Small businesses struggling through pandemic get connected to millions in funds

The Small Business Development Center helped Tiga Pediatrics' Dr. Tosan Oruwariye when she started her practice, and decided to reach out again.

News 12 Staff

Jun 12, 2020, 2:19 AM

Updated 1,408 days ago

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It has been a tough few months for small businesses, but one group wants people to know that there is hope.
The pandemic hit Tiga Pediatrics hard. Officials say the practice went from 90% to 10% in terms of people utilizing the service.
The Small Business Development Center helped Tiga Pediatrics' Dr. Tosan Oruwariye when she started her practice, and decided to reach out again.
"I reached out to them again and said, look the practice is not going to be viable, what are my options?" said Oruwariye.
A staff member walked her though the different options available through grants and loans.
"I felt that I had a team that worked with me through this process and I felt that there were resources there to help me through," she says.
One of those helping hands was from Clarence Stanley, a retired banker who directs Lehman College's Small Business Development Center. It works with over 100 small businesses owners in connecting them to more than $20 million.
"I was going to retire this year and just do things part time, but then this happened and now I am working from home and I say, man am I glad I have something to do," says Stanley.
That help, Oruwariye says, is invaluable to keeping your business open.
"We had a bad situation in the beginning but it has gotten much, much better," she says. "We just have to get the word out to folks let them know the resources are out there."
To get connected with the New York Small Business Development Center, click here.
 


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