NEWARK, NJ – From a Stirling woman-owned dessert company to a family-owned flooring manufacturing business in Ridgefield, 11 New Jersey small business owners graduated from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2019 Emerging Leaders program.

The seven-month-long course sponsored by the SBA and Interise requires small business owners to log in a combination of 100 hours of work and morning class time. Newark, where the training was conducted, is one of 60 cities across the country to host the SBA’s Emerging Leaders program.

“The results are in and our sixth Emerging Leaders class has been a huge success this year with a 100% graduation rate,” said SBA New Jersey District Director Al Titone, who delivered remarks at a recent graduation ceremony at the Rutgers University Business School in Newark, where the program took place. “We have had individuals come from all walks of life and parts of the state participate in this year’s program. Each participant’s commitment and desire to improve their businesses should be applauded. This particular program allows each small business owner to take a step back from their current business model and make the necessary adjustments in order to fast-track the growth of their company.”

According to SBA’s New Jersey Program Manager of Emerging Leaders Dominick Belfiore, participants had to have annual revenues of at least $250,000; have been in business for at least 3 years; and have at least one employee, other than self in order to participate in the program.

The 11 graduates, who participated in the program, came from the following New Jersey communities: Bellville, Englewood, Fair Haven, Highland Lakes, Morristown, New Brunswick, Paramus, Parsippany, Ridgefield, Stirling, and Toms River.

Carla Fallone, the course instructor who led the class through the curricula set by the SBA said, “The SBA Emerging Leaders initiative, using the highly intensive and successful Interise Program, is the highest echelon of sustainable strategic business growth training available anywhere. Each year our cohorts include the top high growth CEO entrepreneurs in their field. This year our graduates have exceeded all expectations. They have devoted their time to designing and developing their own three-year Strategic Growth Plan, but have also found the time to mentoring their peers, sharing their experiences and brainstorming creative strategies with each other to enhance their triple bottom lines.”

Since its inception in 2008, Emerging Leaders has trained more than 5,000 small business owners, creating over 6,500 jobs, generating over $300 million in new financing, and securing over $3 billion in government contracts.

“It’s one thing to build a curriculum that hits all the right notes, and compels you to challenge the routine of getting things done. It’s another thing to bring together a room full of small business owners, and give them the opportunity to collaborate, encourage, feel and fuel each other’s pain points, strong points and overall determination.” said Vera Shekets, of RQ Floors, a family-owned flooring manufacturer based in Ridgefield.

“Emerging Leaders has a proven track record nationally of helping small businesses in underserved communities,” said Titone. “Over six years, we have graduated 93 students in New Jersey and maintain an outstanding 94% graduation rate. Over the last two years, we have also created a strong alumni association for our 93 graduates so that they may continue the dialogue and to mentor each other.”

“We believe that each graduate from the New Jersey initiative will see increased revenues, create more jobs and help drive local economic growth in their communities. Going forward, the goal is to provide even more entrepreneurs in underserved communities with the support, resources and skills to succeed,” said SBA Regional Administrator Steve Bulger, who oversees SBA programs and services for all of New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.”

“Participating in the SBA Emerging Leaders program has been an incredible experience for me and my company,” said Geraldine Keogh owner of The Dessert Ladies, a Stirling-based company. “The depth of knowledge that you are exposed to while taking the course is just amazing. I feel very prepared to lead my company to the next level of growth and beyond. This is MBA level instruction presented in a very concise format by fantastic instructors who care about our success.”

The co-sponsors of the 2019 New Jersey Emerging Leaders program were the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers at Rutgers University, the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (CUEED) at Rutgers University, and the Greater Newark Enterprise Corporation (GNEC).

For additional information about the Emerging Leaders program, contact Dominick Belfiore of the SBA New Jersey district office at (973) 645-3683 or by emailing him at Dominick.Belfiore@sba.gov. Additional information about the Emerging Leaders program may be obtained by visiting www.sba.gov/emergingleaders. Small business owners wishing to apply for the upcoming 2020 Emerging Leaders class in New Jersey can apply online at https://www.interise.org/sbaemergingleaders.