2019 New Year’s Message from Executive Director Elena Garuc

The holiday season is an excellent time to reflect on the achievements of the past while also looking forward to all of the opportunities in the rapidly approaching new year. Here at FuzeHub, we are celebrating our many achievements and preparing for a remarkable 2019. We are also taking time to appreciate the partners who help make our success possible.
This year was especially meaningful for FuzeHub as it marked the five-year anniversary of the organization, which was created in 2013 to connect New York State’s small- and mid-sized manufacturing companies with vital resources, programs and expertise to spur commercialization and business growth. In the past three years alone, FuzeHub has fielded more than 880 requests from New York manufacturers and start-ups, resulting in nearly 1,800 referrals to New York funded assets and other manufacturing resources.
We are also proud that we were able to establish the Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund in 2015, an annual one-million-dollar fund that encompasses a Commercialization Competition, Innovation Challenge, and manufacturing grants. To date, FuzeHub has used the fund to allocate three million dollars to 48 projects. At this year’s Commercialization Competition, for example, we awarded seven start-up companies from around New York $50,000 each to pursue innovative technologies in the health care, agricultural, and semiconductor sectors, among others.
Another highlight from 2018 is the significant progress that we’ve made in growing our program that enables work centers for people with developmental disabilities across the state to leverage New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership services, thereby putting the work centers on a path to long-term sustainability and an increased role in helping New York companies with their manufacturing needs. We are actively connecting companies with a ready and able workforce in several regions throughout the state.
Over the past five years, and especially this year, we have made great strides in assisting New York manufacturers to grow and improve their businesses. However, there is still much work to be done, and we look forward to building on our momentum in the new year. We anticipate great things in 2019, and we are eager to continue our mission.
From all of us at FuzeHub, thank you for your support, and best wishes for a safe and a prosperous new year.
Elena Garuc
Executive Director