Orange County Business Accelerator Hosts Social Media Seminar

OCBA Enterprise Development Director Peter J. Gregory, Focus Media CEO Josh Sommers, OCBA Managing Director Michael J. DiTullo and Focus Media Executive Vice President Bill Madden. Sommers and Madden were recently guest speakers at the Accelerator’s Entrepreneur Knowledge Series on Wednesday, May 26, and discussed the hot topic of Social Media with over three dozen businessmen and women from around the Hudson Valley and New York City.

 

Focus Media CEO Josh Sommers, speaking, and Executive Vice President Bill Madden, standing to the right, addressed a small crowd of businessmen and women from around the Hudson Valley and New York City on Wednesday, May 26 at the Orange County Business Accelerator in New Windsor, N.Y. Sommers and Madden discussed the hot topic of Social Media at the Entrepreneur Knowledge Series event, held every fourth Wednesday of the month at the Accelerator.

Entrepreneur Knowledge Series: Sign up before it fills up!

Social media has proven to be an in-demand product as more than two dozen firms from around Orange County and the Hudson Valley have swarmed the Accelerator with inquiries regarding the hot topic and preregistered for the latest seminar in the Entrepreneur Knowledge Series within days of announcing the event.

Guest speakers Josh Sommers and Bill Madden, president and executive vice president, respectively, of Focus Media, a Goshen-based advertising and public relations firm, will have their hands full as they discuss how their clients, including the Accelerator, have had success using LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, among other social media networks.

Since the introduction of the Entrepreneur Knowledge Series in February, more than 300 members of the public and private sectors have taken advantage of the seminars provided by the Accelerator and come away with valuable information on a variety of topics, including cloud computing, intellectual property and patent protection, clean energy and corporate sustainability.

Join us this Wednesday, May 26 at 11:30 a.m. at our office in New Windsor to learn how to make social media work for you and your business.

Register NOW to become a part of this exciting, can’t miss event. Visit the events section of our Web site for more info. Sign up before it fills up!

Health Sciences Firm Joins Orange County Business Accelerator

New Windsor, N.Y. – May 13, 2010 – Orange County Business Accelerator (OCBA) is proud to introduce WD & E Consulting as its newest client under the Associate Client Plan, one which allows entrepreneurs to utilize the Accelerator’s vast wealth of services without the need to lease space at its offices.

Michael J. DiTullo, managing director at OCBA, said, “WD & E Consulting is the second associate client and sixth innovator to utilize the Accelerator. The firm has an excellent business model and great leadership and now it is up to the Accelerator to enhance their competitiveness and to assist them in creating wealth and jobs here in Orange County.”

WD & E Consulting is a cost-containment firm that specializes in workers’ compensation, disability and employee health benefits. The early-stage startup will provide state-of-the-art technology, software and web-based applications to employers to help establish mechanisms to ensure high quality healthcare, including benefit plan design and review of policies, procedures and administration.

WD & E Consulting looks to the Accelerator for help in growing its second surgical opinion program, along with its supplemental services. The Accelerator will serve as a think tank and networking coordinator for the firm as it looks to improve the healthcare landscape in Orange County and the Hudson Valley.

Daniel R. Miller, president of WD & E Consulting, said, “We are eager to begin working with the Accelerator to improve healthcare services in Orange County and around the Hudson Valley. The start-up assistance provided by the Accelerator is just what we need to move this company, and the healthcare industry, in the right direction.”

As with all members of the Associate Client program, WD & E Consulting will have available to them all of the advantages of full resident services, including use of its high-tech conference room, mailing address and access to its vast network of advisors, along with the numerous other services the Accelerator offers. This platform allows for entrepreneurs to embrace the Accelerator’s competitive advantage without the need to lease space at its New Windsor-based offices.

Social Media Strategies To Be Discussed at May Seminar

New Windsor, N.Y. – May 17, 2010 – Social media is the hot topic at this month’s Orange County Business Accelerator Entrepreneur Knowledge Series event.

On Wednesday, May 26, OCBA will offer tips on “Making Social Media Work for You” at its offices at 4 London Ave. in New Windsor, N.Y. The guest speakers, Josh Sommers, founder and CEO of Focus Media, and Bill Madden, executive vice president of Focus Media, will discuss social media in today’s business world and how to use it effectively. Focus Media is a full-service advertising and public relations agency based in Goshen, N.Y.

The event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; lunch will be served. Cost is $25 per person and includes a tour of Orange County Business Accelerator. College students are FREE. The event is sponsored by Dynegy, Inc., whose East Coast Headquarters are located in the second story of the Accelerator building at New York International Plaza.

The seminar will provide valuable information on the social networking sites Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as others. OCBA invites marketing and public relations executives, business owners, municipal leaders and others in the business community involved in communications to take advantage of this valuable opportunity.

OCBA Enterprise Development Director Peter J. Gregory said, “As the growing business community in Orange County and the Hudson Valley looks to coordinate advertising and public relations efforts, social media has evolved into a tool that allows them to constantly touch new and existing customers. The key is to coordinate your social media such that your message is consistent and clear.”

Sommers added, “Social media is a simple, yet extremely effective tool in the business world – you just have to know how to use it. We’re going to cover the techniques and strategies in the world of social media and teach businesses how to apply it and get results, just as we have with many of our clients, including the Accelerator.”

The Entrepreneur Knowledge Series has proven to be a great asset to businesses around the Hudson Valley and surrounding regions. Scheduled for the fourth Wednesday of every month, the events have helped educate public officials, planning board members and business owners on the latest business development technologies and tactics. Previous topics include corporate sustainability, patents, clean energy and cloud computing.

