Hi, everyone. Welcome to From the Lobby with Jack O’Donnell, a podcast that gives listeners an inside look at the politics and policies from New York to D.C. With Jack, managing partner of O’Donnell & Associates, a top New York government relations firm. I’m Joanna Pasceri, director of communications at O’Donnell & Associates.
We are continuing our series in 2025, profiling New York’s business community with our own Alec Lewis, vice president and director of campaigns. He’s at the mic today. Alec leads our growing campaigns and advocacy practice after spending a decade with New York Senate Democrats and is a key player in campaigns that led to consecutive supermajorities in the Senate.
Alec has a special guest, Sonia Smith, state director at the New York Small Business Development Center, a network that advocates for New York’s small business owners and entrepreneurs. And they are talking about working to empower small businesses, drive economic growth and champion the entrepreneurial spirit across New York.
Summary of this Episode
Guests
- Jack O’Donnell: Managing Partner at O’Donnell and Associates
- Joanne Pasceri: Director of Communications at O’Donnell and Associates
Major Topics Covered
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- The Role of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC):
The SBDC is a joint federal and state economic development program offering no-cost advisement, training, market research, and other resources to support small businesses across New York. - Diversity Among Small Business Owners:
In 2023, 53% of SBDC clients were women, 41% were minorities, 10% were rural, 5% were veterans, and 3% were individuals with disabilities, highlighting the diverse demographics of entrepreneurs in New York. - Adaptability Amid Government Changes:
Regardless of federal or state administration changes, the SBDC remains committed to providing accessible resources and focusing on areas such as rural innovation, broadband access, and supporting manufacturers. - Emerging Trends in Entrepreneurship:
Gen Z and Millennial entrepreneurs are increasingly starting businesses driven by passion, social impact, and community needs rather than traditional career or educational paths. - The Unique Economic Ecosystem in New York:
New York operates as a “mini economy” with diverse communities, requiring tailored approaches to foster small business growth and address distinct regional needs.
- The Role of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC):
Full Transcript of the Episode
Note: This is a generated transcript. Please excuse any typos.
Joanna:
Hi, Alec and Sonia, and welcome to the podcast.
Sonia:
Thank you for having us, Joanna. Sonia, it’s great to have you on the podcast. And for just over three years, you’ve been the state director at the New York Small Business Development Center. Now, prior to New York, you worked for over a decade in a variety of roles within the Pennsylvania counterpart, rising to the role of associate state director of programs and policy. So what led you to focusing on a career advocating for the business community? And what have you learned about New York in your three plus years being here in Albany?
Sonia:
Well, thank you, Alec. I would say in general, the small business community has always been something I’ve returned to. I know entrepreneurship has been like the hot topic, I would say within at least the last five to seven years and just has increasingly gained more traction, especially from K through 12 and especially in higher education and looking at an option of one of an individual creating a business or creating a pathway for themselves. And so I think that was like always a trigger or I would say an interest for me and a passion of looking at those individuals that have ideas in college and my colleagues and peers and creating something.
And so when I came across the Small Business Development Center, I would say years ago now, probably almost going on 20 years ago, it’s crazy to say that. It interests me to learn more about what was going on in Pennsylvania or within my own community, and then how this was actually a nationwide program that every state in U.S. territory has an SPDC, a Small Business Development Center network. And I found it very interesting that the government actually supplies these resources within each of the states. And so that’s how my interest, my background is accounting and finance. And so that’s actually how I started with the center is working on financial projections and just learning more about the small businesses and how it’s more than just finances and other aspects to help them start and grow.
And then what I learned about New York, New York is different. You know, every state’s different. Every area on this globe is very different on the community base, on communication, lifestyle, et cetera, and culture. And I think New York is very different and unique on how it’s I feel like it’s its own like mini economy within the U.S. And so it’s very dynamic on the different people and backgrounds and the demographic of individuals across the state. And so I found it very interesting and taking a lot of time to just go around the state and learn more about the communities and actually just get an understanding about those differences and how everyone just wants to have their own version of success.
