BUSINESSES WITH Under 50 EMPLOYEES

AHMON BRYANT Owner • Sharp Edgez Barber Institute

PAUL CYPHER President & CEO • CypherWorx, Inc.

RICHARD A. DOUGHERTY Managing Director • Naviter Wealth

ANTHONY VALERIO Owner • Four Winds Chimney

PHIL YAWMAN President • Cooley Group Inc

Ahmon Bryant, an entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for barbering, owns and operates the nationally-accredited Sharp Edgez Barber Institute. His career in the industry started in the late ‘90s, later in 2009, establishing a barbering school that has become a beacon for aspiring barbers in Western New York and beyond. Ahmon’s commitment to education and empowerment is unyielding, demonstrated by the institute’s expansion from a single location in Rochester to multiple branches in Buffalo and plans for future growth in Syracuse, Albany, and New York City.

Within just three years of its inception, his innovative approach to barbering education led to federal recognition and opportunities for students to access education funds. This dedication to community and civic responsibility, fostered by his Political Science degree from SUNY Brockport, extends to Sharp Edgez’s community outreach. Thousands of free haircuts have been donated yearly in Rochester and Buffalo, earning Ahmon the 2017 Elliot Landsman Head Start Community Volunteer Award from Action for a

Outside of shaping the future of barbering, Ahmon enjoys spending quality time with his family, and indulging in hobbies like tailoring and bingewatching TV shows. His personal style is refined through tailoring and shoe collecting, balanced with regular workouts and church attendance. Honored to be nominated as the business person of the year, Ahmon’s journey embodies continuous growth, learning, and a firm commitment to making a positive difference in his community.