WISE Women's Business Center Awarded Three-Year Grant from Empire State Development, Celebrates Entrepreneur of the Year Award
The WISE Women's Business Center, in collaboration with Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management, is pleased to announce the renewal of WISE as an Entrepreneurial Assistance Center (EAC) through the Empire State Development EAC program. This award ensures WISE’s continued designation as one of twenty-six Entrepreneurship Assistance Centers in the State of New York, and recognizes the center's ongoing success in advancing women in business and fostering economic growth in Central New York. In line with its commitment to equity and community impact, the WISE Women's Business Center’s programs reach underserved, minority, and rural populations across the seven counties it serves.
The three-year grant from Empire State Development will support the WISE Women's Business Center’s Accelerate: Business Plan Intensive and fund a newly established Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) Certification Advising Program. The Accelerate: Business Plan Intensive program, currently in its fifth year and kicking off the ninth cohort April 9, 2025, is a low-cost, 10-week program which provides women entrepreneurs in the early stages of their business with expert guidance, peer collaboration, and personalized support in developing and refining business plans and financial projections which can be used for loan applications, finding business partners, and more. The new MWBE Certification Advising Program provides personalized, step-by-step support to help businesses navigate the complex process of obtaining New York State MWBE certification. Services include evaluating business's readiness, assisting with documentation and application preparation, and offering actionable recommendations to strengthen application submission.
Highlighting WISE’s commitment to empowering women entrepreneurs in Central New York, Arteika Hunter, Managing Director and Founder of Clean & Glo Cleaning Services LLC, was honored with the EAC Entrepreneur of the Year award by Empire State Development at the 2024 EAC Annual Conference in October. Hunter launched her woman- and minority-owned janitorial business in August 2022, drawing on over a decade of experience in the cleaning industry. Through the support of the WISE Women's Business Center and other community resources, Arteika continues to navigate the challenges of ownership and scaling her small business.
Arteika Hunter posing with her EAC Entrepreneur of the Year award
In addition to its designation as an EAC by Empire State Development, WISE has been a designated Women’s Business Center by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) since 2006. This recognition underscores the center's commitment to serving women entrepreneurs by providing impactful programs, resources, and one-on-one tailored support in reaching their business goals. WISE Women's Business Center is deeply invested in collaborative efforts with community partners to maximize its impact to deliver comprehensive services to women entrepreneurs. By forging strategic alliances with local organizations, educational institutions, and business support entities, WISE ensures a network of resources that goes beyond its individual capabilities.
"We are honored by Empire State Development’s renewed commitment to WISE as an Entrepreneurship Assistance Center,” said Meghan Florkowski, Director of the WISE Women’s Business Center. “This support enables us to empower women entrepreneurs across Central New York, helping them to build thriving businesses that drive meaningful change in our region.”