How to Fund Your Business

Join the Mohawk Valley Small Business Development Center and MVCC’s thINCubator for this informative session, where you’ll learn about a variety of funding options for your new or existing small business. Presenters from the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District, NBT Bank, Pursuit Lending, and the U.S. Small Business Administration will share updates about their lending programs and actionable steps you can take to prepare to apply for funding. After the seminar, presenters will be available for brief one-on-one meetings to discuss your funding needs.

Presenters

Stephen Smith is executive director of the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District. He oversees the operations of MVEDD including technical assistance, grant administration, program funding, human resources, and strategic goals. Heather Devitt is the deputy director of MVEDD. She works with small businesses to obtain financing and completes the outreach and underwriting for MVEDD’s loan funds. MVEDD promotes economic growth and community resiliency within the Mohawk Valley.

Alicia Brockway is a vice president and business banking regional manager at NBT Bank. She has 35 years in the banking industry, of which 25 years has been in the business banking division. Matthew Dziedzic is an assistant vice president and senior business banker with NBT Bank. He has 17 years of banking experience in the community and 13 years of experience from running his own businesses in the Utica/Rome market. NBT is committed to providing their customers with superior banking services and helping to make the communities they serve a better place to live and work.

Nicole Deyo is a vice president of business development at Pursuit Lending. She joined Pursuit in 2019 as a business development officer. Prior to that she spent 25 years in retail banking holding various roles from teller to regional manager. Pursuit is a community-focused lender with a mission to help businesses thrive.

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps small businesses get funding by setting guidelines for loans and reducing lender risk. These SBA-backed loans make it easier for small businesses to get the funding they need.