Media Central Receives SBA Excellence Award

The Small Business Administration annually recognizes and pays tribute to local businessmen and women who contribute greatly to the strength of the local economy, communities and way of life.

Delena Clark, director of the North Country Small Business Development Center, which is located at the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh, said the North Country SBDC nominated Bruce Carlin, Rick Dodge and Scott Schuler, partners in Media Central, for the honor.

Media Central and its principals have significant and proven success in event promotion, most visibly as contractors to the City of Plattsburgh as producer and promoter of the Mayor's Cup Festival since 1998 and the City of Plattsburgh's Independence Day Celebration since 1999.

Located in the Historic D&H Train Station in Downtown Plattsburgh, N.Y., Media Central is a unique firm to the area specializing in advertising, marketing and media production. 

Withstanding the test of time, the partners have been creating work known for its quality and creativity in the Adirondack/Vermont/Montreal region since the 1980s. 

"At Media Central, it's all about ideas," remarked Bruce Carlin.  "Listening to the needs of our clients and turning ideas into creative solutions to their marketing challenges is the function of Media Central."

Clark said, "It is with great pleasure that North Country Small Business Development Center submitted Media Central's team of dedicated entrepreneurs as this year's Small Business Excellence Award nominee." 

The partners originally obtained their expertise working for other companies in the advertising and media fields.  "In the true entrepreneurial spirit, they formed independently owned companies and launched businesses in their individual fields of expertise and after collaborating on several projects, the team members decided to join forces making the sum greater than its individual parts," said Clark. "We were pleased to nominate them."

Chris Ortloff, New York State assemblyman (114th Assembly District), Jim King, SBDC state director, and Mark Bennett, vice president for KeyBank, were on hand to congratulate Media Central at the ceremony. As part of the SBA's 50th Anniversary yearlong celebration, Media Central joins a select group honored at events at the local level where outstanding state and regional small businesses are recognized.
----------------------------------------------

The North Country SBDC is part of a statewide group of 23 regional service centers, which are administered by SUNY and located across the state on SUNY campuses and the campuses of SUNY's educational partners, including the City University of New York and other private universities and college. 

The SBDC has a 20-year history of providing the highest quality small business counseling, training and focused business research to more than 200,000 New Yorkers. 

The SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the State of New York and host SUNY campuses, and because of this support, the SBDC's one-on-one direct counseling services are provided free to state residents.

For more information on the Small Business Administration, visit the Web at www.sba.gov

Find out more about the North Country SBDC by contacting Delena Clark, SBDC director, at 518-564-2042 or by visiting the Internet at http://www.northcountrysbdc.org

-- 30 --