Brooklyn's Progress
December 2006/January 2007

Consultants 2 Go Wins Business Award
Sandi Webster, Principal of Consultants 2 Go was one of twenty winners on Oct. 24 of the 2006 Make Mine a $Million Business™, a program of Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence and Founding Partner OPEN from American Express®. It is the only national initiative committed to the growth needs of post-start-up, women-owned businesses with less than $1 million in annual revenues (97of all women-owned firms in the U.S.). Awardees presented business pitches to an audience of 1,000 women entrepreneurs, judges and guests including guest speakers Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rep. Nydia Velázquez. “It is extremely exciting to be able to deliver this award for Consultants 2 Go…[our firm] will definitely benefit from the excellent coaching and financing that is a part of this package,” said Ms. Webster. Consultants 2 Go is a consulting firm providing marketing and analytic solutions to Fortune 500 companies in the financial services, telecommunications and insurance industries. They may be reached online at http://www.consultants2go.com/.

Rubenstein Technology Group Releases RubyMail™ 2.0
Rubenstein Technology Group, Inc., an e-business software solutions company, recently released RubyMail™ 2.0, a unique full-service email marketing solution developed specifically for digital designers and online marketing professionals and their clients. RubyMail provides to creative professionals a completely outsourced service for converting their digital images into highly effective email marketing campaigns that impress and persuade – with no coding required. “For nearly a decade we’ve been working with talented designers and marketers who prefer to focus on what they do best – design and market,” observed Jaron Rubenstein, President of Rubenstein Technology Group. “We created RubyMail as a comprehensive turn-key email marketing service so they can do exactly that – because we take care of everything else.” Based on RubyCommunicate™ – Rubenstein’s sophisticated digital communications application for the enterprise – RubyMail features a fully customizable design interface, allowing its design partners the flexibility to create virtually any type of email project; RubyMail is scalable, cost-effective and easy to use. As a special introductory offer, RubyMail is available at a 20% discount for first-time users. For details, visit http://www.rubymail.com/ or call 718-230-8110.

Hyperakt Presents Hypermarket
Brooklyn design firm Hyperakt Design Group announced the soft launch of its shop, Hypermarket. Expanding from graphic design and branding, Hyperakt has gathered pieces from innovative local designers and artists like Wüd, Manche Mitchell as well as new comers like Michael Ciancio, Abbi Jacobson and Jake Messing. The market will operate as a collective of furniture makers, product designers and artists. Hypermarket sells Hyperakt products as well as selected products that include objects for the home, small furniture, lighting, fashion, jewelry, accessories, toys, books with a focus on clean, modern, functional, industrial and recycled design. To learn more about Hypermarket visit http://www.hypermarketny.com/ or call 718 885-4250.

Get Organized with Y.E.S. Surrey
In recognition of National Get Organized Month in January, Yvonne Surrey of Y.E.S. Surrey Office Services will present a free workshop, “Get Organized, Get in Control and Get Out of Your Own Way” from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 17 at the Brooklyn Business Library, 280 Cadman Plaza West, Brooklyn Heights. The seminar will offer tips and techniques about how to organize your workspace for increased productivity, how to convert the five steps of doing laundry into principles for workflow control, how to prevent co-workers from monopolizing your time and more. Ms. Surrey is a writer and professional organizer and conducts seminars and workshops about organization, time management, customer service, and conflict management. She is a member of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE). To register for the seminar, visit http://www.biz.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/ or call 718-623-7000, option 4. Ms. Surrey may be reached at 718-462-1551; her Web site is at http://www.sos-organizing.com/.

Intercession Courses for Businesses at St. Francis
St. Francis is offering a specially designed course, Business Continuity Planning & Disaster Recovery. The two night class - Jan. 9th and 10th – is geared towards helping businesses and organizations design, develop and implement a business contingency and disaster recovery plan to make sure they are back up to speed in the shortest amount of time possible. A Computer Tools, course is also being offered weeknights between Jan. 3 and Jan. 19. This course will teach people how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and other programs. It is a short, intensive training class for people unfamiliar with the programs or those who want to improve their skills. On Jan. 6 there will be a one day classes for the more computer savvy, Intensive Photoshop and on Jan. 13 Intensive Web Design. Both courses will take go beyond the basics. The courses range from one to three credits and cost about $500 per credit. St. Francis College is located at 180 Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights. For more information visit http://www.sfcnyc.info/; to register contact the admissions office at 718-489-3473 or by email admissions@stfranciscollege.edu.

