Brooklyn's Progress
April/May 2006

Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Member Vigdis Eriksen, President, Eriksen Translations joined Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Robert Walsh to announce the first steps in the creation of the new “Business Express” Web site.

The site, now under construction, will allow small business owners to use personal accounts to access incentives and get through the permitting process much faster by working with multiple agencies simultaneously.
 
“Building on the gains of the past four years, we are now poised to do even more, and the development of Business Express will be a huge step forward in our goal to have a single place where businesses can get everything they need from government,” said Commissioner Walsh. “Business Express will enable businesses to save significant time and money in obtaining the permits they need to start and operate in New York City.  They’ll save time up-front by not needing to literally go to dozens of different agencies, and they’ll save money by averting fines for permits they didn’t know they needed.  Today, there is no single place where business owners can go to find all this information.” 

In addition to the announcement of the site Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Walsh released new data about the New York City Business Solutions initiative. The program, launched in Sept. 2004, has served some 15,000 businesses and helped small business owners access more than $12 million.

The 2006 goals for SBS include the expansion of NYC Business Solutions to 17 sites across the five boroughs; providing assistance to 12,000 more businesses and connecting companies to $13 million in financing. Further, NYC Business Solutions will launch a new real estate selector tool as the city’s only no-cost web site where businesses can find inventory of available industrial and retail spaces within all five boroughs, along with demographic, business, mapping and incentives data.

“NYC Business Solutions plays a vital role in the daily life of the small business community throughout the city,” notes Rick Russo, Director of the Brooklyn Business Solutions Center.  “The Brooklyn Business Solutions Center at 9 Bond Street serves a steady stream of entrepreneurs, and new and established businesses every day.  The response to the vast array of services available through this innovative way of serving businesses has been remarkable.” 

NYC Business Solutions provides free assistance in nine major service categories: Starting a Business; Navigating Government Regulations; Securing Financing; Accessing Incentives; Hiring and Training Employees; Finding Real Estate; Selling to the Government; Obtaining Minority- and Women-Owned Business Certification; and Coping with Emergencies. 

To learn more about services at the Brooklyn Business Solutions Center please call 718-875-3400.