Long Island University Professor and Center for Business Research
to Create Archive of Successful Long Island Entrepreneurs

March 11, 2003 - Long Island has long been known as a hotbed for entrepreneurship and has produced some of the nation’s most successful businesses, from Waldbaum’s supermarket chain -- which got its start 100 years ago as a butter and egg purveyor -- to Islandia-based Computer Associates -- one of the nation’s largest independent software makers. In an effort to chronicle the history of entrepreneurship on Long Island, Professor James L. Freeley of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, along with librarians from the C.W. Post Center for Business Research is collecting data for the first comprehensive archive of successful Long Island entrepreneurs.

The archive, "History of Entrepreneurship on Long Island," is the third part of an on-going project conducted by Dr. Freeley, a resident of Forest Hills, Queens who teaches courses on entrepreneurship in the College of Management at C.W. Post.

By sharing the difficulties and successes of business veterans, Dr. Freely hopes to show budding entrepreneurs what mistakes to avoid, how to attract and maintain customers, and how to plan for the future. Dr. Freeley plans to interview Long Island business owners over the next several years.

"The current climate for people to start their own business has never been better," said Dr. Freeley. "Large companies are down-sizing at a minimum rate of 2,000 people per day and many are becoming entrepreneurs." He added, "This archive will provide the founding history of well-known Long Island firms as well as the insights of their owners, the obstacles they faced, and the techniques they used to achieve success."

Entrepreneurial Pro - For more than 25 years, Dr. Freeley has been involved with various aspects of the field of entrepreneurship and is the author of several articles, papers and books on the subject. In addition to the new archive, he conducted a national research study, which resulted in an Entrepreneurial Style Profile questionnaire. This profile is used to assist future entrepreneurs in analyzing their own characteristics and chances of success. He is also the author of a book titled Are You an Entrepreneur? which discusses the 12 characteristics of a successful entrepreneur and outlines, in simple and practical terms, the steps necessary to start a business.

Center for Business Research - Established in 1978, the Center for Business Research at C.W. Post is the premier business library on Long Island providing information to students, staff, and the business community. The CBR’s reference collection covers general business, finance, marketing and management. The collection also includes the major financial services from Moody’s Investors and Standard and Poor’s Corporation, and many directories, industry guides, handbooks, and statistical sources.

Long Island entrepreneurs interested in participating in this project may contact Dr. Freeley at (516) 299-4142 or the Center for Business Research at cbr@cwpost.liu.edu.