBI’s Executive Director and quarterly meetings with members of ARBI’s Business Advisory Committee.

ARBI launched its first People Development Series in the first quarter of 2008, focused on Supervisory Leadership, a developmental process for first-line managers. The eleven-week process, facilitated by ARBI Executive Director Jeff Farley, includes participants from AngioDynamics, Barton Mines, C. R. Bard, Saint-Gobain and Davidson Brothers.

At a recent ARBI Speaker Series presentation, Eamonn Hobbs, President and CEO of AngioDynamics, Inc. in Queensbury, shared his perspectives on economic development and entrepreneurial success: “How do we stay out in front? We set a goal and work at it. We have to make an innovation economy a political priority. We also need to cultivate entrepreneurs and do everything we can to make it easier for them to succeed.” Mark your calendar for the next Speaker Series presentation, set for March 20, when Dr. Kevin O’Neil, from SUNY Plattsburgh, a renowned expert on Brain Drain, will speak on the impact of Brain Drain on an area’s economic development initiatives.

To find out more about how your business might benefit from the programs of the Adirondack Regional Business Incubator, contact ARBI Executive Director Jeff Farley, 761-6007, ext. 303 or jfarley@arbi.biz.