CEL graduates business leaders from Core program

By Kevin Manne

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Another class of established entrepreneurs is armed with the skills to move their businesses forward after graduating from the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) Core program in the University at Buffalo School of Management.

The Core program graduates were honored at a joint ceremony with another CEL class, the Allstate Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneurs program, on June 2 at Statler City.

Donna and Lucian Visone, owners of Stonewall Property Management and VisoneCo, received the C. Taylor Kew Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, which recognizes graduates for entrepreneurial excellence and exemplifying the principles for which the late Kew stood. An energetic advocate for the CEL, Kew created and operated several companies and donated his time to several civic organizations before his tragic death in a seaplane crash in 1992.

The new Core graduates completed a peer-based, mentor-driven program to help grow, refocus or better manage their businesses. During the 10-month course, the entrepreneurs performed an in-depth analysis of their businesses, while developing expertise in such key areas as strategic planning, capital acquisition, employee relations and marketing.  

The 2021 CEL Core graduates are:

• Joshua Bowen, FreshFix
• Dan Buckmaster, Tresca Design
• Kurt Felgemacher, Felgemacher Masonry & Chimney
• Michael Groh, AT Technology
• Jeremy Higgins, Higgins Agency Group
• James Janora, McMahon & Mann Consulting Engineering and Geology P.C.
• Tom Kosmowski, Novum Medical Products
• William Owens Jr., National Spine Management Group LLC
• Jake Robbins, Rubberform Recycled Products
• Jeff Robbins, Rubberform Recycled Products
• Jeff Scruggs, Scruggs Automotive
• Corina Stammworthy, The LaundroMutt
• Michele Vanderlinden, Niagara Label
• Lou Visone, VisoneCo Site Development
• Donna Visone, Stonewall Property Management

Applications are now open for the next CEL Core program, beginning this fall. Individuals interested in learning more about the curriculum and speaking candidly with Core alumni can register for a virtual informational session, to be held at 5 p.m. on July 22 and 8 a.m. on August 24, 2021 . To sign up for an open house or apply to the program, contact the CEL at 716-885-5715 or mgt-cel@buffalo.edu. 

Established in 1987, the CEL provides participants with individualized and interactive education in entrepreneurship. More than 1,400 CEL alumni employ more than 23,000 Western New Yorkers, and their businesses are worth more than $2.3 billion to the local economy. For more information, visit mgt.buffalo.edu/cel.