University At Buffalo: CEL Graduates Business Leaders From Core Program

Buffalo NY

15 June, 2022

2:24 PM

Description

Press release from the University at Buffalo - News Center: June 15, 2022 BUFFALO, N.Y. — Another class of established entrepreneurs is armed with the skills to move their businesses forward after graduating from the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) Core program in the University at Buffalo School of Management. The Core program graduates were honored at a joint ceremony with another CEL class, the M&T Bank Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneurs program, on June 9 at the Grapevine Banquet Hall in Depew. Del Reid, owner of 26 Shirts and founder of Bills Mafia, received the C. Taylor Kew Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, which recognizes graduates for entrepreneurial excellence and exemplifying the principles for which the late Kew stood. An energetic advocate for the CEL, Kew created and operated several companies and donated his time to several civic organizations before his tragic death in a seaplane crash in 1992. Through 26 Shirts, Reid has raised more than $1.4 million for charity. The new Core graduates completed a peer-based, mentor-driven program to help grow, refocus or better manage their businesses. During the nine-month course, the entrepreneurs performed an in-depth analysis of their businesses, while developing expertise in such key areas as strategic planning, capital acquisition, employee relations and marketing. The 2022 CEL Core graduates and their companies are: Applications are now open for the next CEL Core program, beginning this fall. Individuals interested in learning more about the curriculum and speaking candidly with Core alumni can register for an open house, to be held at 5 p.m. on June 15 at Osteria 166, 166 Franklin St., Buffalo. The event will feature a presentation by Del Reid titled "Making a Difference While Making a Living." To register or apply to the program, contact the CEL at 716-885-5715 or [email protected]. Established in 1987, the CEL provides participants with individualized and interactive education in entrepreneurship. More than 1,500 CEL alumni employ more than 23,000 Western New Yorkers, and their businesses are worth more than $2.3 billion to the local economy. For more information, visit management.buffalo.edu/cel. This press release was produced by the University at Buffalo - News Center. The views expressed here are the author's own.