Small business center at Ramapo College has closed
2-minute read
NJ 2025 State of the State: Phil Murphy on economy/innovation centers
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy gave his final State of the State address. Here he discusses economy/innovation centers.
One of New Jersey’s small business development centers, located at Ramapo College in Mahwah, closed on June 30, NorthJersey.com has learned.
Small business development centers, funded by the federal and state government and the colleges where they are located, provide coaching, counseling and training to small businesses in the region. The development centers also have access to local community resources, such as banks that could provide financing to a small business.
The centers also provide assistance with accounting and financial analysis, help small business owners and entrepreneurs develop business plans, identify new markets and start marketing strategies, and find procurement and international trade opportunities.
“I want to emphasize that there has been no lapse or break in services for our small business community in Bergen County,” Kelly Brozyna, state director of the New Jersey Small Business Development Center program, told NorthJersey.com.
Story continues below photo gallery
Brozyna said the Ramapo closure “was a carefully considered decision that the services will be best served in a different way to ensure the business resources were and continue to be provided to the small business community effectively and efficiently.” She did not provide specifics on why the closure occurred.
“We routinely assess and take corrective actions to ensure all centers are performing and up to the required standards by our federal and state partners,” she said.
Vince Vicari, who was regional director for the Ramapo center since 2014, left his role there earlier this year and went into a business consulting practice, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Another center, at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, closed in 2022, as did the one at Kean University in Union.
Under existing funding arrangements, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the state and the colleges where the centers are based all jointly finance the centers, according to the national Small Business Development Center’s website.
Each center utilizes the existing infrastructure of the college where it’s based, having access to a college email and office space, for instance.
Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Email: [email protected]; Twitter:@danielmunoz100, Facebook and Instagram
link
