Project Components

The objective of this component is to identify and develop a strategy and plan of action to identify solutions that form collaborative efforts.  The following identifies the activities to be conducted.

1. Develop a Strategic Plan that identifies the key components that serves as the basic foundation for community and economic enrichment. This will lead the community toward self-sufficiency to include the preserving and strengthening of the infrastructure of the targeted neighborhood; promoting the growth and development of minority and disadvantaged business sectors by promoting a diverse business base that is profitable, efficient, and competitive and maximizes the opportunity for job creation. This will also define measures to increase the number of MWBE/MBE/WBE participation on corporate, city and state contractors in the procurement of goods and services to a level of 30% within the next 10 years and assuring that Syracuse is attractive to business leaders and investors from around the country.

2. Identify current small Business Development Resources and the strategic solutions to provide a standard gateway to instructional access, support resources, networking and procurement opportunities.

3. Identify potential community partners and establish a collaborative link by creating a Community/Planning Advisory Committee consisting of board members, business individuals and community representatives. 

4. Conduct a preliminary market analysis of the South West Avenue Corridor of Syracuse. In the past several decades the Corridor has gone through serious economic downturn.  Once the community’s main vibrant economic district, the Corridor is currently full of vacant buildings in disrepair, businesses have moved out, employment rate is at an all time high, crime rate is up, and small businesses who managed to open their stores are struggling to stay open.  In short, the Corridor has been inadvertently shut out of any vibrant economic hopes from the City’s main downtown corridor.  The preliminary market analysis will focus on the Corridor’s potential sales and understanding who its most likely customers might be based on local market trends, customer preferences, and local experience.  This will be a tool that will assist in making informed decisions about the revitalization program’s priorities and activities. 

5. Develop needs analysis which will assist in devising a marketing strategy for Southwest Syracuse to attract businesses to the city of Syracuse as well as developing a strategic plan to maximize resource.

6. Small business Development: Identify 100 micro and small businesses within the South and Southwest neighborhoods. Initiate an aggressive outreach campaign which will include door to door canvassing, mail distribution, participation in community events and coordinating activities with local economic development groups. And finally, Conduct quarterly networking activities that will assist small business owners make liaisons beneficial to their growing business and encourage collaborative business initiatives. Southside businesses will be identified to “host” these functions thereby exposing their business to the larger business community.

7. Youth Entrepreneurs: Provide Entrepreneurial training designed to provide a business development experience that maintains diversified objectives and undertakes a multidimensional approach to addressing a number of key community issues:  (a) increasing concerns about youth violence in Syracuse; (b) increasing recognition of the challenges that youth from high-risk environments face and their need for engaging ways to acquire additional life and work skills; and, (c) the limited availability and control of fresh and affordable produce within inner-city communities.

This Phase of the project is funded by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA’s funding should not be construed as an endorsement of any products, opinions, or services.  All SBA -funded projects are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.

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The objective of this component is to establish the processes and resources within the community to deliver strategic change that focus on improving and revitalizing the “quality of the neighborhood”.    The key to establishing economic development blue prints is to  conduct neighborhood assessments,  determine neighborhood market positions and develop a marketing strategy to include: Demographics of the ‘Corridor’ (Population growth projections); Current Business and Property Inventor; Current Business Environment; Trade Area and Market Competition; Current and potential Retail Sales; Strengths & Weaknesses. The anticipated outcomes for this phase include: 

1. Neighborhood Infrastructure Rebuilding – Identify and establish the key parameters in collaborating with neighborhood stakeholders to design and implement a plan to improve upon the quality of life by addressing crime, providing much needed green space and better delivery of services. 

2. Small Business Development:

   • Continue to enhance training programs and conduct business assessments to determine type of management assistance needed sufficiency of the businesses organizational structure, management team, business model, market and or distribution area and the capacity to create value.

   • Small Business Access to Capital Fund: Establish the foundation and aggressively focus on the development of a capital access fund for disadvantaged businesses.

   • Small Business Utilization: Develop and maintain a list of city, state and federal certified businesses and a declaration of the certification process for certified businesses and specialized vendor list.  Establish the small business marketing strategy to market small businesses to corporations, city, state and federal agencies to improve visibility, customer perception and programs services.

   • Small Business Development and Advocacy: Advocated and Identify type of outreach and assistance is required to produce a 30% participating in city and state procurement opportunities and to provide accurate and time procurement reporting and coordination reporting to community. 

3. Organization Stability and expansion. To be successful, we must have a strong organization. Therefore, we will assure and retain high quality staff, appropriate staffing levels, and stable financial resources for the normal operating activities, and organizational structure. Development of a long-range fiscal action plan.

4. Business retention and expansion: Develop the Corporation Recruitment and Development Strategy – ‘The Corridor’s Approach’. We shall also identify the Community Growth Centers which includes the development of areas of concentrated activity such as retail, office, public facilities, a range of residential development, cultural and recreational activities.

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The community will place the highest priority on implementing the various elements of the strategic plan that can actually be measured as to their effectiveness and timeliness. An emphasis will be placed on implementation and results measurement for each initiative—program, project, or service. One of the community’s focuses should be to set short project timelines with achievable milestones. The long-term value of this process will be in the cumulative effect of the continuation of the tasks identified in Phase II and the new tasks that focus on organizational stability and expansion which are to: 

1. Establish a Small Business Certification Clearing House

2. Acquire a New Business Facility

3. Establish an exploratory committee to examine the possibilities for sustainability and maintainability- establish a for-profit entity such that the proceeds can be used to provide quality and effective resources to the community.

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