Brooklyn's Progress
February 2003

Wage subsidies really work! Studio EIS, a Brooklyn based business located in DUMBO, can attest to that. Studio EIS is currently receiving wage subsidies through the Brooklyn Chamber’s Wage Wage Subsidy program. 

The Chamber's Wage Subsidy Program is a joint partnership between the Brooklyn Chamber and the Consortium of Worker Education, and funding has been made available by the US Department of Labor. The program was established to provide subsidies to businesses that have been negatively impacted by the September 11, World Trade Center Disaster. Qualifying companies may receive a 50% wage subsidy that can be used to hire new workers, prevent layoffs of existing workers or rehire workers that may have been previously laid off. 

Studio EIS was one of the many Brooklyn businesses that felt the aftershocks of the September 11, tragedy. Kes Robinson, Marketing Specialist for Workforce Development, recently interviewed Elliot Schwartz, Co-Owner of Studio EIS, about his company’s Wage Subsidy experience:

What’s behind the name Studio EIS?
It’s very simple. EIS stands for my name, Elliot and Ivan Schwartz, who is my brother and co-owner.

How do you and your brother divide the duties of your business?
Ivan is the art director and I am involved in project management and the financial aspects of the business.

Describe your business:

We are a 3D studio that designs and builds exhibits for history and tech museums. We also design and build site-specific sculptures for architecture, interior spaces and environments.

Give me an example of Studio EIS Projects:

We did an exhibit for both the Truman and Nixon presidential libraries. We created an exhibit for the national civil rights museum in Memphis. We also have done some work for Sony here in New York.

Tell me about the most recent project you finished?

We just completed an exhibit for the National Constitution Center depicting the recreation of a seminal moment in American history — the signing of the Constitution in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 1787. It will consist of 42 life-size bronze figures depicting the framers of the Constitution: 39 signers and 3 dissenters. This project, one of the largest bronze works in the United States, was commissioned by the National Constitution Center, museum on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, scheduled to open on the Fourth of July.

Who does your workforce exist of?

We have a team of designers, sculptors and costumers, and normally 5-15 people work on one project.

What was the affect of the September 11, on your business?

It was disastrous. We primarily build exhibits for history and technology museums, and our museum as well as commercial work disappeared overnight.

Why did you apply for the WageWorks wage subsidy?

We were in a difficult financial situation. We were hurt enormously by the aftermath of 9/11 and heard of the program through a member of the chamber and thought it would be able to get us back on our feet.

How did you find the application process?

The application process was easy to navigate with no difficulties whatsoever. I would say it was very user friendly. We are enormously pleased by our participation in the program.

How has the subsidy helped your business?

It allowed us to regain productivity by letting us employ a full staff versus a skeleton staff. Also, the Wage Subsidy program was our first introduction to the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and we have since become a member and look forward to taking advantage of the many programs and services. 

The Chamber's Wage Subsidy program is a new initiative of the Brooklyn Alliance and has generated substantial interest from local businesses throughout Brooklyn. To accommodate the inquiries, the Brooklyn Alliance has set up a hotline to field the many requests for wage subsidy information. Any business that has experienced a decline in revenue since September 11, 2001 wishing to apply for a wage subsidy should contact the Wage SubsidyHotline 1888-WAGE-911.