BAY RIDGE — The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), a municipal agency that supports small businesses across the five boroughs by helping them start, operate and grow, recently announced $2.8 million in grants for 32 organizations in Brooklyn.
The event, which took place at Peppino’s Liquors and Wines on 7723 3rd Ave, the evening of Aug. 14, featured several speakers, including Commissioner of NYC Department of Small Business Services Kenny Minaya, President and CEO of Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Randy Peers, Deputy Borough President Rev. Kim Council, Councilmember Kayla Santosuosso, D-47, Assemblymember Alec Brook-Krasny, D-46, State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, and many small business owners.
Minaya, who also served as the event’s emcee, said $2.8 million was among the largest releases of grant money of a single fiscal year in the history of SBS.
“This is the kind of thing that keeps this commercial corridor vibrant, welcoming, and safe,” he said.
‘An immediate and powerful impact’
Merchants of Third Avenue Secretary Danielle Jabour, a real estate salesperson with the Jabour Realty Company and a grant recipient, has called Third Avenue home since 1988 and has worked full-time in her family business for over 21 years.
“This is a community I’ve been a part of all my life,” Jabour said, adding that Third Avenue is a legendary stretch of New York City. “For decades, it has served as the heartbeat of our community, and this generous funding from SBS will have an immediate and powerful impact.”
Peers called the grant an acknowledgment from the city, the administration and SBS that Business Improvement Districts and merchant associations are essential because they support the small businesses that support the neighborhood.