With any small business, having connections with the big players can be the difference between sink and swim.
That rings especially true in the food and beverage industry, where viability can rest on partnerships and purchase agreements with large companies.
With a $50,000 grant from the New York State Electric & Gas Corp., Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. intends to help the region”™s smaller entrepreneurs expand their operations and meet the demands of large venues through its Bet on My Business Academy, a six-month classroom and hands-on training program.
The pilot program, which is part of HVEDC”™s Hudson Valley Food & Beverage Alliance, will help entrepreneurs meet the needs of high-volume hospitality companies, including gaming facilities and hotels, that are interested in their products and services. HVEDC President and CEO Laurence Gottlieb said the academy, which will be a mixture of traditional hospitality training in the classroom followed by job shadowing of the larger companies, is expected to launch this year.
- Laurence Gottlieb
“Conceptually, it”™s a very unique program,” Gottlieb said, adding that it is the first of its kind in the state. “The idea is to provide access to larger hospitality operations and insight into how they operate. How do they find out about new products? Once they find the products, how much do they order? How do they then distribute products to customers?”
For example, a microbrewery owner could spend a day or several days shadowing the beverage manager of Empire City Casino in Yonkers to see how a craft beer sells in a crowded environment and ways to better market and distribute products. Though most breweries”™ sales come through facility visits and tastings, Gottlieb hoped more could thrive through expanded distribution as experienced by Elmsford-based Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. Time coordination could admittedly be a challenge, Gottlieb said, as many business owners are already booked running their companies during the same time they would be required to complete job shadowing and training.
Gottlieb said he expects the program to run over a period of six months with 10 to 15 entrepreneurs enrolling for the first class. HVEDC will not begin accepting participants until the curriculum is finalized. The program is open to food and beverage entrepreneurs and businesses from Westchester, Rockland, Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties. By hopefully expanding operations, Gottlieb said the academy should also create new jobs in the Hudson Valley.
The grant money will be used entirely to build the curriculum, which is being developed by Hospitality Resource Group, a White Plains-based training firm. Lesson topics will include culinary operations, sales and marketing, on-site operations and purchasing, and inventory and vendor management. Gottlieb said customer service and contracting would also be explored.
“As a growing company, we know how important it is to develop real-world business skills, and we are eager to develop the latest generation of promising entrepreneurs,” said Robert O. Sanders Jr., chairman of Hospitality Resource Group.
While some entrepreneurs running food and beverage companies may be well-versed in operating a bar or come from a business background, they may lack a formal background in product distribution and inventory or accounting.
“The amazing thing about some of these entrepreneurs is that they”™re in their second or third careers,” Gottlieb said. “Even though many of them are young, they”™ve already worked in other businesses or have had other types of training.”
HVEDC has made it clear that it hopes the academy will not only educate the owners of smaller ventures but also forge links or partnerships among food and beverage producers based in Westchester and places such as catering halls, hotels and casinos in the northern areas the organization serves.
HVEDC board of directors Chairman James Laurito said the alliance has helped varied businesses succeed and thrive, and Bet on My Business was the next “logical step” to continue its efforts.
“We believe this program will give business owners and executives the resources and knowledge they need to move their companies forward in meaningful and sustainable ways,” Laurito said.
