Brooklyn's Progress
November 2001

The “Furniture Bank” one of several Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce initiatives to aid businesses that were displaced by the World Trade Center attacks has helped businesses in Brooklyn and Manhattan set up office with donated furniture. So far seven businesses have taken items starting on September 23. Businesses and other Chambers of Commerce have donated desks, chairs, filing cabinets, tables, telephones, fax machines, copiers, office partitions, computers, and other office supplies to help businesses get back on their feet. CitiStorage has donated a warehouse to store the donated items and they are assisting with the collection and distribution of items. New York companies that have donated items include: Anheuser-Busch, Bristol Myers Squib, Independence Community Bank, and Urban Office Products. There has been an outpouring of support from companies outside of the New York area including: BTI Telecommunications of Jacksonville, Fla.; Human Corp. of Louisville, Ky.; Lockheed-Martin of Orlando Fla. NEC America of Irving, Texas; and Paperworks of Deerfield, Ill. Chambers of Commerce assisting with the effort include: the Business Council of New York-Albany, Champaign County Chamber, Crystal Lake Chamber, Greater Syracuse Chamber, Overland Park Chamber, and St. Augustine Chamber. In addition to the “Furniture Bank” other Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce WTC assistance efforts include a “Space Bank” and a “Skills Bank.” Working with the New York City Partnership, the Chamber has identified more than one million square feet of commercial office space for Lower Manhatan businesses seeking emergency or relocation space. Most of the “Space Bank” property is located in the Downtown Brooklyn area, with additional office space available in DUMBO, Clinton Hill, Red Hook, Sunset Park and Bedford Stuyvesant. To access the “Space Bank”, businesses should call Joe Chan, (718) 875-1000 ext. 104 or Jchan@BrooklynChamber.com The “Skills Bank” is an online registry of volunteers who will provide technical assistance for businesses that need help getting started again. Volunteers with skills ranging from web page design to legal assistance to computer programming can register to provide assistance by calling Michal Shectman, (718) 875-1000 ext. 138 or Mshectman@BrooklynChamber.com. To find out other ways to help with the WTC Relief effort visit the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce website at www.iBrooklyn.com.