Brooklyn's Progress
August 2003

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce recently said good-bye to several staff members, each of whom played important roles at the Chamber and Alliance but have moved on to new jobs, graduate school, and other challenges. 

Michal Shechtman was the manager of Real Estate and Business Services as well as Assistant Director for the Downtown Brooklyn Council.  As the manager of Real Estate and Business Services, she managed borough-wide business development programs including Digital NYC and its Downtown Brooklyn Connected and Broadband Brooklyn initiatives.  In this role, Michal planned and produced the annual Building Brooklyn Awards, an event which highlights Brooklyn’s real estate development.

As Assistant Director for the Downtown Council, Michal worked on the Bloomberg administration’s proposal for the Downtown Brooklyn Development project.  Her role included developing a residential demand study for Downtown Brooklyn.

Kes Robinson was a marketing specialist in the Workforce Development Department.  She worked on the WageWorks Program, leading the Chamber’s efforts to market wage subsidies to Brooklyn businesses affected since 9/11.

Kes also was the staff liaison for the Minority and Women Owned Business Committee.  Through her leadership efforts, the Committee sponsored several seminars on various topics including how to become a certified contractor with the New York City Department of Small Business Services and exploring new business opportunities.

Under Kes’ direction, the MWOB Committee talked about efforts to extend Article 15-A which provides guidelines for equal opportunity contracts and employment for women and minority owned businesses in the state of New York.  At the time this paper went to press, the xxx She was also part of a group of Brooklyn Chamber Members, led by Gilbert Rivera, Founder of AM&G Waterproffing, LLC, that went to Albany to lobby for reform of New York Labor Law Sections 240 and 241 to address the crisis of skyrocketing insurance premiums for small contractors.  

Miguel Martinez has secured a position with the New York City EDC, which now leases space at the Brooklyn Mills facility.  The Brooklyn Chamber will continue to operate the Quick Sew Center to provide garment industry skills training programs as needed.

The Brooklyn Chamber also bid farewell to Zenobia Marion, assistant director for Good Help and Tiffany Antoine, a project manager for the Chamber.