(April 29, 2024) Every year since 1963, the President of the US has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the US each year. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Jamestown Community College is honored to recognize the tremendous efforts of the local small business community and announce the 2024 Entrepreneurs of the Year during National Small Business Week. The SBDC delivers high quality business counseling and training to clients looking to start a business or improve the performance of an existing business. Services are free and confidential.
The SBDC is pleased to recognize the following small business owners in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus County as Entrepreneurs of the Year for 2024:
Cory Clark, Marquee Brewing
Michael Johnson, Reishore Clothing LLC
Rebecca Magnuson, She Sings Café
Wayne Quattrone, Daile Jackson, and Kimberly Ristau, HAWC Physical Therapy
These individuals were selected for their successes owning small businesses in our region and have been nominated to receive awards at the state level as well. Each has overcome obstacles and contributed to the economic growth of the area.
The SBDC is honored to work with the small business community in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany County. According to SBDC Director, Courtney Curatolo, “These individuals have not only inspired the SBDC team of advisors, but also inspire others interested in starting their own small business in our region. It has been very fulfilling watching each of these individuals grow their businesses and see success in a period of economic uncertainty.”
Cory Clark, owner of Marquee Brewing in Portville, New York has a fascinating origin story that echoes the spirit of community and passion for craft brewing. Founded in 2012 while living in Seattle and a dream of contributing something unique to his local community. Marquee Brewing began as a modest home brewing project making sodas and seltzers. Cory decided to turn his hobby into a business and opened his doors in the summer of 2023. He aimed to create a welcoming space where locals and visitors alike could gather to enjoy high quality, handcrafted hard sodas, hard seltzers, and hard teas.
Michael Johnson, Founder and CEO, of Reishore Clothing LLC has decided to make Jamestown the headquarters for his growing sustainable t-shirt company, a decidedly big world idea he is bringing to a small town. Reishore Clothing retails quality recycled garments using innovative solutions and best practices to bring plastics recycling technology into the mainstream and converting something that most of us think as trash into something we all use – t-shirts. Each t-shirt they produce is made from at least 10 recycled plastic water bottles with a look and feel that is unlike anything else you’ve seen before in the eco-friendly and sustainable market. And now, he has opened a brick-and-mortar retail shop in Downtown Jamestown that is only going to ensure growth potential.
Rebecca Magnuson is an abuse survivor, talented musician, and savvy business owner. She returned home to Chautauqua, purchased a defunct restaurant and after extensive renovations opened the She Sings Cafe in Mayville, NY. Her mission is to tell women’s stories through education, healing, and empowerment. She provides employment opportunities to abused women in her business. The café feeds body, mind, and soul with farm to table cuisine and provides a live performance venue for music, storytelling, poetry, and comedy. Rebecca is the creator of a soon-to-be-released documentary, She Sings: Surviving the Narcissist, and also the touring show, She Sings: A Soaring Musical.
Wayne Quattrone, Daile Jackson, and Kimberly Ristau, owners of HAWC Physical Therapy have worked hard to establish their reputation and become a highly recommended physical therapy office in the region. HAWC has grown faster than they expected and the owners have started a new capital project to add a full sized hydroptherapy pool to add to their numerous treatment options. Wayne, Daile, and Kim were nominated and won the “Best Healthcare Facility,” in 2023 as voted on by local residents.
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Jamestown Community College (JCC) vision is to create economic sustainability for all New Yorkers – one business at a time. The SBDC delivers high quality business counseling and training to clients looking to start a business or improve the performance of an existing business. Services are free and confidential and include a range of management and technical assistance from business plan development, accounting guidance, productivity enhancement and export assistance to loan information, marketing, and financial planning among other services. For services and more information contact 716-338-1024 or go to our website at www.sbdcjcc.org