Alec:
Let’s get into the work of the New York Small Business Development Center. It’s a joint federal and state economic development organization, as you surely know, administered by SUNY and funded in part through an agreement with the United States Small Business Administration. So as we’re recording this, the Trump administration is preparing to take control in Washington in just a few days. So how does that impact your work in navigating the changing relationships in Washington and in Albany?
Sonia:
Any administration change or if there is a continuation of an administration for us, whether you want a bipartisan or nonpartisan, you know, bipartisan in the sense of players and members across the aisle work together in terms of entrepreneurship. And when we talk about small business and economic development and small business, as you’ve probably heard, all of the analogies of the backbone of America, the engine within a state or with an engine within the economy. And now it’s, you know, we are that resource and we’re trying to make sure we connect with our members and our legislators, stakeholders and all community partners to stay to really have a voice for these small businesses.
And so with the change, it’s really going to continue. We are a public program and a governmental program backed by taxpayer dollars. But as you stated, the state, local, private, there’s other funding partners within our network. But with that being said, the most important thing, no matter what administration is in office, is that since we’re a public program that we provide access to one on one, no cost advisement, as well as training and education and market research to all entrepreneurs and small businesses. So even though there might be a different focus on particular programs or demographic area or region, we will still do our part of making our resources accessible to everyone. So, of course, the rural community is going to be a big focus with the new administration. And we continue to do that with our upstate New York offices, especially in innovation, broadband needs and just entrepreneurship in terms of startup and our manufacturers that are trying to expand and grow.
Alec:
You mentioned some business buzzwords and other ones like mom and pop and Main Street businesses get thrown around a lot in politics. And you’ve already touched on this to some degree, but your organization does a whole lot, including providing advisory services, business education, as well as providing a whole lot of research and data that the small business community in New York thought leaders as a whole. And as you’ve mentioned, your organization really does strive to reach every New Yorker. But I’m curious, your organization has highlighted specifically the demographics of a lot of people you have served. And in 2023, according to the center, 53% of your clients were women, 41% were minorities, 10% were rural, 5% were veterans and 3% had a disability. Many New Yorkers may have a picture of what they think the small business owner really looks like. But from your perspective, what should New Yorkers really know about your work and what the small business community really looks like in New York?
Sonia:
Yeah, like you stated, whether I’m in Washington, DC, or in Albany, it’s really focused on really making a clear picture to our legislators and members that these are the constituents in their district that are starting businesses or growing their business. And it’s an array of different backgrounds and reasons why they started a business on whether it’s a need they saw in the community or wanting to make a way or build generational wealth. Some are generational businesses that are being led by employees of a business because maybe the owner didn’t have children or family members that want to take over. So that’s always a great thing to see of employees that have learned and invested and want to continue on with a location. Gen Zs are starting businesses rather than going through former educational paths. So you’ll see a lot of millennial Gen Zs and alphas starting business of those generations that have, if you want to call it a social impact need or a passion. And so it’s going to be an alignment about not only making money, of course, and revenue and being sustainable. But also a lot of these businesses are in alignment with something that they’re passionate about from a family tie or their community tie or just a social impact thing. So yes, we serve women. We serve everyone. But as you stated, our stats there and who we served in our breakdown is really important that all New Yorkers or just in general, everyone feels like they have an opportunity to do something great for themselves.
Alec:
Well, Sonia, I can’t thank you enough for sharing a lot more about the incredible work your organization does. I wish you well. I wish the organization great success as we all work together to thrive in 2025. So with that, I will hand it off to Joanna to close out our program.
Joanna:
Thank you so much, Alec. Thank you, Alec and Sonia, for some great insight on how to unlock innovation and growth here in New York. You can stay updated with the work of the New York Small Business Development Center at nysbdc.org. Stay up on what’s really happening in politics. Sign up for our Monday Morning Memo. Get it sent right to your inbox. You can subscribe on our website at O’DonnellSolutions.com. That’s O’DonnellSolutions.com. And for daily updates, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and threads at O’Donnell and Associates. Thanks for listening, everyone. We’ll be back from the lobby with Jack O’Donnell.
