Brooklyn's Progress
April 2004

By Bessie Edwards of Pizazz MEPG

On Tuesday morning, Feb. 24, small business owners, ranging from emerging entrepreneurs to experienced business owners, gathered at St. Francis College to participate in the first Small Business Round Table discussion sponsored by the Small Business Seminar Committee (SBSC) of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.  They spent the morning with experts from the Brooklyn financial community to participate in small group discussions about “Creative Ways to Finance Your Business.”

“We thought the Round Table discussions would be a way of facilitating real solutions for Members,” says SBSC Co-chair, Dan Vaccaro.  Darryl Hollon, SBSC Co-chair and Economic Development Specialist for Con Edison, added, “Con Edison was delighted to sponsor this first session.  Round Table discussions are something that Chamber Members have been asking for.” 

It is often difficult for small businesses to get financing because traditional financing options are not open to them.  The Round Table format gave participants an opportunity to have their specific financial challenges analyzed by experts, to hear how others have solved similar problems, and to make personal contacts with experts who can actually guide them through the process of obtaining financing for their businesses.  

One discussion leader, Geri Jasper, Vice President of Economic Development for the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, advised those in her group on how to make their businesses attractive to funders by getting help with a business plan and she offered the services that are available at Restoration’s Resource Center.  

Small Business Round Table participants had an opportunity to participant in two half-hour sessions with financial experts.  The table leaders were diverse and provided a sample of the spectrum of support available for small business owners, in addition to Ms. Jasper speakers included:  Angel Garcia, Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation. (BEDC); Linda Hurwitz, Consultant; Bryan Wagner, Accion and Esjaye Whiters, HSBC Bank.  The attendees left with a handful of business cards from people who had already offered to assist them.  

The SBSC was pleased with the response to this first session and plans to continue to use the Round Table format to make resources and practical solutions available to the small business Members of the Brooklyn Chamber.  The SBSC will also plan and host a series of seminars specifically designed for the same audience.  Check the Chamber Event Calendar at www.ibrooklyn.com  for more information about upcoming sessions.

Brooklyn Chamber Member Bessie Edwards is a partner in Pizzazz MEPG, a meeting and event planning company that provides planning and research, implementation and on site management on a wide array of events.  She can be reached at 718-638-8199 or visit the Pizzazz website at  http://www.pizzazzevents.com/.