UB and SUNY Fredonia to Offer Business Improvement Programs

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Chautauqua County professionals will have easier access to business improvement education thanks to a new partnership between the University at Buffalo and SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator.

This fall, UB TCIE will present a Certified Lean Professional (CLP) course and a Three-Day ISO 9001:2008 Internal Auditor training at the incubator, 214 Central Ave., Dunkirk.

Robert Fritzinger, the incubator's director, said the programs will help benefit established and start-up companies in Chautauqua County.

"We have a group of entrepreneurs and small business operators, and a core of large businesses, that have not been able to avail themselves to this type of education and training locally," he said. "With the incubator being the flagship economic development project of SUNY Fredonia, this is an important outreach business activity for us."

The 39-hour CLP course introduces participants to the Lean business management strategies of saving money and reducing waste by identifying unnecessary processes.

It runs from 8:30-11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays, Oct. 3-17, Oct. 31, Nov. 7-14, Nov. 28-Dec. 19, Jan. 16 and Feb. 13. There is also a Friday class, Oct. 26. Registration deadline is Sept. 19.

Auditor training course participants will learn about the ISO 9001:2008 standard, audit activities and techniques, the objective gathering of evidence and expectations of third-party external auditors in determining compliance. The course will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Oct. 23-25. Registration deadline is Oct. 9.

For more information on either course, contact Kerry Lynch at 716-645-8840 or klynch4@buffalo.edu.

The incubator will continue to offer business development programs with TCIE, Fritzinger said.

Opened in 2009, the incubator provides office space and business development strategy to start-up technology companies. Seventeen of its 31 space are occupied. For more information, visit: http://incubator.fredonia.edu or call 716-680-8840.

A program of UB's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, TCIE is Western New York's bridge to excellence by providing a dynamic link between UB's expert resources and the region's business community. TCIE's engineering solutions ignite innovation and technological advancement, and its core focus on operational excellence drives continuous improvement. For more information on how TCIE can assist Western New York businesses, visit: http://www.tcie.buffalo.edu or call 716-645-8800.