Dual Career Resource Guide Associated Colleges
The St. Lawrence Valley abounds with opportunities for professional couples - it is THE best place anywhere to work, learn, play, and live!
And we are excited to help you seize those opportunities, as the Associated Colleges know that dual career couples are essential to the vibrancy of our local communities.
The thousands of spouses and partners of our faculty and administrators contribute to our communities as business owners, local officials, employees of a diversity of excellent businesses, volunteerism, scholars, and community leaders.
So we have compiled this list of resources for your consideration as a starting point for your plans to make the St. lawrence Valley your home.
After you have had a chance to look it over, feel free to give us a call.
We want you here and we stand ready to help!
The Associated Colleges' Center for Independent Scholars
The Center for Independent Scholars offers its Fellows the opportunity to pursue scholarly and professional interests in ways generally unavailable to those not employed by academic institutions.
Fellows are persons who are pursuing serious scholarly work. This work could include writing for publication, dissertation research, writing and preparation for a conference presentation or other scholarly expressions in a variety of formats, including creating work in print and digital media. Applicants must hold at least a master's degree and be unaffiliated with any institution.
Appointment to the Center for Independent Scholars provides the Fellow with a place to work, a courtesy appointment in an appropriate department, library privileges at all member institutions, and proximity to others with similar goals.
Please contact the Associated Colleges office for more information.
The North Country Young Professionals Organization
This organization was established to connect and engage the young professionals in the North Country by providing networking, community involvement and social activities. It demonstrates that the North Country has a vibrant and dynamic lifestyle that many young professionals seek.
Members use this group to meet fellow young professionals, network, plan informal and formal events, and ask questions about their adopted hometowns.
Find the “North Country Young Professionals” on Facebook, or by email to nocoyp@googlegroups.com.
Get Employed
Dual Career Services
The Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley offers assistance to spouses and partners of newly appointed faculty and administrative staff who are seeking meaningful employment in the North Country.
Through an agreement with a local employment placement agency, the Associated Colleges will help facilitate employment for dual career couples. For those who register and are approved for this service, the employment agency will provide a welcome to the North Country region and one-on-one career counseling.
Career counseling includes resume review and refinement, a review of specific job openings, a review of regional employers, networking, and more. Insights are provided concerning area organizations that hire employees with skills and qualifications that are similar to those of the job seeker. Assistance is available to generate job leads and interviews.
Referrals are facilitated by the human resources office of the host institution.
Options Abound
There are a number of other job placement firms in the North Country. They include:
Persone Staffing
65 Main Street
Peyton Hall, Suite 2205
Potsdam, NY 13676
315-274-WORK (9675)
www.Personestaffing.com
St. Lawrence County One-Stop Career Center
80 State Highway 310, Suite 8
Canton, NY 13617-1498
(315) 386-3276
Penski, Inc.
50 Market Street
Potsdam, NY 13676
315-265-8860
Kelly Services
Market Square Mall
22 Depot St,
Potsdam, NY 13676
315-268-0456
433H@kellyservices.com
www.kellyservices.us
Associated Colleges' Human Resources
The Human Resources Departments at our four universities are, of course, an invaluable resource for the dual career spouse or partner. Check these sites regularly for new job postings, to learn more about working at the universities, and to get in touch:
Clarkson University: http://www.clarkson.edu/hr/
St. Lawrence University: http://www.stlawu.edu/human-resources
SUNY Canton: http://www.canton.edu/human_resources/
SUNY Potsdam: http://www.potsdam.edu/offices/hr/index.cfm
Get Entrepreneurial
In New York's North Country, you can make your back porch your front office.
The region has the highest percentage of small business start-ups per capita in the state. There are reasons for this - we have the expertise, organizations and resources to help entrepreneurs bring their business dreams to life.
Find your passion here with the help of these organizations:
The REH Center for Entrepreneurship at Clarkson University
The Reh Center for Entrepreneurship at Clarkson University develops successful entrepreneurs who know how to grow a business, harness new technologies, and seize opportunities in the marketplace. It does so by drawing on the expertise and skills of Clarkson faculty and students to educate and train regional entrepreneurs to successfully receive and manage start-up funding and grow their companies through sound management practices. The Reh Center operates “My Small Business 101” - a four-week business strategy course that provides an innovative, cost–free way for small business owners to learn critical elements of business operation, including managing productivity, thinking strategically, making effective decisions, and executing sound financial management.
For more information:
315-268-4350
asweeney@clarkson.edu
The Shipley Center for Innovation
The Shipley Center for Innovation accelerates the commercialization of emerging technologies by focusing on proactively working with innovators and entrepreneurs to identify ideas, conduct feasibility analysis, and build a commercialization plan to bring new technologies to market. The Center maintains a robust support infrastructure which includes rapid prototyping, incubation space, market research, branding, intellectual property strategy, and a network of investors.
