Westminster Economic Development Initiative (WEDI)

WEDI and the West Side Bazaar are excited to be a part of Taste the World, in collaboration with Yelp Buffalo , the International Institute of Buffalo, and other immigrant and refugee owned businesses in #Buffalo! Once you RSVP here: https://bit.ly/tasteworldyelp, grab a passport and check out eight incredible businesses - with complementary items offered at each restaurant (be sure to support the business as well -- purchase additional items, bring friends, tip!) Participating businesses at the Side Bazaar: 007 Chinese Food, Abyssinia Ethiopian Cuisine, and Pattaya Street Food. Complimentary items offered: black bean bao, goman, kik alicha and mesir wot on rice, and a sesame cookie. With RSVP & Confirmation only: https://bit.ly/tasteworldyelp

Meet the Pitch Your Pivot Judges! Judge Facilitator Danielle Morris oversees revenue and compliance functions for JumpStart’s venture funds and manages the organization’s internal control procedures for grant award funds and reporting (~$15M annually). She has extensive nonprofit financial expertise, ranging from large ERP systems to smaller customized homegrown systems, user guide design and training, leadership and managerial functions. Laythanette Shine is the winner of ...the last pitch competition in Buffalo for microenterprise, another competition we hosted alongside KeyBank Business Boost and Build. Laythanette M. Shine is the owner and operator of USA Occupational Services. She started the company as Sunshine's Drug Testing Services LLC in June 2009. #WEDIbiz Damian Woodall is a Branch Manager at KeyBank. I love helping out the small businesses in our community, watching them grow and being with them every step of the way. Being able to go with them and work with them hand-in-hand, step-by-step and provide them with the ideas and solutions that can help them grow." Janique S. Curry is principal and CEO of J.S. Curry & Associates, LLC, a boutique firm offering project management, administrative services, community outreach, grant management, compliance monitoring, and evaluation for a variety of public and private organizations. Lauren Jackson, a WEDI client, opened The Hair Hive with her two sisters, Brianna and Danielle at the onset of the pandemic. #WEDIbiz Arthur Hall is the Northland Project Manager for the Buffalo Urban Development Corporation (BUDC). He oversees the Northland Beltline Campus by implementing next generation of real estate, community and economic development strategies. #WEDIbiz #entrepreneur #microenterprise #competition #Buffalove See more

Join us tonight for Pitch Your Pivot! Register to watch the event here: https://bit.ly/35puCD7 WEDI, along with its partners at KeyBank Build & Boost, JumpStart Inc., Women's Business Center at Canisius College, and Upstate New York Black Chamber of Commerce is hosting Pitch Your Pivot, a live, virtual pitch competition on Thursday, June 24. Five diverse finalists will deliver a pitch conveying how they recognized a unique business opportunity and made a business pivot to overcome challenges due to changes in how business was getting done in 2020. Register for free to hear their incredible stories on how they kept their businesses relevant and viable. Get your free tickets here: https://bit.ly/35puCD7

Thank you The Buffalo News for the article sharing all the exciting happenings currently going on at WEDI's West Side Bazaar. We hope you stop in very soon! https://buffalonews.com//article_c211a366-d3a7-11eb-a9ab-2 #WEDIbiz #supportsmallbusiness #newbusiness #westsidebuffalo

Don't forget to register for our upcoming webinar - Demystify Successful E-Commerce! WEDI, Pursuit , PathStone Enterprise Center, Inc., and Launch NY have partnered to bring you step by step ecommerce help! Register here: https://bit.ly/3fZlgUS Reasons for success: Why e-commerce? How do I choose the best brand name? How do I expand my existing business to be a successful e-commerce business? What makes me unique and how do I make my business stand out from the rest? How much will this cost? What do I need to know before I even begin? Is it worth starting an e-commerce business? Register here: https://bit.ly/3fZlgUS

WEDI and the West Side Bazaar are excited to be a part of Taste the World, in collaboration with @Yelp Buffalo, the International Institute of Buffalo, and other immigrant and refugee owned businesses in #Buffalo! Once you RSVP here: https://bit.ly/tasteworldyelp, grab a passport and check out eight incredible businesses - with complementary items offered at each restaurant (be sure to support the business as well -- purchase additional items, bring friends, tip!) Kicks off on World Refugee Day on June 20 and runs until July 20. Participating businesses at the Side Bazaar: 007 Chinese Food, Abyssinia Ethiopian Cuisine, and Pattaya Street Food. Complimentary items offered: black bean bao, goman, kik alicha and mesir wot on rice, and a sesame cookie. With RSVP & Confirmation only: https://bit.ly/tasteworldyelp