Ground Broken For New Navy Yard Facility
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) President and CEO Andrew H. Kimball broke ground on an 89,000-square foot industrial building on Perry Avenue in the Brooklyn Navy Yard (see story on page 3).  Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Council Members Letitia James, David Yassky and Albert Vann, and BNYDC Chairman Alan H. Fishman also attended the event. The project, to be developed for multi-tenant occupancy, is part of a seven-building expansion initiative over the next three years that is expected to generate up to 800 new jobs at one of the City’s largest and most successful industrial centers.  The expansion program – the largest such initiative at the historic site since World War II – will create 401,900 square feet of additional industrial capacity at the 300-acre Navy Yard, which presently encompasses four million square feet of industrial space.  The expansion is expected to include a 60,000-square-foot supermarket on the perimeter of the Navy Yard to serve the needs of surrounding communities.  In addition, the initiative will seek to maximize employment opportunities for local residents and generate new business opportunities for minority- and women-owned contractors.

New Law for Sprinkler Systems
Mayor Bloomberg signed Intro. 426-A in early Nov. The law will streamline the process of inspecting and testing sprinkler systems by ensuring that all owners of multiple dwellings, single room occupancy dwellings and converted dwellings in the City will be subject to a single set of sprinkler system maintenance requirements under a single enforcement agency- namely, the Fire Department.  This bill will also require three-or-more unit buildings to have flow tests annually, but if a pressure gauge is installed on the sprinkler maintenance system, then the test would only need to occur once every 30 months.  In addition, FDNY will now require monthly inspections of single room occupancy dwellings, converted dwellings and three-or-more dwelling units, by the holder of a Certificate of Fitness or other appropriate license. For more information visit http://www.nyc.gov/.

Astroland Purchased By Thor Equities
Thor Equities acquired the 3.1-acre Astroland site in Coney Island, moving it a step closer toward its planned $1.5 billion entertainment and amusement district. Last year, the company unveiled plans for a Las Vegas-style entertainment area in Coney Island, which would include retail shops, residential housing, a four-star hotel and a 4,000-foot roller coaster that would rival the world famous Cyclone. Company officials say the development will create thousands of jobs and help convert Coney Island into a year-around destination. Zoning changes must be made to move ahead with the proposed project. The company hopes to break ground within 18 months.

BP Takes Brooklyn Overseas
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz took his show on the road when he went to the United Kingdom to participate World Travel Market, one of the largest travel industry expos in the world. The Borough President had a promotional booth at the event and worked with the New York City tourism agency NYC & Co., the Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, and Heart of Brooklyn to make sure the borough was represented when travel companies create the itineraries for their package tours. During his stay Borough President Markowitz also addressed a crowd of over 100 travel professionals in York where he touted the world class cultural institutions and unique attractions that make Brooklyn a destination. The Borough President also met with London Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron, visited Parliament, and attended a New York State wine tasting presented by NYC & Co.

AMEX To Get Into Electronic Payments
American Express Co. has agreed to acquire electronic payments firm Harbor Payments to launch a new line of corporate electronic payment products. The products are expected to be launched in January through AMEX’s new electronics payment business called S2S. Currently Harbor Payments offers electronic payment products to large firms including current clients Liz Clairborne and the American Red Cross. American Express has attempted to promote electronic procurement on its own in the past, but smaller firms like Harbor Payments have been able to offer these services at lower costs. American Express is the nation's largest issuer of corporate cards.

Free Light Upgrades From PES
Public Energy Solutions (PES) has launched Operation Kill-A-Watt in New York, a new program to help selected businesses and residents in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Westchester County reap the energy-cost saving benefits of “going green.” As part of the program, free energy-efficient lighting upgrades as well as cash back will be made available from PES to eligible building owners. Under the program those using 25 or more incandescent light bulbs in their buildings can sign up for free Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs). These energy efficient lamps reduce energy costs by consuming 80% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last 10 times longer. CFLs also burn cooler than traditional bulbs, which can help lower air conditioning expenses in the summer by reducing overall heat emission throughout the building. Operation Kill-a-Watt will pay eligible customers for each replaced incandescent bulb by its wattage. In Brooklyn, areas that are eligible include Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Crown Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Wyckoff Heights, Cypress Hills, East New York, Brownsville, Greenpoint, Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, and Bushwick. This offer is until Feb. 15, 2007. Contact Public Energy Solutions at 866 818-1900 ext. 102 or visit http://www.publicenergysolutions.com/.