CANTON -- Alcoa Foundation has awarded a $45,000 grant to the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at SUNY Canton to help existing small businesses expand their marketing reach through ecommerce.

Through a series of targeted workshops and one-on-one counseling to help business owners improve their websites and utilize social media tools, the goal of the program is to help existing small- and medium-size businesses thrive and grow.

Facing increasing operating costs and declining or stagnant sales, the expansion of customer bases is vital to the growth of existing businesses. The use of an attractive, viable website, and social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook is key to marketing and increased sales.

This program aligns with one of the key initiatives outlined in the St. Lawrence County Economic Development Study, which calls for a comprehensive support program for entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to grow their businesses.

“This grant is a small step forward in the implementation of key initiatives contained in the St. Lawrence County Economic Development Study,” said Laurie Marr, Alcoa Communications and Public Affairs Manager and a member of the study’s advisory board. “We worked with the SBDC to identify an opportunity that will provide real value to business owners, while at the same time helping to advance some of the concepts contained in the study.”

Existing business owners will be invited by the SBDC to group sessions which will be held throughout the county and at Akwesasne. The sessions will be focused on ecommerce and social media marketing and through these sessions business owners will be identified for participation in the one-on-one counseling portion of the program.