48 Graduate from Entrepreneurship Programs

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Thirty-nine Western New York business owners, operators and high-level managers have graduated from the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) Core program in the University at Buffalo School of Management, and nine have graduated from the school's Advanced CEL program.

Both groups participated in a graduation ceremony held June 6 in Asbury Hall in The Church on Delaware Avenue. Marsha S. Henderson, UB vice president for external affairs, spoke on behalf of the university. A keynote address was given by Andrew W. Dorn, Jr., president and CEO of Greater Buffalo Savings Bank.

Core program graduates completed a 10-month program for experienced entrepreneurs and business leaders who wish to grow, refocus or better manage their businesses. They performed an in-depth analysis of their own businesses while developing expertise in key areas such as strategic planning, employee relations, capital acquisition and marketing.

The graduates of the Core program are: Rory Allen, president, Document Advantage, Buffalo; Gordon Anderson, president, Anderson Courts and Sports Surfaces Inc., Clarence; Scott Attig, president, Wizard Cooling, Orchard Park; Paul Banas, president, Banas Mortgage Company Ltd., Williamsville; Paul Barone, president, Emerling Agency EMS Group, Williamsville; Carleen Bradley, vice president/general manager, ProCare Medical Supply, Williamsville; William Breeser, president, Better Wire Products, Buffalo; Tony Corigliano, president, AT Technology Inc., Amherst; Donald Cuddihy, president, New Frontiers in T.B.I. Inc., Buffalo; George Danakas, M.D., OB/GYN PC and owner, Rosali Reality, Williamsville; Joyce DeLong, owner, Insty-Prints, Cheektowaga; Jeffrey DiMayo, D.V.M., owner, Clarence Animal Hospital, Clarence; Dana Donnelly, president, Buffalo Creek Inc., Wales Center.

Also Kathy Egan, vice president of sales, Olympic Management Systems, Buffalo; Andrew Johnson, president, Sherex, Lancaster; Theodore Johnson, president, Hadley Exhibits Inc., Buffalo; Dan Loncto, owner, Fleet Feet Sports, Buffalo; Marie Maranto, insurance agent, C.N. Maranto Agency Inc., Carolyn Boser Newhouse, president, SuperUser Technologies Inc., Bradford; Jim Newkirk, business development manager, ENrG Inc., Buffalo; Michael Olear, associate broker, MJ Peterson, Williamsville; David Pawlowski, M.D., principal, Highgate Medical Group, Amherst; Catherine Pera, president, Bison Contracting and Builders Supply Corp., Buffalo.

Also Thomas Schuster, owner, Schuster Construction LLC, Depew; Samuel Shatkin Jr., M.D., Aesthetic Associates Center, Amherst; John Silverman, president, Tschopp Supply Co., Buffalo; Holly Sinnott, CEO, World Trade Center, Buffalo; Gary Skalyo, president, Quality Laser Services Inc., Buffalo; Paul E. Steimle, president/owner, MJI Consulting Group LLC, Buffalo; Hugh Stephens, partner, Stephens and Stephens, Buffalo; Randy Strauss, president, DBA Strauss Group, Williamsville; Thomas Tobias, D.D.S., West Seneca; David Waldron, partner, CJ Mulanix Co. Inc., Williamsville; Matt Watson, vice president, HFW Industries Inc., Buffalo; Jerry Young, managing partner, Young & Wright Architectural, Buffalo; and Michelle Zymowski, owner, Printing Prep, Buffalo.

Graduates of the Advanced CEL program build upon the success of the Core program in a forum designed to help them continue their success through an array of learning opportunities.

Graduates of the Advanced CEL program are: Philip Basinski, president, Sweeney's Garage Inc., Pendleton; David Berghash, CEO, Shield Manufacturing Inc., Williamsville; Daniel Blatz, contract administrator, Supplemental Health Care Services Inc., Buffalo; Francine Brooks, president, FB Displays & Designs Inc., Williamsville; Richard Corica, executive vice president/COO, Elite Recovery Services Inc., Lockport; Chris Guard, president, Guard Contracting Corp., Youngstown; Jeff Kryszak, president, K-TECHnologies Inc., Hamburg; Cathy Lovejoy Maloney, executive director, Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens Society Inc., Williamsville; and Frederick Saia, president, Oneida Sales & Services, Kenmore.

Established in 1987, the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership is tailored for established business owners and business leaders.

"The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership provides a crucial link between these businesses and the School of Management. The relationship building and sharing of expertise that takes place in the core program are invaluable to both the school and participants," said Althea Luehrsen, executive director of the CEL.

"The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership alumni network is now more than 550 strong," she added. Luehrsen estimates that CEL alumni employ more than 20,000 Western New Yorkers and are worth nearly $3 billion to the local economy.

The CEL Core program, now entering its 20th year, is accepting applications for September enrollment. For more information, contact Althea Luehrsen, executive director, at 716-645-3000 or visit http://mgt.buffalo.edu/cel.

The Wall Street Journal ranks the UB School of Management 10th in the nation among schools with strong regional recruiting bases. In addition, BusinessWeek ranks the school as one of the country's top 5 business schools for the fastest return on MBA investment, and Forbes cites it as one of the best business schools in the U.S. for the return on investment it provides MBA graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit http://mgt.buffalo.edu.