County Executive Urges Small Business Owners To Take 'Just Add One' Course

CARMEL, N.Y. – Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell is encouraging small business owners to take part in Just Add One Westchester-Putnam, a course designed to help them grow and contribute to the region’s economic growth.

From left, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell business owners Jenn Maher, of J. Philip Commercial Group and the Putnam Chamber of Commerce; Mark Buzzetto, The Brewster Flower Garden; and Geoffrey Reinwald, Brewster Chamber of Commerce.
Photo Credit: *Contibuted*

Carol Reif

11/27/2015 1:45 p.m.

The course is open to small business owners in Putnam or Westchester who are interested in learning how to create strategies to strengthen their business models/operations and make them more efficient.

It is being sponsored by the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board. Board members are appointed by Odell in Putnam County and in Westchester by County Executive Robert P. Astorino.

Deadline to submit an application for the 12-week course is Tuesday, Dec. 1.

The Just Add One Task Force will select 35 businesses to participate. Successful applicants will be notified by Dec. 20.

To be eligible a business must have a growth goal that enables it to hire at least one person.

Interested businesses without any employees will be considered only if they have demonstrated business capabilities and an interest in hiring an employee.

“Small businesses account for a majority of the employers in Putnam County,” Odell said. “When I say that Putnam County is open for business, I do not mean just for new businesses. As a county, we want to offer our established businesses the resources and tools needed to thrive and grow.”

Areas covered by the course are goal achievement and accountability; leadership; branding; marketing/public relations; customer services and customer loyalty; websites and social media; accounting; being the chief financial officer of your business; access to capital' sales; legal and human resources; risk and insurance.

Participants will also get weekly coaching sessions -- in person or by phone -- to review what they learned and to create strategies for applying it in real life.

There will also be optional group sessions and opportunities for peer-to-peer sharing once a month.

The course will be held on Thursdays from 6 - 9 p.m. beginning Thursday, Jan. 7, at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, N.Y.

The course costs $163 (includes $13 registration fee and $5 non-refundable fee).

The balance of the tuition is being funded by a grant from the Westchester Putnam Workforce Development Board.

For more information about the course, call (914)-606-5685, or email romina.ganopolsky@sunywcc.edu.

To apply for the course online, click here. .

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