Peaceful Schools is first graduate of South Side incubator

SYRACUSE - Lura Lunkenheimer had been running her company, Peaceful Schools, for about three years when things started to get a little cozy at corporate headquarters.

She had been managing the business from her home in Marcellus and knew she needed more room to grow. But after looking at about 30 different buildings in Syracuse, she wasn't sold on the idea of buying or leasing a location of her own.

So Peaceful Schools became one of the first tenants of the business incubator at Syracuse University's (SU) South Side Innovation Center. SU established the center in 2006 to encourage business growth and entrepreneurship on Syracuse's South Side.

In February, Peaceful Schools became the incubator's first graduate.

"It was really a tremendous opportunity for...