08/17/2006
LAUNCH Program Trains Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation’s LAUNCH program, a unique entrepreneurial training course designed exclusively for clients in recovery from a serious mental illness, is currently accepting applications for its three-month course scheduled to begin in September.

LAUNCH entrepreneur training classes will be held every Wednesday beginning September 14 and will continue for three months at BEDC’s offices in downtown Brooklyn. The program is open to clientsfrom all five boroughs of New York City.

Registration is required at least two weeks before the class begins.

LAUNCH, which stands for Lead, Act, Undertake, Navigate, Change, and Heal, offers:

· One-to-one business guidance and business planning.

· Interactive group classroom instruction on entrepreneurship.

· Specialized workshops.

· Networking events.

· Access to retail opportunities.

· Referrals to free legal services.

Bill Sweeney, who presents workshops and provides technical assistance to entrepreneurs, will lead the fall class. He is a consultant who started his own business after serving 12 years as president of Bio Systems, a healthcare safety services and products company.

Sweeney joined Bio Systems as a vice president of sales in 1987, and prior to that spent 10 years in sales at Procter and Gamble, Shiley, and Sage Products. He received a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University, and a Bachelor of Science degree from State University of New York, Geneseo.

Since LAUNCH began offering classes in 2003, nearly 200 clients have participated or are currently participating in the program. A number of clients have started businesses including landscape services, custom-made bags and accessories, fragrances, handmade jewelry, tutoring services, carpentry, retail, video production, marketing consulting, and others.

Many also have participated in the annual bazaars BEDC sponsors to give graduates from all of its entrepreneur programs experience marketing and selling their products and services.

LAUNCH, whichis funded by a grant from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, has received national recognition from the Abilities Fund, the Association for Enterprise Opportunities (AEO), and Psychiatric News.

The entrepreneurial skills of LAUNCH clients have been recognized by the United Nations Year of Microcredit, Brooklyn Business Library’s Power Up Business Plan Competition, and other organizations.

For more information and to apply to the LAUNCH program, call Tamara Al-Fadl, program director, at 718-522-4600 extension 31 or tal-fadl@bedc.org to make an appointment.

More information is available at www.bedc.org.