Buffalo, NY— Vic Nole, Director of New Business Development, and Jennifer Flood, Suites Administrator, from the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.’s (BNMC Inc.) Thomas R. Beecher Jr. Innovation Center recently completed the National Business Incubation Association’s (NBIA) Incubator Management Certificate Program.
The educational program provides a comprehensive and practical overview of the tasks and responsibilities of managing business incubators, which are programs that accelerate the successful development of start-up and emerging companies by providing entrepreneurs with resources and services. Launched in 2007, the certificate program is designed to enhance managers’ skills and to provide them with opportunities to gain ideas for building stronger relationships with key constituents, providing effective client services, ensuring incubator sustainability and more.
“I am proud to have earned the Incubator Management Certificate,” said Nole. “It certainly helps me to provide the best possible service to our client companies and to our local entrepreneurs who need assistance in launching their business ideas. It also has allowed me to join a solid network of incubator managers across the country who share best practices and resources for the benefit of our local clients.”
NBIA officials say receiving a certificate is a mark of distinction verifying mastery of incubator governance, services and policies. “We thought it would be helpful for NBIA to establish a base of knowledge that every incubator manager should know, regardless of the type of incubator they run,” said Tom Strodtbeck, NBIA director of events and international programs. “The certificate program is a way for people to track their progress in gaining that knowledge.”
To receive a certificate, incubator managers must complete a total of 24 hours of training that covers a range of topics, including incubator finances, strategic planning, graduation policies and procedures, client selection, and facilities management.
Business incubation programs, such as the Thomas R. Beecher, Jr. Innovation Center, catalyze the process of starting and growing companies by providing entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks and tools they need to make their ventures successful. NBIA estimates that in 2011 alone, North American incubators assisted about 49,000 start-up companies that provided full-time employment for nearly 200,000 workers and generated annual revenue of almost $15 billion.
The Thomas R. Beecher, Jr. Innovation Center, located at 640 Ellicott Street on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, is a LEED-certified research and development space housing early stage companies, as well as companies offering support services like access to capital, IP attorneys, talent acquisition, sales, and marketing. The growing space is designed to accommodate small to medium companies seeking office space, wet lab and/or research space.
The Suites at the Innovation Center offers physical and virtual office space on a month-to-month basis. Offices are furnished with telephone and internet access included. The “plug ‘n play” space is perfect for entrepreneurs and small businesses. The Innovation Center also houses dig, a collaborative co-work space created to help people turn their idea into a business. Both the Innovation Center and dig are operated by the BNMC Inc.
About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.
The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC Inc.) is a self-sustaining social enterprise successfully combining innovation, job creation, and urban revitalization. It serves as the umbrella organization of the anchor institutions that make up the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus located within the 120-acre campus bordering Allentown, the Fruit Belt and Downtown. The BNMC Inc. fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, its partners and the community to address critical issues impacting them, including entrepreneurship, energy, access and transportation, workforce and procurement, neighborhoods, and healthy communities, with the goal of increasing economic development and building a strong community. bnmc-old.local
About the National Business Incubation Association
The National Business Incubation Association is the world’s leading organization advancing business incubation and entrepreneurship. It provides thousands of professionals with information, education, advocacy and networking resources to bring excellence to the process of assisting early-stage companies. Visit www.nbia.org to learn more.