South Side Innovation Center - where economic dreams are still alive

What I like most about reporting is the amazing people you get to meet. Covering today's story was no exception. Robin and I found ourselves at the South Side Innovation Center on South Salina Street, barely five minutes from campus. What brought us there was an article in USA Today arguing that believe it or not, now is actually a good time to start your own small business. At first, it sounds crazy, especially with the way the economy is today, but it raises some great historical facts. 16 of the 30 currently listed Dow Jones companies were started during a depression or recession, including big names like Disney, Procter & Gamble, and GE. And during the 1970's economic slump, a few other companies were born - including Microsoft.

So we headed to the SSIC to see what we could learn about starting a small business during rough economic times. But what we found most interesting about the SU-run center was not what they did there, but who they were. My favorite interview was with Angelo Coker, Jr. His grandfather began the family's construction business 50 years ago in Syracuse, and now Angelo and his father run it. Angelo could not be more thankful for the center, but what really struck me was the way he answered our last question: what do you think about starting a small business now? He thought about it for a second, and then said, "If you can start now, during a rough time like this...then you can stand through anything." As he said it, he had a small, thoughtful smile on his face, and I know he truly believed in what he was saying. Everyone else there that we talked to had similar optimism that things would turn around soon, and the economy would get back on it's feet. It was an incredible place to spend a few hours, and we left with the impression that if anyone could turn the economic situation around, it would be people like Angelo and the rest of the South Side Innovation Center.