For more information:
The Shipley Center for Innovation
Clarkson University
Box 5790
8 Clarkson Avenue
Potsdam, NY 13699
315-268-6763
shipleycenter@clarkson.edu
www.clarkson.edu/shipley
The Small Business Development Center at SUNY Canton
The SUNY Canton SBDC serves the small business community of St. Lawrence County through one-on-one assistance in areas such as business planning, marketing, financial management, and tech transfer. The SBDC offers management workshops, comprehensive business research services, and the professional advice of certified advisors. Technical assistance is available in areas such as women or veteran owned business, organizational structures, accounting and record-keeping, exports, cost analysis, and government procurement.
For more information:
Phone: 315-386-7312
Fax: 315-379-3814
sbdc@canton.edu
www.canton.edu/sbdc
The St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency
The St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency is a public benefit corporation created to promote, encourage, attract and develop job opportunities and economically sound commerce and industry in St. Lawrence County. As a full-service development agency, the IDA constructs and owns industrial sites and buildings, administers loan packaging and industrial revenue bond financing and provides a variety of tax-reduction incentives for businesses of all sizes.
For more information:
Phone: 315-379-9806
Fax: 315-386-2573
info@slcida.com
www.slcida.com
Local Economic Development Offices
In addition to the organizations that are county-wide or regional in scope, many individual communities near the four universities in Canton and Potsdam have economic development offices that can provide assistance to the business-starter , with assistance ranging from site selection, to identification of funding, to marketing.
- Canton Office of Economic Development, Linda McQuinn, Director. (315)386 -2871x5; developer@cantonnewyork.us
- Potsdam Office of Planning and Development, Fred Hanss, Director. (315) 265 -1670; fhanss@vi.potsdam.ny.us
- Economic Development offices also exist in Massena, Ogdensburg, Gouverneur, Clifton, and Wanakena, as well as in communities across the Adirondacks and St. Lawrence Seaway. Contact us for information about these other locations.
The St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce
Whether you are going to start a new business in St. Lawrence County or just want some information about the area, the County Chamber is an invaluable resource. The Chamber works to cultivate, develop and support its more than 650 members and other businesses by creating a vibrant business climate that encourages growth and enhances the unique quality of life in St. Lawrence County. It does so through cost-saving programs, cooperative advertising, and numerous initiatives. As the area’s State-designated tourism promotion agency, the County Chamber promotes our natural resources, our museums and special events, and the magical quality of life that is so unique to our county. The Chamber provides services, influence, and networking opportunities to its members and relocation information to those new to the area.
For more information:
St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce
101 Main Street, Canton NY 13617
(315) 386-4000 or (877) 288-7810
slccoc@northnet.orgGet Resources
In addition to the organizations noted above, there are several funding resources to get your business up and running. A number of banking institutions are located here, and the following are just some of the economic development funding/financing sources available in the region:
North Country Alliance Revolving Loan Fund
This fund provides low-interest gap financing for private for-profit businesses and not-for profit organizations with 100 or fewer full-time employees. www.northcountryalliance.org
St. Lawrence County IDA Microenterprise Revolving Loan Fund
This fund provides loan financing for all types of microenterprises (except taverns and restaurants) for businesses with five or fewer employees, at least one of whom is the owner. www.slcida.com/microenterprise-programs.html
IDA Local Development Corporation Business Venture Fund
This fund provides loan financing intended for manufacturing, industrial, commercial and warehousing operations.
Canton Revolving Loan Fund
This fund provides for-profit or non-profit businesses and organization locating in the Town of Canton, NY, with financing for the purchase of business assets, building improvements and working capital for start-ups or existing businesses.
Potsdam Micro-Enterprise Loan Fund
Offers loans of up to $25,000 to businesses with five or fewer employees, including the owner(s). Funds can be used for working capital, leasehold improvements, machinery and equipment, and real estate development. Additional loan funds of up to $25,000 are also available for larger businesses.
The St. Lawrence Leadership Institute
The St. Lawrence Leadership Institute seeks to foster the development and engagement of emerging and existing leaders for the advancement of St. Lawrence County and its communities. It does so by providing a nine-month course in which participants become educated on issues of importance to the county, develop their leadership skills set, and network with other community leaders. The network of SLLI alumni is more than 300 members strong.
For more information:
(315) 386-2107
info@slli.org
northcountryguide.com/SLLI/
Get Here!
There's no better place than New York's North Country to work, learn, play, and live. Whether you want help seeking a job, starting a business, getting plugged in to the local network, or just finding out where to get a good panini, we look forward to helping you.
Associated College of the St. Lawrence Valley
Phone: (315) 267-3331
Fax: (315) 267-2389
bdixon@stlawu.edu
www.associatedcolleges.org