Geneva, NY | January 1, 2020 – The beloved downtown Geneva coworking space and business incubator, Port 100 will remain open thanks to support from Ontario County Economic Development Corporation (OCEDC) and the perseverance of 29 Design Studio Founder and Port 100 member Maureen Ballatori.
After the Geneva City Council decided not to continue financial support for the downtown coworking space and business incubator, Ballatori passionately spoke with members of the OCEDC to demonstrate why the establishment is a necessity for Geneva.
“There’s something so special about Port 100. I just couldn’t let it close and displace the people who work here every day,” said Ballatori. “The resources available to members have been a major driver of my own agency’s success. This is where I went from a single employee to my current team of five, along with several independent contractors. It’s important to me to make sure that people all over the Finger Lakes have a place where they can focus on work and grow their businesses.”
OCEDC has approved $30,000 in funding over the next three years for Port 100. With these funds, Ballatori will oversee a buildout of the space, execute programming for small businesses in the region, and increase the number of those businesses/individuals utilizing the coworking space.
Port 100 exists to provide support to budding entrepreneurs. Maureen saw synergies between the core beliefs of both 29 Design Studio and the cowork.
“Port 100 plays an important role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Geneva,” adds Ballatori. “Considering Geneva’s commitment to being a significant leader in the food and beverage industry, the opportunity to support startups in that industry alone is remarkable.
Ballatori has also established a 6-Week Digital Marketing Accelerator program that she will lead along with Craig Talmage, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. The hands-on program, launching in March 2020, will bring in HWS students and local community members. Participants will create and execute a real digital marketing campaign that will benefit small local businesses and nonprofits.
Ballatori has additional free and low-cost business development programs planned for Port 100, which will be opened to the community, as well as monthly free coworking days. These events will be announced on the organization’s Facebook page. Details about Port 100 memberships are available at www.port100cowork.com
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For more information, please contact Senior Marketing Strategist, Pilar McKay at Pilar@29DesignStudio.com
About Port 100 Cowork
Port 100 Cowork is a curated co-working community and business incubator, located in downtown Geneva at 100 Castle St. The member-based workspace is designed to foster creativity and encourage collaboration and new ventures in a dynamic, shared office setting.