Buffalo Niagara 360 is hosting a Kickoff Celebration for young professionals on November 15th at the Larkin Center of Commerce. As a part of the program, ten Spotlight Professionals will be unveiled as Buffalo Niagara's Ones To Watch, and Buffalo Rising is teaming with Buffalo Niagara 360 to preview some of these promising young leaders before the event.
Buffalo Niagara 360 offers young professionals opportunities in leadership development, networking and community involvement. Hundreds of the area's most promising future leaders will gather in one historic location to launch the 2012 year of programming with several new additions. The Ones to Watch have been hand-selected as young leaders who are expected to positively impact the community in the upcoming year. Buffalo Rising is announcing these young professionals one by one. Today's Spotlight Professional is Shandra Spicer.
Shandra Spicer is President and CEO of S&W Contracting of WNY, Inc., a full-service general construction contractor and janitorial services, equipment and supply company. In 1999 at the age of 18, Ms. Spicer secured a loan from her father and a small line of credit from her sister, and founded S&W. She saw an opportunity for a minority, woman-owned company in the Buffalo market. Spicer oversees all functions of the business including construction operations, business development, sales and marketing, negotiations, finance, human resources and customer service. She is affiliated with UB CEL, National Association of Professional Women, Buffalo Niagara 360 Young Professionals, CELAA, Buffalo Niagara Partnership Leadership Forum, Emerging Business Leaders, ProNet, Small Business Advisory Board and Women TIES. Spicer has been featured in numerous publications including From Beginners to Big Shots, Business First, the Buffalo News, UB Business Engagement and Outreach, UB School of Management, the Challenger, EmergingBUsiness.us and LPCiminelli's Make It Happen.
Spicer is excited about Buffalo's potential for growth. She sees an energy and momentum in what she calls the hidden jewel of the Northeast. She thinks that Buffalo is very unique and once discovered by the masses, our region's growth will be unstoppable. Spicer is passionate about investing in our youth in order to prepare them for the future in a city that is a spectacular place to live and work.
Stay tuned for Buffalo Rising's special features on our area's Ones to Watch. The final 5 Spotlight Professionals will be revealed at the Buffalo Niagara 360 Kickoff Celebration on November 15th.
To register for the Buffalo Niagara 360 Kickoff Celebration, visit www.buffaloniagara360.org.