Thank you to everyone who participated in last night's Taste of West Side Bazaar at Home Virtual Menu Tour with Rakhapura Mutee & Sushi. Get ready to satisfy your dim sum cravings with the next Taste of West Side Bazaar at Home on Monday, November 9th with 007 Chinese Food. Go to https://linktr.ee/wedibuffalo to get your tickets today! #westsidebuffalo #westsidebazaar #supportsmallbusiness #dimsum

WEDI client Denis Guerin, owner of Petrichor Flora located at 44c Brayton St. in Buffalo, has been a small business owner for 6 years. His business is a full service floral and gift boutique with a genuine commitment to beautifying a customer’s life with high quality flowers, unusual gifts, plants, and services with a focus on unique design and customer care. He became a small business owner to serve the community in which he lives in with products that demonstrate his pass...ion for flowers. While he admits business ownership has been trying as he deals with the restrictions caused by the pandemic, he has also found it rewarding as it has challenged him to be creative in new ways. Learning to roll with these challenges and growing his business are what he considers his biggest achievements. Please go to https://linktr.ee/wedibuffalo to learn more about Petrichor Flora. Here, in this video, Denis explains how WEDI has helped him. #economicdevelopment #supportsmallbusiness #smallbusinessbuffalo #smallbusinesssupport See more

A reminder of our next webinar with our partners The Beverly Gray Business Exchange Center & The Foundry is tomorrow at noon. Denis Serio from 50/50 Marketing Partners & social media marketing expert Alisha McCann of The Lish Agency will review key things to consider for your marketing strategy this holiday season, as well as marketing tricks to increase your ability to sell online & through social media. Go to https://linktr.ee/wedibuffalo to register. #webinar #mentoring #smallbusinesssupport #holidayshopping

Remember you have until 5 pm Saturday, October 24th to get your tickets for the next Taste of West Side Bazaar at Home Virtual Menu Tour on Monday, October 26th with Rakhapura Mutee & Sushi! How it works: 1. When you place your ticket order, you'll be given a choice of 4 pick up times to get your meal on the evening of the 26th: 5, 5:30, 6, and 6:30. 2. A video will be available that evening of Chef Win Shwe explaining more about the food you are eating as well as stories ...about her background. Please note we cannot accommodate substitutions or vegetarian/vegan options. For more information on the event, please go to https://linktr.ee/wedibuffalo. #westsidebazaar #westsidebuffalo #diningin #sushi #supportsmallbusiness See more

Due to the forecast, Saturday Market at WEDI will be canceled but don't fret as the West Side Bazaar businesses offer online ordering! Get a jump start on your holiday shopping or do some retail therapy by going to https://linktr.ee/wedibuffalo today! #westsidebazaar #holidayshopping #onlineshopping #supportsmallbusiness #smallbusinessbuffalo

WEDI Founder Betsy Mitchell, pictured right, was called to WEDI through Westminster Presbyterian Church’s efforts to expand its mission in the community in 2006. She was an active volunteer, fundraiser, and board member when WEDI formed its 501 ( c ) 3 organization in 2007. She believes in WEDI’s mission because it is vital, adaptive, and unique. She has been fortunate to establish meaningful connections with several long-time WEDI clients, learn their stories, and hear ho...w deeply WEDI has impacted, not only their lives, but also their families’ lives, and becoming a friend to them has been a gift to her. She has witnessed WEDI grow exponentially while remaining adhered to its core missions of providing educational support for students and economic opportunity for those who are willing to work hard to create and expand small business. She is looking forward to watching WEDI grow even more and continue its success by establishing a greater presence in the City of Buffalo. #appreciation #founders #thankyou #westminsterpresbyterianchurch #buffalove See more

