OLEAN, N.Y. — In a private gathering with the Stitt Family on Nov. 19, SUNY Jamestown Community College officials unveiled the naming of the James E. and Carol Stitt Center for Entrepreneurship at JCC on the Cattaraugus County Campus.
The JCC Board of Trustees recently approved the naming.
For decades, the Cutco Foundation has been a key partner in advancing education, innovation and community development across Cattaraugus County. Since the campus expanded its downtown Olean location in 2002, the foundation has played a central role in strengthening the college and expanding opportunities for students and residents.
“Our campus sits in the heart of downtown Olean, and every day we see the impact of the Cutco Foundation’s leadership across our community,” said Daniel DeMarte, JCC president. “The foundation supports important projects, brings people together, sparks collaboration and helps define our community’s vision for the future. Naming this program after James and Carol Stitt is a meaningful way to recognize their extraordinary commitment to our region.”
chair Mark Ward.
In recent years, the Cutco and Stitt Foundations have supported facility upgrades, student scholarships, workforce development initiatives, and community partnerships. Their generosity has shaped several signature projects on the Olean campus, including the construction and renovation of the Cutco Theater, the development of the Manufacturing Technology Institute, the launch of JCC’s Hatch Incubator and the growth of the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through collaborations with the Olean Business Development Corporation and St. Bonaventure University.
“The Stitt family has been a wonderful community partner and a supporter of JCC,” said Paula Snyder, Cattaraugus County Campus executive director. “I was very honored to be involved in hosting the dinner for Jim and Carol and their family and to celebrate all they have done for our community.”
The naming of the James E. and Carol Stitt Center for Entrepreneurship underscores JCC’s commitment to supporting small-business development, workforce readiness and community partnerships throughout Cattaraugus County.
The new Stitt Center for Entrepreneurship will build on the momentum of The Hatch, JCC’s entrepreneurial program. Created to fill a longstanding need for local entrepreneurial support, The Hatch provides mentorship, training, networking opportunities and access to advanced manufacturing labs and prototyping tools.
Through partnerships with the Small Business Development Center, the Olean Business Development Corporation, the CATTalyst COllective, the Laine Business Accelerator, St. Bonaventure University, Dream It Do It–Cattaraugus County and the Cattaraugus-Allegany Workforce Development Board, The Hatch has become a key player in the region’s entrepreneurial landscape.
Dozens of local businesses have launched or expanded with support from The Hatch, including ventures led by JCC students. The college’s acquisition and relaunch of a local café — now operating as The Hatch Café in the Cattaraugus County Campus College Center — offers internship opportunities, real-world business experience and hands-on learning for young people, including at-risk youth through the Workforce Development Board Youth Program.
“The Stitt Center for Entrepreneurship will strengthen and expand what The Hatch is already doing — helping people turn ideas into businesses and supporting businesses as they become long-term contributors to our regional economy,” DeMarte said. “We are proud to honor the Stitt family, and we look forward to building on a legacy of innovation, leadership and collaboration.”