Social media the hot topic of this month’s Entrepreneur Knowledge Series

Since the introduction of the Entrepreneur Knowledge Series in February, over 300 members of the public and private sectors have taken advantage of the seminars provided by the Accelerator and come away with valuable information on a variety of topics, including cloud computing, intellectual property, clean energy and corporate sustainability.

This month, the hot topic is social media – one of the fastest growing forms of new media adopted by the business world today. Guest speakers Josh Sommers and Bill Madden, both of Focus Media, a Goshen-based advertising and public relations firm, will educate attendees as to why they have placed social media in their toolbox of client services.

The Accelerator utilizes Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube in its marketing communications mix. Why, you ask? It helps us promote our events, clients and services. It has enabled us to communicate our message of opportunity and competitive advantage to a select group of interested parties.

Come see for yourself the benefits of social media. Join us on May 26 at 11:30 a.m. at our office in New Windsor to learn how to make social media work for you and your business.

Call us NOW at 845.220.2208 to make reservations (capacity is limited) or go to events section of website for registration information.

Second associate client joins the Accelerator

Since the introduction of the Associate Client Plan in March, the response from early-stage innovators across the Hudson Valley has been extremely positive. Entrepreneurs have looked to the Accelerator for guidance and networking. WD & E Consulting is the latest firm to join the ranks.

WD & E Consulting is a cost-containment firm that specializes in workers’ compensation, disability and employee health benefits. The early-stage startup will provide state-of-the-art technology, software and web-based applications to employers to help establish mechanisms to ensure high quality healthcare, including benefit plan design and review of policies, procedures and administration.

WD & E Consulting looks to the Accelerator for help in growing its second surgical opinion program, something company president Daniel Miller has expressed to me as “the crown jewel” of the company. The Accelerator will serve as a think tank and networking coordinator for the firm as it looks to improve the healthcare landscape in Orange County and the Hudson Valley.

Even with Phase II of office and innovation suites now nearing capacity, entrepreneurs are still turning to the Accelerator to gain competitive advantage. As we’ve said in the past, the Accelerator offers something for entrepreneurs unmatched by any other organization in the region – a state-of-the-art facility, unrivaled professional consulting and leadership, and an attitude that says we want your business to grow and prosper in Orange County.

The intersection of capital and talent…and innovation… is poised to handle the traffic.

2010 SBIR Conference Opens New Doors for Orange County Business Accelerator

New Windsor, N.Y. – May 5, 2010 – Orange County Business Accelerator (OCBA) Entrepreneur Development Director Peter J. Gregory recently attended the 2010 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Conference in Hartford, Conn. where over 500 technology firms from around the country met to network and collaborate.

 

Gregory said, “Throughout the weekend, we met with dozens of firms looking to increase their market potential and gain the competitive advantage offered by the Orange County Business Accelerator. In fact, we met a group of interesting incubator leaders from the State of Washington who expressed interest in collaborating with the Accelerator in an effort to boost marketing efforts on both coasts.”

Over 100 technology companies exhibited during the weekend’s poster session and well over 500 professionals in the fields of life sciences, alternative energy, and other technologies attended the conference. The itinerary included “speed dating” networking sessions, workshops, panels and private meetings with SBIR agencies and affiliated companies.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Technology administers the SBIR Program. Through this competitive bidding program, SBA ensures that the nation’s small high-tech, innovative businesses are a significant part of the federal government’s research and development efforts. Eleven federal departments participate in the SBIR program, which awards $2 billion to small high-tech businesses yearly.

OCBA, located at 4 London Avenue in New Windsor, N.Y. at Stewart International Airport, is a business incubator program launched by the Orange County Industrial Development Agency (IDA). The incubator, 10,000 square feet of Class A high-tech research and development space, is designed to attract new entrepreneurial investment by providing businesses with below market occupancy costs, a menu of mentoring programs and a high-tech plug-and-play office environment.

SBIR conference opens new doors for the Accelerator

Good morning, everyone. Entrepreneur Development Director Peter J. Gregory stepping in once again for an update on business development at the Accelerator. We recently had the opportunity to attend this year’s S.B.I.R (Small Business Innovation Research) Conference in Hartford, Conn. and our networking capabilities have sure taken a new direction.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (S.B.A.) Office of Technology administers the Small Business Innovation Research (S.B.I.R.) Program. Through this competitive bidding program, S.B.A. ensures that the nation’s small high-tech, innovative businesses are a significant part of the federal government’s research and development efforts. Eleven federal departments participate in the S.B.I.R. program, which awards $2 billion to small high-tech businesses yearly.

Over 100 technology companies exhibited during the weekend’s poster session and well over 500 professionals in the fields of life sciences, alternative energy, and other technologies were at our disposal. Our itinerary included “speed dating” networking sessions, workshops, panels and private meetings with S.B.I.R. agencies and affiliated companies.

Speaking of meetings, in between our workshops and networking sessions, we met a group of interesting incubator leaders from the State of Washington who expressed interest in collaborating with the Accelerator in an effort to increase interest in both parties, on both sides of the country.

The past few months have been a busy time for the Accelerator. We’ve signed six early-state innovators and completed Phase II construction nine months ahead of time. We’ve launched a multi-layered marketing and public relations plan that has helped increase our exposure to new markets. We’ve started the Entrepreneur Knowledge Series – a monthly seminar and discussion series dedicated to spreading knowledge of innovative trends and techniques in the workplace.

Now we are expanding our reach beyond New York State and the Northeast. The future of the Accelerator is looking brighter every week.