Please join us, as well as our partners at Pursuit, Launch NY, JP Morgan Chase and Co., and PathStone Enterprise, for "Change the Game" on Thursday, October 29th at 3pm. In this 2-part virtual workshop, these Capital Connect NY small business development experts will provide you with helpful insights and tools to manage your business finances through the fourth quarter of 2020 and into 2021. Go to https://linktr.ee/wedibuffalo to register today! #webinar #smallbusinesssupport #supportsmallbusiness #mentoring #buffalove

WEDI mentor Tarcio Barbosa, Financial Advisor with Financial Partners of Update New York, is motivated to be a mentor as he enjoys being able to help someone who really needs assistance and may not know where to go for help. In his job, he strives to provide families and small business owners with assistance in building financial freedom. He chose to volunteer his time as a WEDI mentor because of the organization’s mission and the mutual goal of helping our Western New York... Community. The best part of his mentorship experience is helping someone gain better insight and knowledge in his area of expertise, ultimately, guiding small business owners to better help themselves. He recommends others volunteer their time as a mentor as the joy of helping someone is great. Thank you Tarcio for the time and energy you put into your mentorship here at WEDI. CRN 202210-273016 #mentor #volunteersrock #supportsmallbusiness #smallbusinesssupport See more

Reminder tomorrow's webinar, Managing Your Online Store Shipping & Inventory, starts at 12 pm with our partners at the Beverly Gray Business Exchange Center and The Foundry. During this workshop session, hear from small business owner David Sheffield of Buffalo Bottlecraft, as well as other small business experts and owners to learn how to most effectively manage the shipping and inventory of your online sales. Go to https://linktr.ee/wedibuffalo to register.#webinar #mentoring #supportsmallbusiness #smallbusinesssupport #buffalove

Ten-year-old Ayub is in the 4th grade at Buffalo Public School No. 95 and participates in WEDI's ENERGY program. His favorite subject is science, and he enjoys playing soccer. ENERGY has helped him as he has fun while learning new things, and the volunteers are nice and helpful with homework. During the pandemic, ENERGY has assisted his family by providing food and technological help. His advice to new ENERGY students is "be polite and don't fight." Pictured is a self-portrait of Ayub. #education #westminsterpresbyterianchurch #buffalopublicschools #ourstudentsrock

Next Monday, October 26th, have date night in with the Taste of West Side Bazaar at Home Virtual Menu Tour featuring Rakhapura Mutee & Sushi! You can get your tickets until 5 pm Saturday, October 24th. Go to https://linktr.ee/wedibuffalo to get your tickets today! #westsidebazaar #sushi #burmese #supportsmallbusiness #buffalove #diningin

WEDI client Michael Degnan, owner of Buffalo Center for Anaplastology located at 1800 Niagara Street in Buffalo, has always been fascinated by human faces and their importance for the quality of life of people. The Buffalo Center for Anaplastology offers a variety of soft tissue prostheses for the face and body as well as solutions to meet an individual's specific needs when surgical reconstruction isn't a viable option. Through innovation, collaboration, and custom solutio...ns, Mr. Degnan's focus is to restore a patient's appearance by creating realistic, life-like prostheses so patients can resume daily activities and receive a boost in quality of life. Please go to https://linktr.ee/wedibuffalo to learn more. Here, in this video, Mr. Degnan explains how WEDI has helped him. #economicdevelopment #supportsmallbusiness #smallbusinesssupport #buffalove See more

Be sure to educate yourself and encourage others to use a financial institution, such as banks, credit unions, and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) when looking for a loan. All those numbers and terms can be confusing and you may feel overwhelmed, but if you educate yourself on all of the possible loan fees, you go into the loan process more informed and confident. Go to https://linktr.ee/wedibuffalo for handy tools to help! #financialliteracy #protectyourself #lending #finance

Weather permitting, the Saturday Market at WEDI featuring West Side Bazaar businesses Moon Lady Arts & Crafts, Gadget Bazaar, and Zigma Naturals will be happening outside our office at 436 Grant St. from 11 am - 3 pm tomorrow. Get a jump start on your holiday shopping and find stunning home decor, accessories, and cold weather apparel for you and your loved ones. If the weather does not cooperate, we will, unfortunately, have to cancel this weekend's market and hope for better weather next weekend. Thank you for understanding. Our businesses appreciate your continued support. #westsidebuffalo #supportsmallbusiness #smallbusinessbuffalo #buffalove #holidayshopping #shopsmall