SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A group of 14 small-business owners from across upstate New York on Friday completed the SBA’s THRIVE program.

THRIVE is a redesigned version of the SBA’s annual Emerging Leaders program, an entrepreneurship-development program that helps small businesses grow and expand, the Upstate New York district of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) said in its announcement.

The T.H.R.I.V.E. program stands for train, hope, rise, innovate, venture, and elevate. It provides participants with a curriculum that includes mentoring, in-person coaching, and self-paced instruction. The hybrid model combines virtual and classroom sessions, “ensuring flexibility and accessibility for busy business owners,” the SBA said.

“The Upstate SBA team is proud to celebrate the graduation of another successful THRIVE cohort,” Dan Rickman, director of the SBA Syracuse-Upstate New York district, said in the agency’s announcement. “With two thirds of net new jobs being created by small businesses over the last several years, it’s clearly critical to support the growth of our small businesses in order to sustain a healthy local economy. This amazing group of small business leaders have spent the last 6 months working together to develop strategies and skills to grow their businesses, and they’ve already started achieving some of their goals, such as hiring more employees, expanding into new markets, and building strong foundations for continued success.”

THRIVE also seeks to help small businesses develop and execute strategic growth plans.

Participants worked over a six-month period from late June to December. These business owners were involved in an interactive curriculum; received coaching from experienced business experts; and developed a three-year strategic growth action plan.

The current THRIVE program uses a hybrid model that requires participants to meet in Syracuse monthly in addition to accessing parts of the curriculum online. Altogether, the program provided more than 100 hours of instruction, the SBA said.

Participants

The following is a list of this year’s THRIVE participants, along with their business name and its location. Those involved are also pictured above.

• Andrew Carter, owners of Resilienx in Syracuse
• Tonya DeMulder, owners of Sunshine Counseling Services in Oneonta
• Paige Flori, owner of Boutique Wines, Spirits & Cider in Fishkill
• Lee Frisbee, owner of Frisbee’s Landscaping, Ponds & Patios in Rochester
• Kyle Hierholzer, owner of Hand in Health Massage Therapy in Syracuse
• Sean Lattimore Sr., owner of Springside Inn in Auburn
• LaTerese Matthews, owner of Van Dyke Norris Cleaning Services in Syracuse
• Maria Metthe, owner of Salt City Coffee in Syracuse
• Vicky Panissa, owner of Dakota Property Preservation & Home Improvement in Central Islip
• Joanne Rauch, owner of CR Fletcher in Syracuse
• Shannon Secor, owner of R2I Defense in Boonville
• Catherine Toniatti-Yanulavich, owner of Applied Biophysics in Troy
• Tina Webster, owner of Finger Lakes Staffing Services in Canandaigua
• Alex Zaranski, owner of Saucy Confections in Syracuse